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Lifting Ice from the Water

(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
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Harvested ice blocks were rarely lifted onto the ice itself. Instead, they were floated into position along an ice channel. The man in the center is using a float-hook to guide the blocks. He is assisted to his right by a man holding an ice-hook. He is lifting the block so that it can be hauled onto the ramp. Harvested ice was shipped and stored in special wagons and ice houses. If carefully housed, ice could be stored for months in nearly any climate. Most ice was harvested within twenty or thirty miles of the city it was used in, although some ice was prized more than others. Maine's ice, for example, was praised for its clarity and purity.

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