As the ice in a covered rink
can be constantly flooded, it can be kept in the most perfect
order, and with the heavy stones far greater accuracy can be
attained than with the granite stones used in Scotland. The game
becomes a sort of billiards on ice. The Rideau Hall team consisted
of Lord Lansdowne himself, General Sir Henry Streatfield, a nephew
of mine, and one of the footmen, who seemed to have a natural gift
as a curler. Our team were invincible in 1888. At a curling-match
against Montreal in 1887, a long-distance telephone was used for
the first time in Canada. Ottawa is 120 miles distant from
Montreal, and a telephone was specially installed, and each "end"
telephoned from Rideau Hall to Montreal, where the result was
shown on a board, excitement over the match running high. Montreal
proved the victors. On great occasions such as this, the ice of
the curling-rink was elaborately decorated in colours. It was very
easily done. Ready-prepared stencils, such as are used for wall-
decoration, were laid on the ice, and various coloured inks mixed
with water were poured through the stencil holes, and froze almost
immediately on to the ice below.
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