Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-01-11
THE LAST HOPE GONE.
A Heavy Snow storm fOmpietes the Ruin
Of the lee FIeids.-"NOt n Pound of Ice
can he harvested between swan Island
and AuGusta."- a Dynamtter I'm Town


Not pound of ice can be harvested be.
tween Swan Island and Augusta" exclaimed
Z successful and extensive ice operator of
this city, Saturday morning. The fierce storm
of Saturday capped the climax and complete
ly ruined the fields. Drifting over the rough
ice at Richmond and above Swan Island, fall
ing upon and sinking the thin ice in the small
areas where the ice men had hoped to do
some cutting, it worked irrepsrsble injury
twas belived Friday night that the fields of
Capt Rich Of Farmingdalo. Bodwell,
Glszier & McClench, the Knickerbockers and
Page at Ilslowell would freeze clear but
Saturdays storm destroyed all hope with
these. Great masses of dirty snow ice
hoated by the city all day Saturday and
moving down upon the above mentioned
fields lodged and spoilt every possible chance
80 get good ice. SO great was the flow of
this ice that Saturday night it had filled in to
point Just above Addition & Strout's oil
cloth factory. Anything approaching such .
state Of things has not been known since the
winter freshet of 1870. The suspension of
the ice business which must inevitably follow,
must be severely felt by every city along the
kennebec. 1t will not only be 4
calamity the coming winter to the 5000 labor
ing men engaged in the business, but there
will be no ice vessels in the river the coming
summer and no employment for the men in
loading them. Saturday q dynamiter, Mr.
Psttep, n representative of the sampson
Dynamite Powder Company Of Boston, was
in town and held long consultation with
leading ice men here. giving them information
As to what can be done with the company.
explosives. He said it was possible to break
up the ice around and above Swan Island
almost any number of miles with his dyua-
mite powder, if the ice operators should de-
eide upon such course. He gave
his manner of operating. The powder
cones in cartridges, A crew of men
is employed and holes are chiseled
through the ice in a zigzsg course ard at
stated intervals, regulated by the thickness
and strength of the ice Cartridges containing
from pound to a pound and a half of pow
der are placed in the holes and sunk to q
depth oftour or Ave feet in the water where
they are exploded by electricity or fuse.
The explosive power of the pow
der is so great that the ice lie
lifted from the surface of the water and
broken into small pieces which can be float
ed of. Mr.. Patten cited an instance at Low
ell, Mass.,where the compsny's powder had
been used and four miles of thick ice. sue.
cessfully blasted away to allow the entrance
of schooner. The ice operators, decided,
however, that with the ice in its
present condition it would not be
practicable to blsst the ice, but, if
there should be warm spell or another
freshet,an attempt will be msde to break the
Jam. This is all the chance if it can be
called a chance, that now remains to obtain
any ice in the river. The ice dealers are
now looking towards the ponds to procure a
supply of the frozen product and there is no
douot but what large amount can be OBJ
'ained from these inland bodies of water.