The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-01-03
HOW ICE is LOADED.
METHOD OF CONVEYING 1T FROM
HOUSE TO SHiPSOARD.


An interesting operation is the load
ing Of ice from the mammoth houses on
the banks Of the Penobscot into the
largo freight carriers that nre almost
constantly going up and down the river
bearing heavy cargo& Of frozen Penob-
scot to farof ports.
From the top of the house the ice
comes down in most ingenious man
ner. An elevator is rugged outside the
building, and on it the ice comes down
by gravity. There is oounteractinR
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 nre pushed out upon
the elevator and they descend. AS soon
as they slide off, back goes the elevator
for another load, and this thing is kept
up hour after hour. Careful observation,
however, shows strong wire that leads
Off some distance, and at the end Of it
sits man, and the secret ia out. True
enough, the thing works itself, but it
needs guiding hand SO that it won't
work too fast. The movements Of the
elevator are controlled by friction
pulley. When the ice reaches the bot
tom and ono cake slides off, the eleva-
tor would take q run up before the other
came off were it not that the man OH
the end Of the wire pulls lever and the
friction pulley acts at the top, and the
elevator waits until tho cargo is all off.
Then the man releases the pulley and
back goes the carriage, the heavy weight
Mt the other end carrying it rapidly to
the top.
From the elevator the ice slides into
run. In the center Of that is an end
less chain that it fitted with pronglike
attachments ut 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 plan
er, simple continuance that removes
the snow ice and evens the blocks SO
that they will pack nicely in the hold
Of the vessel. The cakes Of ice pass
serenely along, md when they como 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 in the contracts that provides for
this, and they read that only On inch or
inch and 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 cako 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 leo 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 in the ordinary manner and the re-
suit put down before tho next cake gets
along
From the scale the journey to the YES
sci is uninterrupted. Tho run is arrang-
ed so that it extends over the vessel to
the hatchway, and tho rise and fall of
the tide arc 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
tho whole system is that by which the
leo is put in tho hold. AT tho end Of the
run and directly over tho hatchway is
strong frame, and i'll that there works
platform that goes up and down some
thing like all elevator at the house. Two
blocks of ice arc slid upon it directly
from the run, and tho man who controls
1T releases a friction lever, and down it
goes into the hold by its own weight,
the speed being controlled by the man
with the friction lover. The platform is
suspended by four ropes that unwind
from cylinder rs it descends, and at
the same time another and larger ropo
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
tho side of tho vessel gets in its work By
turning the drum tho other way and
quickly bringing the platform into its
place. Out OH 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 in the hold the work of
slowing the ice was progressing rapidly
The ice is simply packed together in as
small space rs possible, and nothing
is put around it, as many doubtless sup
pose. at the matches, after the cargo is
NIL in, little hay is thrown, but with
tho exception of that there is nothing
put about tho ice to keep it from melt
ing. Under the improved order of pack
ing only from 10 to 10 per cent of the
ice is melted, and at times not SO much
as that -Rnnnnr Commerninl