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Cool. :-)
David L.
Ben Franklin: "Only a
virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt, they have
more need of masters."
Before refrigeration was invented, where did the iceman get
the ice he delivered to homes during the
summer?
If large blocks of
ice are stored in well-insulated buildings and
covered with sawdust, the
ice can last for most of the year
without melting. Years ago it was common
practice during the
winter to cut large blocks of ice out of a frozen pond
and store
them in an "icehouse."
The ice was cut into smaller
blocks for delivery and transported
to families in the
neighborhood.
Few people realize that transporting ice around the world
was
once an extremely lucrative business. Schooners transported ice
from Alaska to other parts of the country as well as to Mexico,
Central America, and South America. Ice from New England was
shipped
to the West Indies and other parts of the world.
In the mid-1800s, ice
distributors in Seattle and San Francisco
wanted harder and thicker ice
and an Alaskan company invested
heavily in the ice trade by ordering seven
new steamers to haul
the ice. Each winter the company cut about 10,000
tons of ice
from a local lake. A crew of 150 to 200 people cut the ice,
moved
it into an icehouse, and covered it with sawdust to keep it from
melting. The following summer the ice was transported by steamer
to
the distributors.
A typical New England icehouse was built next to a
pond or lake
and was framed using 2-by-10 pine or spruce studs. An inner
wall
was built 10 inches from the outer wall and the space between was
filled with sawdust for insulation. A layer of sawdust was also
spread
on the floor. The ice was normally cut into 250-pound
blocks. When the
icehouse was full, all the ice was covered with
either sawdust or hay.
Because of the insulation the ice melted
very slowly and lasted almost all
year.
In the 1870s new refrigeration techniques made manual cutting of
ice from lakes obsolete. As a result, the once flourishing world
ice
trade melted away.
Greg Hopper
"Why is it that our children can't
read a Bible in school, but they can
in
prison?"
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