CRYSTAL ICE.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2342, 18 September 1880, Page 2

CRYSTAL ICE.

A now skating surface called “ crystal ice,” lias been recently invented by Dr Calantarients, of Scarborough. He experimented with a variety of salts, and after a time succeeded in making a mixture, consisting mainly of carbonate and sulphate of soda, which, when laid as a lloor by his plan, can be skated on with ordinary ice skates. The resistance of the surface is just equal to that of ice : it looks like ice : and indeed, when it has been skated on, and got “cut up” a little, the deception is quite astonishing. A small experimental floor has been laid in the skating rink at Prince’s, and has proved so successful that no doubt a large floor will be laid there or some other convenient place, in the autumn. This floor will obviousl} r have great advantages, both over artificial ice floors, which are very expensive indeed, and over floors for roller skating. The surface can at any time be made smooth again by steaming with an apparatus for the purpose, and the floor itself when laid will last for many years. It is interesting to observe that the mixture of salts used contains about 60 per cent of water of crystallisation, so that after all the floor consists chiefly of solidified water.