Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-04-19
HARVESTING ICE.
Cakes Pass Through Many Hands Be-
fore They Are Delivered.

From the Nashua On H. Telegraph.
The cutting of the ice on a pond is an
interesting process. and the equipment is
peculiar and varied. All the fall and win
ter, until the harvest is closed. men and
horses, after every snow storm scrape the
Ice to the glare with snow scrapers. When
the cutting begins horse draws a marker
across that portion of the pond imme-
diately to be cut. leaving a light straight
incision along the surface. This is repeated
until the surface is all marked off one way,
each line being twenty-four inches apart.
Then the grower goes over the same
course, making the incision deeper and
broader.
The process Is repeated. excep. that this
time the mark goes at right angles TO the
lines drawn first. and at a distance of
thirty-six inches apart. Then the course is
gone over by the plows. until the lines each
way are cut to a depth Of nine. inches The
Ice gone over for the last time is ready for
the canal"
After the last passage of the pillow which
makes the narrow groove few quick.
welI-directed blows from an ice chIsel in
The hands of a skilled cutter. and large
float containing 100 or more of the ordi-
nary 2ix3G cakes is broken from the field
Ready men with pixies at the end of long
poles push 1t through the open water to the
vicinity of the elevator. The canal" of
course. is longer the farther away from the
elevator the men are cutting. The course
must be kept open, and should it freeze
during the night the new ice must be
broken.
The first men who receive the float at the
elevator break 1t with their chisels length
wise and the smaller piece IS sent under
the plank bridge, where the cross sections
are broken of, each cake Is then at hand
ready for its upward journey. The feeder
drives 1t with his pike to the proper posi-
ton. when 1t Is caught by a section of the
endless chain. and up. up. up 1t glides. The
feeder must be careful and quick Of eye, to
St-e that every piece Of the forty each min
ute that passes through his hands Is whole,
ton upon the chain. A cake dskew might
w-eCi: the whole elevator
As an additional precaution, way UP at
the top OF the tower is stationed the
Clutch. who watches. not alone the cakes
before they arrive at the planer, but after
they nave started down the gallarIes to see
that 10 obstruction Is encountered. Should
q hitch occur electric bells with buttons
at convenient distances. give him and the
other men the alarm. OF ALL he Is the one
TO stop the danger. In his place OF dufv
there Is clutch, with which he can throw
of the belt, and. without stopping the en-
CINE. the motion OF the chain stops at
once
But the cake has almost completed its
Journey up the elevator. Before being
stored away the thin snow on its surface
which has escaped the planer when still in
the lake must be gotten rid Of Every cake
before II goes into the store ROOM has be-
tween two or three inches planed from its
surface machine also grooves the
planned surface with inch-deep creases back
ward and forward. to prevent freezing to-
gether when finally packed away In the
rooms.
The rlaner man has his hands full. and
after leaving him a break in the eIavator
run sends 1t flying along the house ps1-
leries TO the room where 1t Is to be stored
away Practiced men with pixies hurry il
on Its way, each room has its turn. and
uer after tier is piled up until the Ice can
be more conveniently handled should the
Ice enter the room al a higher point.
The break in the runway closed II onlv
remains 10 open another on level with
the next gallery TO fill the rooms from, tba :
point, where the cakes remain until wanted