The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-08-27
ROCKLAND LAKE.

General Appearance of the Spot-Ine Ice
Trade-Consuznption IN Neso York of the
.drticle-Hoso 1t Is Collected-Ihe Drought.
To those who wish . delightful sail of thirty
or forty miles along the pleasant banks of the
Hudson, would advise trip to this delightful
region, where may Gothamite enjoys himself
apart from the combined realities of bank
panics, railway defaulters, and other prominent
aodendas to your glorious city.
Rockland Lake can be reached either by rail-
road (via ferry at Sing Sing) or by steamer. In
my haste to leave the modern Babel, preferred
the former means Of conveyance, and was soon
whirled off at the rate Of fifty miles an hour
on the Hudson River Railroad, having been
previously informed that ample arrangement
had been made by the ferry company for the
transportation Of passengers from Sing Sing to
the lake. A
After q pleasant ride of forty minutes, I found
myself aroused by the shrill voice Of the con-
ductor, announcing Passengers for Sing Sing!"
Hurrying out Of the cars, reached the river in
time to catch the ferry boat just pushing of,
which, by the way, was nothing more than
common eailboat. With brisk breeze, we
coon made the opposite shore, ct Slaughters
Landing. (This name, am told, Is derived from
some Revolutionary incident that was enacted
there). From the landing, taking stage and o
quarter Of mile ride over most rocky and
pr. cipitous road, brought me in full view of
Rockland Lake.
Although, previous to my visit, / had fire.
quently heard it exsolled, yet nothing, think,
can surpass its appearance as viewed from q
northwest position. The lake itself has cir
conference Of three miles in extent, and vary
r. H. IL kcIr - lkl
and bound on all sides by rolling and fertile
lands. In fact, the only thing that mars the
beauty of the scene is the immense number Of
buildings erected on its shores for the purpose
of storing ice during the winter. This business
having, within few years, grown to an i'm
mense extent, the pr0prietOrs have spared no
expense to facilitate their mode of gathering it.
York alone is, l am told from reliable autho-
rity. upwards of three thousand tons per day
during the summer months.
The mOdus 0per0ndi Of the Knickerbocker
company (Which, we are informed, is the larg-
est and most extensively engaged Of any others
at this place. are somewhat of q novelty, and,
think, well worth slight description, which,
through the kindness Of one Of the directors, /
am enabled to give The ice, after cutting, is
delivered in small receiving canals to the edge
OF the lake, where, by means Of an inclined
plane of some six hundred feet in length,
through which . chain, with hooks attached, is
kept in motion by steam power at an elevation
of three hundred feet above the level of the
lake. After reaching this height the cakes Of
ice turn in q downward direction on run Of o
quarter of o mile in length, which brings them
at the head of the hill directly over the river.
From this they descend with great rapidity
through spiral shafts standing at equal distances
from each other, to the river, where, after being
deposited in barges, they are shipped to New
York for city consumption.
The farmers throughout this region are COM
planning of the want of rain. am told that
the corn crop will be ar entire failure unless
the drought is soon succeeded by rain; and even
then 1t will little benefit u.s. as the season is so
far advanced.
must bring this short letter to close, a. I
send it to New York by friend who is leaving
for the city. ! shall shortly give more ex-
tended description of the country in general.
H