Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-11-18
ICE MAKING,
How lit is Done i'm Tndia.

veyed to am East India port, it would
be impossible to carry it into the in
terror OF the country, where there are
no railroads to transport it quickly. But
the East Indian who lives at distance
from the coast is not obliged to do with
out cooling drinks; for not only does he
contrlve to cooling water by putting it
in porous jars and setting them in g. cur
rent OF alr, but he has fashion Of his
own for making ice, and very curious
fashion it is.
In the warm countries of Europe ice
is manufactured by the use Of ether,
but this would be very costly process
in India, and would place it entirely
out Of the reach of the mass Of the
people. Their own method for manu-
featuring ice, although slow one, is
very simple, and costs nothing.
They have discovered by observation
what we are taught in natural philos-
ophy, thai during the day the earth
absorbs heat, and that during the night
it gives it out-or, to speak more prop
erly, radiates heat. This is much
more noticeable in tropical than in tenn
perate countries. They know also by
experience that, in order to enjoy the
GOODNESS of night, they must avoid the
shade of trees, and lie out in the open
places. The reason Of this, perhaps,
they do not know, which is that the
branches of the trees interfere with the
radiation. Without reasoning on these
facts, the Indian acts upon them, and
uses his knowledge of them in manu-
featuring ice.
In an open space where there are no
trees, parallel bitches are dug in the
ground three on four feet deep, These
are half filed with straw, and nets
stretched over them; on these nets are
placed small earthen saucers, holding
about q wine-glass of water. There is
nothing more to be done but to wait for
a clear, starry, and perfectly calm night.
When such a night arrives the little
sallcers are filled with water in the eve
ming, which water by four o'clock in the
morning is found to be covered with a
thin coating of ice These cakes of ice
are very small, it is true, but when they
are all thrown together into the ice
houses under the ground, they form
themselves into masses of quite a
respectable size. In these primitive
ice-houses the ice keeps for some time.
The straw is placed in the bitches be-
cause it is bad conductor of heat, and
by no means the saucers of water are
little OF no heat from it. The water,
therefore, gives out more heat than it
receives, SO that it's temperature is con-
tinually lowered until it reaches the
freezing point, when it, of course, be-
comes ice.
This ice is more Or less mixed with
bits of straw and with dust. It cannot
be used to put into liquids, but placed
around them makes them delightfully."-
cool and refreshing, and we can well
imagine what luxury it must be in
this torrid region.
These are the two methods by which
the people of India procure ice-carry-
ing it there from a great distance, and
freezing water by a slow process. And
yet, in India itself there are immense
ice-felds that never melt, containing
material enough to supply perpetually
every town and little hamlet in the
country. For the Himalayan noun
tains, with their everlasting snow and
ice, stretch along the Indian peninsula.
What trial it must be to the temper of
an East Indian, who is nearly melted
with the heat in the plains below, to
look up at those white peaks, and think
how much snow and ice is wasted there
that would be Of the greatest
service to him if it could be
brought down. But that is the prob
lem! In the lowest part of the cold
regions Of the mountains, ice could be
cut and made ready to be taken away.
But there are no roads by which it could
be carried to the plains; and if it were
possible to construct roads over the
mountains to sufficient height to reach
the snowy regions, the cost of making
them would be enormous; and when
made, it is doubtful whether ice could
be transported over them with sufficient
rapidity for it to reach the plains in a
solid state.
So the Hiraalayas keep their icy treas
ures safely locked up in their mountain
Businesses, and the parched East Indian
finds himself obliged to call upon dis
tant land to take compassion on him and
help him.-M. e. Edwards, in St.
Nicholas for October.