The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1897-06-11
6EIRY|glR9E1MNERY|
BUILDING AN ICEHOUsE.
BY Observing Certain Points the Work
Can BE Done Successfully.

observing IOlnIs the NhOE&
Can BE Done Successfully.
In building IN ice house the chief
points to be considered are the exclusion
of air from under or around the body OF
ice, proper ventilation over the ice, q
broken line of conductivity of heat,
proper surface drainage around the ice
house, too little or too great use of saw
dust and sufficient spouting to catch
and carry away the drip of the icehOuse
roof. Any little crack that admits Of
the inflow Of warm air will soon play
havoc with body of ice. Hence water
proof paper should interline the walls
so as to exclude every possible chance
for the admission of a current of air.
By a broken line Of cpnduotivity is
meant q perfect space OF dead air, the
space extending from sill to plate and
through the corners. So that if the
house is constructed by making. twin
walls, these walls shall not todch ex-
cept at the top and bottom. Any one
who cannot appreciate the Importance
of this fact may have his doubts re-
moved by laying one end Of q scantliaA,
81 the ice and ttAseE allowing the other
end to stick out through the wall into
the all. This Is the point Of chief diff
ference In the construction Of the ice
house and silo. The silo only reqhffs8
that the air be excluded, while the Ice
house requires the exclusion Of both
heat and air. Il there be too much saw
dust placed around ice, 1t is liable 70
terment and develop beat to such an ex-
tent as to melt the ice. -
Many q novice in putting up ice has
lost mis- crop in this way. -Four inches
of sawdust or chaff is sufficient to place
hhder the ice, and eight inches is sufn-
cient on the sides of q house with .
single wall, and four inches in case Of u
twin wall, and in case of triple wall
there need be no sawdust except at the
top and bottom.
A twin wall is made by boxing the
studding ON both plates and stills 30
that they shnll alternate with each 9TH
er. Two by six may be used, and they
may be placed two feet apart. Twelve
inch boards will answer for plates and
sills This permits each studdiDg to
wall and prevents the air current from
setting. The studding must be papared
with waterproof paper and then ceiled
The triple wall is made similarly by
widening the stills and plates and intro
ducing another wall. In the matter of
door for farm icehOuse, / prefer to
have the door in the gable end and
climb into the icehOuse by means of a
ladder. This obviates ali danger Of melt
ing by air leakage and insures the tax
ing down of the ice layer by layer. A
little compound pulley hung to the raft
ers will enable any man to lift $50
pounds of ice at pleasure and drop it
from the door TO the ground. The ice
must be elevated into the house with
horse power, which is easily done by
backing the ice wagon properly under
the house door, then placing shoot,
one end in the wagon, the other in the
door. Deliver the ice to the shoot by
hand, then run q rope behind the bot
tom cake, extending it properly over
pulleys, and horse will slide three or
four cakes up the shoot at time.
For a dairy of ten cows it requires
about 25O pounds of ice day. For q
family refrigerator it requires about 20
pounds and about 20 pounds day for
drinking water, making a total daily
consumption of 800 pounds. The shrink
age of ice amounts to about 40 per cent
The period in which ice is used runs
over about 100 days. 1t therefore ap-
pears that a space for about IS tons OF
ice will be required for ordinary pur-
poses A building IL feet square and 10
feet high will afford this space, includ-
ing the packing room for sawdust-
Rural Life.