Connecticut western news., 1882-11-01
A Family Ice-House.

Ice melts faster in free air than in confined air, faster in water than in con- fined air, and faster in the sun than in the shade. It will melt in any ice house; it simply melts slowly in good one, and rapidly in poor one. Reduced to its simple elements, the success of an ice-house depends upon site, drainage, ventilation, and construction. The best site for family ice-house is some shady place under tree, or the north side of building which is also protected from the wind. Shade is of the first import ance, and shelter from the wind the next; so, if there is a choice, take the shady place. If good position cannot be found, put it anywhere. The melt ing ice in the house causes a constant fl " of water. If the soil on which the house is to stand is sandy or gravelly, and has gentle slope, there is nothing to do but to dig cellar about two feet deep and fill it with stones. Cover the upper layers with smaller stones and sand. This will make the floor on which the ice is to rest. The water will escape easily through the sand and stones, and there will be no chance for currents of air to flow upward into the house. The tendency of tue air in badly made ice house is always to flow through it. Therefore, while there must be drain age, there must be no inlets for air. If the soil is wet and not easily drained, the surface must be covered two feet thick with stones, and the house placed on top of this. If this is done, the sides of the stone work must be made tight with mortar, to prevent the entrance of air.
 If provision must be made for carry ing off the water, the pipe must be trapped to prevent the air from enter ing the pipe and thus getting into the house. A well-drained foundation hav- ing been prepared, wooden sill must be laid, on which the walls are to rest. On this sill will rest the uprights. These may be simply blanks eight inch es wide and two inches thick. They may be placed at intervals on the sill and held in place by a string piece or top. On the outside of the uprights may be nailed boards with battens ol clapboards. On the inside they are simply boarded up with cheap stuff The whole aim is to make hollow wall The space between the outside and in side boarding must be filled solid witt tan-bark, saw-dust, or rough chaff O any kind. Upon the walls place com mon pitch-roof, boarded and battened O shingled. It must be rain-tight an, must not be air tight. There should b. an opening at the ends, or hood O ventilator, to permit free circulation of air through the upper part of tn house. The door should have doubl walls filled with saw.dust.
 These, in brief, are the conditions perfect drainage below, double wall filled with saw-dust, no entrance for ai
 below, and free ventilation above. Tn
 ice should be laid on foot of saw.dus or chaff, and space of twelve inche all round between the ice and the wal should be filled with saw-dust, as wel as all the cracks between the blocks When it is all in the house, saw-dust spread two feet deep on top of the ice The cost of an ice-house must vary wit the price of labor and materials. , house twelve feet square and ten fee F high will hold enough ice for one family
 
 to build. An ice-house should alway be painted white, and, if convenient. should be covered with vines, whic ,, will partly neutralize the heat of tn . suns rays.-Gharles Barnard i1a M | Century.