The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-02-27
HARVESTING ICE.
An Industry OF This Ccnfury-How the
CrystnI Cakes Are Gathered.

An Industry OF This tcntury-how ths
Crystal Cakes Arc Gathered.
Tho gathering and storing OF ice IL
Yankee invention II was Frederick Tudor
VIII. thought OF it, AM could ne have
known at the same time the amount OF high
way robbery IN the shape OF everlasting Ice
bills he was bringing on our moiern civilF-
,,tisn HI likely would have buried the
idea at once; or had he known the amount
of this pressed material that is consumed
annually over the bars Of our land or In the
deadly ice cream, his nam, would be ass
ciated with that OF the inventor OF viii ky
itself In tho memories OF our people but
the inventor believed he was devising a
scheme that would be boon TO mankind,
and taking a in all, maybe IL has His en-
deavor 10 develop his enterprise was met
with Obstacles OF every kind. OF which
the following l. n REF summary: Be3in-
ming in the smallest and mast modest man
ner in the winter Of 1906 he gathered ice
from Fresh Pond, lake near Cambridge.
Mass improyising implements that would
amuse a modern iccmnn To look upon. but
ice cream had not yet been invented, the de-
mand for tho move! product was small, few
became attracted by tho new business, and
Mr.. Tudor continued TO monopoliae the ice
trade for twenty-seven years Then, In
1882. the grand ice total gathered amounted
to 1852 ons, which is now exceeded by
some private ice houas. But, rs will be
seen, even this small stock proved an
ample supply 10 satisfy both the local
and foreign trade Just about this time
Mr. Tudor became impressed with the FEAST
bility OF shipping ice TO tropical ports. Hr
g. t,, his vgta Iii lni
product, tut ship owners demurred They
feared rapid melting on the way would en-
danger the vessels safety, the protective
properties OF hay. sawdust, etc, being then
imIerfectly understood. Undaunted by
this, however, he purchased an old brig
which hs hastily refttcd, loaded with ice,
stepped on hoard himself and sailed FOR
Havana. Without stopping TO recount the
details of a somewhat eyentiul voyage, ex-
cept to note the heavy loss 10y melting, IL
must be Observed TINT Tudor safe arrival at
Havana only brought him new 'r'bula'ion
for a time He knew the people had never
seen ice and knew nothing about 1t, mud heck
pcc'ed TO toe obliged to teach them It's uses.
But he found they were afraid OF IT, Thus
while the remnant of his perlsha5le cargo
was rapidly running away into the hold OF
his old brig. he laborcd ingeniousy and m
ces,autlv to create demand for It. He put
nit cher. Of ice water on the hotel bars, pay
ing for the pr vlegc but charging nothing
for the cooling beverage The natives TASTED
it cautiously and quickly spit it out at first,
but Mt length finding it harmless they began
10 drink II freely Then Mr.. Tudor took
away the free pitchers and opened shop
where he sold the i'e charging only small
sum Mt first Iii, first cargo was thus of lit
lie direct pccuniary PROFIT but 1t made
foreign demand for Ice, and subsequent
clrgors brought handsome returns
He afterward secured large contract
from the British government to furnish Ice
for the army at Calcutta, the paper tearing
the ROYAL signature of Queen Victoria This
he held for several years, making large sums
OF money thereby The IL, business was
then developing slowly, and in iNf' abont
- 600 tons we're shipped from the port OF
Boston, nearly nll having been gathered
from the ponds aud lakes IN the vicinity OF
that city. Soon az er That the business in
crcas od more rapidly; new uses AMI alnpta-
tions Of ice lcclmc apparent, until today
h. is one Of the permanent profitable indus
tries.
hNEhINig MD FLOW iNb Iiif' ~ T. fif.bb'
The present method of ice harvesting Is
the sane the country over, but rs IL takes
blaCa in the most severe OF weather and IN
regions necessarily remote from popu.at"l
localities, n REF description wiz 10 found
interesting. In the first pace, prac lcai ice
men elect tho Ice field, and with a straight
edg, and square mark or two lines Mt per-
feet right nn2los 10 zach o'hor, on Two sides
Of the field Then "markor drawn by
horse. as shown in the illustration, Is run
e,rnigh, across the pond ono side having
sharp cutting irons, tho other simple guide
bars that run IN tho grooves iuAIe by
tho cutters n the previous cut These
grooves arc then ntcrSectci at right an yleS
in tn, same way, 2!xIG inches and about an
inch dcnr Then follows an ice plow hly-
ing a deeper ado with "A scr.cs OF chIsel
90 Mt. ! his sinks the groove to depth OF
from three 10 five !hchc', depending upon
the depth Of icn. Then a gang Of mon with
heavy chisel bars bar of RATS OF these
blocks in such share rs To admit their
passage through canal VIII oh has been
previously cut from the hou O to the pond
and through which the ice j. either toWci
by horses OF pushed along BY men with long
pike poloS 10 the hoi~ inc aprons at tho
dock During their progress the cakes are
again separated by men stationed at d'tcrcht
bridges over the canal