The winter sports, especially figure skating and hockey have always been limited by climate and weather conditions.? There are times when Mother Nature doesn?t cooperate with ice skaters.? Inventive minds have long wanted to find a way to create an artificial ice surface on which to enjoy their sports.
The very first man-made skating surface in an indoor setting opened on this day in London in 1844. This prototype rink was named ?The Glaciarium?. The artificial ?ice? was actually a mixture of swine lard and chemical salts. The indoor ice skating fad was short-lived because patrons quickly grew tired of the stinky ?ice? surfaces.
The general fad of indoor ice skating may have ended; however, serious skating enthusiasts still wanted a practical indoor ice skating venue.? The idea came to fruition in the Chelsea District of London in 1876.? Inventor John Gamgee had stumbled upon a new process to create ice while working on technology to preserve meat in transit from the Australia and New Zealand colonies.? The patent for this first generation deep freezer was patented in 1870.
Gamgee decided to diversify the demand for his invented process.? His new Glacierium had a concrete floor base. The hard surface was layered with dirt, cow hair, and wooden planks.? On top of this construction was oval shaped copper piping.? Through the pipes was a solution of glycerine, nitrogen peroxide, water and ether.? The entire structure was filled with water.? Then the chemical solution in the pipes was circulated by pumps which froze the water into a glass-smooth surface.
The 40? X 24? skating surface proved to be successful.? His Glaciarium was designed to simulate an Alpine winter environment complete with decorative details of the Swiss Alps.? There was also a dual purpose gallery that could be used for an orchestra or for spectators.
The first blush of success encouraged Gamgee to open two additional Glaciaria.? The largest rink measured 115? X 25?. The still costly process had a problem of rising mist, which eventually discouraged patrons.? By the middle of 1878 all of Gamgee?s glaciaria were closed down.
Another glaciarium opened near Liverpool, England utilizing Gamgee?s patent. The 50m X 20m venue was promoted by local businessmen.? It was marginally profitable for a decade before it, too, went bankrupt and closed.
A good thing couldn?t be stopped, though.? More glaciaria were built in other countries as well as in Britain. A coalition of skating clubs from Holland and Britain launched the ISU, the International Skating Union. The group regulated figure skating and speed skating competition across the world.
By 1900, the best skaters in the world were Canadians, Swedes and Russians, but their countries did not yet have any indoor glacieria.? So the rinks in England were attractive to the international set.? That meant that the English ice skating standards were adopted as world standards.
The commercial and competitive potential of ice hockey was soon promoted by the then British Governor-General of Canada. ?His son?s were avid fans of the sport. They convinced their father, Lord Stanley of Preston, to adopt the first hockey competition.? The grand prize trophy? The Stanley Cup.? The Stanley family continued their enthusiastic spread of the sport.
The glacieria or ice rinks had finally become financially viable.? The artificial ice soon became home to not only hockey, but figure and speed skating recreation and competitions, ice show extravaganzas, and other ice-based sports year around.
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The Blue Jay of Happiness is a fan of the San Jose Sharks. He wonders if this is the year for their Stanley Cup appearance.
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An eclectic guy who likes to observe the world around him and comment about those observations.Source: http://bluejayblog.wordpress.com/2013/05/06/the-glaciarium/
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