Snow Shoes

Living in Florida we don't have any need for snowshoes. However, the temps this past week have been low enough that if there were rain we might just have snow. Which led me to this post this little tidbit about snowshows, enjoy. Below is an excerpt from "The Tribune Book of Open Air Sports" by Henry Hall ©1887


SNOWSHOES.
The snowshoe and toboggan might readily be called twins of the snow. The snowshoe is the only contrivance ever invented to facilitate walking on soft snow, and probably never will bo surpassed. It was formerly in universal use among the American Indians, and the Esquimaux and Laplanders still use the shoe to-day. Some of the tribes in Central Asia also employ it. Travellers have found the snowshoc all through the North of Europe and in Siberia and Tartary.
The American shoe is made of a piece of light ash, about half an inch thick, bent to a long oval, and fastened closely with cat-gut where the two ends meet. A strip of flat wood is fitted across the the frame about four inches from the large end, and other pieces about two feet from the ends, to give it spring and strength. The interior of this framework is woven with cat-gut, which allows the shoe to press on the snow without sinking. A hole about four inches square is left behind the centre of the front cross-bar for the partial protrusion of the toes in lifting the heel. The centre bears the weight of the body. The Indian shoe measures from two to six feet in length, and from thirteen to twenty inches in width ; but for club races it has been reduced to the regulation measurement of not less than ten inches in width, without limitation as to length. A short, broad shoe is preferable for the forest or long tramps on soft snow. The Indian's shoo was always broad, adapted for the chase. Some of the tribes turned up the shoe at the toe.
A member of the Montreal Snowshoe Club applied the shape of the poinied turned-up too of thei shoe used by the Sioux to that made tand used by the Iroquois; and this modification is now the shoe in general use. Moccasins are worn on the feet, and by means of an ingenious tie, also introdued by the Montreal Club, the snowshoes can be slipped on and off with greatest case.
To the accomplished snowshoer walking is a delightful pastime. He tramps over fields and buried fences unmindful of drifts or obstructions. In all Canadian cities there are numerous snowshoe clubs that take weekly tramps in costume. Baces and sports are also carried on on these shoes. In the Western parts of our own country the snowshoe is much used. It is said that the most expert runner, "Snowshoc Thompson,'' once made 1,600 feet in 22 seconds, and he is also said to have jumped into a snow-drift from a height of 180 feet.

Shad

Hi all,

Here's another tidbit I found while on a research trip. A newspaper article on Shad. I hadn't heard of this type of fish but here's what the article excerpt said. "The first shad of this season was caught on the 6th, in Savannah Back River, by Frank O. Louis. The run of shad this season, from present indications, will be large in spite of the Yankee blockade." Jan. 9, 1862 in the Daily Morning News.

If you'd like to read a bit more about this fish here's a link to Wikipedia. There is a pen & ink sketch of fishing for shad in the 19th century in South Carolina.

And another link to Google books from 1865 Introducing Shad to the Alabama River

Olympics 1896

The Olympics are currently playing in Vancouver, Canada. So, in light of this games I thought I'd point out that the current Olympics had their roots in the 19th Century. Truth is the real roots go back to the old Greek culture 776 BC. Our modern day Olympics date back to the Summer Olympics of 1896 from April 6th -15th.

14 nations participated.
122 total medals were given.
USA earned the most gold at a count of 11.
Greece earned the most medals with a total of 46.
Sports represented: Athletic basically our Track & Field today, Cycling, Fencing, Gymnastics, Shooting, Swimming, Tennis, Weightlifting, and Wrestling.

Links with additional information.
Wikipedia
1896 Summer Olympics This site also has some pictures of from the event.

Ice Skating

During the 19th century Ice Skating developed not only as a past time but also as a sport. Speed skating competitions were held as early as 1863 in Norwegian clubs. Figure skating as we're accustomed to it was introduced by Jackson Haines in the mid 1860's he's said to be the "father of modern figure skating."

The actual skates were blades that were strapped on to a person's boot or shoe.

The Encyclopaedia Britannica Juvenile Non fiction ©1890 copied below will help you get a better picture of how the 19th century viewed skating.

SKATING, as at present practised, may be defined as a mode of progression (usually rapid) upon smooth ice, by the aid of steel blades attached to the soles of the feet It probably originated in the far north of Europe, in Scandinavia and Germany, where it is still in common use. In Russia it has never been a national pastime, as no smooth ice is formed in the rapidly running rivers. Even in St Petersburg it is mainly engaged in by English and Germans. The earliest skates appear to have been certain bones of large animals, but wood was also used from an early period.

In modern skating there are two totally distinct styles, which require different skates differently attached to tbe feet, and different extents and qualities of ice. The first, the "running " or "fen" style, simply consists in going straight ahead at the highest possible speed. Its home is on the fiords of Scandinavia, the fens of Lincolnshire, and the large rivers and lakes of North America. In Holland, Denmark, and North America it is the medium tor carrying a large winter market traffic. It first became common in England in 1662 after the return of the Stuarts. The wooden part or stock of a running skate s from 8 to 12 inches long, according to the length of the foot The blade is made of the best steel, with an average width of y6T inch. The heel is at right angles ;o the surface of the ice. The prow begins to rise off the ice at the fore end of the stock, at a gradually increasing angle, and projects 4 inches. The entire skate s attached to the foot by an iron screw in the heel of -he stock which enters the skater's boot heel and two ong straps which pass through slots in the stock and asten round the ankle and toes of the skater. The length of the heel strap varies from 22 to 32 inches, and that of he toe strap from 15 to 23 inches. Formerly the bottoms of the blades were fluted. A concavity is now effected by grinding; and, when in motion, the blade is rarely flat on the ice. The curve should be slight, and the depth no greater than will ensure a curve being made without touching the ice. The feet are placed at right angles to each other with the toes turned out1 and the body bent slightly forward. Each foot is then raised alternately and set down slightly on the inside edge. It immediately acquires a forward motion, which is increased by pushing with the other foot, that being at right angles and having no sliding motion. The feet must be kept perfectly level when raised and set down, and the skate carried in the Bame manner an inch above the ice when going forward. The forward stroke is made on the outer edge, and the pressure applied to the inner edge of the other foot. The arms are swung across the chest from side to side, and opposite to the direction of the striking leg in order to balance the weight The quickest method of stopping is to place the feet parallel, dig the heels into the ice, and arch the back. A longer but more graceful method is to turn the toes inwards, thus spreading the outside edges athwart the line of going. The feet should never be looked at, as the balance of the body is thereby disturbed. The eye should always be on a line with the horizon.
The fastest skating times recorded, from a standing start, and with no rear wind, have all been made in the United States, at Sew York, as follows:—
(This section is too blurred to copy correctly so I omitted it.)

The second style, termed "figure skating," is quite modern and purely English in its origin. This may be practised on any small pond, provided the ice is clear of snow and perfectly smooth. The more numerous opportunities thus afforded make it the more popular style in Great Britain, where the large streams seldom freeze. Figure skating consists in cutting arcs, circles, figures, letters, serpentines, and spirals,—either forwards or backwards, slowly or rapidly, on one or both feet, singly or in combination. The style can ultimatoly be analysed into four kinds of strokes, all made on the edges of the blade— the inside forward, the outside forward, the inside backward, and the outside backward. The variety of evolutions which can be developed from these four movements ii endless. The figure skate is made entirely of metal, is
strapless and fixed to the boots by clamps or like devices. Unlike the running skate, it can be instantly put on or taken off. Many kinds have been invented, but the " Acme," firs* produced in Canada, is generally acknowledged the best. The blade projects the merest trifle beyond the length of the foot and is rounded off in-an upward direction from the ice at both toe and heel. The bottom i.s J inch wide, and the best curve for grinding it is to that of a sovcnfoot radius, equal throughout and not increased fit cither end. In stopping, the end of one skate is placed at right angles to the other.
Summer skating has been occasionally provided in " glaciariums " by means of artificially produced ice.
The London Skating Club, founded in 1830, ii tho lending skating society of Great Britain. Comprising bnt 170 members, including 20 ladies, and practising on exclusively private water in Hegeut's Park, it countenances figure akating only and gives no oncourngoment whatever to the spread or teaching of a national pastime. The National Skating Association was formed in the year 1879, and, on December 8, held tho first raco for the running championship at Thorney, Cambridgeshire. The objecta of the association are as follows:—

To promote, ascertain, and reward speed In skutlnj*,—by the establishment and management of amatear and open akating championships of England; by stimulating and aupplemenling local action In holding of skating matches; by establishing an order of merit for speed skatcn. and awarding badges for tho Bftme; by assisting In providing facilities for skating by the shallow flooding of land In each locality where local branches exist; and by collecting through corresponding members Information of tho existence of loo on which skating Is practicable, and tho supplying of such Information to Its members; and to promote anil encourage figure skating, by tho establishment of standards at which figure skitters may aim, by bestowing bndges of merit on those who attain tlieso standards, and by promoting and aatUtlng In the formation of skating clubs. To provide rules and regulations for tho gamo of hockey on tho Ico, Also to promote the establishment of International skating contests In various countries. under the direction of an International council.

In the United States and Canada large and shallow artificial ponds under cover, termed "rinks," are in winter frozen by filling them with water. Each uight the surface is covered with a layer of water, which gives a fresh sheet of ice by morning. The coven protect the rinks from snow, another great advantage.

As regards a substitute for ico and ice akating on wooden or asphalt floors, the only invention that has ever been found even partially successful is that of James !.. Plimpton of New York in 1869. The implements may bo described as skatea with two parallel wheels at tho toe and heel, so hung that tho whool axloa are moved out of parallel by the transverse rocking of tho skater's foot, the wheela setting squarely on tho surface whether the skater be upright or cantod. Tho fatigue caused by these "roller skates" is quadruple that of ordinary ice skating.

Basketball

The game of basketball was invented in the 19th century. James Naismith a physical ed instructor developed the game in 1891 while at the Springfield, MA. YMCA.

Originally the game was played with a soccer ball and it was pitched into peach baskets. The bottoms of the baskets were still attached. The first game was held Mar. 11, 1892. Springfield, Mass. is the home for the basketball hall of fame.

Fastest One Mile Swim

Today the closest we have to the one mile swim is the 1500 meter. If you're like me, you might have been caught up with this past year's Olympics when Michael Phelps captured our attention in all his achievements.

But did you know that before the current records were recorded 1896 to 2008 there was a man named Charles F. Senk and in New York City on Sept. 1, 1878 he swam one mile at a speed of 12:42.25. Yup, that's faster than the current record holder Grant Hackett 1500 meter in 14:34.56 which is approximately 109 meters less than a mile.

This information is in Houghtalings Handbook of Useful Information as well as on page 67 of The New York Clipper 1890 Annual. This book can be found at the Columbia University Libraries E-Book section. Here's the LINK In this source it states that he swam this mile in the East River. What I don't know is if he was going downstream or upstream. My guess would be downstream with the current.

Boston (Horse)

Following last weeks post I thought I'd add another horse bio. Take note of the price money being offered in the years that Boston raced.

BOSTON, foaled 1833, was bred by Mr. John Wickham, of Richmond, Va., and was by Tiruolecm out of Sister to Tuckahoe, by Ball's Florizel. He first started at Broadrock. Va., April 20, 1836, in a sweepstakes for threeyear-olds, mile heats, but was beaten by his only opponent, Colonel White's colt, by Carolinian, Boston bolting when in the lead. He did not run again until the Fall, when he started for, and won, the two-mile-heat purse at Petersburg, Va., Oct. 12, 1836, beating Nick Biddle and five others, 4:01—4:00, over a heavy track. The following month, he won the Jockey Club Purse, at Hanover, Va. As a four-year-old, at Washington, D. C., he won the three-mileheat race in 6:04—6:10, beating Norwood and four others. At the same place, Oct. 5,1837, he won the three-mile-heat race, in two heats, beating Prince George, Stockton and four others, in 5:55—5:53. A fortnight later, at Baltimore, he won the three-mile-heat purse, in 5:51—6:08, from three opponents, and at Camden, N. J., a week later, he won the three-mile-heat purse, in 5:51—6:02, beating Betsy Andrew. May 3,1838, he walked over for the three-mile-heat purse at Union Course, L. I., and two weeks later beat Dosoris for the fuur-mile-heat purse of $1,000 over the Beacon Course, N. J. A week afterwards, he beat Decatur at Camden, N. J., in the four-mile-heat race, in 8:36—8:41, and on June 1, on the Union Course, L. I., he beat Charles Carter, who had been brought on purposely from Virginia to meet him, in the four-mile-heat race, in 7:40. Charles Carter was drawn in consequence of having injured his leg, after the first heat, of which the first three miles were run in 5:36 J—the best time ever made in America at that date. On June 8, over the Beacon Course, he beat Duane for the four-mile-heat puree; time, 7:52—7:54—8:30. l)u;me won the first heat, which was the first that Boston had ever lost; the latter ran unkindly, sulking repeatedly in the second and third heats, in starting for which he was obliged to be whipped off. The same Fall, he beat Polly Green, at Petersburgh, in 9:25; Balie Peyton, at Baltimore, in 8:05 (both drawn after first heat); and Decatur, at the Union Course, L. I., in 8:00— 7:57} and the Beacon Course, N. J., in 8:12—8:26, all four-mile-heat races; besides recovering forfeit twice. On April 16, 1839, he commenced his six-year-old career by being beaten by Portsmouth, in a match for $20,000, twomile heats, in 3:50—3:48. At Richmond, Va., he beat hady Clifden and Brocklesby with ease, in one heat, in 5:46; and at Washington, D. C., he won the four-mile-heat race in 7:53—8:06, from Tom Walker, Black Knight and two others. After walking over for a $1000 purse, fourmile-heats, at Camden, N. J., he next proceeded to Trenton, N. J., and won the Jockey Club Purse of $1000, fourmile-heats, in 7:57—8:24, beating Decatur and Vashti with great ease. The week after, on the Union Course, L. I., he beat Decatur and Bailie Peyton, for the four-mile-heat purse, in 7:47—8:02. Boston won the four-mile-heat purse of $1000, at Petersburg, Va., Sept. 26, 1839, beating the Queen and Omega in 8:02—7:52. October 17, he beat Omega at Camden, N. J., for a purse of $1000, four-mileheats, easily, in 7:49; Omega being drawn after the first heat. Six days after, Boston won the four-mile-heat purse at Trenton, N. J., beating Decatur in 7:57—7:58. On May 1, 1840, at Petersburg, Va., he encountered the gray mare Andrewetta for the four-mile-heat purse. The mare won the first heat in 7:50, the best time ever made over that track, but in the second heat, the game old chestnut turned
the tables on her, and won with ease in 8:04. Andrewotta was then withdrawn. Just a week afterwards, he defeated Reliance and Cippus for the four-mile-heat purse of $1000, at Washington, D. C., in 8:02—8:06, in a heavy rain. After walking over for a $1000 purse at Camden, N. J., he had a summer's rest until October 2, when he defeated Bandit, at Petersburg, Va , in a four-mile race, in 7:57, Bandit was drawn after the first heat. On October 8, at Broadrock, Va., he defeated Texas, Bailie Peyton, and Laneville, for the Jockey Purse of 8500, three-mile-heats, in 5:56—5:49. He next beat Gano, four-mile-heats, winning the first heat in 7:57, when Gano was withdrawn. Ten days after, at Augusta, Ga., he beat Santa Anna and Omega, four-mile-heats, in 7:52—7:49.
Boston then went to the stud and made the season of 1841 at Chesterfield, Va., where he covered forty-two mares, at 8100 each. In the Fall he was again put into training, and made his reappearance on the turf at Petersburg, Va., for the Jockey Club Purse of 8700, four-mile-heats, which he won in one heat from his only opponent, Texas; in time, 8:14}. A week after, at Alexandria, Va., he walked over for the Jockey Club Purse of $800, four-mile heats. Boston next appeared at Washington, D. C., October 15,1841, and there won the four-mile purse of $1000, beating Accident, Ned Hazard, and Green Hill; time, 7:59—8:24. A week later, at Baltimore, he beat Mariner in three heats, for the Jockey Purse, four-mile-heats, Mariner winning the first heat in 8:00}, and Boston the second and third in 8:05 — 8:06. The week after, at Camden, N. J., he started, when dead amiss, against Fashion and John Blount for the fourmile-heat purse, but was distanced in the first heat, won by John Blount in 7:42. Fashion won the second heat and race in 7:48, John Blount breaking down and being withdrawn. In consequence of this unexpected defeat, he was matched against Fashion, four-mile-hcats, over the Union Course, L. I., for $20,000 a side, and on May 10,1842, the great match came off. The number of spectators was estimated from 50,000 to 70,000 ; the weather was fine, and the track in fine order. The betting was $100 to $60 on Boston. In the first heat Boston on the inside took the lead and maintained it to the commencement of the fourth mile, when Fashion collared and passed him in half a dozen strokes, at a tremendous flight of speed, which she maintained to the end, winning the heat by a length, in 7:32 }, the fastest heat run in America up to that time. In the second heat Fashion came home an easy winner in 7:45.
Only two days after this great match, Boston beat Mariner (Fashion's half brother) over the same course for the Jockey Club Purse, four-mile-heats, in 8:13—7:46—7:58} ; Mariner winning the first heat. Boston was, of course, very sore from the previous race, and would not extend himself. On May 26, at Camden, N. J., he won the Jockey Club Purse of $1000, four-mile-heats, in 8:00}—8:05, beating Treasurer. In the Fall he again came out, and at Baltimore, won the four-mile-heat race, in 8:09—7:57, beating Wilton Brown, Reliance, and Spectre. This was his last race in 1842, and the year following he only started once, at Petersburgh, Va., fall meeting, when he won the Jockey Club Purse of $300, four-mile-heats, beating Black Dick over a very heavy track, in 6:10—6:21; a race which terminated a racing career unexampled in brilliancy on the American turf. Boston started in forty-five races, winning forty, of which thirty were at four-mile-heats (including five walks over); nine at threemile-heats (one walk over), and one at two-mile-heats.
Source: Famous Horses of America ©1877

American Eclipse (Horse)

Horses and Horse racing were a huge part of the 19th Century people. Below is a description of American Eclipse. Initially I thought to just give you a couple of tidbits about a few of the American horses during the 19th Century but after reading the history of these horses I thought some of you might glean some interesting ideas to flavor your historical novels with.

AMERICAN ECLIPSE was bred by Gen. Nathaniel Coles, of Dosoris, L. I., on May 25, 1814. His sire was Duroc, and his dam Miller's Damsel, by imp. Messenger. The colt was weaned on November 10, and not broken until September, at three years old. The following March he was trained and given a trial of two miles, which afforded high satisfaction to his owner. When only a suckling of five months old, General Coles had named him "American Eclipse," on account of the high promise he gave of stride, strength and speed. While a colt he was not confined, but in the winter season he was turned out every fine day; he was first shod in the spring, when three years old. His first race was in May, 1818, when he started for the purse for three-mile heats at Newmarket, L. I., and won it with ease, beating Black-eyed Susan and Sea Gull, then called the best three-mile horse of the day. The following spring American Eclipse was sold to Mr. Van Ranst, who, in June, 1819, started him in the four-mile heat purse at Bath, beating Little John, by Virginia Potomac; Bond's Eclipse, by First Consul; and James Fitz James, by Sir Archy. The following October he again ran and won the four-mile heats purse at Bath, beating Little John. Fearnaught, and Mr. Bond's colt, the two latter being withdrawn the second heat; time, 8:13—8:08. He then made two seasons at the stud on Long Island, in the spring of 1820 and 1821, covering, as a common stallion, at $12 50 the season. It was not contemplated to bring him on the turf again, but the Legislature of the State of New York having remodelled the law respecting racing, and a society being reorganized specially for the improvement of our breed of horsos, Mr. Van Ranst was induced again to put Eclipse in training for the four-mile heat race, to be run over the New Union Course, L. I., in October of that year. For this race four horses started, viz., American Kclipse; Lady Lightfoot, by Sir Archy; Flag of Truce, by Sir Solomon; and Heart of Oak. The betting was two to one on Lady Lightfoot, but Eclipse beat her handily in two straight heats, distancing her in the second heat; Flag of Truce and Heart of Oak being drawn after the first heat; time, 8:04 —8:02. In May, 1822, Eclipse won the purse of $700, four-mile heats, on the Union Course, beating Sir Walter, by Hickory; time, 7:54—8:00. The following October he again won the $1000 purse over the same course, beating. a second time, Sir Walter, Duchess of MarIborough, by Sir Archy, and Slow and Easy, by Duroc; the first heat being run in 7:58, after which the mares were withdrawn, and Sir Wralter being distanced in the second heat, which was not timed. A day or two previous to this race, a challenge had appeared in the New York papers from Mr. James J. Harrison, of Virginia, offering to run Sir Charles against American Eclipse over the Washington Course, four-mile heats, for $5000 or $10,000. Mr. Van Ranst promptly accepted this challenge, and chose the larger stake, so that the object of the contest might correspond with the fame of the horses. The time of running was fixed for November 20, 1822, and at the appointed hour both horses were brought out, and the riders mounted, but instead of running agreeably to the challenge, Mr. Harrison gave notice that, as his horse, Sir Charles, had met with an accident, he would pay forfeit. He at the
same time proposed to run a single dash of four miles, for $1500 a side, which the owner of Eclipse at once agreed to. The horses started, Eclipse, who carried 126 Ibs. against Sir Charles's 120 Ibs., taking the lead. On the fourth mile Sir Charles broke down, and Eclipse won in 8:04. In the evening of the same day, William R. Johnson, Esq., of Petersburgh, Va., the recognized "Napoleon of the Turf," offered to produce a horse, on the last Tuesday in May, 1823, to run a race of four-mile heats against Eclipse, over the Union Course, L. I., according to the rules of that track, for $20,000 a side, $3000 forfeit. The challenge was immediately accepted by Mr. John C. Stephens, in consequence of which Colonel Johnson, on the day mentioned, brought on the course the four-year old chestnut colt Henry, by Sir Archy, dam by Diomed, bred by Mr. Lemuel Long, Halifax, N. C., who, two weeks previous, had beaten Betsy Richards, in the four-mile-heats race, at Petersburgh, in 7:54—7:58. Colonel Johnson, when he made the match, intended to run the bay colt John Richards, by Sir Archy, but becoming lame, while en route for the North, Henry was substituted for him, although in a private trial John Richards had proved his superior. The race is one of the most memorable events in the annals of the American turf, and was productive of the most intense and wide excitement throughout the length and breadth of the continent. It was considered as a match between the North and South, and sectional feeling ran high respecting the issue. More than twenty thousand people assembled to witness it, and the betting on the result was enormously heavy, each section backing its representative racing champion without stint or limit. Henry, carrying 108 Ibs., was ridden by a lad; Eclipse, nine years old, 126 Ibs., was mounted by William Crafts. Henry took the lead in the first heat, and was never headed, winning hy half a length, apparently well in hand, in the fastest heat ever run to that day in America in 7:37}. On the call for the second heat, Mr. Samuel Purdy, then warded as the best amateur horseman in the country, mounted Eclipse. Henry, who was the favorite at odds of three to one, again took the lead, and held it until the last quarter of the third mile, when Mr. Purdy made a push for the lead. Eclipse soon reached his rival and passed him at the commencement of the fourth mile, and beat him the heat in 7:40, by thirty feet. Henry having been pulled up after passing the distance pole, the loss of the heat being evident. Upon being' summoned for the third heat, the great trainer Arthur Taylor mounted Henry, instead of The boy who rode him in the first two heats. At the signal, Eclipse took the lead, which he kept to the finish of the race, beating Henry some three lengths, Henry having been reserved for the last quarter; time, 8:24. The twelve miles were run in 23:50A. This established Eclipse's reputation as a racehorse. ()n the evening of the same day the match was run. Colonel Johnson challenged J. C. Stevens and the friends of Eclipse to run Henry against Eclipse the ensuing Fall over the Washington Course, for any sum from $20,000 to $50,000 a side, $10,000 forfeit. The challenge was declined, and Eclipse never ran again. In his latter days he was sent to Kentucky, and made several seasons there, and died, in SheIby County, Ky., in August, 1847, in the thirty-fourth year of his age.—Spirit of the Times.
Source: Famous Horses of America ©1877

Tug of War

Primarily during the 19th Century this game was played by the men and boys. It wouldn't be proper in most circles for the women to join in. That does not mean you can't have a heroine participate but you would need to make it a very compelling reason for her to do such a thing.

TUG OF WAR.
This is an exceedingly lively game, giving exercise to the muscles of the chest and arms. It is played by two parties, as nearly equal in numbers and strength as can be mustered ; one party takes hold of one end of a strong rope, while their antagonists take hold of the other; each party then strives to pull the other over a line chalked or marked on the ground for the purpose, and those who are so pulled over, being made prisoners, lose the game.
In this game two leaders should be appointed, who must calculate the powers of their own side, and concert plans accordingly. The leader of either side should have a code of signals, in order to communicate with his own friends, that he may direct them when to stop, when to slacken, or when to pull hard. So important is the leader's office, that a side with a good leader will always vanquish a much superior force which has no commander to guide it. For example, when all the boys are pulling furiously at the rope, the leader of one side sees that his opponents are leaning back too much, depending on their weight more than on their strength. He immediately gives the signal to slacken, when down go half the enemy on their backs, and are run away with merrily by the successful party, who drag them over the mark with the greatest ease. Or if the enemy begins to be wearied with hard pulling, a unanimous tug will often bring them upright while they are off their guard, and, once moved, the victory is easily gained. No knots are to be permitted on the rope. In the school-boy game of tug of war the game is not to be considered as won unless the entire side has been dragged over the line.

Ice Boating

Here's a sport most of you probably haven't thought about to include in your historical novels. Ice Boating.

The ice-boat is found in almost all parts of the world in which ice exists for part of a year, being employed in some cases for commercial purposes; but the principal us.• to which this curious craft is put is for racing and pleasure-sailing. In its crude form, a framework or platform mounted on skates and rigged with one or two sails, it is found in Northern Europe, in Asia, in Canada, and in that portion of the United States north of Mason and Dixon's line; but in parts of the latter countries only has the modern ice-yacht reached its full development. In Canada, in the Eastern and Western States, and, above all, in the vicinity of New York, it has emerged from its primitive character into a structure that in its way is a perfect example of engineering skill, a combination of strength and lightness that it is hard to improve upon; and in these places, also, the pastime of ice-yachting has come to be recognized as one of the most fascinating of Winter sports.
For those who would see it at its best there is one place above all others to visit: the Hudson River, for a distance of sixty to one hundred miles above New York, where the sport is more firmly established and systematized, and where boats and appliances have reached a higher state of perfection than in any other part of the world. Here are found not only the leading clubs of the country and the fastest boats, but here, in the birthplace and nursery of the sport, where it has grown and flourished for thirty years, nurtured by the icy west winds, are the men who have brought the arts of building and sailing to their present perfection. Sailing of any kind is always a most uncertain sport, dependent entirely on the caprices of the wind ; but ordinary yachting is certainty itself compared with ice-yachting, in which not only the wind but other climatic influences conspire to test the patience and resignation of its devotees. Given a good breeze from any quarter the yachtman cares little for the rest, he can go somewhere and the water is always open to him ; but with ice-yachting it is entirely different. A cold snap may smooth out the chilly waves and make a glorious course of many miles for the ringing runners, but before a breeze comes a dozen accidents may happen. A fall of snow may bury the glassy track, a storm of rain may soften the ice until it is unsafe, and when at last a cold northwest blast makes all solid again, and gives wind for the waiting sails, the slushy surface may be too rough and uneven for the boats. Time and patience are necessary to its full enjoyment; the yachtman must be on the spot, ready, after days of disappointment, to seize a few hours of such great and exhilarating pleasure as shall more than make amends. The low temperature of the Hudson Valley, its comparatively light snowfall, and the occasional thaws and rains, fol-. lowed by cold weather, renewing the glassy surface, with the prevailing westerly winds that sweep across the river and give a good course for the boats, offer more favorable conditions than are found further south, where the ice lasts for a shorter time, or further north, where heavy snows and the absence of rain or thaws keep the ice buried. Besides this, along the entire east bank, for many miles above and below Poughkeepsie, the headquarters of the sport, are many large estates and handsome country places, whose owners have the leisure that is indispensable to a full enjoyment of ice-yacht sailing, and who have within the last thirty years done so much to develop the boats and the sport.
Here are found the leading ice-yacht clubs of the world, as well as the largest, fastest and finest-equipped yachts, whose records for speed stand second only on the list of human constructions to the rifle-bullet and the larger projectiles of modern ordnance. No other vehicles in the whole category possess the speed of the modern ice-yachts, except a few of the fastest express locomotives running under special conditions, and this speed it is which gives the great charm to this curious pastime. Great speed, of itself, is not the attraction of ordinary yachting. A rate of twelve or thirteen miles per hour is unusual in a sailing-yacht, the common limit of time for a race is seven hours for a course of forty miles, or an average of seven miles per hour, and even with steam this is very seldom doubled ; but with the ice-yachts all is vastly different. We come into a n'ew atmosphere, in which the chief charm lies in the attainment of a speed never dreamed of in vessels that float. Here are none of the charms of yachting as commtonly understood, no quiet drifting over Summer seas, no lazy runs under kites and spinnakers, no glorious roll and tumble over green waves, no nights at anchor in snug harbors, where rattling halyards and creaking cables only give emphasis to the brightness and cheer of comfortable cabins. The "yachting," save the name, is another thing when coupled with its hard, cold prefix. The accompaniments that make a life afloat so delightful, that place yachting at the head of all sports, are missing entirely, and in their place one new element only steps in.
Speed, great and unlimited, a velocity hitherto unknown ; to be shot through space at a rate that produces an entirely new sensation, thrilling, exhilarating, fascinating; setting the blood coursing and sharpening the senses to an unknown degree; this is ice-yachting. The paltry twenty knots of the steam-launch or the forty-mile jog of the locomotive, both contaminated by the connection with a bulky, noisy, smoky and greasy medium, are exchanged for a marvelous gliding through space on a frail and airy fabric scarcely more tangible than the carpet of the Arabian necromancers, and accompanied only by the sharp, melodious ring of metal on ice. Account for it as we may, there is always an attraction about rapid motion, whether behind a fast horse, running down a rapid river, or on a modern express train ; speed itself brings pleasure to all but the most timid, and this pleasure is only intensified by the danger which is always in a greater or less degree present. This rapid motion it is which in the ice-yacht compensates for •the absence of the more numerous and varied charms of yacht-sailing. And when the limit of seven hours for forty miles is cut down to one hour for a course of nearly the same distance a new and attractive element comes into play.
To form any idea of the shape and construction of an ice-yacht, it is first necessary to divest one's self of almost every idea associated ordinarily with the word "yacht."
True, the sails and rigging are substantially the same, and the tiller is a most essential feature in both all analogy ends. The favorite simile for a swan or duck, but if we would describe an ic< comparison with any natural object, we must the insinuating musquito, or humble daddy - longlegs, as the nearest resemblance in outline to the stiff and angular construction of straight timbers and wires. The graceful curves, the beautifully rounded outlines, the glossy sides and shining bottom of the sailing-yacht, possess nothing in common with this curious framework of timbers and iron rods, whose sole beauty is from a purely mechanical point of view, as a most scientific example of engineering skill; and the only object in the entire range of naval architecture that bears any resemblance to it is that awkward and homely nondescript, the modern catamaran. The essential parts of an ice-boat consist of a rigidly built framework supported on three or more skates of large size; one, and sometimes two, of these skates being movable at will for steering, a mast with one or more sails, and a platform for the crew or cargo. These features are combined in various ways, according to the locality and the use to which the boat is put. In some places, where sailing is possible only for a short time each year, a temporary boat is fitted up with a triangle of boards or plank, the apex being aft. Under each corner is a runner of plank, shod with iron, shaped like a large skate; the one under the after corner being fitted on a pivot and controlled by a tiller. On this rough framework a mast and sail—usually pressed into service from some sailingboat temporarily out of use—is fitted, and securely staid to the various angles of the frame, the mast being stepped in the centre of the transverse plank, forming the forward side of the structure. Such boats as this are common on the ponds and bays of the south shore of Long Island, and very good sport may be had with them, while their cost is purely nominal; and of this same shape were the first boats on the Hudson. In Holland and other parts of Northern Europe, ice-boats of crude and heavy build are sometimes used for commercial purposes, irrespective of speed; their principles of construction being similar.

The Article goes on and you can read it in full here. The American Magazine ©1874 pick up on page 386.

Football

Continuing the tread of recreational sports, last week was bicycling. Today we'll concentrate on football. These remarks come from "Outdoors: A Book of Healthful Pleasures" ©1894

FOOT BALL
BY WALTER CAMP.
Secretary Advisory Committee Inter-Collegiate Foot Ball Association.
IN the bright, crisp days of late October, when the air has in it a bracing exhilaration that tempts one to almost any belief in athletic strength and prowess, when the wheelman finds not his endurance but the day too short, when even the horsa under the rider seems to gather power from the air he breathes, when the wonderful and bewitching autumn of the year has given all her wealth in lavish display of colors, then is the season of the sport of foot ball.
The game is a too sharp and sturdy one for the hot days of summer, and winter renders the ground unfit for the hard tumbles of the players; but during the two months of October and November, the season is at its height and the gridiron field is covered with the hardy young players.
It is now nearly twenty years since the Rugby Union game of our English cousins was introduced in this country. Previous to that time American foot ball amounted to but little. Some indiscriminate kicking and bunting, a very poor, mongrel attempt at the old Association style of play, was all that could be brought out here. No more than a few score people would come to a match, and even they would hardly find a reward for coming. To-day, thirty-five thousand psople will sit, unprotected, through the heaviest rainstorm to see the final match of the American Inter-collegiate season, while other matches draw ten or twenty thousand. Schools and colleges from Maine to California all have foot-ball teams, and wherever there are two rival schools, colleges, or universities within travelling distance of each other, there is now an annual foot-ball contest, fraught with the greatest intensity of interest. And for all this, foot ball is still an undeveloped sport. Each year brings forward new lines of skill and tactics, each season witnesses some marked advance in the play, and ffom the last match in November until the opening of the next season in September, the busy brains of captains, coaches, and players are studying up new strategies, unusual and brilliant manoeuvres, many of which, it is true, come to naught when put to the test, but there are always a few of the best that succeed beyond all expectations and mark out still further lines of progress.
The fundamental theory of the game "is of the simplest character. Two teams of eleven men each meet upon a field 330 feet long and 160 feet wide, and each team endeavors to put the ball over the goal, or past the goal line of the opponents. The ball may be kicked, carried, or passed by the players, but by only the two former methods can it be advanced, for all passing or throwing the ball must be directly across the field or else toward the players' own goal and not toward the goal of the opponents. There are but two scoring places and those are at the ends of the field, and called the goal lines. They are the end boundaries and in the centre of each stands the goal itself, composed of two upright posts, set eighteen and a half feet apart and crossed by a bar at a height of ten feet from the ground. To score a goal the ball must be kicked by the player over this bar and between the two posts which project above it. There is but one kind of a kick that cannot score a goal, and that is what is technically termed a "punt." In a punt the kicker drops the ball from his hands and kicks it before it touches the ground. This style of kick is the most common one for advancing the ball in the field of play, but when a team is near enough to try for a goal their kickers either attempt a drop kick, that is, kicking the ball just as it rises from the ground on the bound, or a place kick, where a second player holds it on the ground for another to kick. In addition to kicking goals, points may be scored by gaining touch-downs. These are of two kinds, ordinary touch-downs and safeties. The former are made by carrying the ball over, or securing it behind the line of the enemy's goal, the latter are made by members of a hard pressed side carrying the ball behind their own goal line as a measure of protection. An ordinary touch-down entitles the side making it to a try at the opponent's goal by a place kick, but, even though the kick be unsuccessful, the touchdown itself counts four points. If the goal be kicked the two together count six points. A goal kicked in any other way than from a touch-down, counts but five points. Finally, a safety counts two points for the opponents; and the entire match is decided by the number of points scored in two halves of forty-five minutes each. The laws under which the game is played may be summed up briefly as follows : —
Any player may run with or kick the ball, and any opponent may seize him when he has the ball in his possession and stop him or try to secure the ball. The only limitation to a player's running with the ball or kicking it, is, that he must have received it when '.' on side," that is, without being between the ball and the opponent's goal. The only limitations to the tacklers are that they must not seize the runner below the knees or trip him. There are two judges under whose rulings the game is played, one known as the umpire, who sees that the players are guilty of no unfair acts, and the other called th2 referee, who judges the position and progress of the ball. The game is begun by placing the ball in the centre of the field, in the possession of one of the teams, [decided by toss,] and then follows the attempt to advance the ball either by kicks or runs. In order to prevent a side continually holding the ball and never relinquishing it to the opponents, the rules provide that whenever a man is caught and held with the ball, his side must at once place the ball on the ground and make another attempt to advance it. If in three of these attempts they have not gained five yards, or lost twenty, they must, either by kicking the ball or surrendering it, give the other side a chance to try their skill at advancing it.
The remarkable development of the game in America has rendered the division of players even more specific than in England. The line in front, consisting usually of seven men, is called the rush line, or forwards, while the man who stands just behind this line and passes the ball for a kick or run, is termed the quarter back. Next behind him are two half backs and a back or goal tend. The forwards are still further classified as ends, tackles, guards, and centre, as will be seen by reference to the accompanying diagram.

The exercise of foot ball is a thoroughly general one, calling upon almost every muscle in the body to bear its share, and for this reason all forms of out-door sport, cycling, riding, swimming, rowing, and tennis are excellent preparation for foot ball, as foot ball in its turn is for the others. In universities where both rowing and foot ball are cultivated, it is no unusual thing to find several of the crew men foot-ball players as well. Base ball and track athletics also furnish their quota to make up the foot-ball team. The prime requisite for a foot-ball man is soundness, and the wonderful "all 'round" development attained by the members of teams, as shown by the measurements taken by those interested in physical culture, has been something remarkable. That element known as pluck must enter largely into the make-up of anyone desiring to make a great success of competitive work in any branch of athletics, and perhaps ho place gives a better opportunity for the cultivation as well as the display of this attribute than the foot-ball field, where almost every moment brings forward some new and unexpected emergency to be faced, until quick thought and ready action come to be the rule rather than the exception.
The best advice to give to a man who desires to become a successful player is, to begin by putting himself in good physical condition, by engaging in any or all of the out-door sports of the summer season, being careful, however, not to overdo the matter by running any risks of overtraining, which is rather more liable to result from immoderate fatigue in the heat of summer than later in the year. In the early fall the teams begin work upon the field and the candidate for honors, who has spent some little of his summer in keeping in condition, at once finds himself better able to endure the violent exercise than those of his fellows who have devoted the summer to high living and little exercise. The man who tries foot ball for the first time is now, thanks to the popularity of the sport even among the younger schools and classes, so unusual, that one need only say to him, "Look on for a week, ask questions, and then put on a canvass jacket." To those who have had some experience, but who are ready to go up higher, to young school boys who want to get on the first team from the second, to preparatory school graduates just entering college who want to get on the freshman team, or to those who have aspirations for the 'Varsity, let me say that nothing will bring you so close to the object of your desires as-making a study of the particular position you wish to fill. A man must not be content with going through the daily routine of practice, doing merely what he has seen others do before him, thinking of none but the ordinary regulation work. He must begin by thinking, after his day of practice, just what plays were made during which he stood unoccupied, and lending no assistance. Then he must ask himself the question whether, without jeopardizing the play in any way, he could not perform some act that would add to its efficiency. For instance, a man is playing the position of left tackle, and the play has been that of sending the half back through between right end and tackle. As left tackle the mal* has merely blocked his opponent, and then psrhaps taken a step or two up the field, and looked on open-mouthed to see his runner making a fine gain on the right, but eventually brought down by the opposing full back. It occurs to the player who is really ambitious and thoughtful, that there was a possibility of the left tackle checking his man, and then, by fast running, getting over to the spot where the full back stopped the runner, and interfering so that the run might have yielded a touch-down.

Terrestrial Flight

The term had me looking it up so you'll find some information below are some tidbits about recreational sports from a book titled "Outdoors: A Book of Healthful Pleasure" ©1894 Enjoy the thoughts from the time about exercise and recreation.

The lazy Washington atmosphare, which seems to have been imported from the Land of the Lotus Eaters, and which affects everybody on foot, from the sable piccaniny to the Cabinet officer, is powerless to influence the rider on the steel horse. I forget how many bicycles are owned in Washington, though I did take the trouble to ask; but it appears at times as if everybody must own one. The broad, straight streets, smooth with polished asphalt, are swimming with shining wheels, following, passing, crossing, approaching, vanishing, gliding, all lightness, noiselessness, and speed. They stream to and fro in glaring currents, and no single rider can hold your eye but for an instant, but they are always coming, always going, and spin in continuous succession along thsir soundless paths, swift as birds, and with no more apparent effort, though their elastic tires never leave the solid surface of the planet.
Then terrestrial flyers are not restricted to sex, age, or occupation. If there are not, at present, as many women as men, the number of the former is constantly increasing; and a woman looks so graceful on a bicycle that the aesthetic instincts of the sex, no less than its good sense and love of movement, will aid in urging them to the saddle. The Washington Department clerks are almost all members of the steel cavalry division; their unwearying steeds enable them to stay so much* later at their breakfast, and so much earlier at their dinner; and at the journey's end there is no stable to hire, no hostler to fee, no fodder to provide. How much salary, how much lassitude, how much dyspepsia and low spirits do these tense, economic racers save in a twelvemonth ?" Post equitum sedet atra cura" says Horace; but I doubt if dull care often overtakes the airy sweep of the bicycler. His foot is on the pedal: he is the author of his own flights, and he can regulate it to suit his mood.
The small boy and the elderly gentleman, the tradesman and ths manabout-town, the seamstress and she for whom the seamstress works, all mingle with equal propriety and enjoyment in the wheeling lists. Bicycling is a freemasonry, broader in its membership than any other, save human nature itself. The man of brawn and the man of brains are at one in the saddle. Youth and age alike can do their mile in three minutes or under. The "winning wave, deserving note, in the tempestuous petticoat," is never more winning than when it whispers past you on the wheel. A woman on horseback, in a trim riding-habit, is an alluring sight; but we miss one important feature ■— the rhythmic grace of motion, which nothing but the bicycle affords. The entire pose shows the figure to the best advantage; and the slight, unconscious swayings of the body to maintain the balance imparts an element of life to the spectacle which is more fascinating than the most studied art of mere attitude.
But it would be omitting an important factor in the combination which has made the bicycle so universally popular, to ascribe its success to its practical business utility and to its faculty of making its riders look well. It is, above all, the solution of a problem which has puzzled hygienists and physical culturists for many years. The modern gospel of physical culture has been preached sinca before i860; and certainly, the multiplication since that revived of gymnasiums, of athletic clubs, of out-door sports, and of athletes, is evidence that it has not been preached in vain. Probably a majority of college-bred young men have made more or less practical acquaintance with bodily exercise. During their college career they attended the gymnasium, rowed, played base ball or foot ball, or took part in athletic games. In after life, a fair percentage of them kapt up their practise for a time; but, as a general rule, the business occupation of life, or other business, led them to discontinue their active habits soon after reaching their thirtieth year ; thenceforward they "took things easy," and rapidly developed portly abdomens, short breath, and sluggish circulation. This is especially noticeable in men who have been prominent in feats of strength and endurance while their athletic life lasted. The more acute their enthusiasm, the sooner it seems to exhaust itself. Some few persistent individuals, however, who have always done enough and never too much, keep up a moderate activity till past forty, fifty, and even sixty, and these retain their health, their vigor, and their figures till near the end.
Now, it is a physiological fact that rational exercise, constant, but not excessive, is never so beneficial and necessary as between the thirty-fifth and the fiftieth years. During the ebullient season of youth, our bodies instinctively crave to work off their superfluous animation; but later on, physical indolence supervives, and money-making pursuits seem to afford an excuse for the indulgence thereof. But, whereas vitality is abundant in youth, even when not artificially reinforced, the opposite is the case in age. As years accumulate, we must needs do something to keep the pot of life boiling. It need not be much, but it must be something; otherwise the penalties —■ dyspepsia, palpitation, asthma, nervous prostration — are tolerably sure to be inflicted. The conditions of our intellectual and business occupations are too arduous and exhausting to be endured with impunity (save in the case of exceptionally fine organizations) unless they are counteracted by deep breathing and systematized muscular movements.
These facts have been often repeated, and are widely accepted. But the truth is, it is not good advice that we lack, but the stimulus that shall prompt us to follow it. A man or woman may be assured that a certain nostrum, taken regularly, will give him or her health and long life; and he or she may know the statement to be true. Nevertheless, if the nostrum in question be nauseating to the taste, or involves much trouble to procure, the patient will take advantage of any specious pretext to avoid taking it; and the result will be that, for the parson concerned, the nostrum might as well be non-existent. The situation is the same with regard to bodily exercise. Unless it be administered in an attractive form, it will be neglected. In youth the competition and solid pleasure of out-door games, and even of gymnastic contests of a more precise and scientific kind, are sufficient to enlist participants. But, as we grow older, we perforce retire from such contests and must then do our work alone, or not at all. But who wants to play ball, or run races, or lift dumbbells, or practise leaping, alone by himself, after the hair has begun to thin on his temples? Who will practise calisthenic movements in the solitude of his chamber? Who, even should his geographical situation permit it, will set out to row a couple of miles out and back, for the mere hygienic advantage of the exertion? Even walking is too monotonous for the majority of temperaments, except a definite material goal be in view. It is true that a few of the faithful here and there will do all these things, in spite of spite: but their number is so small that, for purposes of argument, they cannot be considered.

Sleds & Coastng

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas as I did with my family. If you live in the north you may have received a sled when you were young for Christmas. Below are some tidbits about sleds and sledding which they called Coasting. This comes from the "Fourth Reader of the Popular Series" by Marcius Wilson ©1883

Beacon Hill, east of the school-house. "Old Beacon," the boys called it; and "coasting," they called the sport.
3. The boys had sleds of many shapes, and sizes, and names, and colors. There were some thick, heavy plank sleds; and these, the boys said, were like the great and strong, but slow dray-horses down at the Forges. Then there were the lighter board sleds; and these were like the regular road-way wagon horses: but the prettiest of all were the light but strong frame sleds, made of the toughest timber; and these, the boys said, were the regular racers.
4. Among these latter sleds were the "Arrow," the "Eover," the "Racer," the "Swallow," the "Eagle," and many others. There were red sleds, and yellow sleds, and green sleds, and blue sleds; but Freddy Jones's sled, the "Eagle," was the favorite with all; and it was painted red, white, and blue.
5. "These are the colors of the flag of our country," said the teacher, who often joined the boys in their sports, and especially in coasting. "Your sled," said he to Freddy, "bears the name of our national bird, and ought never to be beaten."
6. When it was pleasant out of doors, and there was good coasting, the boys would invite the girls to go out and enjoy the sport with them; but the teacher would not allow the girls to go in rough, stormy weather.
7. One stormy, blustering day, when the boys went out to enjoy their sport, in the half hour of recess that the teacher had promised them, they found an immense snowdrift right across the track, near the foot of the hill-side, where the light snow had been blown during the night.
8. As Freddy's sled was the largest, as well as the swiftest, of the " racers," the other boys said they would wait, and % let him try the hill first; and if the "Eagle" could go through the drift, they would follow. But Freddy told the boys to get on to his sled. "It will carry half a dozen of you at least," he said; "and if you will only hold on when we strike the drift, I think it will take us all safely through."
9. So all that could get on Freddy's sled did so. "Now hold fast, and 'don't give up the ship,'" said Freddy. Then swiftly down—down the hill they went, on the ice, Freddy steering straight for the drift away down below. The "Eagle," with Freddy still at his post and bending low his head as he struck the drift, went through the "mountain of snow," as the boys called it, making a narrow passage, like a tunnel, through it, and then going on far beyond.
10. But the "crew," as Freddy called them, all deserted him, and fell from the sled, or were thrown from it, just as they had reached the point of danger, although some of them said Oiey would have gone through with Freddy, if they had not been pulled off by their companions. But all were thrown far into the drift, and were completely buried in the snow, from which they crawled forth well whitened—as, indeed, Freddy himself was—but without the least injury to any of them.
11. It was not long after this that the following account of this coasting scene, written in pencil, was found on the teacher's table in the school-room. As it is a part of the same story, and as the boys were much pleased with the good words that the teacher wrote about them, and with the interest that he took in their sports, it may form a part of the present chapter.

Ball Games

Continuing with children's sports we have several ball games listed and described. These come from The Book of Sports ©1834.

The use of the ball was well known to the children, who played many hundred years ago. It is a favorite game still, and offers a good opportunity for the exercise of the limbs and the muscles. The games with the bat and ball are numerous, but somewhat similar. I will mention some of those, which I believe to be the most popular with boys.

BASE, OR GOAL BALL.
This game is known under a variety of names. It is sometimes called 'round ball,' but I believe that ' base,' or ' goal ball' are the names generally adopted in our country. The players divide into two equal parties, and chance decides which shall have first innings. Four stones or stakes are placed from twelve to twenty yards asunder, as o, b, c, b c d, in the margin; another is put at e. One e of the party, who is out, places himself a at e. He tosses the ball gently toward a, on the right of which one of the in-party places himself, and strikes the ball, if possible, with his bat. If he miss three times, or if the ball, when struck, be caught by any of the players of the opposite side, who are scattered about the field, he is out, and another takes his place. If none of these accidents take place, on striking the ball he drops the bat, and runs toward b, or, if he can, to c, d, or even to a again. If, however, the boy who stands at e, or any of the out-players who may happen to have the ball, strike him with it in his progress from a to b, b to c, c to d, or d to a, he is out. Supposing he can only get to b, one of his partners takes the bat, and strikes at the ball in turn. If the first player can only get to c, or d, the second runs to b, only, or c, as the case may be, and a third player begins; as they get home, that is, to a, they play at the ball by turns, until they all get out. Then, of course, the out-players take their places.

FIVES.
Fives may be played either single-handed or with partners. A good wall must be selected, with a round flat piece of ground in front of it. Three lines must be drawn so as to form, with the bottom of the wall, a square, to mark the bounds. A line must also be drawn on the wall, about three feet from the ground. The players toss up for innings. The winner begins by bounding his ball on the ground, and striking it against the wall, above the line, so that it may rebound vigorously. The other player then strikes it, in the same manner, either before it has touched the ground, or hopped from the ground more than once: the first player then prepares to receive and strike it at its rebound; and thus the game goes on, until one of the players fails to strike the ball in his turn, before it has hopped twice, or fails to strike it below the mark, or to drive it out of bounds. If the party who is in do neither of these, he loses his innings; if the other, then the in-player reckons one, on each occasion, towards the game, which is fifteen.

NINE-HOLES, OR HAT-BALL.
Near a wall where the ground is level, dig nine, or a lesser number of holes, according to the number of players, large enough for a ball to be bowled in without difficulty. Number them, and let each player be allotted a number, by chance or choice, as it may be agreed. A line is drawn about five yards from the holes, at which one of the players places himself, and bowls the ball into one of the holes. The player to whom the hole, into which the ball is bowled, belongs, picks it up as quickly as he can, and endeavors to hit one of the others with it. The latter all run off as soon as they perceive that the ball is not for themselves. If the thrower miss his aim, he loses a point, and is called 'a fifer,' and it is his turn to bowl. If, however, he hit another, he loses nothing; but the party hit, in case he succeeds in striking another with the ball, becomes 'a fifer,' and it is his turn to bowl. Five or six may be struck in succession, and the ball may be kept up, no matter how long, until a miss be made, when the party so missing loses a point and bowls. It is also allowed for one player to accept the ball from another, and run the risk of hitting a third. The second bowling is conducted precisely as the first; but he who bowls three times without passing the ball into the hole, loses a point, and if he have lost one before, becomes 'a tenner.' He must still go on, until he succeed in putting the ball into a hole; it is his own fault, if he bowl into that one, which belongs to himself. A party who misses his aim a second time becomes ' a ten ner;' he who loses a third time, 'a fifteener;' and when four points are lost the player stands out. The game goes on until all the players are out but one; who, of course, wins the game. One of the others then takes the ball in his left hand, places his face toward the wall, and throws the ball over the right shoulder as far as he can. The player who has won stands at the spot where the ball first touches the ground, or, if it be not immediately behind the party who has thrown it, a line is drawn from the place where the ball falls, to a spot directly behind the thrower. The winner then has the privilege of throwing the ball at the loser's back, three times, as soft as he pleases. The other losers throw in the same manner, one after another, and the winner has his three balls at each of their backs.
In some places this game is called 'Hat-ball,' on account of the players using their hats, instead of digging holes, and the ball is tossed into the hats, instead of being bowled into the holes.

CATCH-BALL.
This is somewhat similar to the preceding game. Instead of bowling the ball into holes, it is thrown in the air, and the name of the player, for whom it is intended, called out by the thrower. If it be caught, before it has twice touched the ground, by the player so called on, he loses no point, but throws it up again, and calls upon whom he pleases to catch it. If it be not caught in due time, he whose name is called must endeavor to strike one of the others with it; if he miss, he loses a point, and has his throw up.
Rackets.
In the game of rackets the ball is struck against a wall, and returned at the bound to the same wall, each player endeavoring so to strike it against the wall, with his bat, that his adversary may not be able to return it. He who does not return it, either loses a point, or has his ' hand out,' that is to say, forfeits the situation in which he would be able to add to his score of the game. This sport requires considerable skill and activity in the player who must be constantly on the move. Standing still is entirely out of the question; and two or three games at rackets are well calculated to improve the health and invigorate the limbs.

Cricket.
Cricket may be played by eleven persons on each side, though a less number is sufficient. Two umpires, or persons to decide, are sometimes appointed in order to settle all disputes that may arise : they are to take their stations at each wicket, and should be well acquainted with the laws of the game. Full-sized wickets are three stumps, sufficiently long to leave twenty-four inches out of the ground, with a bail, or cross stick, seven inches long, to fit the top. They should be placed directly opposite to each other, at the distance of twenty-two yards for men, but varying according to the size of the player.
Bowling is an important part of the game, and requires great steadiness. Bad bowling is often the cause of losing a game. A bowler should not be too systematic, but vary his balls faster or slower, according to the peculiarities of the striker. He should aim directly at the opposite wicket.
The striker should always be ready for running, but he should be cautious, not to leave the ground before the ball is out of the bowler's hand; for if he do, the bowler may put down his wicket, and he will, of course, be out. As soon as the ball is delivered, the striker may follow it, but should not run too far, so that, if no runs be obtained, he may return in time to save his wicket. The bat should be kept on the outside of the opposite partner, and care taken not to run against him.
The bowler should be careful to toss the ball in such a way, that the striker can play at it; for if he should toss it above the striker's head, or out of the bounds, the party which is in shall be allowed one notch, to be put down to the byes. The striker is out if the bail or cross stick be bowled off, or the stump be bowled out of the ground. Or, if in striking at the ball he hit down his wicket. Or, if he prevent the ball from being caught by the out-players. Or, if the ball be struck, and he wilfully strike it again. Or, if with any part of his person, he stop the ball, which might have hit his wicket. The following are among some of the remaining laws of cricket.
If the players have crossed each other, he that runs for the wicket which is put down, is out. When a ball is caught, no notch is reckoned. If the ball be struck, the striker may guard his wicket either with his bat or his body.
This is, I believe, the old and original method of playing cricket. It is often played in a simpler way. Two wickets are placed at some distance from each other. They consist each of two short stakes fixed in the ground, and a cross stick placed in notches, in the stakes, about the height of the ball from the ground. Two bowlers stand at each wicket and roll the ball along the ground with the view of knocking off the cross stick. The striker endeavors to prevent this by hitting the ball with his bat; but if he strike it so that it is caught by any of the other players, he is out.

FOOT-BALL.
A match is made between two sets of players of equal numbers; a large ball made of light materials, — a blown bladder, cased with leather, is the best, — is placed between them, and the object of each party is to kick the ball across the goal of the other, and to prevent it from passing their own. The party, across whose goal the ball is kicked, loses the game. -The game is commenced between the two goals, which are about a hundred yards asunder.
This game admits of very powerful exercise, and, when played with moderation, is healthful and lively. Country boys sometimes use a blown bladder, without the covering of leather, for a football; and they often put peas and horse-beans inside, which occasion a rattling as it is kicked about.

The Sucker & The Hoop

Here are two more children sports from the 19th Century.

THE SUCKER.
Cut a circular piece of stout leather; bore a hole through its centre, and pass a string, with a knot to prevent the end escaping, through this hole. Soak the leather well in water before you use it; when thoroughly soaked, place the leather on a stone, press it well down with your foot, and then taking the string, you may, by your sucker, raise a considerable weight.
You have often observed the ease and security with which flies walk upon a smooth wall, or a pane of glass, or even along the ceiling, with their bodies downward. The fact is, that their feet are provided with little cups, or suckers, which they alternately exhaust and fill with air; by which means they are enabled to walk in every position, over the most slippery surfaces. In like manner, the walrus, or seal, is capable of climbing the masses of slippery ice with perfect security.

THE HOOP.
The trundling of the hoop is an old, but healthful pastime. It was as common with the Greeks and Romans as it is with boys of the present generation. It has the advantage of being a sport, which may be played by one person, although several players sometimes engage in it, and try who can keep their hoop rolling longest. Several tin squares are sometimes nailed to the inner part of the hoop, which produce, in the opinion of some lads, an agreeable jingle; but it is apt to frighten the horses, whom they meet.

Tops, Slings & Kites

Here are three more games/activities that children played during the 19th Century.

TOPS.
Humming-tops are easily used. After the string is wound about the upright piece, one end of it is taken in one hand, and the handle of the fork-piece in the other. The string is then pulled off with force, and the top is set a-going. Whip-top is an excellent amusement. The top is easily set up by twirling it with both hands on a smooth surface, and applying the whip with gentleness at first, increasing the vigor of the blows, as the top gets firm on the peg. The peg-top is spun by quickly pulling away the string wound round it.

THE SLING.
To make a sling, you must cut out an oval piece of leather, about two inches wide at the broadest part. At each of the ends, fasten a leathern thong, or piece of cord. One of these cords, or thongs should be longer than the other. Place a stone in the broadest part of the leather, twist the longest thong twice or thrice round your hand, hold the other lightly between your thumb and fore-finger, whirl it round several times, let go the shorter thong, and the stone will be shot to a great distance. Great care should be taken in using the sling, lest mischief is done.


THE KITE.

The best form of constructing a kite is the following. The only pieces of wood necessary in the making of this, are a bow made of oak or walnut, and a straight lath. These are fastened together by twine, and when the frame
is completed, it is pasted over with paper. The tail, which should be from ten to fifteen times the length of the kite, is made by tying bobs on a string, with a larger bob at the end of it. Kites may be made of various shapes and sizes. Indeed they probably first received their name from having been originally constructed in the form of a bird of prey, called the kite. In China the flying of kites is much more practised than in this country ; and it is said, that their shape is always that of some bird.
I remember to have seen, some years ago, a kite which resembled a man. It was made of linen* cloth, cut and painted for the purpose, and stretched on a light frame, so constructed as to resemble the outline of the human figure. It stood upright, and was dressed in a sort of jacket. Its arms were stretched out on each side, and its head was covered with a cap. The person who owned this kite could raise it, though the weather was calm, to a great height. The wind gave to it a slight motion, which made it look like a man skating on the ice. It had altogether a very queer appearance, and did not fail to attract a great crowd of spectators.
Kites are often made square, as they are easiest to construct of that form. Boys frequently send up messengers, when their kite is safely balanced in the air. The messenger is a round piece of paper or pasteboard, which on being fixed upon the string, is blown along the line up to the kite.
The kite sometimes pulls so violently that it breaks the string, or twitches away from the hand, and is lost. Dr Franklin has said, that, with a good kite a man, unable to swim, might be sustained in the water, so as to pass from Dover to Calais. I have heard of a man, who travelled many miles along the road in a carriage drawn by two kites.
But the kite has served the cause of science as well as that of amusement. It was by means of the kite that Dr Franklin was able to make his great discoveries in electricity, and to draw it from the clouds.
Did you ever hear the story of the sailors who mounted to the top of Pompey's pillar? If you have, it will bear repeating. Some English sailors once laid a wager, that they would drink a bowl of punch on the summit of Pompey's pillar, in Egypt. Now, this pillar is almost a hundred feet high, and it is quite smooth, so that there was no way of climbing to the top, even for sailors. In this dilemma, they obtained a kite, and flew it exactly over the pillar, so that when it came down on the opposite side, the string lay across the top of the capital.
By means of this string, they pulled a small rope over, and by this a larger one, that was strong enough to bear the weight of a man. A pully was then fastened to the end of the large rope, and drawn close up to the upper edge of the column; and then, you see, they could easily hoist each other up. They did more; for they hoisted a flag on the top, drank their bowl of punch, and won their wager.

Marbles

I don't know about you but I loved marbles and playing marbles when I was a kid. There was a time when I lost most of my marbles, but I practiced and practiced until I ended up with a large amount of marbles that I'd won from other children.

Below is an excerpt from 1834 The Book of Sports.

MARBLES.
The best marbles are imported from Holland, where, as I have been informed, they are manufactured, by grinding fragments of alabaster and of other stones, in an iron mill of a peculiar construction. In this mill there are several partitions furnished with rasps, which turn with great velocity, by means of a stream of water; and thus having rounded the stones, project them out of different holes for which their size may adapt them. Thus manufactured they are sent to America and other countries. There are as you know, inferior kinds of marbles, which are of home manufacture, and consist of baked clay, or vitrified earth. The marbles made of pink marble, with dark red veins, 'blood allies,' are preferred to all others.
One of the most common games at marbles is that of knock-out. Two or more may play at this game. He who begins, throws a marble gently against a wall, so that it rebounds to a distance not exceeding a yard; a second player throws another marble against the wall, endeavoring to make it rebound, so as to strike or come within a span of the first; if he can do neither, the first player takes up his own marble, and, in turn, strives to snop or span that of the second. The marble that is thus snopped or spanned, is won, and the winner begins again. Where only two play, it is best to knock out two or three marbles each, alternately, before they begin to use those on the ground. In this case, a player may win his own marbles, as they are common stock when down, and take up which he pleases, to play with. Sometimes instead of throwing the marbles against a wall, the players shoot them along the ground. The winner is he who shoots his marble within a span of the other's. This game is called ' spans and snops.'
The game of ring-taw used to be a very popular sport some years ago. It is played in the following manner. A circle is drawn, on which each player puts as many marbles as may be agreed on. A line, called the offing, is then drawn at some distance, from which each in turn shoots at the ring. Shooting a marble out of the ring, entitles the shooter to go on again, and thus the ring may be sometimes cleared by a good player, before his companion or companions have a chance. After the first fire, the players return no more to the offing, but shoot, when their turn comes, from the place where their marbles rested on the last occasion. Every marble struck out of the ring, is won by the striking party; but if the taw, or marble, at any time remain in the ring, the player is out.
In the game of arch-board or nine-holes, the marbles are bowled at a board set upright, resembling a bridge, with nine small arches, all of them numbered; if the marble strike against the sides of the arches, it becomes the property of the boy to whom the board belongs; but, if it go through any one of them, the bowler claims a number equal to the number upon the arch it passed through.
Sometimes holes are dug in the ground, into which the players try to drive their marbles. Sometimes a little pyramid of marbles is erected within a small circle, and the boy who shoots at it, has as many as he can drive out of the circle. One marble is given, for each time of shooting, to the owner of the pyramid. Those games at marbles which depend entirely upon chance, I hope are beneath your notice.

Teal Hunting

Okay so I've never heard of this bird or the practice of hunting them but apparently it was quite a sport. But basically it is a small duck. Here is a link to a picture of the bird. Hit your back arrow to return to this post.

TEAL—Although one of the smallest ducks that fly, weighing no more than a partridge, the teal (Qiierquedula creaa) is one of the most attractive of wildfowl to sportsmen, not merely on account of the beautiful colours of the male bird, but because of the sporting shots it affords, and its excellence for the table.
Teal are generally easier to get at than ducks, and as they require but a slight blow to bring them down, it matters little what size of shot is used. Instead of rising head to wind like other wildfowl, they have an odd way of springing up vertically from the surface of the water, no matter what their position may be when discovered, and, the shooter not aiming high enough,(the charge of shot often passes harmlessly below them.
Haunts and Habits—Quiet rushy pools which lie at a distance from any road, turf holes on a peat bog, and sluggish shallow streams with overhanging vegetation are favourite haunts of the teal. Of shy and retired habits, it shuns the more public ponds and rivers, and avoids the neighbourhood of man's dwelling.
On approaching the edge of a pond at a distance Irom a "spring" of teal (as a small flock of these birds is technically termed), they may be seen silently reposing on the water. Immediately the intruder is perceived, a harsh call is heard, and they jump suddenly into the air, wheeling round and about with amazing rapidity, now looking black, now white, according as the upper or under surface of their bodies is presented to the eye. Frequently, as though intending to alight, they fall through the air with a whistling sound, recovering themselves when apparently in the water, and rising again to a height. These manoeuvres are repeated until the eye is strained in following them, and the entire flock at length settles down again in silence and repose as before. At such times it requires no small amount of caution to get near enough to them for a shot.
Col. Hawker, whose practical knowledge of wildfowl has rarely been equalled, has well described the habits of the teal in his Instructions to Young Sportsmen. "If you spring a teal, he will not soar up and leave the country like a wild duck, but will most probably keep along the brook like a sharp-flying woodcock, and then drop suddenly down. But you must keep your eye on the place, as he is very apt to get up again, and fly to another spot before he will quietly settle. He will frequently, too, swim down stream the moment after he drops; so that if you do not cast your eye quickly that way, instead of continuing to look for him in one spot, he will probably catch sight of you and fly up, while your attention is directed to the wrong place. If the brook in which you find him is obscured by many trees, you had better direct your follower to make a large circle, and get ahead of and watch him, in case he should slily skim away down the brook and by this means escape from you altogether."
Description of Plumage—For beauty of colouring the cock teal has scarcely an equal amongst wildfowl. The chestnut head with a patch of glossy green on each side, edged with buff; the neck, back and flanks beautifully pencilled with black and grey ; the bright green speculum on the wing, broadly bordered above and below with velvet black : and the black and buff undertail-coverts present to the eye a perfect picture of harmonising colour which defies the imitative pencil of the artist.
The hen teal, like the females of all ducks, is of the usual sombre colour, her dusky brown and grey plumage being peculiarly well adapted to her concealment during the time she is engaged in incubation.
Nesting—Although usually placed in the vicinity of water, the nest is sometimes at a considerable distance from it, and always rests upon dry ground. A hollow is generally scraped out at the foot of some overhanging bunch of heather, or tussock of dry waving grass, and lined with fine heath stalks and bents. Here eight or ten creamy-white eggs are laid, in April, and as the hen bird covers them, she plucks from her breast and sides the soft brown down which underlies her feathers, and places it entirely round the eggs, filling up all the interstices, thus forming a warm bed for the young as soon as they leave the shell.
The old duck is very attentive to her young, leading them from the nest to the marsh, where they paddle about on the soft ground and shallow pools, snapping up flies and beetles with their tiny bills. They swim and dive well almost as soon as hatched.
Migration—Great numbers of teal pass southward for the winter, returning in the spring on the way back to their breeding haunts. In September and October they collect in large flocks, and, being very sociable in their habits, may often be found in winter in company with wild ducks. But although they mingle together when on the water, on being disturbed the two species always separate, the teal going off in one flock, the ducks in another. During the winter
months teal may be found on the coast, in company with wigeon, but they apparently prefer the neighbourhood of fresh water, especially large quiet pools well sheltered by reeds or trees, to screen them from the wind.
Teal in Decoys—Teal are amongst the tamest of wildfowl, and are generally the earliest to come into a decoy. The decoy-man, aware of their market value (for they are highly esteemed for the table), knows better than to capture the first comers. He allows them to remain undisturbed for some time, in order to attract others of their kind. This policy sometimes proves very remunerative. It is on record that at certain decoys in Essex, from 200 to 400 teal have been taken in one day. At the celebrated Ashby decoy in Lincolnshire it was not an uncommon thing to take 1800 or 2000 teal in the course of a season, and in the winter of 1852-53 no less than 3279 of these little birds were thus captured. Folkard relates that at a decoy pond at Mersea in Essex a flock of about 400 arrived, the greater number of which were taken within a few hours. The Rev. Richard Lubbock, also, mentions an instance which occurred at a Norfolk decoy of 220 teal being taken at once.
Formerly the decoy season was from the ist October till the ist June: the statute 10 Geo. II. cap. 32 prohibited the taking of any wildfowl "by hays, tunnels, or other nets" earlier or later under a penalty of 5^. for every bird so taken, but that statute has been repealed, and now by custom the season for working a decoy is from October to February.
It is true that a few ducks and mallards come into the decoys in July and August, but they are generally birds reared in the neighbourhood, and are left alone to entice others. Teal come in about the first week of September.

Source: Encyclopedia of Sport ©1898

How to buy a Rifle

Here's an excerpt from The Encyclopaedia of Sport on How to buy a Rifle.

HOW TO BUY A RIFLE—"What game do you propose to shoot with it ?" is the natural question which arises. If you want to shoot a rhinoceros or an elephant, a small cannon will be best, i.e. anything from a '500 express with expanding bullets to an eight or ten bore. If, on the other hand, your game consists of small deer such as gazelles, antelopes, or roe, a good rook rifle will be sufficient. But for almost all purposes the two best rifles at present in use are the '450 express and the '303 Lee-Metford, the latter used with the black bullet and cordite or rifleite powder. I say the black bullet, because it makes a more killing wound than the nickel-covered army bullet, which goes clean through any stag and does not stop him at once unless it strikes a vital part. I used to prefer the '303 to the express, owing to the noiseless and smokeless ammunition and to the absence of recoil; for, in stalking, noise and smoke are naturally prejudicial to a second chance.
But of late many experiments have been made with the '450 express with '400 chamber and smokeless powders; and, if the proper powder is used, I have but little doubt that this will supersede all other weapons. The size of the bullet and the wound it makes give it a great advantage over the "303. Besides, the lead of the black bullet is less likely to ire main in the groove of the express than in that of the '303. Some experiments with tubeite have succeeded well, fired from the '450, and this gives all the advantages of the '303—i.e. no noise and no smoke, plus a lighter and less delicate weapon and a larger bullet.
In buying a rifle, soundness and shooting are the points to be ascertained first, and then the pull of the triggers, which latter entirely depends upon the purchaser's taste. I prefer the pull to be very light, and in hammerless rifles the half cock or safety bolt should have a guard so .as to prevent its slipping when carried. The bend of a rifle is not so important as that •of a gun, as it is very rare that one requires to put it up quick to the shoulder and snap off as one does with a gun. But the sighting is quite .a study; and though the sight of a rifle may make admirable practice in one good shot's hands, it may not do so in the hands of another •equally good shot, for the reason that the two men's '(eyesights may be quite different. A man may shoot well with an army '303 rifle if he has young sight or even if he wears spectacles to assist short-sightedness. But a man with old •eyesight, that is, who can see any distance within reason, but cannot read without glasses, will be apt to find the back-sight of his rifle totally useless. Such a man will generally be .able to read the leader type of the Times newspaper, for a very short while, by holding it well away from him, say 26 inches or so, though it •will make his eyes ache. If the back-sight, therefore, is put at the usual distance from the eye (said to be 14 inches) the old sighted man will not see it clearly, though he sees the bead .at the end of the barrel. If he puts on his "clearers" he will see the back-sight, but not the bead or the bull's eye. This very common form of eyesight is rarely properly attended to •on sighting rifles, and yet the remedy seems simple enough, viz. : to put the back-sight forward until it is clearly seen. It will of course involve the altering of the V, but it will not hurt the shooter's eye for the few seconds he takes in aiming, as it would if he tried to read for any length of time at the same distance. But before using this extreme measure, i.e., of placing the back-sight so forward, I would recommend a trial of the bar-sight, which was so strongly advocated in the Deerstalking article in this Encyclopedia by Mr. Grimble. It suits some people with old sight, and its outline is very distinct, being white platinum on a black ground, but even this requires adjusting to the purchaser's sight. Hundreds of rifles are bought on the strength of a target pattern which is shown to the customer. They have been sighted to the proper eyesight of a man of thirty; but no offer is ever made by the seller to adjust the sight to the eyes ot the actual purchaser. This the latter should see to himself. The most conscientious gun-makers fall into this error, an error which eventually does them as much harm as any other shortcoming in the rifle they sell, for their customer shoots badly and the maker gets a certain amount of the blame. We know that a rifle is rather disfigured by having its back-sight forward on the barrels, but the outward appearance is only a secondary consideration. I prefer the doublebarrelled Lee-Metford to the single barrel and magazine. The former is a nice handy weapon, and to my mind two barrels should be sufficient, unless the sportsman (?) is of that blood-thirsty tribe who go out with the intention of killing all they can, not by fair stalking, but by penning deer into gorges and slaughtering them. Let them use magazines if they like, I shall not even be surprised if I hear some day of their adopting the Maxim!
As to the care necessary for preserving both guns and rifles during the non-shooting season, it is best to take the advice of a gun-maker. But the essential point is never to keep them in a damp place; and to examine them thoroughly not less than once a month, wiping every part each time and oiling where necessary. The browning of the barrels should also be attended to at the end of a season, as a small rub may give a shiny barrel.
W. G. Craven.