Harvesting the River
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  Ice Cutting Tools
a pair of ice tongs
Ice Tongs Zoom in on a pair of ice tongs

Early tools for ice cutting were the ax, the scraper, the ice saw, and the breaking off bar. After 1900, the horse-drawn ice marker and ice plow came into use. By 1918, the power field saw was introduced. Go to video of ice saw

Other tools:

  • a grapple or ice hook Go to image of ice hook towed sheets of ice along channels and hauled blocks up the chute.
  • a scoop net cleaned channels.
  • a breaking off bar (similar to a crowbar) was used to detach sheets from the field of ice.
  • a caulking bar filled grooves with chips to prevent flooding and freezing.
  • a splitting chisel separated sheets into cakes(4' to 10')
  • a bar chisel loosened and trimmed cakes of ice
  • a house bar separated small cakes of ice
  • a hook chisel split blocks and settled them on the elevator.
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Harvesting
(-)Harvesting Subjects
    Harvest Introduction
    (-)Fish
        Introduction
        Fish Species
        Fishing Industry
        Tools and Techniques
    (-)Waterfowl
        Introduction
        Waterfowl Species
        Hunting Industry
        Tools and Techniques
    (-)Mussels
        Introduction
        Fresh Water Mussel Species
        Musseling Industry
        Tools and Techniques
    (-)Ice
        Introduction
        Natural Ice
        Commercial Ice
        Tools
        Ice Harvesting
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