The roller-skatin’ mania has struck the Madison Square Garden. The first big roller race has rolled up its big records. And at the Garden the other night I met a lot of “roller rink men,” as they are called, who gave me some reminiscences of roller skatin’.
Years ago (when old Niblo’s was a new thing, with the Ravels for its chief attractions), a pantomime was produced called “The Skaters of Wilna.” As the title implies, the main effects of this piece were found in the “Grand Skatin’ Scene,” which was its big feature, and old Gabriel Ravel resolved to produce somethin’ novel here. Hitherto the scenic effects of this scene had been chiefly relied upon, the snow, the ice, etc.–the skatin’ bein’ rather hinted at and suggested than done. But Ravel made up his mind to bring the skaters to the front and cudgled his brains how to do it. Finally, after various consultations with his stage carpenter, old Gabriel hit upon a practical idea. He got some boards cut out roughly in the shape of the sole of a foot, put four little wheels to these boards, tied the boards with wheels to the feet of his skaters and sent ‘em on, amid the stage ice and snow.
The apparatus used was very crude and simple, but the results were very effective. The skatin’ scene became the talk of the town, and the piece made a hit–all through its rough roller skates.
One night, a Yankee called Plimpton went to see “The Skaters of Wilna.” He didn’t care much about dramatic or scene effects–he wasn’t in that line–but he at once saw the germ of a big money idea in those roller skates. He got acquainted with Gabriel Ravel, and professed a great admiration for him and for his skates–was invited by the unsuspectin’ Gabriel to view his skates–did so, examinin’ ‘em closely, though apparently carelessly; saw some defects in ‘em which could readily be remedied, found out that Gabriel Ravel himself didn’t think much of his own invention–regardin’ his roller skates merely as a successful “makeshift”–and ascertained that the old pantomimist had no thought of applyin’ for a patent for his invention.
So Plimpton set to work, made a slight alteration, though a decided Improvement, in the Ravel rollers, and then promptly applied for a patent for his invention. (?) This application was granted, and thus on the actor’s idea the Yankee laid the basis of a fortune. Plimpton went, full of his patent, to England, and there a surprise awaited him. He found that the idea which Gabriel Ravel had certainly conceived in his own brain, and which Plimpton thought he had been the only one to steal, or “adopt” from Ravel, had really occurred to other parties in England. In short, roller skatin’ was known and practiced in England twenty years before Gabriel Ravel had, as he thought, invented the roller skate, or Plimpton had, as he thought, made use of his idea.
To tell the truth, roller skates have been known for over a thousand years. Roller skates of a rude kind, but still roller skates, have been found in the ruins of Pompeii, and were revived in France to please the beautiful Ninon D’Enclos, the mistress of the great French king.
Roller skatin’ fell through in England in a rather characteristic and peculiar way. It was ruined by its own popularity. Rinks were opened all over, and all classes of people came to ‘em; but as the English are great sticklers for caste and class distinctions, and as all classes without distinction took to these roller rinks, why the “upper classes” soon withdrew their patronage. The vast “middle class” followed the example of their betters, and so the roller skating rinks in England fizzled out, for the very reason that they are succeeding so effectually in this republic.
The real roller skatin’ mania was brought over to this country by several Englishmen after the craze had played out in their own country. Reginald Durand, an Englishman, came over and started roller skatin’ in Boston. Other Englishmen followed suit, and then an American called Raymond took a hand in it, and a very full hand he had of it, too.
Raymond was a Yankee like Plimpton, and he started in that heaven of Yankees, Boston, from which centre of “culchah” both the roller skatin’ mania and John L. Sullivan originated. Raymond was laughed at, at first, about his havin’ roller skates on the brain. People said he had lost his business head, but events soon proved that his head was as level as a skatin’ rink floor. He started a rink in Boston, the first rink of its kind in this country, and it was an enormous success from the first day. He came to New York try to get the American Institute for a rink, was called to his face a lunatic, persevered and has made a fortune.
Then Fred Fortmeyer, a well-known New York rower and club swinger and general sport, got rollers on the brain and went into it pell-mell. Other New York sports followed suit, and it is now the craze of the time.
Some folks think roller skatin’ will last five years yet, others say seven; all agree that it won’t last very long, but will be a tremendous big thing while it lasts.
Women have taken to it kindly, and school girls like Jeannie Houghton have developed wonderful aptitude for the roller skate. By the by, Jeannie and her manager, Dr. Noble, like most of the roller skaters of any account, hail from the Hub. Any number of “roller romances” have been published, but a friend of mine who was manager in the Old Brooklyn skatin’ rink told me the other night at the Garden of a good practical joke he played on the manager of a Newark rink years ago. The Newark floor was very slippery, and my friend seein’ that the manager of the place was a “green hand,” determined to get a laugh on him. So remarkin’ on the slippery state of the floor, my friend told the manager of the Newark establishment that over at his place in Brooklyn they used a mixture of rosin and molasses to prevent the skates from slippin’. The poor Newark manager thanked the Brooklyn manager for his hint, and gravely acted on it at once.
The very next night the Newark ring floor was covered with rosin and molasses, the two boiled together and sprinkled on the floor.
There was fun that night at the old Newark rink, plenty of fun, plenty of tumblin’, plenty of laughin’, plenty of swearin’ but no skatin’ worth mentionin’. The boys and girls liked it well enough, at least the tumblin’ part of it, for it was, under the circumstances, literally “so sweet” to fall together. But then the molasses stuck; it ruined clothes, spoiled skirts, and stained pantaloons. On the whole there was too much “rollin’” for the money, and the manager of the Newark rink had to “shut up shop,” for his place was afterwards completely deserted.
[Editor’s notes: Plimpton’s patent remains one of the major points in the history of roller skating. His quad wheel design (rather than two wheels in-line), set on platform that could rock for turns, revolutionized the activity. Was he inspired by Ravel’s prop skates? The timing is possible–the Ravels staged the very popular Godensky, or, the Skaters of Wilna starting in 1839, and frequently re-staged it through the late 1850s. Plimpton’s patent was dated 1863. Ravel skates have been mentioned in histories of roller skating, but there is no mention that these directly inspired Plimpton.
“Raymond” was J. Maxfield Raymond, who, with his brother, founded a business that produced both ice skates and roller skates. The “Raymond Skate” was the most popular skate of the latter 19th century and early 20th century.]
