The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1872-02-23
ce.Making In the Tropics.

/ tlOnS ny Out ~ ICStohSoi
piece of ground 100 feet long by 20
broad, in an easterly and westerly direc'
ton, from which the soil is removed to
the depth Of two feet. This excavation
is smoothed, and is allowed to remain
exposed to the sun to dry, when rice
straw in small sheaves is laid in an OBJ
lique direction in the hollow, with loose
straw upon the top, to the depth of a
foot and half, leaving its surface half
foot below the surface of the ground
Numerous beds of this kind are formed,
with narrow pathways between them,
in which large waterjars are sunk in the
ground for the convenience of having
water near, to fill the shallow unglazed
earthen vessels in which it is to be
frozen. These dishes are nine inches
in diameter at the top, diminishing to
four and three-tenths inches at the bot
tom, one and three-tenths inches deep,
and three-tenths of an inch in thick
moist throughout when water is putinto
them.
During the day the loose straw in the
beds above the sheaves is occasionally
turned up, SO that the whole may be
kept dry, and the water-jars between
the beds are filled with soft pure water
from the neighboring pools. Toward
evening the shallow earthen dishes are
arranged in rows upon the straw, and
by means OF small earthen pots, tied to
the extremities Of long bamboo rods,
each is filled about one-third full with
water. The quantity, however, varies
according to the expectation of ice
which is known by the clearness of the
sky, and the steadiness with which the
wind blows from the north-northwest.
When favorable, about eight ounces of
water is put into each dish, and when
| less is expected, from two to four ounces
is the usual quantity; but, in all cases,
more water is put into the dishes near
est the western end of the beds, as the
sun first falls on that part, and the ice
is thus more easily removed, from it's
solution being quicker.
There are about 4, 900 plates in each
of the beds last made, and if we allow
| five ounces for each dish, which presents
surface of about four inches, there
will be an aggregate of 239 gallons, and
surface of 1880 square feet of water
in each bed.
In the cold season, when the temper
ature Of the air at the ice-fields is under
| 500 Fahrenheit, and there are gentle
| airs from the northern and western di-
| rection, ice forms in the course of the
night in each of the shallow dishes
Persons are stationed to observe when a
small film appears upon the water in the
| dishes, when the contens of several are
mixed together and thrown over the
other dishes. This operation increases
the congealing process; as state OF
calmness has been discovered by the
natives to diminish the quantity of ice
produced. When the sky is clear, with
gentle, steady airs from the north-north-
west, which proceed from the hills Of
considerable elevation near Bheerboom,
about 100 miles from Hooghly, the freez-
ing commences before or about mid
night, and continues to advance until
morning, when the thickest ice is form
ed. | have seen it seven-tenths of an
inch in thickness, and in few very fa-
vorable nights the whole of the water
is frozen, when it is called by the natives
solid ice. When it commences to con-
geal between two or three o'clock in the
morning, thinner ice is expected, and
about four or five o'clock in the morn
| ing the thinnest ice is obtained, called
| paper ice.
Upward of two hundre and fifty per-
sons, of all ages, are actively employed
in securing the ice for some hours every
morning that ice is procured, and this
forms one of the most animated scenes
to be witnessed in Bengal. In favor
able night upward of ten hundred
weight Of ice will be obtained from one
bed, and fro4i twenty beds upward Of
ten tons.
When the wind attains a southerly or
easterly direction, no ice is formed, from
its not being sufficiently dry; not even
though the temperature of the air be
lower than when it is made with the
wind from from northern or western
point. The orth-northwest is the
most favorable direction of wind for
making ice, and this diminishes in
power as it approaches the due north,
or west. In the latter case more lati-
tude is allowed than from the north
northwest to the north. So great is the
influence of the direction of wind on
the ice, that when it changes in the
course of night from north northwest
to less favorable direction, the change
not only prevents the formation of more
ice, but dissolves what may have been
formed. On such occasions mist Is
seen lowering over the icebeds, from
the moisture over them, and the guam
tty condensed by the cold wind. A
mist in like manner forms over deep
tanks during favorable nights for making
ice.
Another important circumstance in
the production of ice is the amount OF
wind. When it approaches breeze no
! ice is formed. This is explained by such
rapid currents Of air removing the cold
air before any accumulation OF ico has
taken place in the ice-beds. 1t is for
these reasons that the thickest ice is ex-
| pected during the day breeze has
blown from the northwest, which dries
the ground.-Nature.
Tough Story from the Hub.
One of Boston's wealthy men was APP
preached the other day by real estate
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