CHAIN GATES. 
45 
CHAIN GATES. 
In a great many situations where iron gates 
are desirable, the chain gate would be prefera¬ 
ble to any other form for strength, durability, 
and cheapness; and as they have never been 
introduced to any extent in this country, they 
would be quite unique in appearance, and 
highly pleasing to the eye. 
These gates are composed of frames of bar 
iron and a sheet of chain work, which may be 
composed of small linked chains connected by 
cross links from every other link of the chains, 
or the whole be made new of any form to 
suit the taste. 
The cost per square foot, of a sized iron like 
stout trace chains, would be 60 to 75 cts., the 
weight being about five pounds. For situations 
where great strength is not particularly desira¬ 
ble, the common wire-work gates, heretofore de¬ 
scribed, would be the cheapest. But in many 
places, it is desirable to have a gate or door for 
ventilation, which will resist all ordinary at¬ 
tempts to break through, while it shall be orna¬ 
mental, but not heavy enough to give it a prison¬ 
like appearance. In a gate made of wire or 
rods, the cutting or breaking of a single wire 
will perhaps be sufficient to give an opening, 
while in the chain gate, several links must be 
cut before the hand of a rogue even could be 
thrust through to reach the lock or fastening on 
the other side. 
A very pretty cheap gate is now in this city, 
made of wire crimped together by newly-in¬ 
vented patented machinery, which we think far 
preferable to cast iron ; but when ventilation 
and strength are necessarily combined in the 
construction of a gate or door, no form can be 
given to iron equal to the chain-work gate. 
The citadel of Quebec has gates of this kind, 
which would resist cannon shot much longer 
than plate iron of double the weight. Another 
advantage of this form of iron work, is, that 
contraction and expansion of the atmosphere 
has no effect upon it. 
ICE—ICE PLOWS—IOE HOUSES. 
Will you please to publish a description of 
the ice plow and other tools for cutting ice, and 
any information in your possession in relation 
to ice houses, cutting, packing, and keeping ice ? 
Thos. B. Cqursey. 
Spring Mill , Del*, Oct. 23 d, 1850. 
We cannot give any intelligible description 
of the ice plow and other tools used in the busi¬ 
ness, without a series of expensive engravings. 
Since the receipt of the letter of our Delaware 
correspondent, we have written to the manufac¬ 
turer of these ice-cutting implements, who re¬ 
sponds to us as follows :— 
The tools used by large companies for cut¬ 
ting ice, are, ( a marker with swing guide,) a 
cutter, or plow, which can be made to cut any 
depth; a grooving bar, formed to fit the groove 
made by the plow, to break off the ice below 
the groove; hooks to handle the blocks; chisels 
to trim them for packing; sliders to move the 
ice upon; also saws for cutting a place for mak¬ 
ing a commencement, and snow planes. In 
small operations, the marker may be dispensed 
with and use a small plow with a guide attached. 
The prices of the several articles we annex:— 
Ice marker, $75 
Ice plow, or cutter, $50 
Small plow, with marker or guide at¬ 
tached, $50 
Grooving bars and chisels, each, $4 
Saws, $7 to 8 
Hooks, 75 cts. each. 
Snow plane, $38 to 40. 
The use of the marker is to lay out the whole 
field of ice so that it will cut up into blocks of 
exact sizes and square forms. For cutting thin 
ice for family use, we could probably furnish a 
cutter for one fourth the above price, which 
would answer a very good purpose. 
For information about ice houses, we must re¬ 
fer to the back volumes of the Agriculturist, 
where the subject has been fully treated and 
illustrations given. See page 370 of vol. ii., and 
280, 324, and 345 of vol. iv. We would willing¬ 
ly republish this information, only that many 
of our subscribers have the whole work; and to 
them the matter would be a repetition to which 
they would very properly object. 
-- 
HOW TO MAKE ICE IN A HOT CLIMATE. 
For the benefit of our southern friends, we 
now give an article on the process of making 
ice in the East Indies. In regions where natur¬ 
al ice is never seen, it is procured by artificial 
means in this manner: Pits are dug in a large 
open plain near Calcutta, about thirty feet broad 
and two feet deep; upon the bottoms of which 
are laid a bed of dry stalks of sugar cane or 
Indian corn, from eight to twelve inches thick. 
Upon these beds are placed rows of small, shal¬ 
low, unglazed, earthern pans, made of a porous 
kind of earth; similar to our common red earth¬ 
ern ware, about one fourth of an inch thick, the 
inside being only an inch or an inch and a 
quarter deep. Just at dusk, of a suitable eve¬ 
ning, which must be clear and cool, these pans 
are filled with soft water which has been previ- 
