Year: 1859

Skating and Curling on the Central Park


Pond.


THE ICE STRONG, BUT VERY RoUGH-THE PEOPLE
GRUMBLING AT THE NEGLIGENCE OF SOMEBODY
ATTENTION WANTED.


The extreme cold weather Of the last few days has
drawn many thousand persons to the Central Park pond
for skating and curling On Monday the weather was so
excessively cold tina. vsters made their stay Short
that there continual going and coming throughout
the day On the edge Of the pond the thermometer is
ported have IA degrees below zero degrees
in the SUM- So bitterly cold was that several of the
Scotchmen curling had their frost bitten and were
forced to leave pond Notwithstanding others played
and skaed nearly the whole day. Yesterday forenoon,
the weather having somewhat moderated there
curling clubs at full play IL O'Clock The New York
Caedonan Curling Club had forty pairs Of stones at the
pond, and the Thistle Curling Club were likewise well
supplied The playing Of tho clubs very animat
ing to those engaged in IT, and the onlookers were enter
tanned with rich jokes from the Scotchmen in the brO11
dialect Of Aud Scotia sawney there all his glory


The two clubs above mentioned intend play.
Ing match during the present month, should
the weather continue favorable for that purpose and the
Caledonians invite any club the States 10 play them
'friendly game" AS national characteristic, Scotch
are not very risky is money matters so they do not
purpose playing for anything beyond glory and medal
and on no account will they slide their stones and brush
the ice on Sunday.


terday, but many of them complained loudly about the
character Of the ice Instead of finding level sheet





Of ice that the imagination could picture Gliding along
with ease, grace aud comfort was out Of the question:
The skaters had to labor bard to get along and had 10 go
it zig leap here and there every few yards or come
right into ice as rough in many places as the causeway In
some Of our side streets


1t great pity that many hopes of pleasurable
oyment should be disappointed from the lack Of little
labor while many hands ready TO labor and would
ike nothing better than few hours labor to procure
necessares Of life. We could learn yesterday that
any person in particular charged with flooding the
ice or preserving in aproper condition for public skat
.ern rrv1fr ain Of npp md croalh hodu of
men under his direction have, up to the present
time, been the only that have done anything.
Seeing the disappointment which many experienced
Sunday they attempted again that evening to food the
ice, in order to have level surface, but their Efforts
failed. They had To- work some hand pumps and use
tubes pipes 10 conduct the water from the reservoir
that entirely inadequate for the business. The
water not procured in sufficient volume to flow
such large space with that rSpdity necessary TO keep il
from freezing while travelling, that only here and there


good piece of ice can be found on the pond while the
greater portion nterspcrsed with ice rough enough 70
trip up anybody but the mos. expert.


The class Of people on the pond on Monday and yesterday
were generally taxpayers-men in business in the city,
sorekeepcgs, took advantage OF the leisure which
The cold spell lad forced upon them in their ordinary
business routine Many Of them considered that if the
amusements, that the Commissioners might well let
them have The amusement this year as next year, in
Eve ten years hence. They could not understand the
logic that would order thousands OF to be employed
in coed weather making roads, blasting rocks and dong
everything necessary TO make the Park public pleasure
ground for future years while possibly moi bali dozen Of
these thousands could be engaged ia doing anything
that would render the pond what Should be- and what
it is intended it shall be in years TO come


II is rational to suppose that work which mil
lions of the peoples money Will be expended that what
necessary for keeping the Park in order WILL in
course Of time be procured by the Commissioners and
the time for procuring that will should be. when
required The water let to the pond tor the pur
pose OF aording outdoor recreation. When the arnos
phere sufficiently cold to CONCEAL the water and require
manual labor the ice good enough and all the world
and his wife may skate there, for he can; but when
heavy falls the ice, and change OF weather
makes it like field than any thing else, there IS
thing provided adequate TO what is required.


II be that somebody in authority that IL Is
some other somebody's business 70 see 10 it, and between
all the somebodies ii may be, frequently that the
patient, good -Daturod public has TO exercise large
amount of philosophy and console themselves with the
reflection that their poserity may enjoy in years to
come while hey have the honor of now paying the taxes
There was considerable grumbng yesterday and the
Commissioners expected to do something the
demand for good ce for assuredy yesterday thought
it was sufficient reason that there pumps and
pipes en- the ground, bn the water froze in them The
pond not for summer use particularly, the proper
pumps proper hose, whatever is necessary 20 meet
the winter demand, now wanted, and to GOOD the
ice when required. small number OF men can do the
business.