The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1891-01-28

cutting points, and cut. the furrow two inches |
deeper. They cut but one furrow at time,
while the marker cuts two. The plows are run
twice in each mark, thus making the total cut
five inches deep.
The ice now looks like an immense checker
board and one momentarily expects to see 1t
break and engulf some of the teams and work
men; but they do not seem to worry about che
possibility very much. They are prepared for
such accidents. however. for ropes, graphing
hooks, and planks are provided at frequent IN
tervals along the ice. and in case of break, the
men can soon get out the unfortunates, be it
man or mule.
A canal about six feet wide has been cut from
the ice field to the shore, and the ice is now
broken off with iron bars into strips of the
width of two cakes, and twenty or thirty cakes
in length. This is quite easily DONE as it is cut
so deeply by the plows that very slight effort
viii send the crack open and the strip is free.
These strips are loated along the canal L
spoke of, towards the shore, one man being able
to float a very long string of cakes AS the
canal is narrow, they must each follow IN
the wake of its predecessor, and one man can
easily move a line of ice long as from the
Etna to Merits s. Riddles Repository.
The cutters work right on the edge of the ice
and occasionally a treacherous crack will give
one of them an icy ducking. As the current
down the lake is very slight, there is very little
danger of anyone coming up under the ice. Ii
such should happen. however. his chances for
spending Sunday with his family would be very
slim, indeed. Occasionally a large piece
breaks OFF and floats out with mule or ak man
upon it; but it is caught by an ice hook before
it has drifted ont Of reach, and 1t is drawn up
to solid Ice and the drifters make goo1 time to
surer resting place.
But to go back to the strips of ice which are
floating towards the ice houses. AS they ap-
proach the elevator they are broken apart with
bars by men who stand upon planks placed
over the canal. AS they float along. very
slight blow will break them apart ana into
pieces like long pans of cookies from the baker.
| By the time they reach the elevator the strips
are broken into single cakes.
The Ice houses are four in number, and are
| placed side by side. They are each ninety SIX
feet long. by thirty-two feet wide, and are
thirty -four feet to the caves. They are built
with tight sides about twelve inches thick,
which are filed with sawdust. The houses are
| filed from one end. along which runs a sloplng
| scaffold hung on ropes, which are In turn at
| tached to windlasses whereby the scafold may
be raised as the houses are flled
The ice is drawn up by an endless chain. OF
| rather two endless chains. connected every five
| feet by a three inch square scantling about
| three and one-half feet long. This double
| chain runs from the bottom of the canal up q
a tower sloping at about seventy degrees, TO Inc
top of the ice houses; thence down to the ground
and back over pulleys into the water again
This chain is driven by fine engine in SNUG
little engine house at the foot of the tower
where we find Clair Hudson in charge sooty
and oily, but as jolly as ever. and ready to ex
patiate on the beauties of his pet. the eugine
which maintains the same speed whether thi
elevator runs empty or loaded
| A flight of steps extends up the side OF tint
elevator to the top of the buildings. from which
as it is at least fifty feet above the lake. fin
I view can be had. To the north the ice field eX
tends for mile and a-half or two miles, AM
over to the left are the rail road station. IN
hotel and the pavilion, deserted now. but II
summer crowded with gaily dressed picn1ckers
each bent ON having the best time possible
Near the hotel are the ice houses of the Fores
City Ice Co.. and far out on the lake are theI
men busilv engaged in the harvest.
Turning our eyes from the lake. with Its me-
and teams, its cleaning ice and its patches Q
blue water, to the foot of the tower on which W
stand and we see the blocks of ice, caught b.
the cross-bars of tae endless chain as they ris
|
ND the incline Fifteen or twenty feet up tn
incline is a plank hung on irons so that
| scrapes the blocks free from all chips and scrap
of ice and snow. and they go on, clean. soli
. pieces of glittering purity. There are si
stages or stories along the inclined plane. a
which the ice may be taken from the elevator
and as the ice leaves the lift it starts by its ow
gravity down the long scaffold to the doors Q
the ice houses. This scaffold, as already men
toned is capable of being raised as the house
are filled. A the door of each house stands
man, who, by placing plank across the seal
fold, turns few of the shining blocks into tn
door and down sloping track, which slide
them wherever they are needed. Soon he step
aside and the ice goes spinning on to the mex
door, or to the next, or to the next, where 1t i
turned in to the waiting laborers. Inside eac
house are five men who grasp the flying block
and set them on edge as closely as they car
The temperature of the house is not conduclV
to idleness, and as the ice is sent up the eleTa
tor at the rate of ton and quarter pc
minute. they get quite move on them to tax
care of it as fast as it comes. man with
J big ADJ is busy cutting and levcliug the rouG
points and edges which project above the lay
er, and the chips fill in the intersticeS AM
make the layer more nearly solid
Each of the four houses holds twG-thousan'
tons and one can gain some idea of the size b.
the fact that whole layer can not be put int
each OF them in day even when running a
the rate 1 mentioned. When they are full
which will be in two or three weeks if tn
weather holds good, layer Of sawdust or chop
: ped straw will be put on top and the ice
ready to wait the soda water season. Mr.. S. ha
built a switch from the Cleveland s. Canton r
r. to his plant and will be prepared to sh
with but little handling. He hBs eXiensiv
houses at Canton which he also fills from Con
gress Lake.
The old way of putting up ice used to take al
the sweetness out of prospective ice cream
Cutting the ice with crosscut saw; lassoing
with rope and board and prying it oat on
the solid ice; loading it on sleds or wagnns b
main strength; and then using the last ounc
of strength we possessed in lifting the heaV
stuff in at the door made me wish was
Texas. But ice is not put up that way now.
AS we rode away, after bidding our bus
3 friends goodbye, we decided that we had sper
/ a very profitable day. and we only wish this
i every reader of the PRESS had been there too.
z J.B. S.