Part 151

Asphalte Courts.--(_a_) The probable cost ought not to exceed 10_l._ if laid down by own workpeople, and less if tar has not to be purchased. It is pleasanter to play on than real asphalte, having more elasticity, and the colour is excellent for seeing the balls, which are not blackened or worn out quickly, as is the case on cinder courts. Mix thoroughly well sand and gas tar, in the proportions of 1 cub. yd. sand to 24 gal. tar (the more it is mixed the better). About 8⅓ cub. yd. sand and 200 gal. tar will make a court. This quantity is to be made into a heap 3 days before laying down. Keep turning the heap every day, and, immediately before putting down, add 5 or 6 shovelfuls of dry lime to each cub. yd., and 24 gal. tar. For foundation, 6 in. of small broken stone or brick rubbish, on which put some fine gravel, or, better still, coal cinders, to give a smooth surface; bring this to a level with straight-edge and spirit level, and press down with a heavy roller. The mixture of sand and tar should be laid on 1 in. thick, and should be rolled well with a roller having round edges, sprinkling fine sand on it all the time to prevent the roller sticking to it. The court should have a slight fall of 4 in. from centre to ends, and the ground should be well drained underneath and around the court, which should be laid down with a large margin, to give plenty of room at the ends and sides. The best time for making the court would be late in the spring, after all chance of frost has disappeared, the ground having previously been prepared by drainage, &c.

(_b_) A mixture of coal tar and cinders makes a rough and dirty court, and is very liable to work uneven from the nature of the material. It is necessary to lay these courts on a dry foundation, or they would be lifted by frost, and the cost is from 20_l._ to 30_l._ Covered balls cannot be used on them, and shoes are soon cut to pieces. A way might be found to put a finer surface on these courts, but they can never be made very durable.

(_c_) Real asphalte runs into a very high figure.

Cinder Courts.--(_a_) Plain cinder courts may be laid at very trifling cost, wherever steam power is used, and engine ashes can be had gratis, and only cost the carriage. Cinders, however, if not laid on a dry foundation, after they have been beaten down to a smooth surface, will puddle up with frost.

(_b_) Pare the turf off, and level the ground; give a sprinkling of agricultural salt, to kill the grass roots; put in a drain or two of 2 in. pipes, if the subsoil is clayey or retentive. Get 25 cartloads of factory or other cinders; wheel on (as they are) as many as will make a strip all across about 9 ft. in width and 2½ in. in thickness; rake off the very large ones as a foundation for next strip. Roll all thoroughly well; then put on the 9 ft. strip a layer or covering of finely riddled cinders, and again well roll, and so on throughout. Keep the roll going every day for a week, and then you may play every day in the year except during snow or rain. Use uncovered balls in wet weather; they bounce sharper, and wash clean. (Geo. H. Wade.)

(_c_) Foundations are first prepared of broken stones as for cement, into which a few field drain pipes are laid, upon this a covering of 3 in. of coarse cinders; and over this a finishing coat of riddled ashes mixed with a tenacious clay laid on with plenty of water, and worked up with a trowel in the same manner as cement. The ashes used may be furnace ashes from a colliery engine, of a red colour, the reddest being selected. The result is a fine smooth surface of an agreeable colour (an important consideration), and easily kept in order by a small roller. No ordinary shower affects it, and it can be placed on very soon after heavy and continuous rain. The surface is sufficiently yielding to be agreeable to the feet, and prevent the balls from playing too lively.

(_d_) Take 50 chaldrons fine cinders, 2 barrels tar, 1 chaldron white builder’s sand, and 2 cwt. agricultural salt. Having prepared a piece of ground by removing the grass roots, and making it quite level, sprinkle the salt to kill any remaining roots of grass, then spread the cinders 6 in. deep quite smooth; boil the tar, and pour all over the surface with a watering pot; then sieve the sand over it to prevent the roller from sticking. Then roll with a heavy garden roller with 2 men constantly for 2 days. Occasionally roll for a month after it is finished, and before it gets firmly set. There should be no rain during the operation. Around the ashes put small red gravel, the same depth as the cinders, for a pathway. The court slopes on one side enough for the rain water to run off; all along the outer edge of the lower path place a drain pipe 6 in. under the surface for the water to escape. After the hardest rain, in one hour the court will be quite playable. (A. H.)

Concrete Courts.--(_a_) First lay out the level with pegs, rather over 6 in. high, and fill up the floor with broken brick and stone rubbish to within about 1½ in. of the peg tops. Have a quantity of river gravel first passed through an ordinary gravel screen, putting the large aside for the roads. The gravel that passes through the first screen is again passed through a fine wire lime screen to separate the sand. The medium gravel thus separated is mixed with 1 part Portland cement to 4 of gravel, and laid over the broken bricks, bedded well among it, and coming nearly up to the top of the pegs. This covering is worked as level as possible, and allowed about an hour to stiffen, after which a fine surface is laid on of 1 part cement mixed with 2 of the sharp sand and grit that has been screened from the gravel. This surface is dressed over and finished about an hour after it is laid on.

(_b_) Take 50 loads broken rubbish (brick or stone), 5½ tons Portland cement, 11 tons screened gravel, 5½ tons sharp sand. The expense will depend on the prices at which the rubbish and gravel can be procured, but the cement will cost 11_l._; and if the rubbish is put at 3_s._ per load, the gravel at 5_s._ per ton, and the sand at 4_s._, the cost of material will be 22_l._ 7_s._; allowing 5_l._ for labour, in laying and levelling the court, the whole expense will amount to about 27_l._ Such a court will be as good and as durable, for light work, as one costing 100_l._ A court with a good surface could be made considerably cheaper by using less cement and less solid foundation; but with a concrete court it is necessary to secure such dryness and solidity below as will prevent the risk of the floor being lifted and cracked by frost. (P. S. W.)

(_c_) One authority quotes the price per yard at 2_s._ 9_d._, for a floor of concrete, 4 in. thick, faced with 2 in. of best cement.

(_d_) A proportion of 1 (by weight) of cement to 2 of clean sharp sand and 4 of clean gravel, broken stone, &c., makes excellent concrete. These proportions are 6 to 1.

_Quoits._--Rules of the Game.--(1) The quoits shall be not more than 5¼ lb. in weight, nor more than 8½ in. diameter outside, and 5½ in. in the inside, nor more than 1½ in. in height, and made of malleable iron. Quoits faced, or partially faced, with steel shall not in any case be allowed.

(2) The pins shall be placed in tempered clay ends, confined by a wooden frame, and shall not project more than 3 in. Pins to be not less than 3 ft. long, and the exposed point ½ in. in diameter.

(3) The pins shall be placed at such distances apart as may be agreed upon, and in the centre of the clay. The pins to be readjusted and the clay made up only at the discretion of the umpire.

(4) No quoit shall count that is a greater distance than 18 in. from the pin.

(5) When a match is played, one umpire shall be chosen by each side, and their decision shall be final. Should, however, an umpire have occasion to appoint another in his place, the last-named in all cases shall be the umpire for the time being. No person except the umpires shall interfere, but each captain may instruct his men if requested.

(6) A player in delivering his quoit shall stand with his foot opposite the pin, but not more than 2 ft. therefrom, and must deliver his quoit before the second step is completed. Should he not do so, the quoit pitched shall be called a “no quoit,” and treated the same as a “no quoit,” as per Rule 11.

(7) The 2 quoits nearest the pin shall count one each, if belonging to the same side. If not, then only the nearest quoit counts one. The quoit touching the top of the pin to count before a side-toucher.

(8) When the inside of a quoit, taken perpendicularly from the pin upwards, shall surround the top of the pin, it shall be called a ringer, and count 2. If a player has 2 quoits in this position, they shall count 2 each, unless his opponent has one dividing them, then the last ringer only shall count.

(9) No quoit shall count as a ringer when a quoit under it covers, in a perpendicular direction, any part of the top of the pin.

(10) If a quoit when pitched shall hit the frame surrounding the clay in alighting, or shall alight outside the frame, it shall be called a “no quoit,” and shall not count or hinder any other quoit from counting, and shall at once be removed.

(11) No clay shall be removed in measuring the distance of a quoit from the pin, neither shall any quoit be removed to facilitate the measurements.

(12) When 2 quoits belonging to opposite parties shall rest at equal distances from the pin, the leading player shall retain his lead.

(13) Any player claiming a point or points after pitching one quoit shall not be at liberty to go back and play his second quoit.

(14) A player in any match must have been a member of the club he plays with for at least one calendar month previous to that time.

Making a Ground.--(_a_) Procure a large treacle or oil cask, cut the ends off (leaving them about 5 in. deep inside); take care that there are 2 iron hoops on each end; fix an iron pin (¾ in.) firmly in the centre of each, to stand about 7 in. above the edges of the tub, then fill it with stiff clay, raising it from the sides towards the top of the iron pin, leaving so much bare as shall be sufficient for a mark; have a waller’s trowel to smooth the surface when required. These can be placed in any convenient position for quoiting into, and may be removed when not required. Have a frame made of lightwood or iron, cone-shaped, and covered with waterproof canvas, to cover the tubs when not in use.

(_b_) If the land lies high and dry, and the soil is clay, which during hot weather becomes very hard, dig 2 pits the size required, and about 2 ft. deep. Asphalte the bottom and fill in with the clay.

_Racquets._--Making a Racquet Court.--A court should be about 65 ft. by 30 ft. front wall 30 ft. high; back wall 12 ft. high; floor made of asphalte, and walls plastered very smoothly. The expense varies according to size, and cost of labour and materials. It must be lighted by skylights. The area of a double court should be 80 ft. by 40 ft.; front wall 30 ft. high, back wall 12 ft.; side walls sloping towards back wall, with a very slight decline of floor down towards the back wall.

_Sail Skating._--When the ports of the Baltic are closed by ice during winter, the pilots and sailors of Arnager Isle, at Copenhagen, occupy their leisure hours with the exercise of skating by sail. This sport requires much skill and quite a long apprenticeship; but, after a person has become dexterous at it, it offers a very peculiar charm, and, when a swift wind causes him to glide over the surface of the ice, he feels himself lifted, as it were, and experiences a sensation analogous to that of flight. Fig. 160_a_ shows a diagram of the apparatus, as employed by the Danish skaters. The sail, which is formed of a light but strong fabric (such as Chinese pongee silk) is stretched over a bamboo frame whose dimensions are given in the cut. The centre crosspiece, which must be placed at the level of the shoulders, is fastened to the skater’s body by bands that cross the breast and afterwards pass around the waist, so that they may be tied together in front. Large crosspieces of wood, attached to the lower corners of the system, are held in the skater’s hands, so that he may trim the sail in one direction or another. When the skater wishes to be carried along by the wind, he must stand very erect, without stiffening his body too much, and bend backward in proportion as the wind blows fresher. Confidence is acquired by practice. Fig. _b_ gives the position of the skater going with the wind and under full sail. When the wind is too violent, the topsail may be readily lowered (Fig. _c_), so as to thus moderate the impulsion derived from the moving air. By inclining the sail in one direction or the other, the skater may tack to the larboard or starboard (Figs. _d_ and _f_). Finally, when it is desired to move against the wind, by skating in the usual way, the body is bent forward in such a way that the sail lies horizontally, and no longer offers a purchase to the aerial current (Fig. _e_). The skater can thus return to his starting point, and from thence be driven forward again by the wind.

This exercise is a very agreeable one, and not very dangerous; and the falls that a person gets in beginning are not to be dreaded, because they almost always occur backward. The degree of speed that can be attained by a practised skater is considerable. When the skater has done with his apparatus, he detaches it from his shoulders, winds the sails around the bamboo sticks, which may be separated from them, and thus has an object that is no more trouble to carry than an umbrella would be. When the winters are severe, it is not unusual to meet upon the ice numerous groups of skaters by sail who are endeavouring to excel each other in speed. Young people are often seen, too, setting out on an expedition over the frozen sea between Denmark and Sweden, and traversing the entire Sound. These latter use the sail when the wind is favourable, but fold up the apparatus when the contrary is the case, and make use of their skates in the ordinary way. Danish hunters, likewise, often have recourse to skating by sail in order to rapidly reach points where wild ducks and geese have been observed.

_Skating._--The art of skating is far too intricate to admit of being dealt with in a chapter, but the following notes on skates will interest all skaters.

To a man who simply makes skating an excuse for an outing and a jollification, the Acme is the best skate, because it is easily carried, easily put on and off, and with it he is enabled to do the little skating he is capable of as well as if he had the most expensive and elaborate pair.

To the enthusiast who looks on figure skating as a science to be studied, it is essential that he should have what he conceives to be the best skates that can be made.

Assuming, then, that the skater will not object to carrying a bag large enough to hold a pair of boots and skates, we think that the “Mount Charles” is the best, as it is the simplest, lightest, and neatest. It consists of a skate blade attached by means of plates screwed to the sole of the boot. The front plate is under the ball of the foot, and the heel plate at the heel, and if a very thick-soled boot be used, the absence of support between the two points of attachment, is not practically felt. But a heavy boot is not only unsightly, but fatiguing. If a thinner-soled boot be used, the heat of the foot softens the leather of the sole, which, bending, no longer supports the instep, and fatigue and cramp ensue. Gillett and Co., of Sheffield, hit on a plan which obviates the necessity of a thick and heavy boot, by making the sole of wood instead of leather. A Mount Charles skate with Dowler blades, fitted to wooden-soled boots or clogs, is perhaps the most comfortable, effective, and neat skate produced.

Next in merit to the Mount Charles come the “Barney and Berry.” These also are skeleton skates, being fastened to the boot, either with a T plate for the heel and movable clamps for the toe (the clamps worked by a key), or having movable clamps at both heel and toe. The mechanical arrangement of the Barney and Berry is a great advance on the Acme; but, as the toe clamps catch the sides of the welt, and do not lap over it as in the old club skate with toe clamps, it is necessary to screw the toe clamps somewhat tightly, and this has a tendency to curl up the soles of the boots, especially if the sole be rather thin, or when it gets soft from the heat of the foot or from skating on wet ice.

Skaters, as a rule, use the boots they skate in simply as skating boots, and never attempt to walk any distance in them; a rigid sole of wood would therefore be no disadvantage. If a piece of oak board the length of the boot be shaped so as to touch the footstock of the Barney and Berry all along the iron plate, which extends from the instep to the toe, and the board be attached to a thin pair of well-fitting laced-up boots, all the discomforts of the clamps pinching the sole will be obviated, and the heavy thick boot may of course be dispensed with. There is no doubt that a rigid-soled boot is a distinct advantage, whether the Mount Charles or the Barney and Berry skate be used.

It sometimes happens that the skater has to change his boots some little distance from the ice and walk down in his skates--a proceeding that in nowise improves them; and under these circumstances the Barney and Berry has a decided advantage over the Mount Charles, as the skater can put on his boots and walk down in them to the ice, and then adjust his skates.

It is unnecessary to go into the merits of the “Dowler” blade, as its advantages over the straight-sided blade were duly chronicled in _The Field_ of Oct. 11, 1879. Since that time the new form of skate blade has been gradually growing in favour. There was some difficulty at first in getting these blades properly made; but Hill and Son, of the Haymarket, and Walter Thornhill and Co., of New Bond Street, turn out Dowler blades in a way that leaves nothing to be desired.

There are, of course, numerous skates other than the Mount Charles and the Barney and Berry, most of which display considerable mechanical ingenuity; but, if we were asked to point out the skate we considered “the best,” we should, without hesitation select either the Mount Charles or the Barney and Berry. (_Field._)

_Swimming._--This can never be learned from books; it should form a part of every boy’s school training as much as reading or writing. A few hints to non-swimmers will be acceptable, and may prove highly valuable if kept in mind.

The human body weighs 1 lb. in the water, and a chair will carry 2 persons--that is, it will keep the head above water, which is all that is necessary when it is a question of life or death. One finger placed upon a stool or chair or a small box or board will easily keep the head above water, while the two feet and the other hand may be used as paddles to propel toward the shore.

It is not necessary to know how to swim to be able to keep from drowning. A little experience of the buoyant power of water, and faith in it, is all that is required. A small boy who cannot swim a stroke may propel himself back and forth across a deep, wide pond by means of a board, that would not sustain 5 lb. weight. Children and all others should have practice in the sustaining power of water. In many cases the knowledge that what will sustain a lb. weight is all that is necessary to keep one’s head above water will serve better in emergencies than the greatest expertness as a swimmer.

A person unfamiliar with the buoyant power will naturally try to climb on top of the floating object on which he tries to save himself. If it is large enough, that is all right. But it is generally not large enough to keep all entirely above water. This often happens when pleasure boats capsize. All immediately want to get out of the water on top of the overturned or half-filled boat, and all are drowned except those whom the craft will wholly bear up.

If they simply trust the water to sustain 99 per cent. of the weight of their bodies, and the disabled boat the other 1 per cent., they all might be saved under most circumstances. An overturned or half-filled wooden boat will sustain more than it will carry. It would keep the heads above the water of as many people as could get their hands on the gunwale. These are simple facts easily learned, and may every day save life.

_Velocipeding._--The following are a few hints on the prevention and cure of accidents to tricycles.

A very common accident in tricycles fitted with plain bearings, is “firing.” The cause is generally want of oil. Friction, which oil greatly reduces, makes the bearing heat. The heat increases, and, after running heavily for some little time, the metal expands, so that a dead-lock is the result, and the part refuses to move. The best remedy is to get some boiling water and cloths, which, being soaked, and laid round the outside, will in a short time unfix the most obstinate bearing. A good oiling should be given. In a new front steerer, unless the balance gear and driving axle be well oiled there is a tendency to “fire,” as the fitting is very close. It is better to over-do the lubrication than otherwise in a new machine, owing to this same close fitting.

Another accident tricycles are liable to, especially in light ones, is a bent axle. The cause is either the jar occasioned by riding over a large stone or brick, a thick dress being violently “wound up” in the chain, or the fact that the rider is too heavy for the machine. The fact of the axle being bent is painfully evident in a bad case from the “wobbling” of the wheel nearest the seat of the damage. A slight bend may be detected by tilting the machine, and spinning one wheel with the hand, watching the stationary one. If this oscillates slightly, there is a bend. If the axle is bent, it can only be rectified by a skilled mechanic. If an axle bends again it is most politic to have a new axle fitted, as, for an axle to break at full speed, is the most dangerous of accidents.

A bent steering rod is a very common occurrence. It often happens that the adjusting screw at the end of the fork arm works tight, and, as the screw is only meant to work as a pivot, the tight joint often “jams,” and, unless slackened, the rod either bends, or, worse still, breaks. Another cause of the same accident is the steering head working tightly--deficient lubrication again. A blow on the rod or a flaw in the steel may cause a like result. A bent steering rod may be pulled straight without much trouble, a broken one is a more serious matter. A good plan is to tie the head of an umbrella or walking stick, if of a suitable shape, to the spanner fitted on the head or the arm of the steering head, and steer in the Bath-chair fashion.

The screw connected with the steering rod has a trick of working loose, and, if the lock-nut drops off, the screw may become so loose as to follow. A hairpin twisted in the hole and round, forms a very good temporary connection.