Ice cutting
Encyclopedia
Ice cutting was a winter occupation of icemen
whose task it was to collect surface ice from lakes and rivers for storage in ice houses and sale as a pre-refrigeration
cooling method. Kept insulated, the ice was preserved for all-year delivery to residential and commercial customers with ice box
es for cold food storage.
Ice cutting generally involved waiting until approximately a foot of ice had built up on the water surface in the winter. The ice would then be cut with either a handsaw or a powered saw blade into long continuous strips and then cut into large individual blocks for transport by wagon back to the icehouse.
This occupation generally became obsolete with the development of mechanical refrigeration
and air conditioning
technology.
Iceman (occupation)
An iceman is someone who sells or delivers ice from a wagon, cart, or motor-truck.The profession was formerly much more common. From the late 19th century to mid 20th century, in cities and towns icemen would commonly make daily rounds delivering ice for iceboxes before the electric domestic...
whose task it was to collect surface ice from lakes and rivers for storage in ice houses and sale as a pre-refrigeration
Refrigeration
Refrigeration is a process in which work is done to move heat from one location to another. This work is traditionally done by mechanical work, but can also be done by magnetism, laser or other means...
cooling method. Kept insulated, the ice was preserved for all-year delivery to residential and commercial customers with ice box
Ice Box
The Ice Box is a 5,010-seat multi-purpose arena in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was adapted for hockey upon the Lincoln Stars' arrival in 1997. The Ice Box is located at 1800 State Fair Park Drive, on the Nebraska State Fair grounds....
es for cold food storage.
Ice cutting generally involved waiting until approximately a foot of ice had built up on the water surface in the winter. The ice would then be cut with either a handsaw or a powered saw blade into long continuous strips and then cut into large individual blocks for transport by wagon back to the icehouse.
This occupation generally became obsolete with the development of mechanical refrigeration
Refrigeration
Refrigeration is a process in which work is done to move heat from one location to another. This work is traditionally done by mechanical work, but can also be done by magnetism, laser or other means...
and air conditioning
Air conditioning
An air conditioner is a home appliance, system, or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle...
technology.
See also
- Frederick Tudor
- Nathaniel Jarvis WyethNathaniel Jarvis WyethNathaniel Jarvis Wyeth was an American inventor, ice harvester, and explorer and trader in the far west.-Early life:Wyeth was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Jacob and Elizabeth Wyeth...
- Ice harvesting
External links
- The Ice Industry, from 1795-1895. One hundred years of American commerce..., edited by Chauncey Mitchell Depew
- Maine Ice Industry, from Annual report of the Bureau of Industrial and Labor Statistics for the State ..., by the Maine Bureau of Industrial and Labor Statistics
- Use Your Car for Ice-Cutting This Winter, Popular SciencePopular SciencePopular Science is an American monthly magazine founded in 1872 carrying articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. Popular Science has won over 58 awards, including the ASME awards for its journalistic excellence in both 2003 and 2004...
monthly, February 1919, page 34.