Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-02-17
HUNDREDS GIVEN
N|ORKON THE|CE
Local Concerns Have 10000
Tons in Houses at the
Present Time
SIX FIRMS BUSY
GETTING SUPPLY
Morrell's the Largest User
of the Product; Employs
125 Men on River

Nearly twenty thousand tons OF Ice
have been taken from the Des MOinef
river by Ottnmwa concerns In the
past few days This estimate includea
today's run. At the close of Saturdays
business the amount housed or ship.
ped was 1880 tons, and with that put
up Sunday by few of the dealers and
with all the concerns working to their
fullest capacity today this amount was
increased over 1000 tons. The six 10,
cal concerns employ about 500 men
and have total daily capacity Of near.
ly 3.400 tons.
The largest consumer of ice in this
city is the Morrell packing plant. and
their facilities for housing the cold
weather produc. are the best. The
Morrell concern Is cutting its ice above
the dams, in the neighborhood OF the
Willows club house. The process from
the river to the house, is as follows:
horse drawn scrapers clear the snow
from the surface. after which two lines
are drawn at right angles, with the aid
of ropes and large tri-square, with
their angle at the corner of the field.
A marker Is then pulled over the field,
using the two base lines as a guide.
which marks the ice into twenty-five
inch squares. The lines made by the
marker are one aud one-half inches
deep The next operation Is the plow.
ing by which the ice Is cut through
about half OF its thickness by means
of q horse drawn blade. It Is then
sawed and split into strips four cakes
wide and sixteen long ana 1cate,i,
down i channel for nearly half 4 mite
propelled by men with pike poles, uLtil
lit teaches the foot Of the river chain,
Before It enters the chain, the cakes
are broken apart by men who stand
Oil bridges built over the channel. Tho
endless conveyor then lakes the cakes
up from the river and over to tile
houses where 1t Is removed by men
with pike poles and carried across
platform to the house chain. This car
ries the Ice up an incline to any de-
sired height. depending on he level
at which it is to be taken into the
house After the cakes leave the house
chain they slide along runways to the
doors Of the houses, where they are
taken by more men with pike poles and
arranged in LAYERS, with liberal
amount Of sawdust between.
Uses Large Force.
The Morrell concern is using In the
neiehhorhood of 125 men, and these
daily harvest amounts to one thousand
tons or over. The ice Is clear as crys
tai, and runs from six to ten inches
thick. They expect to store twenty
thousand tons, If the cold weather con
tjnues. This amount is what the plant
uses in one year. After the houses
above the dams are filed the ice will
be loaded into trains and taken down
to the houses at the plant II there
is more than enough to fill both places,
stacks will he built.
Others Cut Great Amount.
J. B. Curran is perhaps the next lar
gest among the local concerns. Mr..
Cu1ran stated Sunday that he had
housed 1000 tons Of the CONCEALED
LIQUID He employs 10 men, and his
daily harvest is 900 tons. Mr. Curran's
field is Just below that OF Morrell's.
His houses. which have been built
since the fire in December are com
plete all but the roof, and will hold
5000 tons
Mrs. A. L. Schafer is using 100 men
ana has an average daily capacity Of
300 tons Her houses will hold 5000
tons, and are now well over half filled
Lew Schafer employs 60 men, and
his daily harvest is 400 tons. Mr..
Schafer's houses have capacity Ut
1000 tons, and are nearly half full
Shipping to Other Towns.
w. w. Cummings has loaded 1000
tons into cars for other parties. III,
started this morning cutting for his
own use, and is using so men. He is
able. to store 600 tons day. At pre-
sent he has only one house, with
capacity OF 1000 tons, but will build
stacks If the supply of ice holds out
A. L. Bloom does not use the river
ice for his customers, but cuts 1t for
cold storage and other concerns. Mr.
Bloom has taken 1,500 tons from the
river near the Market street bridge.
He uses 40 men, and has daily capac-
ity of about 200 tons.