The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-12-16
BUILDING AN IcEHousE.
A Plan Economical and According to
Up to Date Ideas.

u6Tn0d
building an icehouse is described an fol-
lows in The National Stockman and
Farmer by Professor J. T. Hickman of
the Ohio experiment station:
tt should be on hillside rather than
on level. ground; it should be near a
stream of water il possible; it should
be located on dry land rather than wet.
The old idea of an icehouse under.
ground is relic of bygone days
The location fixed, drainage is one of
the first essentials, and to secure good
drainage it is best to place tiles just be-
meath the surface, say six to eight
inches, or perhaps better way is to
dig trenches 10 to 2 inches wide ev-
cry three or four feet and fill them
with broken stone, leaving three or four
inches of sawdust over the top to keep
the air from the ice. At the point where
these drains would pass out through the
foundation wall put in three inch tiles
and cement around them carefully.
Then, if you have been fortunate enough
to locate above and near by stream ex-
tend these tiles into the water SO that
the outer end will never be out Of wa
ter, but always underneath. This same
end can many times be best attained by
making a blind stream from nearby
water course. Should this be imprac-
ticabIe the next best thing is to build a
small underground cistern, running all
the outlets into one main, which ex-
tends into this cistern at least foot be-
low the outlet from the cistern.
Another good plan is to excayate 18
inches deep in center and slope gradual
" up on all sides. Fill this excavation
with broken stone and thin covering
of sawdust, then from the center run
out one good sized drain tile, cementing
joints and making provision at outlet
against the admission of air.
In putting up buildings generally the
foundations are SO constructed that all
woodwork shall be above ground. In
icehouse building the woodwork is
usually extended into the ground in or
der to bar more effectually the admis-
sion Of air. The underground extension
may be two or three feet, and the ex-
cayated earth piled against the sides Of
the building will add greatly to the
strength of the wall at the base and will
also help to keep out the air, which is
the one important point in icehouse
building. The foundation may be made
of locust posts or stone pillars placed six
to eight feet apart, unless it is necessary
to build the foundation above the SUR
face, in which case solid masonry will
best serve the purpose.
The size Of timbers for framework
will depend largely upon the size OF
house to be built. To build a frame ICE
house, one that will furnish ice for a
small dairy and also for home use, the
stills may be by 10 and the balance OF
the frame made out of by 6 oak, or
better, red beech Pine will answer, but
will not last SO long, and the red beech
will last much longer than the oak,
With the stills we'll framed together the
sides may be formed by first mailing
firmly 2 by scantling flush withsssle
outer edge of the sill, then notch ont
each 2 by and set them on end, spao-
ing them Is inches and making them
the desired height of building; but be-
fore setting up notch the upper end on
the outside by 6. When these have all
been set up, by 6 can be nailed on in
the notch made at the top and another
one spiked to the top of the several up
rights. These two pieces will form the
plate to which rafters can be spiked aft.
er little notohing is done, or if the
house is not too large ridgepole may
be erected and the roof made Of inch
boards.
1t will, of course, be necessary to
leave openings for putting in and taking
out ice. These may be in opposite sides
OF the building or they may be united
into one, serving the double purpose. II
two openings are made, the one for put
ting in ice should be made in one of the
eabla ends and need not be more than
three feet square, while the one for TAX
ing out ice should extend from top to
bottom, leaving two of the crosspieoes
to secure the outer wall firmly. This
opening should be cased and perpendicu-
lar strips put within one inch of the in,
side, SO that in filing inch boards may
be placed on edge. one on top of the 9th
er, as the filling proceeds. 1t would add
materially to put a second set of these
boards on near the outer edge, and then
series Of doors from top to bottom,
opening out, that can be opened as the
ice is used. The stndding may be sheath
ed within and without with inch oak
lumber, the inside put on horizontally
and the outside either horizontally or
perpeudioularly. This forms an open
chamber between inside and outside,
which may be filled with tan bark or
sawdust or may be left without any
thing. I know Of plenty Of icehouses
that are keeping ice quite successfully
without filling the space and others in
which the space il filed.
tt ia only necessary to add that the es,
eential point in the roof is ventilator
large enough and so constructed as to
facilitate the exclusion of heated air so