# How did nineteenth century ice companies operate?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-nineteenth-century-ice-companies-operate/333134
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [November 28, 2005, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-nineteenth-century-ice-companies-operate/333134 "2005-11-28T23:58:41Z")
**Posts on this page:** 18
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)
#### Post date: [November 29, 2005, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-nineteenth-century-ice-companies-operate/333134/21 "2005-11-29T14:37:11Z")
Cutting the ice out of the St. Lawrence River used to be one of the big winter rituals in Montreal. As late as the 1950s they were still doing it and transporting blocks to icehouses. As Quebec was a poor province, I imagine electric refrigeration took a lot longer to catch on.
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### Author:  [@fortytwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fortytwo)
#### Post date: [November 29, 2005, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-nineteenth-century-ice-companies-operate/333134/22 "2005-11-29T14:59:11Z")
I remember being shown an ice house in the grounds of a large mansion many years ago. Obviously the family were wealthy and could have ice throughout the summer.
It was partly underground and similiar to this [one](http://www.blaby.net/img/uploads/the_ice_house.jpg).
(I’m not sure, but the picture above might have been the one illustrating the cover of Minette Walters’ book The Ice House)
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### Author:  [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)
#### Post date: [November 29, 2005, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-nineteenth-century-ice-companies-operate/333134/23 "2005-11-29T15:24:05Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Then there was the coal delivery men too, but that’s another story…
We still get coal deliveries for people in our row, they’ve not completely died out yet.
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### Author:  [@qubed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qubed)
#### Post date: [November 29, 2005, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-nineteenth-century-ice-companies-operate/333134/24 "2005-11-29T16:14:46Z")
I believe the first ice producing machine was invented by a Dr. Emmett Brown, reknowned blacksmith, circa 1885. His whereabouts afterwards are currently unknown. 😉
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### Author:  [@Danalan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danalan)
#### Post date: [November 29, 2005, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-nineteenth-century-ice-companies-operate/333134/25 "2005-11-29T16:32:21Z")
Excellent history of ice and refrigeration [here](http://www.history-magazine.com/refrig.html). One of the big problems with the natural ice industry was contamination. Clean sources of natural ice were getting harder to find just as artificial sources came into being. Basically, pollution was a problem for the ice industry 100 years ago.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [November 29, 2005, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-nineteenth-century-ice-companies-operate/333134/26 "2005-11-29T16:37:06Z")
> [@Doug Bowe](#):
>
> I remember that episode. You’re talking about Dr. John Gorrie who patented the first ice-making machine May 6, 1851.
>
> [http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/lessons/gorrie/gorrie.htm](http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/lessons/gorrie/gorrie.htm)
Funny thing is that I can’t remember what the episode was _about_. I remember that there was something about Napoleon’s army, who was eating tinned food. Lead from the solder contaminated the food and caused problems. A better way of preserving food had to be found. IIRC somehow the technology of food preservation ended up being a factor in the building of the Concord or the Space Shuttle. Or something like that. I don’t remember.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [November 29, 2005, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-nineteenth-century-ice-companies-operate/333134/27 "2005-11-29T16:37:58Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#):
>
> There was an episode of _The Day The Universe Changed_ that dealt with it, but it’s been a long time since that show has been on.
Actually, it was an episode of the original _Connections_. Episode 8 - “Eat, Drink and Be Merry.” I know this because I showed it to my AP students two weeks ago. 😃
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### Author:  [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)
#### Post date: [November 29, 2005, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-nineteenth-century-ice-companies-operate/333134/28 "2005-11-29T16:40:35Z")
Here in central Oregon, they used to mine ice from caves. Still can, as a matter of fact- there’s a cave not thirty miles from here that has ice all year long.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [November 29, 2005, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-nineteenth-century-ice-companies-operate/333134/29 "2005-11-29T16:42:22Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#):
>
> Or something like that. I don’t remember.
Increased size of armies led to preserved food, like canning. Bad canning led to people exploring the ideas about “bad air” which Gorrie did in Florida. This led to refrigeration, which led to chilling gasses, which led to the vacuum flask, which tied in with Oberth trying to V-2 London, which led to von Braun, et al building the Saturn V.
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### Author:  [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)
#### Post date: [November 29, 2005, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-nineteenth-century-ice-companies-operate/333134/30 "2005-11-29T16:46:55Z")
Ahh, time to crack open one of my favorite historical trivia questions.
**Q:** By the 1850’s the US’s largest export, on a tonnage basis, was cotton. What was #2?
**A:** Ice.
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### Author:  [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)
#### Post date: [November 29, 2005, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-nineteenth-century-ice-companies-operate/333134/31 "2005-11-29T16:47:53Z")
It seems like you could bring it down from Canada by boat pretty easily.
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### Author:  [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)
#### Post date: [November 29, 2005, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-nineteenth-century-ice-companies-operate/333134/32 "2005-11-29T16:52:56Z")
> [@Danalan](#):
>
> One of the big problems with the natural ice industry was contamination. Clean sources of natural ice were getting harder to find just as artificial sources came into being. Basically, pollution was a problem for the ice industry 100 years ago.
Yes, we were always being warned not to eat the river ice, only the “artificial” ice. Of course, being little boys we paid no attention.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [November 29, 2005, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-nineteenth-century-ice-companies-operate/333134/33 "2005-11-29T17:42:10Z")
> [@silenus](#):
>
> Actually, it was an episode of the original _Connections_.
Are you sure? I remember _Connections_ coming out much later than _The Day The Universe Changed_.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [November 29, 2005, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-nineteenth-century-ice-companies-operate/333134/34 "2005-11-29T17:52:25Z")
_Connections_ came out in 1978, _TDTUC_ came out in 1985.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [November 29, 2005, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-nineteenth-century-ice-companies-operate/333134/35 "2005-11-29T17:59:16Z")
> [@silenus](#):
>
> _Connections_ came out in 1978, _TDTUC_ came out in 1985.
Hm. I didn’t see the former until years after the latter. Maybe the episode was ‘repackaged’ or retitled?
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### Author:  [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)
#### Post date: [November 29, 2005, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-nineteenth-century-ice-companies-operate/333134/36 "2005-11-29T18:03:23Z")
Check out this book about the early days of transporting ice (from Europe to America!)
The Frozen Water Trade : A True Story by Gavin Weightman Fascinating.
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### Author:  [@Tevildo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tevildo)
#### Post date: [November 29, 2005, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-nineteenth-century-ice-companies-operate/333134/37 "2005-11-29T19:40:46Z")
According to [This thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=345511), “The Secret Life Of Machines” is on at the moment in the States. I would heartily recommend the whole thing, but particularly, for your question, “The Secret Life Of The Refrigerator”.
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### Author:  [@Doug\_Bowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_Bowe)
#### Post date: [November 29, 2005, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-nineteenth-century-ice-companies-operate/333134/38 "2005-11-29T19:45:43Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#):
>
> Hm. I didn’t see the former until years after the latter. Maybe the episode was ‘repackaged’ or retitled?
That sounds right. “Connections” first appeared on PBS and was repeated on one of the cable channels a decade later. The success of the old connections series morphed into Connections 2 and Connections 3 on cable.
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