Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-01-08

'"The question of weather will be the
determining factor whether or not any
ice is harvested on the Kennebec the
coming season., said Loring c. Ballard,
Maine Manager of the American Ice Co.
to Journal reporter in discussing the
question of the ice harvest for 1910.
That ice cutting on the Kennebec is
but an incident now rather than a
once assumed Manager Ballard attri-
buteS to the increasing manufacture
OF artificial ice in larger cities. "The
question of storage also enters into the
consideration of those who perchase
and use ice" said Mr.. Ballard. "Arti-
| fetal ice can be manufactured at any
time of the year and so it is not nee
cessary to keep large quantities of it
in storage for future use, while natu-
raj ice must be harvested at certain
season of the year and stored until
needed for USE
The partial failure of the ice crop on
the Hudson caused a harvest on the
Kennebec in 1909, which was consider
| ed large, but which was under 400, 900
tons and was very small compared
with the 100000 tons harvest of the
palmy days of what was once one of
Names greatest industries. 1t is prob
able that some ice will be cut on the
| Kennebec the present season, although
| Manager Ballard is unable to make
any definite statement at this time
| in regard to the matter, but it is
To bf To- I,,,
the amount harvested in 1909
The bulk of the Kennebec ice fields
closed Dec. %, 1909, but the Iceboro
| fields did not close until Dec. 81
Saturday, New Years day, there was
La small place of open water near
Stearn'S Point, but everything else was
closed from the Gardiner and Ran
dOlph bridge to Swan Island. The fields
closed Dec. II, 1908, but the proceeding
season they remained open until Jan.
| g. 1908 which was the latest first clos
US, with hut two exceptions. of which
d record has been kept. In the winter
| of 1i90-91 the river did not close for
| the first time until Jan. 5, 1871. In the
winter of 1S05-06 the river did not close
until Jan. ?, 1906. Jan. 4, 1895 the
river was opened to within but two
miles of Nahumkeag Island. 1t has
only been three times. according to
the records of opening and closing from
1856 20 the present time that the Ken
nebec has not closed before January,
although number of times it has been
open in January after. having been
previously closed
The work of harvesting and shipping
ice on the Kennebec river is a very
picturesque sight and is watched with
a great deal of interest in seasons when
ice is cut not only by newcomers to
this section, but also by the old Ken
nebecer to whom the work on the ice
fields never becomes commonplace.
The scraping commences on the ice
fields as soon as sufficient thickness
has frozen to bear men and horses in
seasons when it is known definitely
that ice is to be cut. Scrapers eight
feet in length are used, drawn by
horses and requiring two men to work,
the driver and scraper. The snow is
scraped off as soon as possible and
carried to the shore. The surface
scraped is usually estimated at 1000
tons to the acre of ice II inches in
thickness. The ice cutting commences
when the snow or sap ice has been
planed or scraped off and the fields be-
GENE II or II inches in thickness The
services of hundreds of men and horses
are required when an attempt is made
to harvest anything like the capacity
of the houses now standing on the
river.
The fields are marked % by 80 inches.
the standard gauge. and then plowed
with ice ploWs Of improved pattern
depth of from eight to 10 inches Men
with calking bars at each cress Of lines
fill up these grooves to keep the field
dry. Then the canal is opened from
the elevator to the field and with saws
and bars the ice field is opened. Large
sheets are foated up in the canal to
the elevator at which point it is divid-
ed with bars into single blocks and
hoisted up the elevator, having an
endless chain with cross bars on logs.
The ice runs along on ice runs and is
separated by a switch feeding each
ice house as the workmen are able to
handle it. 1t requires in each room of
the ice house six men with hooks and
two men with chisel bars to properly
handle and place it. The ice is stored
lengthwise of the building, placing the
sides of each block together, leaving
an open space of about three inches
between the ends of the blocks.
One tier or layer only is put on at
once, then the house runs are relayed
and other tiers are put on until the
houses are full The top layer is pack
ed together close to keep the dunnage
from falling down. Meadow hay is
the most economical article used for
such. yet savings from shinglc saws
make excellent dunnage. Evaporation
takes place more gradually with hay
than with sawdust and the Wastage
shows in favor of the hay. The per-
centage Of wastage in handling depends
much on the time and manner Of load
ing. Ice measured at as cubic feet per
ton in the Spring in permanent houses
loaded before July usually shows
wastage of five per cent or more. A
large building, requiring the entire sea
son to handle usually averages 10 per
cent. Ice in stacks ranges from 10 TO ~
per cent of wastage while temporary
stacks held as late as August or Sep