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


cf the ice wa- . less For the retail trade thin ice
preferred on account Of the diminished in cut-
ting MP. OF the ice cut around Boston the ,hckest
always ed tor foreign shipment, because Of It's
greater solidity, or compactness and durability.
Having cleared the field OF whatever and snow
ice there was upon it, and being otherwise ready for
cutting the mex; process is to mark II of into blocks
of uniform size by tie marker" The frst part If
,ls process, However, is actually done by hand. viz
the cutting Of two straight grooves one al rg, angles
TO the other the ice. which al the other grooves
prodnced by the marker are 20 be parallel. A m.n
cuts these frs, grooves IN the same way that carpen
ter draws straight line a board with pencil,
rail. alongside bis rule, be lay, down board or psnk
as eni!e. and draws alongside OF IT, through the ice
cisel sufficiently sharp and large to cut groove Of
the desired size and continues 10 extend them until
thew reach across the pond, or far wished When
the plane Is previously used TO remove snow-ce,
grooves Of this sort or one Of them, cu by hand
before the plane used and in that case previously
remarked about the plane the marker forms grooves
for the guides of the plane This marke. drawn by
borse To II handles are attached, and man holds
and guides it as be would pow. With it he marks
and cross marks the field. The grooves formed by the
marker are parallel which is effected by its having
guide that il placed in the groove last made. When
they have been made in direction, others At right
angles with them are produced in the same manner
When the ice is quite thin, this marker cuts il sufh
cier,ly deep to allow Of its separation by the cesp
ting bar into the blocks that stored in the ice
houses but this is not often the The size of the
blocks for both New-York and Boston markets for a
long period was ~ inches square. This size, we be-
eye is stil used al Boston For the last two or three
wears the New-York Companies have cut to the size
Of % by q inches the amount for length having
been found more convenient for packing in wagons
The next and the main process is the use Of the
rlow lor cutter a. it is otherwise sometimes caled
which is also drawn by horse, and follows directly
through the grooves made by the marker. This in
.,rument is generally similar to the marker land both
remind one OF carpenters plowl but is
knife or chisel is longer, or rather ITS chisel
is compounded of series of small cutting chises, one
succeeding another and deepening the groove. At
one Passage it cuts about two inches deep eaen snan
cbisel cutting about one-ourth of inchl; and at
each succeeding passage another equal amount. For
ice Of different thickness there are plows OF different
sizes-chiefy inch and II inch-the latter serving
for a thickness Of 90 inches. When the field of ice
has been cut through in direction by the plow, 1t
j. cut through in the other grooves, at right angles
and thus il is all cut into regular blocks.
These are then completely separated by 'awin:
slightly between them with handsaws, and are foated
by the men TO the shore of the pond through little
canals cut in the ice for that purpose.
At many places the ice-houses are bnlt upon the
immediate borders Of tae water and then the blocks
are aoated up directly to their receiving Doors In
other cases the blocks drawn of from the pond or
creek or river on seds and from the shore are con-
veyed to their storehouse
Various modes of eevatng the ice into its houses are
practiced. The New-York companies, and many OF
those around Boston, now use the endless cham IN
combination with the inclined plane, and steam power
chiefly this having been attended with better success
than horse power. Some years ago the latter WAS
chiefly used In instances, where the ice-house
If pretty near the shore the blocks are Immediately
taken by steam power piece by piece, up an inclined
plane to sufficient elevation, and are thence directed
down more moderate inclined plane to the doors OF
the buildings into which they are lowered by steam,
and packed away by the requisite number OF men,
In Massachusetts,, where the blocks are cut square,
they are laid in the storehouses in regular courses
every block exactly covering the next below it. In
New-York where the blocks are 22 by2 inches there
il An alternate arrangement Of the courses-n opposite
directonto prevent their pressing against the house
and breaking it open. When a vault of New-York
marsh hay, from New-Jeney, four to five feet thick
and the receiving doors fitted up to prevent waste
until the contents are required for use Near Boston,
wood shayings and other articles have been used for
covering material.
Tho storebouses of the ice compane. often are i'm
oense structures but they vary considerably in SIZE
The largest in this State is at Athens, and will hold
5s coo uns; it belongs to the NewYork Ice Company
Tb. En;ck.rbocker Company have two at Rockland
Lake which will each contain about 40 900 tun' one
at Highland Lake holding 10000, and one on the Hud-
son River holding 10000. Generally these buildings
are very broad and from 100 to 2OO feet and upward in
length They present a singular appearance, neither
looking ike storehouses barns, and one unac-
ouaned with the ice business would be almost certain,
on seeing them for the first time to ask, what are
tney r. Most of the valuable ice-ponds nave several
of these structures on their borders. Fresh Pond,
Cambridge, has its shores almost covered with some
fifty of them.
The construction Of these sorehouses must regu-
lated by several circumstances, viz: by the climate,
the amour, TO be stored the material nearest at hand
and their nearness to the sources OF supply. Is
especally desirable 10 have cool location where the
influence u - and warm atmosphere shall pe
least The ice must be preserved a. much a. possible
from wasting, and this is effected by surrounding II
with materials that poor condncors OF heat sucn
as sawdu-t rice-huls, hay, leaves charcoal tah'
shavngs, &C. Any all Of these are u-ed, ACCORDING
10 circumstances both in the ice-houses and on board
vessels that export ice.
Moet of the storehouses are built OF wood, ana De-
cause of its relative cheapness Their walls, or sues
are double and are formed by placing two ranges of
joit upright, which at tie bottom are set IN III,