Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-01-16

why the lee Men Are Anxious ~
Warm Weather

THE CONDITION OF AFFAIRS ON THE xENSE-
BEGAN ICE GORGE WHICH HAS SPOILED
THE HARvEsr-How TIE ICE Is CULTIVATED,
ETC
at sounds like O paradox" said Mr. John d.
Bartlett, superintendent Of the Great Falls Ice
company. to a STAR reporter, "but the ice men
on the Kennebec river are praying for warm
weather. The present condition of affairs there
makes 1t very doubtful whether one pound II
ice will be harvested there this winter. You
can see for yourself by looking over the letters
from our manager"
These letters, of which there were q large
number, represented that the condition Of ice
was worse than ever known before, and that 1t
was impossible to break the jam. The letter Of
idea Of settins lee nom the Kennebec must Be
abandoned.
THE ICE GORGE.
"What is the condition Of affairs there, a.
you understand it," asked the reporter.
"It il simply this" said Mr. Bartlett, "the ice
acient thickness to harvest and came down
the river. AT Swan island, q narrow point in
the river; the ice formed gorge. It is ave or
an arctic ice field, full Of ridges and hummocks.
II impossible Of course to get ice out Of such
"But bslow Swan island ?" suggested the re.
"Below Swan island, !" said Mr.. Bartlett, 'the
water Is salt. The area OF the Kennebec ice
the extent of the river where really good
merchantable ice can be obtained. In some
Islands which favor the formation of a gorge
IKE this This jam in the river now extends
rom the first point OF cultivation down to the
and the other companies had worked, cultiva.
ting the zee before the freshet came. Thousands
OF DO iars have been expended there, all Of
hn fer0n mi
area the river is not navigable. You could not
get vessels up there to take the ice. For that
reason there are no houses there. Wehave tried
On several occasions to get appropriations
from the state legislature to dredge The channel
OF the kennebec river. As 1t is now vessels
lower part OF the river Wher s the Ice ,s cut
IN That twenty miles there are about thirty
nve companies engaged in cutting ice Some
are engaged as wholesale and others as retail
dealers. Some Of them cut and furnish ice by
contract. Those who have contracts to furnish
ruined rom the present OUTLOOK. This Is really
q calamity. There are two or three thousand
people there out OF employ ment, who will have
go to farming"
WAITING FOR A JANUARY THAw.
rs there no hopper" asked the reporter.
"1f we could have January thaw, said Mr..
Bartlett, "there might be some chance. nthere
was thaw enough 10 break the gorge ana clear
get good crop yet. We can harvest ice there
as late as the 1sI OF March. What the ice men
want now is warm weather and not cold
"How is the Ice HARVEST" asked The STAR
reporter.
Bars a.n x give an edsns sa Mr.
ture Of an ice-hOuse with a force Of men at
work. The ice in front Of the house was marked
grooves drawn across at right ansi angle some Ssne
the d sS'sa were
PhaN n1
the foot Of an elevator or runway.
This runway was provided with apparatus.
ss the chain Of dog
intervals in which blocks Of ice could be placed.
There were three OF these run ways in operation
of the Sadns S be
the elevator" said Mr.. Bartlett. Sat the rate OF
nifty or sixty minute. When one tier is filled
up to the Eext tier, and so on until the house is
n,aed' The Ice houses are built With hollow
When the house is filed, the top tier is covered
with foot Of shavings, and upon that IL placed
three or four feet Of sawdust. The shavings are
put on first to keep the sawdust from falling
MAKING ICE GROW.
"How do you cultivate the ice?"
"As soon as the ice is four or five inches thick
strong enough to bear horse, we 60 ON it with
q machine and make these grooves, which
mark the ice Off in blocks twenty-five by
Unity l0cneS. we go over these grooves again
and again until the ice IL fifteen inches thick
when we begin to run it into the houses. The
grooves let the frost into the ice and makes II
grow. II there is a fall of snow the men 60 to
work at once clearing it off with machines made
for the purpose. 1t the snow IL left on and IL
rains and the snow freezes, then the ice has to
be planed OF, which Is q most expensive opera
ton. No, we do not want very cold weather
III we were cutting ice and the temperature
fell to twenty degrees below zero, we would
have to stop. You see the canal through which
the blocks are run would freeze up. The most
above"
"You would be surprised" continued Mr..
Bartlett, show much Ice will freeze In a night.
the surface Of each tier is as level as q floor
Sometimes the blocks taken out one day will
be halt an inch or an inch thicker than on the
day preceding. Then they have to be planned
or"
WHY KENEEBEC ICE Is LIKED.
''Why is ice from the Kennebec better than
other ice 2" asked the reporter.
mo ice will compare with the Kennebec ice
Ice that forms in still water is full of bubbles
and gases. The Kennebec il q swift stream and
the water il noted for its purity. The ice IL
taken by the government as the standard in
Its proposals for bids. There is something pecu.
liar about the Kennebec river water. When
you look at the river 1t appears to be black OF
Of very dark hue. But In your hand the water
is perfectly transparent and 1t freezes as clear
as crystal. On the PenobscOt, for instance
there are great many s&wmills and when
they shut down. the refuse Is emptied into the
river and allowed to 60 out with the tide. The
chances are that it will be frozen in the ice