History of Roller Skates — First Used in Pantomime Act

1877

History of Roller Skates

Invented by a Yankee and First Used in a Ravel Pantomime.

The late ex-Mayor Winslow made good deal of money in skates, ice and roller, although he was a man of many affairs, says the Worcester, Mass., Gazette. His death naturally recalls the days when the rink was in its prime, and when the gallant and graceful Kynock, professor in the art of rolling about, used to promenade first with one pretty girl and then with another, occasionally darting off with vast outer-edge sweeps backward and forward.

Forty years ago the Ravels, French pantomimists of extraordinary cleverness, made great profit in the United States. One of their shorter pantomimes was Godinski, or the Skater of Wien. The last scene showed a Polish pond covered with gay skaters, who careened around merrily and threw property snowballs at each other. Godinski appeared with a chair learning to skate. This was the original act, and before the days of the Ravels nobody had ever seen a roller skate. The scene ended by the ice breaking, Godinski fell through, but was rescued in the end.

These skates ran on little wheels set squarely, in the place of the blades of an ice skate — the simplest possible form. They did not pivot and could not be used for figure-skating. Except they were low, they were like the high road skates lately put in use in Scotland and now on trial in Europe, they set Yankee inventors to thinking, why not a real skating party on boards as well as actors.

One day there opened in what was then upper Washington street, Boston, in the top story of Plympton's furniture warehouse, a school and practice ground for roller skaters. This was about the year 1867. Plympton's brother had invented a skate on which you could do the outer edge by leaning over, as on ice. The rollers were in pairs and on pivots. The boys and girls came out and found it easy to learn, but it was not advertised and few heard of it. The result was the closing of the place and the apparent failure of the invention as a popular toy.

The inventor went to Europe. Pursuing more liberal methods, he made a huge success. He planted rinks in every principal city, and gathered ducats in piles. Unfortunately they lasted nowhere more than a few years. New plants had to be constantly established.

When the Lalimes took up roller skating at the Worcester rink, which, by the way, was admirably adapted for the sport, and the skating craze broke out in this country, it was all over in Europe, but Plympton had made fortune out of it. Here, too, rinks were short-lived.

The Winslow skate, made later, brought out lawsuits with Plympton, who claimed an infringement. But Plympton's patent had not long to run, and the dispute was in some way adjusted.

It was an admirable exercise, and there was no end to the possible skill. It was a pity it could not last, but Americans overdo all amusements.