The Ice Man

Interview Contact : May Williams

May is well-known to the young people of the island as a piano teacher and accompanist. To help us get experience with interviewing for SEATIMES Vol. 3, she came into our classroom and shared with us her memories of her husband's business years ago.

Yes, I can tell you about the 1920's which is a long time ago. We had to use ice boxes. It really was a box my grandmothers had. We had a box sunk in the ground lined with zinc so the ice wouldn't get on the food. [There were] holes punched in the bottom so the water would drain out.

The first time I met my future husband, I was only about six years old. He was the ice man... brought ice to people about three times a week It's melt that fast even though some of the cakes were from 50 to 20 pounds... according to [the size] of the ice box. Some were wooden boxes set up on four legs, and some were smaller and only held about what we call a "ten pounder".

The first time he came to our house, he brought chunks of ice that were dripping out of the back of the truck, 'cause they weren't covered. The way they cut the ice in the wintertime was to go to some pond and use a chainsaw or an old fashioned saw that would go in and cut'em in squares. Some of these cakes weighed over 200 lbs. They'd flip 'em out, and then pile 'em in an ice house which had an open top... it was in a shaded area, and packed with sawdust. They put about 4 feet of sawdust over the top, and this would keep all summer, all winter, and into the next year sometimes. Then when the ice man would load his truck, he would dig out ice cakes and wash off the sawdust, and start delivering them.

Now, some little ice boxes only take a piece about 125 lbs. Some people would have a hotel, so they would take about 200 lbs and they had to be lifted from the truck ont the person's back porch.