Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1849-02-17
OLD SERIES VOL. o, NO. -.
A BOSTON ICE ESTABLISHMENT.

curing ice Is regular systematic operation.
The Cambridge Chronicle gives the following
description of the mode or gathering the ice
crop at Fresh Pond
'The mode of cutting is this, Two men
go upon the pond with straight edged board
which they lay parallel to its inargiu, and
just outside Tie rough ice, which usually oc4
ours next the, land This board being held
firm by the two, another runs species of saw
or coarse comb, with an iron handle, along its
edge, making groove On inch or two in depth
The board is then moved in the direction of
its length and the groove prolonged. When
the 'bass line, as surveyors would call it, is
laid out, the plough, drawn by a horse, is en-.
ployed to moke series of grooves parallel
thereto--one share running in the channel
just cut, while another cuts the next at the
proper distance. This operation is repeated
until they reach the limit proposed, when
another series OF sroo7ee s.made al right an
giles TO the former, so that several acres may
often be seen divided into squares OF abou,
twenty inches on a side. Then by means of
whip-saws, at large mass thus prepared, some
hundred feet sqnare is separated, and foated
along the canal made by the removal of the
ice already taken into the house, until it reach.
es the machine for elevating it Here few
blows of large chsel break off cakes of the
size of an ordinary breakfast table-con,ain-
| ing nine of the cakes as channeed by the
! plough, and usually seen in our ice carts.--
Theseb blocks are float still further, until they
| disappear by passing into the house containing
/ the steam engine which drives the lifting ap.
! paratus .....-
! This engine is the philadelphia" loco
motive originally employed OH the Boston and
Providence RAILROAD, standing, tender and alb
precisely as if it were about 10 shoot out OF
the house and away, and really, when the tin
kle Of the bell which announces that all is
ready in the house, some hundredfeet distant
is answered by the locomotives bell, and IFS
puff and snort, one can hardly help clearing
the track A friend with us would not trust
himself in front of the engine, until solemnly
assured there was no no danger as the ''crit-
teri was tied. From the large driving wheels
on each side, a chain passes down TO a drum
on shaft below the surface of the water.
From this shaft three. endless chains made
like the chain on the barrel of watch, but
rather stouter, lying parallel TO each other,
pass up at all angle of forty or forty-tive de-
grees to drum about thirty feet from the
ground.
To these chains, at intervals of twelve or
fifteen feet, are attached transverse strips of
wood, which, catching behind the cakes 0P
4. ice, as they are floated over the chains, most
. unceremonously draw them out of their ma
n tive element. and drive them through plan.
n ing machine which reduces them to a uni
form tliickness-at present twelve and three
4 eighihs inches--leaving two longitudinal bars
on the upper surface, an inch in height and
!, five inches in width, by resting on which they
. are prevented from freezing into solid mass
- when packed. On leaving this planning ma
:, chine they are shot off upon species of mrial
# railroad 10 the doors of the packing house,
=. each cake sliding upon frame balanced by
a weight, which frame slowly sinks until it
discharges lis load. upon a little ;ran-road of
}. wood along which it is propelled 10 its des
is tined resting place.
h The large building of Mr.. Wyeth holds a.
bout forty thousand tons, though it is rarely
e more than seveu-eighihs filled. Some idea
II of It's size may be obtained from a knowledge
Q Of the fact that more than thousand OF
y these large cakes, containing twenty-five Gu
l. bic feet each, required TO cover lis floor,
h Between three and four thousand TONS OF, ice
l. are raised daily, employing in all the ooe~P
.e tions from n hundred and twenty-five 10 Il
ID hundred and fifty men, none Of whom receive
% less than a dollar day: being paid each night
~ in tickets reGeemabe at the Charles River
ID Bank The ice was never better than at pre-
III sent, and our parting advice in simply this
d. before the weather changes--go ont 10 Fresh
le Pond and sec for yourselves Mr. Wyeth's ma
IN chinery remembering that ice which will bear
ID a horse is not likely to give way under the
j. weight Of = lady; and that the most timid
need not DE afraid Of tho locomotive as it is
, positively tied.
I'd LESSON FOR ScoLpISG WVEs.--"And
d; dare say you have scolded your wife very Of
in ten, Newmau,n said once. r,
IN Oi1 Neumou laol.a1 Iorvu and HE ,,-ifa