The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1902-04-19
HARVESTING AN ICE CROP
THE HUDSON RIVER THE GREAT
CENTRE OF THE INDUSTRY

An Army of Men Employed There and mt
Other Points, With Weekly Payr0Ii
OF About 81 ,OOO, 0OO-Conveying Ma
chinery Operates Rapidly.
Winter furnishes employment to an
irmy of men in this country who would
otherwise pass the cold months OF the
year in idleness, for it gives those who
really wish to work IN opportunity 10
help harvest the great Ice crops gain
cred annually from the lakes ana NV
ers of Maine, the Hudson River and
the lakes of Jersey and Eastern New
York-the principle centres OF the IN
dustry In the United States.
Z Outside of the United States the mar
yesting of natural ice is conducted on
an extensive scale only in Norway ana
Sweden. These countries have supplied
the quantity needed in Great Britain
and France for over half century.
but the tonnage cut and stored is prob
ably less than ten per cent. of the av-
,rage American crop, for 1t Is estimated
that the Borough of Manhattan alone
consumes twice as much ice as all
of the cities of Great Britain ana
France together. Fully half million
tons of ice yearly so down the threats
of New Workers. in cold drinks anu
other ways, but it Is calculated that
ten times this quantity of natural Ice
is used for refrigerating purposes, say
ing nothing Of the quantity of the arti-
fetal substance now being manufac-
tured. Twenty years ago ice was al
most as much of q luxury in the United
States as it Is to-day in England.
The greatest ice field Of this country
and of the world is the Hudson River.
which nature seems to have planned
for the industry. Between the city OF
! Troy and the mouth Of the Mohawk
River are scattered about 300 Ice
houses, having q capacity OF 5O,OOO
to 100000 tons each. The companies
have divided the river surface into ter
ritories, and each respects the others
domain, combining Its operations to Its
own area. At the height Of the season
from 10000 to 10000 men are at WORK
clearing away the snow and slush,
marking, blowing and separating the
ice into blocks and storing 1t away.
Time is precious from start to finish
for winter is tickle, even In this part
of the country. and a day or so OF sun
shine may destroy a quarter or third
of the harvest. Every moment counts
and some of the companies have pro
vided electric lights, SO that, in case
of necessity, work can be done by
night as well as by day. Preparations
are made a month before the season
opens to secure enough men, for ad
vantage must be taken of the ''cold
snaps" The weather indications arr
closely watched, and after the rivel
/ is coated with the frozen liquid thu
thickness is measured daily. If thu
season is "open" and the ice is back
ward in forming, sometimes t:ture |!
assisted by flooding the surface, allow
ing the water to freeze over night
Thus crops of crystal ten or twelve
inches thick may be obtained wher'
ordinarily it would not be half OF tina
size.
The harvest may be gathered In
week and the houses filled, for |
STEADY spell' of freezing weather
means that the ice may form al tn
rate OF two or three inches ever,
twenty-four hours. and by the time til
cutters reach the end of the field th
space they cut the week before ha
CONCEALED sufficiently to go over again
The first operation is to clear tn
surface, which is done with a stee
scraper drawn by one or two horses
according to the depth of the snow
AS a rule the Hudson needs littl
clearing. The wind sweeping dow
the valley saves tire companies muc
of this work, and one can skate owe
SKETCHES of twenty miles without sec
ing a patch of white on the rich dee
|. blue which is the tint of the clea~ ic'
! The next operation Is to turn th
space into a mammoth checker boar
. by running lines across it with
, marker drawn by horse power. Thi
, marker is sort Of double knife, til
, width between the blades being til
width of the blocks to be cut. 1t
, pulled through the Ice from one IN
of the field to the other, following line
) made by surveying instruments, {
by measuring with long planks whic
, might be called ice rulers. Followin
! the marker comes the plow. which
I composed Of sharp steel teeth, cuttin
{ to depth of six inches or foo
according to the thickness. and reQui
] ing from one to three horses.
. The field Is now ready for breaklr
\ into blocks and storing. With ire
rods ending in a chisel point the ha
vesters first make channel from IL
shore to point near the centre of ii
field, so that the foes or tiers of cak'
e can be foated to the receiving pla
i form. Advantage is taken Of any Gu
e trent that may exist to assist in moviI
e the cakes. Two ore three punches
d the ice chisel are sufficient to separa
i each cake. but they are usually d
e tached in lengths of eight or ten f
g convenience. One of these foes W
e hold two or three men, who guide the
n through the channel to the receivil
n platform where they are broken up
Is to single cakes.
e The old method of storing ice was
r hoist 1t by horse power. with bio
4 and tackle, to the entrance of the Il
lie house; then remove it into its pla
b by hand. This work is now done
q, an endless chain, built on huge sea
o. each link of which is large enough
a. hold block. Operated by steam pow,
g the chain extending from the platfoi