In selecting a site, when the lay of the land will permit, place the length of the house north and south, and arrange the incline and runs with as few turns as practicable. The ice cakes require assistance to keep them in motion on a crooked runway, and are constantly being jammed and spalled. On a direct run of proper pitch the cakes will travel without attention in freezing weather. On warm, sloppy days, when the ice is soft, it will require assistance. The platforms for winter shipments _via_ rail come in for attention in placing the incline, which should be conveniently disposed for supplying them with ice cakes as fast as they can be handled. System and dispatch are the watchwords of the ice dealer while ice cutting is on. SURVEY AND FOUNDATION.--The location and size of the house being determined, a survey is made and all lines staked out. It is important to have the foundations square and of the exact size, so that dimension lumber and roof trusses will fit as designed. Levels, also, call for attention, and the entire site should be brought to grade. In the construction of foundations practice varies. They are partly dependent upon local conditions and climatic influences. For large houses, where the wastage is readily drained off and the sills are comparatively dry, they are about as durable as the balance of the building when placed directly on the ground. The life of an ice house varies from so many causes, that no limit can be given applicable to all cases. When the lumber is well selected and the construction thorough, fifteen years of constant service will tell plainly on the building. If repairs are made as often as required, its term of usefulness is extended. In warm climates, also for smaller houses, and for city supply depots, foundations of stone or brick are employed to advantage. They should be put in below frost, and extend about two feet above the surface. [Illustration: FIG. 48. PLATE _A_. GROUND PLAN.] DETAILS OF CONSTRUCTION.--In the building illustrated in plates _A_, _B_, the sills are placed upon the ground. The house is divided into four rooms, each forty feet wide in the clear, two hundred and fifty feet deep, and forty feet high from sill to plate. The dimensions of lumber required may be: For outside sills, 8 × 10 inches, of such lengths as can most readily be obtained. Inside sills, 6 × 10. Outside posts, 4 × 10 inches × 40 feet, set 12 feet apart. Studding, 3 × 10 inches × 40 feet, with three feet centers. Inside posts, 4 × 8 inches × 40 feet. Studding, 3 × 8 inches × 40 feet. For outer circulating air space, the studding should be 2 × 8 inches × 40 feet, with three feet centers. For inner dead air spaces, 2 × 6 inches × 40 feet studding are placed upright 12 feet apart, and horizontal cross studs 2 × 6 inches × 12 feet and three feet apart, are filled in between. This makes spaces 3 × 12 feet on the inside of all the outer walls.