User:Richard Arthur Norton (1958- )/Alfred Naess

Portland, Maine in 1897
Champion Skater in Ice Rink. Wednesday night at the ice rink, foot of Pearl Street, will occur a great event in skating annals in Portland. Mr. Alford Nass of Norway, Europe, champion amateur, 500 meter skater of the world, will give an exhibition of his power. Mr. Nass is not only the fastest amateur skater of the world, but also is a great champion fancy skater. He gave an exhibition of fancy and trick skating at the Portland Ice Rink before a small number at the request of the manager, and proved a wonder. He has just come from the great exhibition at Montreal. He is 19 years old, very intelligent. He has won $4000 worth of presents. While here Mr. Nass is stopping with his sister who is employed by Schlotterbeck & Foss. Source: possibly Portland Press Herald; Portland, Maine; 1897 (spelling as it appeared) Champion Skater of The World. There is in store for the people of Portland a great treat. The managers of the Portland Ice rink have made arrangements with Mr. Alfred Nass, who is one of the greatest skaters in the world to give at the rink Wednesday evening, the 17th, an exhibition of fancy and trick skating. Mr. Nass is just from the great international championship skating contest which has just closed at Montreal, where the greatest skaters in Europe and America have been in competition with each other. In that contest he won two medals of great value which he will wear at the rink. He is in possession of scores of medals won from skating all over the world, and besides has more than $400 worth of presents. He gave an exhibition of fancy work before the managers of the rink and they say that what he can do is simply wonderful, and what he can't do isn't worth doing. Mr. Nass has an engagement at Minneapolis to do fancy skating, and the great M. A. A. A. rink of Montreal has engaged him to give an exhibition there, and he is in great demand. He would not have been in Portland only for his sister, who lives here. The American skaters are not up in the art of fancy work as are the Norwegian people, this you will say when you have seen him. ''Note: same event being reported as above, different reporter. Source: possibly Portland Press Herald; Portland, Maine; 1897 (spelling as it appeared)''