Identifier: boytravellersinr00knox (find matches)
Title: The boy travellers in the Russian empire: adventures of two youths in a journey in European and Asiatic Russia, with accounts of a tour across Siberia..
Year: 1886 (1880s)
Authors: Knox, Thomas Wallace, 1835-1896
Subjects: Soviet Union -- Description and travel Siberia (Russia)
Publisher: New York : Harper & brothers
Contributing Library: New York Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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en be launched. When the riveris opened there is an elaborate ceremony, and a part of the performanceincludes taking a glass of water from the river and presenting it to theEmperor. His Majesty drinks the water and fills the glass with gold coin.It was observed that the size of the glass increased annually, until it as-sumed the proportions of a respectable flower-vase. The Imperial stom-ach could not hold so nnich water at once, and the Imperial purse objectedto the price. A compromise was effected by fixing a certain sum to bepaid, instead of filling the glass with gold. Skating and riding on the ice have a prominent place in the amuse-ments of Russia in winter. Coasting on artificial ice-hills is also a stand-ard sport, in which all classes of people take part. It is especially in orderdurino; Butter-week and the Easter festivities, and is one of the wintersights of all cities in the Empire. How do they make these ice-hills? Fred asked. 198 THE BOY TRAVELLERS L\ THE RUSSL\N EMPIRE.
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RUSSIAN ICE-HILLS. A scrtilold is raised to the heiglit of tliirty or forty feet, the postsbeing set in holes drilled in the frozen earth or pavement, and fixed intheir places by ponring water aronnd them. In a few minntes the wateris converted into ice and the post is iimnovable. On one side of the SLIDING ON ICE-HILLS. 199 scaffold there are steps for ascending it, and generally there is a track atthe side for drawing up the sleds. The other side slopes off very steeplyat the start; then it becomes more gentle, and finally extends a consider-able distance on a level. Blocks of ice are laid on the slope; water is poured over them to beconverted into ice and make a smooth surface; and when the slide is com-pleted and opened it is thronged by patrons. It takes away ones breathat first when he is pitched over the edge of the slope and finds himselfrushing with a speed surpassing that of a railway-train. The impetusgained in the first part of the descent is sufficient to carry the sled a

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