New-York daily tribune., 1858-11-03


obstruction e vehicles vessels &C.: and Ike the
other branches Of the business gives additional aevi
tv TO many departments Of productive industry. In
tie expectation of oe ships frequently receive i, for
freight, aud their expenses and profits when they
could rot otherwise obtain any cargo. Thus It is seen
Il at the money and labor expended in the ice business
contributes IL very considerable degree 20 the deye
opmcut Of ether interests. The amount directly e1
pended Nv the public for ice delivered no, merely
rewards the cedeaer for bis abors and the investment
Of il capt al but more or less benefits all who have in
any way been connected with the work OF Collecting
preserving and selling it, aud those who dependent
I upon their labor.
Fortunes have been made in the ice business and
Others have been lost Il is department Of human
effort that requires the srctest attention and the most
iudicious management. Formerly, the trade, though
not suffering from competition, now as not TO
b. well understood: now, the ice dealer is liable 70
suffer by the active competition that he meets on al
.des. Still the of ice j. constantly increasing,
both at home and abroad and ss the crop s often
partial failure, he who thoroughly understands the
business will fpd II about as safe and remuneraye
any other.
Tie bode. Of water from which ice is taken are,
OF that account regarded as very valuable and are
taxed the property Of the abuttors. Their vaua-
ton tas advanced the business has increased, and
the value Of real estate in their vicinity has augmented
in similar ratio
When the land surrounding valuable ice-pond is
owned by different parties it is customary TO determine
tie exact proportion Of the pond to which eaeh is en-
titled The rule is, that each owner has the right 10
the sane proportion Of the contiguous surface OF the
uopd az the length Of his shore line il to its whole bor
der At some ponds Boston, where the ice prvi-
eaes arc very valuable the boundaries of each party
are accurately marked. This system of division org-
mated at Fresh Popj Cambridge, Mass, in the year
ls3o Owing TO the great quantity of ice that was
.ocured there and the absence Of any arrangement.
20 boundaries differences among the propretors
r;, borders az 10 where each should take ice. This
minced them to agree TO distinct boundary lines, and
the matter was referred to three Commissioners
Messrs. Simon Greeneaf Levi Farwel, and j. NJ.
Felton, who settled il the plan Just mentioned This
settlement was made by partition deed, executed by
all the owners and recorded in the registry OF deeds OF
Mjddlese1 County. Published maps were also placed
in public institutions and private hands These maps
show tie direction and length Of the boundary lines
md the ares of each owner This arrangement proved
70 be Of great advantage TO the parties, enabling them
10 secure more ice than they otherwise could
At Rocklard Lake, some years ago, there We're
three companies, previous 10 tI'H 'oHaVhu"Vh' s'N
took ice from it. and though they had boundaries, &C.,
tey would open and take the ice together from agree
ment since was found that the opening of side by
one of the parties would frequently allow the wind to
open the whole Of the Lake.
The instruments and machines used in securing ice
| are specially constructed for the purpose As the
business increased various implements were devised,
and different methods adopted, which were sue
d.d bvh better Those used
on the ice.feld are the wooden scraper snowplane
Tor snow-ice pane), ice-marker, cepow Tor ice-cut-
teri, ice.saw, ice-spLtting bar, ice-hock, &c. The
plsne costs about $75, the marker about the same,
and the plow lof which there different szes) from
SEQ TO 500 OF the latter there are several, say half
a dozen for each large ice-house. At West Cam
bridge Mass there is an establishment extensively
engaged in the manufacture Of the Implements aud
nj Rockland Lake there is another These and their
uses are subsequently described. Their Importance IN
saving labor is very great In the Winter OF looi-o,
II was estimated that by of the ceplow, or cut
ter the reduction in the of cutting the ice in the
peghborlood of Boston was equal to sl5,ooo per
annum. BY the labor of forty men with twelve
horses some 400 tuns be cut and slowed away in
single day.
The yearly crop of ice is collected mainly during
the latter part Of January and the greater part OF Feb
ruary In the vicinity of Boston, February IS the
month most relied on for the bulk OF the annual YIELD
| AT Philadelphia. Baltimore and Washington, ice Is Sc
cured in the early part Of the Winter as far as then
formed. and aferward, if possible The New-fork
ice-dealers generally most OF their crop IN
January. About the middle of that month those ex-
peiieuced in gathering ice can estimate approximate
" the value Of the Winters crop. The portion o III
ordinary Winter which is really favorable to securing
ice is comparatively short-generaly not more than
twenty davs in the season. Hence during this time
the ice companies are very active; and in some loca
ties near Boston they sometimes carry their opera
tons both dav and night. This is more particularly
| the case when there is prospect of unfavorsble
weather. In this region such rapdity has but rarely
| been necessary.
! Occasionally. while the ice is forming in December
and January the icemen pass its surface after 1t
| is thick enough to bear their weight, and break holes
in it if there is no snow on it. In this way the forma-
on is accelerated by the overflow Of the water, and
the ice itself forms faster of the bottom The surface
is kent a free a. possible of snow because this greatly
retaris the formation. Ordinarily snow falls before
there has been cold enough TO form ice OF suitable
Thickness If this occurs when the ice Is four OF more
inches thick and the snow is not heavy enough to sink
the ice, il is usually removed by the "snow-scfapers
which are made of wood and drawn by horses one
or two 10 each scraper-in New-fcrk, generally two
borses On some ponds in Massachusetts,, from which
several different parties take ice, twas formerly, II
not now customary to pile up the snow on their respec
five boupdaries. This plan is Objectionable, since the
snow by its weight tends to sink the ice, and IN New
York is not pracced but the snow is entirely remover.
II the snow falls so heavy as to brng the water ABOVE