Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-01-04
A NEW PRODUCT.
The Rock Ice of Tennessee as Described
by a Native.


Crock ice, OF course they is rock ice,'
said 8 citizen of Perry county to a Nash
vile american reporter the other evening
'sDe you mean to tell me-" said the
reporter, that there are rocks in caves
in Perry or any other county in Tennes
see that possess all the elements and
qualities of ice:"
.Of course they is" insisted the gen.
tleman from Perry. ''You are badly be.
hind the age when you don't know that
You go and ask Col. p. 2. Pickard, the
State Comptroller, whether they is rock
ice in Perry county or not. Rock ice Is
perpetual ice. You kin take one block OF
rock ice and keep yer iee-hOuse or fri
gerater cool fer forty years. Rock ice
don't melt, it don't. You ask Col. Pick
ard. lie knOwed all about it in 1878
You wait till lind that cave with the
rock ice in it, Pm going to make for
tune out Of it,"
"Why didn't somebody else make a
fortune out OF 1t when they did find it in
1S73?' asked the scribe.
''They didn't have nopush and 90 ahead
IN Perry county them days, bat they has
now. and l tell you rock ice is coming to
the front. Listen to me. ! EnOWed a
man what went into that cave, and he
told me what he saw. He saw one thing
what made him jump back. 1t was a
niggur. The niggur had gone into the
cave and not knOwed rock ice was in it.
He had put one hand on the ice and 1t
stuck fast. What was he to do? He
couldn't get it off. He next braces his
left hand, what was free, against the
block of rock ice what his right hand
was frozen to, and tries by pushing to
tear his right hand off the block where
he put it first, out Of curiosity. OF
course his left hand fastens. That is the
only trouble with rock ice. Things what
you puts on it will stick to it, and if you
amt got a certain kind of grease with
you, grease made out of the fat of otter
tail, you can't git your thing what you
puts on the top of it off. You ask Peter
Pickard. Now about this nlggur: He
tried, when he got both hands frOZe fast
to the block of ice, to push hissef free
with his feet. First he braced with his
right foot: his right foot fastened.
Then he braced with left foot; Of course
it fastened. Then what he had left to
do was to bait against the rock ice, and
then he done this first with his stumlck.
His stumick stuck, and then he natully
butted with his head, and his wool troze
fast to the rock ice"
''What became Of the niger thenT
queried the scribe.
"Why he died, of course, and stuck to
the rock ice, looking the same all the
time. He was missing from his nome
twenty-five years when he was first dis
covered in the rock ice cave, stuck fast,
and he looked as natul as he did when he
was first lost, except his hair. His eyes
were wide open and the white showing,
and his tongue was hanging out where he
was painting for water, what he couldn't
git. He was a terreble sight"
What was the matter with the Negroes
hair?" asked the reporter.
"Well, you jest otter seen it. 1t was
gr0Wed out long and white like Mu"in-
90 sleeps wool. 1t waved and cUrled
down like from the top and flowed down
like water over the rocks and looked like
waterfalls. 1t flowed down over his
shoulders and down over the niggur's
back and down to the ground. Rock ice
amt to be fooled with. lift was every man
what kept a saloon would have block Of
it in his washing trough, and the men
what drives the ice carts wouldn't have
enough money to feed their bosses, much
less buy their drinks when sitting back
up to their ice blocks they gifts cole. But
they is rock ice, pupetchul ice in caves
in Perry county, and if you don't believe
what l say asked Col. Pickard. He
knOWsD