Rules of curling part 2
"The broom has a two-fold purpose. In addition to being a pointer, in the skip's hands, it is used by supporting players to sweep frost or moisture from in front of the moving stone, permitting it to carry farther.
"After all 16 stones have been played, that `end' is completed and the score for that 'end' is counted. The scoring side receives 1 point for each stone inside the 'House' that is not canceled by reason of an opponent's stone lying closer to the center, the 'House' being the designation given to the 'target,' embracing the entire area inside the outer ring. If a stone is lying on the outside of the outer ring, with the edge of the stone barely overhanging the ring, this stone is called a 'hanger' and counts the same value as any stone inside of the 'House,' provided it is not canceled by an opponent's stone. Sometimes a long 'hanger' is the only count in cases where vicious 'dog eat dog' play has been carried on (or exceptionally poor playing), with each side `cleaning house.' That is, taking out opponent's stones with 'running shots.'
"The customary game consists of ten or twelve 'ends,' although fourteen or more 'ends' are frequently played. In case of a tie score, an extra 'end' is played to determine the winner.
"The ice is kept scrupulously clean and should be as level as a billiard table, free from humps, bulges and cracks. Before a game is started, the players light their pipes, get out their brooms and wide-blade steel scraper, scrape down the ice to remove all inequalities, then sweep off every particle of 'scrapings,' and then 'pebble' the ice. This last is a very important operation and consists of spraying warm water on the ice, accomplished by means of a special sprinkler with a straight handle at the bottom of it.
The 'pebbler,' accompanied by a player carrying a bucket of warm water, walks backward down the rink, and swings the water-filled sprinkler over his head in a wide, rhythmic arc to throw the water uniformly across the ice, from side to side. Usually the sprinkler has to be filled half a dozen times in pebbling the length of the rink.
"At temperatures of around 20° or 25° above zero, the 'pebble' will `set' within five or ten minutes and the ice is then ready for play. The `pebble' is accurately descriptive, as the drops of hot water, sprinkled on the ice, raise tiny `ice knobs' on which the stones ride. Without this `pebble,' it would be impossible to control the stones. The 'pebble' helps to impart the necessary 'curl' to the stones as they slide over the ice, so a 'good pebble' is an essential part of the game."
