Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1911-12-15
ICE ON The FARM.
Directions For Building Cheap
and Practical House.
CUBIC BLOCK is BEST.

Product Stored So as to Allow Air
space--Permanent Structure Should
Be Made of Concrete Brick or Frame
on Concrete Foundation.
The secrets of keeping ice are protec-
ton from moisture, air and heat. The
site for the fcehouse should be well
drained either naturally or by artificial
means, so that the stored ice may not
be damaged by the moisture resulting
from its natural decay in storage. The
tcehouse should be located convenient
ly to the dairy or other building in
which the ice will be chiefly used. The
location should also possess the ad-
vantages of protection from direct sun
shine, so far as practicable. The north
slope of a hill or the protection Of an
other building to the south or west is
an advantage worthy of consideration.
The design of the icehouse should be
such as to make it possible to store the
Ice as nearly as possible in cube.
The cheapest satisfactory type Of ice
storage is a building constructed by
setting flattened chestnut or cedar
posts in the ground at intervals Of four
feet and boarding up on both sides
with rough sheeting and protecting the
whole with a one-third pitch roof COW
cred with good roofing composition.
The outside sheeting can be covered
with or replaced by ship lap siding.
The space between the two board walls
may or may not be stuffed with shay
ings. The stuffing will increase the In
sulation, but the shavings should be
thoroughly dry at the time they are
packed in order to prevent decay. The
Ice should be stored so as to allow a
space at least fifteen inches wide be-
tween the ice and the wall. The inter
vening space must be tightly packed
with sawdust, shavings or some other
good insulating material In order to
preserve the ice. In order that the la
Dor of filing the icehouse may not be
excessive doorway should be ar
ranged in the middle of one side ex-
tending from the foundation to the
plate. The door itself should be made
In sections and short planks provided
to be placed inside the house across
the doorway as it Is filed with ice, so
as to take all pressure of the packing
material away from the door and to
retain the material in place.
If the icehouse Is to be permanent
structure 1t may be built Of concrete,
brick or frame on concrete founda-
ton. If brick or cement is used for
outside wall it will be necessary to
use as liberal quantities of packing
material between the ice and the out
side walls as when they are built in
the inexpensive manner first describ-
ed. If the buildings are to be used
for storage without packing the ice in
sawdust or shavings, then 1t will be
necessary to insulate the room by at
least six inch layer Of shavings un-
der board floor and on top Of con-
crete floor and with six inches of pack
ing between the masonry wall and a
board well inside of 1t and a ten or
twelve inch layer Of shavings or dry
sawdust over the top Of the room, and
this again protected by we'll venti-
lated attic space. The mass Of Ice in
the room should fill it as completely
as possible, and the cakes should be
stored on edge and so arranged as to
prevent the formation Of water courses
or air chambers (chimneys) extending
through the mass Of ice.