Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-15

being filled with sawdust or some other
non-conductor of heat. In these the
blocks of ice Will remain for many
months without any great diminution
in weight in consequence of meltage.
The loading of vessels. except at points
on the coast where they can take aboard
pond lee, does rot begin until the
middle or latter part OF April when
the ice covering the rivers in Maine
breaks away and opens the stream to
navigation.
Calculated in Spring.
During the early spring months the
managers of the ice-supplying concerns
make their calculations as to the guam
tity of ice that may be needed. and
through ship brokers at Boston and other
ports charters are made for the movement
Of ice from the Maine fields 10 the mar
kets. CoaSting schooners varying in size
from the three-master carrying 800 or 600
tons to the big four and five masted yes
sells that have cargo space for from 1,.hn
IL 2.JGO tons and barges carrying 1,oOU
tons are sent to the fields.
Lying alongside the loading platforms
at the icehouses the ice is hoisted from
the house and placed in the hold of the
schooner by steam hoists that can handle
several hundred tons each day. AS fast
as the big, cold blocks are lowered into
the holds gangs of men stow them one
Hatches are then battened down and
everything made ready for sea. The lit
tie tug comes along. takes the hawser
of the big vessel and toWs her down
the river To it's mouth and out TO sea.
II winds are favorable the schooner
comes down the coast at almost steam
boat speed, and inside of week she is
at the capes of the Chesapeake. ready
to come into the bay and up the river
to this city.
of vel H.
tons favor. will sail through the capes
and up the bay to the mouth of the river
before they take tugboat hawser to
be brought to this city. The ma iority
of schooner captains. particularly those
commanding big schooners, take the tug
at sea outside Cape Henry and tow to
this city, claiming that the time saved
in towing more than pays the amount
of the tow bill.
Barges Displace Schooners
Until recently the bringing of ice to
this city was all done in sailing schoon-
ers. In the past two years considerab BILE
portion of the cargoes brought here have
been in big coal barges. 1t Is only a
question of time when they will prac-
tically monopolize the ice freiShting bust
ness.
These barges take cargoes of coal from
Baltimore or Georgetown to Portland
o. other ports in New England. For a
return cargo they bring ice, and can af-
ford to handle it at a figure lower than
can be handled by a schooner.
They are therefore getting the bulk of
the business The big fleet of schooners
that formerly brought ice here is now
seeking new fields of trade.
Within the past two weeks three large
barges have discharged ice here. Only
one schooner has been so employed.
Arriving at this city the schooner is
berthed at one of the ice storage plants
and the work of hosting out her cargo is
begun. Falls are rugged from the masts
of the vessel and connected with steam
hosting engine on shore. The blocks of
ice are broken loose by gang of men
in the hold of the vessel and between
big ice hooks hosted high in air to
runway extending over the vessels deck
from platform in front of the ice house.
4 hand on the runway loosens the
block OF ice from the hooks and on a
metal track starts 1t down the incline
to the platform. There another force Of
hands is ready TO receive the ice, at
tach it TO another hoist by which it is
raised to the point wanted in the stor-