Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1874-01-20
THE ICE BUSINESS.
The Nevada Toe company's Works
How Toe 10 Handled.

81
We extract from the local columns
Of the Truckee Republican the follow
Ing account OF the method employed
In gathering and storing Ice at the
works Of the Nevada Ice Company.
between Pros,er Creek and Bocs. Cal.
1t will be- found ~intsresting. and tie
magnitude Of the business merits at
tentlon:
The Ice buildings ara three In num-
ber. each building being 2O0 feet long,
IS feet wide and 20 feet deep. These
buildings run parallel with each other,
aud are separsted only BY q partition.
Tho leo Il drawn up from tho pond
Into the end OF the building on two
endless chain elevators. Tlese eleva-
tors are go feet In length, and pass
over q grooved tramway about two
feet Wide. Attached to tho endless
Chain every ten or twelve feet, and on
tho upper sld". lisa wooden block. In
revolving, the chain or elevator reach
% down beneath the surface OF tho leo
pond. The ice 10 cut into blocks about
20 Inches square, and foated to the
spot whore the elevator. with tho
wooden blocks fastened to II, emerges
from tho water. The blocks catch tho
square "cake" OF Ice and hurry 1t up
the tramway to the top Of tho build
log. from whence Il descends on an IN.
cline made Of scantlIng to such point
In the storage room Is may DO desired.
The chain elevator moves about ~ fast
40 q man can walk, and from 10 to IL
cakes Of leo are moving upward at n
time. Tie Ice the company were stor-
Ing yesterday was about sixteen Inches
thick, aud the cakes passing up would
average about 800 pounds each. With
both elevators In full operation, wo
were Informed that no less than fifteen
tons can DO sent up por minute from
the pond 10 the building.
From 3 O'Clock Monday afternoon
until last evening-about q working
hours-the company elevated from
their pond and stored away 1000 tons.
A portion Of this time only ~ eleva-
tor Wal used. To accomplish this
task 65 men were employed on Mon
day and Tuesday and less than 81 on
Wednesday. About ono.third Of this
force was required TO saw the Ice Into
blocks Of tho required size and float
them along to the elevator. The re-
maindsr Of the force were busy Inside
the building receiving the Ice and
storing II away In regular layers. For
working the elevators . steam engine
Of 30.horas power 10 used. The con.
pany's Ice pond covers about four
acres. Water 10 obtained BY 4 dam
thrown across the river Immediately
above the pond. Al the lower end Of
the pond 10 aslnlce gate ten feet wide.
In case the Ice should Do covered with
snow, all the company have TO do Il to
turn on Z food OF water from tho river
aud the snsW 10 swept away through
the sialoe gate. II tho company
should have their pond filled with
poor Ice. unfit for storage, they saw
or break It up In large cakes, and
turning on the desired head Of water
from tho ~river.lt Is floated out through
the sluice cato In . similar manner.
The company h,vc IN their buildings
about 1000 tons Of leo. The storage
capacity OF the three buildings Ia TO-
O0u tons. II the Ice season warrants
Il they will put up 5000 tons more.
Last week they loaded and shipped
forty cars Of Ice 400 tons) In u day.
This shipment was for the railroad
company. aud was sem principally to
wadsworth, Humboldt City and Car
lin. The railroad company have Ice
houses at these points for the purpose
OF supplying passenger trains OH tho
alkslI deserts Of Nevada In the SUM-
mer time with cooling beverages.
The Nevada Ice Company was incor.
porated In 1870.