Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-01-22
Gathering Ice.

pusgy 4 RIoEs PROCESS ON THE BnASDywLsE-
THEIR STORE HOUSES AND THE DROP HARVEST
ED.
II any OF our citizens want to sec an interest
ll.p sight (and it must not be deferred or tile
may lose the opportunity they should 60 to th
foot OF 18th street and sec the process of gather
,ng lee as Messrs. Pusey x Rice do it. 1t il
doubtless fact that those VINO know the leas
about the modus operandi of procuring thes,
crystal blocks for use during the summer sostce
are those who really have the greatest enjoy
ment of them as comfort and luxures. The mer
who work all day long in ice and water at $l.2l
Dor day, have but very limited knowledge ol
those delightful Injuries which his labor enables
the restanrateur to furnish for the delicate
palate.
Getting ice by this company is reduced to a
complete system, and with an execution that il
astonishing In front OF tue large house il
erected an inclined scaffolding over which a
double endless chain runs, three feet wide, divi-
ded by crosspieces into sections about every eix
or eight feet, which extends from the door OF
the house moro than hundred feet down into,
aud under the water, 10 that every time sec
tlon comes up block is pushed in, thus nearly
every second of time dropping one into the
house. This chain is driven by portable engine
VI eight horse power, the entire apparatus cost
ing from $500 to 5000. The chain WAS made by
Hopes 4 Townsend, OF Philadelphia, and the
There are two ingenious machines called the
marker and cutter. The former marks off the
field OF ice into absolutely straight lines from
end to end in both directions, the intersections
making blocks 20 inches square, the surface pre-
senting very much the appearance Of large
checker board. These lines are then deepened
BY plow that cuts or inches deep 30 that
when the large blocks are pushed along to the
foot Of the endless chain all that is needed is a
blow with cutting bar. They then separate
as.I ,f pI,t "a
hrst lesson In kindergarten. Worked in this
mehodical way, they are able put into the
house a ton a minute, or sixty tons an hour. At
tlis rate they keep going, day and night, work
aug so hands at time or 100 during the "a
hours.
They we're yesterday getting the ice from the
river for Messrs. Hart ~ Bro. and Eising X
Lang, pork packers about 225 tons. Their own
houses on the Shellpot and Brandywine, with
the exception Of the one now being filed, are
all full those at Coatesvlle are also nearly full
They will have, when completad, q 900 tons =
$4,000 tons at Coatesvlle and 5000 in their
houses here The ice in the Brandywine is 10,
snd that at Coatesville l5 inches thick.
THE HARVEST AT DELAWARE CITY.
Correspondence Of the Commercia]
DELAWARE Cry, Jan. 81.
The weather has been, this week, cold, colder,
coolest. Sunday night the Baltimore boats
passed through the canal, bnt there iias been no
passing since, and the canal is now frozen over
The leo harvest is excellent. The ice houses
4 have been well filed. There are some very nice
houses in the neighborhood. Mr.. Colburn has
built himself new one on his place near the
canal. Mr. Paul has one built two years ago.
capable of holding 5000 tons. Last year he did
not gather pound Of ice ; this year he will fill
Z IT, He is filling it by horse power, at the rate of
+ 600 tons per day This house stands 30 near the
canal that vessels can be loaded from it while at
anchor in the canal 1t is near the wide marsh
where the water flows back over a wide extent
H OF land The water is very quiet there, and the
ce that is gathered ID very thick and clear, aver
aging from to 10 inches in thickness.
Some OF our skaters have made an excursion
OIL skates to New Castle. Some speak OF trying
y Uhe to Chester