Ice Harvesting In Berlin
by Sharon Klein
From 1800 until about 1920, nearly every community in the northeastern United States had its local ice harvesters and Berlin was no exception.[private]
Initially, axes were used to chop ice from ponds and later the ice saw was used.
Berlin was fortunate to have small, deep lakes away from towns where the water was pure. The clearer the ice, the more dense the cakes were and thus more lasting. Ice formed on top of mountains is said to be the hardest and the slowest to melt. Thus, Kendall Pond and Dyken Pond were ideal places for ice harvesting. The thickness of ice at those locations was given in the weekly newspaper, and was reportedly of a “fine quality” or “clear as crystal.” One such newspaper entry in February 1909 stated, “most of the ice houses about the village were filled last week. Some with the 15” lake ice, so clear that you could tell the date on a half dollar through it.”
The harvesting was usually done in a few weeks. In Berlin, most of the harvesting was done in late January through February. In March 1900, the Water Supply Company, under the direction of Tracy D. Taylor, had cut and furnished nearly all the fine 12” ice stored in the village and vicinity. Several farmers had ice houses, as did the engine house of the railroad. Manchester’s Store, Stillman Brothers’ Store, and the Condensary also had ice houses. Those having ice houses gave different reasons for building them that included better quality meat, cooler milk, sweet butter, and the preservation of food. Ice boxes in homes was the next step, and now we are fortunate to have refrigerators!
To make the harvesting somewhat easier, Gib Yerton, one of A. J. Goodermote’s men, built a cutter with saws and a ramp to the sleigh to haul the ice out more easily. Arthur Cowee also developed a conveyor belt to get the ice from the pond to a waiting wagon.
Ice harvesting was hard work, and it was not without its dangers. A. J. Goodermote once lost a team of horses through the ice at Kendall Pond, but, fortunately, he managed to get them out. [/private]