Rock Island Argus., 1896-01-13
HOW ICE Is LOADED.
METHOD OF CONVEYING IT FROM
HOUSE TO SHlPBoARD.
Ingenious Elevators a1d Runs EMPLOYED
by the Large Pcnobscot River Concerns,
A Great Deal of Labor Accomplished by
q Few Hands.

by the Large Pcnobsco. River Concerns.
A Great Deal of Labor Accomplished by
q Few Hands.
An interesting operation is the load
ing of ice from the mammoth houses on
the banks of the Penobscot into the
large freight carriers that are almost
constantly going up and down the river
bearing heavy cargoes CT frozen Penob-
scot to faroff ports.
From the top Of the house the ice
comes down in a most ingenious man
ner. An elevator is rigsed outside the
building, and on it the ice comes down
by gravity. There is counteracting
force in big weight that goes up when
the load comes down, and vice versa.
To the casual observer it looks as though
the thing worked automatically. Two
large blocks of ice are pushed out upon
the elevator and they descend. As soon
rs they slide off, back goes the elevator
for another load, and this thing is kent
up hour after hour. Careful observation.
however, shows a strong wire that leads
[
sits Il man, and the secret is out True
enough, the thing works itself, but it
needs Il guiding hand So that it won't
work too fast. The movements of the
elevator are controlled by IA friction
pulley. When the ice reaches the bot
tom and one cake slides off, the eleya-
tor would take 4 run up before the other
came off We're it not that the man on
the end of the wire pulls Il lever and the
friction pulley acts at the top, and the
elevator waits until the cargo is all off
Then the man releases the pulley and
back goes the carriage, the heavy weight
at the other end carrying it rapidly to
the top.
From the elevator the ice slides into
Il run. III the center of that is an end
less chain that it fitted with pronglike
attachments at certain intervals, and as
they come along they come up behind
the cake of ice and carry it to its des-
tination.
A short distance up the run is a plan
er, simple contrivance that removes
the snow ice and evens tho blocks so
that they viii pack nicely in the hold
of the vessel. The cakes of ice PASS
serenely along, and when they come to
the planer pass easily under it, but at
the same time they lose two or three
inches of their height. There is provi-
sion Ill the contracts that provides for
this, and they read that only an inch or
inch and a half, or whatever the amount
is, Of snow ice shall be left on the cake,
and therefore the planning.
Just beyond the planer is man who
gives the cake a quick pull that brings
it ahead of the prong for moment. A
second look shows why this is done. By
this quick movement the cake of ice is
brought upon pair of scales. and in
the seconds rest that it has before the
prong on the chain gets along it is
weighed and the figures placed upon the
record that is being kept of the cargo
1t Is no small job to weigh the ice, for
the cakes come along in rapid success
sion, and the weight has to be ascertain
ed i'll the ordinary manner and the re-
suit put down before the next cake gets
along.
From the scale the journey to the YES
=
ed so that it extends over the vessel TO
the hatchway, and the rise and fall of
the tide are provided for by an arrange
ment that permits of the rising and fall
ing of the run to correspond.
Perhaps the most ingenious thing of
the whole system is that by which the
ice Is put in the hold. Al the end of the
run and directly over the hatchway is a
strong frame, and in that there works a
platform that goes up and down some
thing like an elevator at the house. Two
blocks of ice are slid upon it directly
from the run. and the man who controls
1t releases friction lever, and down it
goes INTO the hold by its own weight,
the speed being controlled by the man
with the friction lever. The platform is
suspended by four ropes that unwind
from cylinder as it descends, and at
the same time another and larger rope
that appears from distance winds upon
the cylinder.
When the load is off the platform in
the hold, the friction lever is again
loosened, and the rope that comes over
the side of the vessel gets in its work by
turning the drum the other way and
quickly bringing the platform into its
place. Out on the wharf at the other
end of the big rope is another large
weight, that does the work of pulling
back the platform.
Away down i'll the hold the work of
stowing the Ice was progressing rapidly.
lhe ice is simply packed together i'll as
small space as possible, and nothing
is put around it, as many doubtless sup
pose. AT the matches, after the cargo is
all in, little hay is thrown. but with
the exception of that there is nothing
put about the ice to keep it from melt
ing. Under the improved order of pack
ing only from 10 to IL per cent of the
Ice Is melted, and at times not so much
as that. Bangor Commercial.
A Sure Cure.