BRICKYARDS OF KINGSTON AS DESCRIBED BY THE BUILDING TRADES EMPLOYERS
ASSOCIATION BULLETIN.
           
In its "Story of Brick" on the Hudson river, yards of Kingston and vicinity are described by the Building Trade Employers' Association Bulletin as follows:
           
The brick which bears the highly popular brand, "Shultz," is the product of the Shultz yards at East Kingston, near Rondout, N. Y. Henry H. Shultz, the present manager of the concern for the Shultz estate, represents the third generation of a family which has been in the brick making business since the earlier half of the last century.  At that period Charles Shultz owned, at Keyport, N. J. an interest in what would now be considered a very modest plant, operated with horses, and having a daily capacity of 40,000, or for the season, 8,000,000 brick.  This passed to his son, Charles A. Shultz, who before long realised that the banks of the Hudson river not only afforded enormous advantages in the matter of shipping, but provided a better quality of the raw material, and in tempting abundance.  Accordingly, in 1876, Charles A. Shultz removed to East Kingston and began, at first in a comparatively small way, a business which has been growing ever since, and which, under the management of his son, Henry H. Shultz, has reached a position of the highest Importance in the building material industry.
           
The first notable step in the development of the Shultz yards on the Hudson river was when steam power was substituted for horses.  This was in 1878, and from that time the business of the plant, increasing yearly with the recognised value of the "Shultz" brand, has climbed without one serious check, until, at the present writing it employs a plant the capacity of which is 138,000 per day, or 18,000,000 brick per season. These commercially satisfactory results have been in great part due to sheer persistence; but a particular "strong" quality of their clay banks and the incessant exercise of thought and care, with constant alertness to seize upon every chance of improvement, had quite as much to do with the reputation which the brand has earned of an almost perfect brick for general building purposes.
           
The clay banks adjacent to the works yield also quantities of sharp sand  This, with "culm" in the proper proportions, is used on the Shultz yards ' to form a brick in which there is both yellow clay and blue, one-third of the former and two-thirds of the latter. Special attention is given to the processes of mixing and tempering.  The latter is carried on in a circular pit with a "tempering wheel" worked by steam power.  So far there is no secret in the composition of the Shultz brick.  But in the precedent process of mixing the case la somewhat otherwise; the strength, beauty and evenness of color for which this brick is noted has not been secured without years of thought and experiment, both by the late Mr. Shultz and the present manager of the estate.
           
The expenditure of time, thought and capital upon all this repays it self in more than one way.  There is the enormous saving involved in the fact that here the percentage of waste arising from the spoiled brick is lower than in almost any modern plant where brick are made on anything like the same large scale. The economy is continuous from the very first moulding to the finished product. It is based on -- apart from the careful and skillful mixing already referred to — a system of special attention in the details of "jarring" the moulds, of "dumping," "edging" and "hacking" upon the open yards which are in use here; then again it is a principle of the Shultz works that good drying is half the battle, if the manufacturer cares to produce an output of good color, and not the ugly grey which results from burning half-moist brick.  Eternal vigilance is the price of success in these matters, and to complete the claim after watching the brick like delicate infants from "hack" to kiln, the "setting" is there done like a work of art, so as to ensure the perfection of draft for the burning.
           
The fuel used in these kilns is hard coal, the kiln consuming, on an average 100 tons to each 1,000,000 brick. Another notable feature in the Shuliz works is their system of repairing all machinery and tools on the premises, a complete machine shop and staff of experts being maintained for that purpose. 

The well known corporation of The Terry Brothers Company Is represented in the market by two highly respected brands of brick: The "Terry" and the Terry Bros."  The latter is made from blue clay alone; the former from mixed blue and yellow.  The company's banks at Kingston and East Kingston, where, the two plants are situated, are of enormous extent.  These deposits run mostly to blue clay, the East Kingston banks showing a large percentage of yellow, those at Kingston containing only blue.  The banks are overlaid with an excellent quality of sand for both moulding and mixing.  The company's plant includes eleven machines with an aggregate dally capacity of 250,000 or 30,000,000 bricks per season.  Both circular pits and improved sod pits are used here -- eight „of the former and three of the latter.

The product is shipped down the river on the company's own barges, of which it owns seven, varying in capacity from 200.000 to 325,000 brick per barge.
           
The Terry Brothers Company enjoy the distinction of being the first concern on the Hudson river to burn brick with coal for fuel.  This innovation was begun in 1884, and has been continued ever since.  After more than twenty years experience with mineral fuel in their kilns, the management maintain that it gives a more uniform burn than can be obtained with wood fuel.  In addition to this important point of uniformity, they believe that coal is more manageable, more amenable in nice adjustments and in every practical respect more satisfactory than wood.
           
Besides the honor of being the pioneer coal burners of the Hudson river yards, the Terry Brothers Company claims a smaller percentage of broken brick than any other plant.  This very favorable condition for a concern using only open-yard systems, which no doubt operates to the advantage of the consumer by reducing the waste for which the consumer has to pay in the long run — whether he knows It or not — is secured by a system of exceptionally careful handling, both of the green brick and of the burnt, in every one of the processes from moulding to culling.  The dumping here is performed very gingerly, the edging is done as if the brick were so much porcelain, though with great speed, which can only be consistent with extreme care when as is the rule of this establishment, the workmen are all thoroughly practiced in their business.  Lastly, the cullers lay down the selected brick taken from the kiln so deftly that very few foremen of buildings have ever had good cause to complain of ragged edges on the "Terry" or "Terry Bros." material since these brands appeared on the market.  Artificial coloring material is not used in either brand, the natural color alone being relied upon to produce a good red brick.  
           
​The Terry yards were founded in 1850 by the late David Terry.  At his death, which took place in 1869, the business was taken up by his sons, Albert and Edwin, who carried it on in partnership until 1902, when Edwin Terry retired and the concern was incorporated as the Terry Brothers company: Jay Terry, vice-president; David Terry, secretary and treasurer.

Editor's Note: Thank you to Alison Morris, Hudson River Maritime Museum education intern, for this blog post. For more information about the environmental history of the Hudson Valley view the Rescuing the River online exhibit.

The battle for the environmental well being of the Hudson Valley has been a long and hard fought battle. Without Frances “Franny” Reese the physical state of the Hudson Valley would be extremely different today as well as the overall grassroots environmental preservation movement otherwise known as “a movement that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to implement change at the local, regional, national, or international levels.”[1]
           
Spurred by a love of the Hudson Valley region by way of her husband’s family home, Obercreek Farm, set on former dairy farmland in the hamlet of Hughsonville in the Town of Wappinger, Franny joined with other activists to advocate at a local level to preserve the beautiful lands of their homes along the Hudson River.[2]  It is important to acknowledge the hard work and contributions of women like Frances Reese and how they spearheaded different grassroots movements that still have significance in preserving the lands of the Hudson River Valley and the river itself.
           
​Born in Manhattan in 1917, Frances Reese attended Barnard College, majoring in playwriting and English, and also attended Yale Art School. In 1937, she married her husband Willis Livingston Meier Reese. They both shared interests in conservation and preservation in the Hudson Valley.[3] Frances was a “lifelong advocate and protector of the land and life in the Hudson Valley” and was considered an “environmental trailblazer.”[4] She was “a founder and chairwomen [(1966-1984)] emeritus of the environmental group Scenic Hudson [founded in 1963] and a veteran of the fight to keep a power plant from being built on Storm King Mountain.”[5] Prior to the establishment of Scenic Hudson, a non-profit environmental preservation organization, “grassroots environmental activism did not exist” in the capacity that it does today.[6] Known by many, Franny “was a sparkplug in the movement that began over 40 years ago” ensuring that unbridled development in the Hudson Valley would not go unchecked.[7] She unfortunately passed away in July of 2003 after sustaining fatal injuries in a car accident “on Route 9 near Cold Spring.”[8]

​In 1965, she and the crew of citizens that she recruited, initially known as the Scenic Hudson Preservation Committee, won legal standing to take on the Federal Power Commission and the developer, Consolidated Edison who were attempting to build, at the time, the largest hydroelectric plant, on Storm King Mountain.[9] Not only would the face of Storm King Mountain be forever changed if Con. Edison's plans were approved, but because of the porous nature of the Hudson Valley's bedrock, there was a high risk that untreated Hudson River water would filter into groundwater, which was and is the source of drinking water for Cornwall, NY.[10] The location of the proposed plant’s construction and water pipeline was also located extremely close to the Catskill Aqueduct.[11] Concerns were raised about the potential impacts of blasting, and how it could interrupt or damage the aqueduct, significantly or completely interrupting the water supply to New York City.[12]   This decision came to be known as the “Storm King Decision.”[13] Stopping this development, “Frances and her committee of like-minded individuals achieved important precedent in the national environmental movement, establishing the principle that citizens could intervene in court cases affecting the environment.”[14] She, and those who would become the Scenic Hudson founders, opposed such a development as it would deface the famous peak of Storm King Mountain and harm the ecology of the Hudson River.[15] Language from this case would go on to be included in the 1969 National Environmental Policy Act.[16] In similar legislation, like the 1969 National Environmental Policy Act, there also came the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency that mandated environmental impact studies for construction projects.[17] The Clean Water Act of 1977 and the Superfund Law of 1980 also secured passage in the legislation through precedent set by the Storm King Decision.[18]

During Franny’s lifetime and involvement in Scenic Hudson which eventually became the organization that we know today, “she […] oversaw the group's legal and educational work. She attended board meetings[...] and remained cheerfully active as a strategist for policy and litigation, a liaison to state and federal governments and one of the organization's leading fund-raisers.”[19]
           
​You might ask, how might the environmental movement and land preservation directly impact the Hudson River? Well, it's important to look at particular locations along the Hudson that would not be the way they are today without Franny Reese’s direct contributions and actions. The Franny Reese State Park, Highland, New York,, which is a recognized by New York State Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation as well as the Palisades Interstate Park System, is one of these very locations. The very organization that Franny helped in establishing, Scenic Hudson, manages the grounds of this park to this day. Through its official recognition and ultimate protection under these organizations, the natural landscapes and ecosystems of the Hudson River Valley are allowed to flourish. Through the very establishment of Franny Reese State Park, Scenic Hudson was able to “conserve this magnificent bluff-top forest [and] to prevent a massive residential development from destroying it.”[20] Industrial development that would otherwise negatively impact the land through the destruction of crucial ecological communities as well as pollution is blocked from occurring. It is with state parks, like Franny Reese, that the natural views and integrity of the Hudson River Valley and the River itself are maintained. As the Franny Reese State Park has direct access to the Hudson River, it also preserves the riverfront land, and the river itself directly, through its allocation of environmentally preserved land through the park systems and non-profit organizations like Scenic Hudson.

​The very creation of parks leads to the ability for non-profit organizations, like Scenic Hudson, to conserve important ecological environments and allow for individuals to explore the natural treasures of the Hudson Valley. The very ability for people to be able to connect with nature is one of the important motivating pillars for Scenic Hudson.

Movements like environmental conservation go hand in hand with many other women’s movements. Franny Reese’s involvement in such critical environmental projects and decisions in the Hudson Valley provides insight into the larger picture of Women's involvement in crucial public change organizations and efforts. Environmental conservation movements empower women. In many instances, women are often subordinated under men and their voices largely go unheard or are completely blocked. Environmental conservation gives women an outlet to enact meaningful and lasting change in their communities. This ultimate growth of women's participation in public policy contributes to the ultimate increase in women’s involvement in everyday institutions of society and life. According to the organization IUCN, “women often have deep knowledge of their local ecosystems, and are habitually the primary caregivers and providers for their families. They are more likely to be directly impacted by environmental degradation, particularly in developing countries where they may rely heavily on natural resources for their livelihoods.”[21] When looking at the role that the environment plays in the larger picture of established societies, it is easier to recognize the interconnectedness between environmental conservation and political activism and change. Below are two critically important quotes from the IUCN that illuminate the necessity of environmental conservation and activism in the scheme of women’s rights and empowerment:
 
“Women's participation in environmental policy and action is not only a matter of equity and justice, but also essential for achieving sustainable development. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, [...] states that ‘gender equality is not only a fundamental human right but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world.’”[22]
 
“Empowering women and amplifying their voices in environmental policy and action is crucial to achieve sustainable development and address the urgent environmental challenges facing the world today. It requires recognizing the gender inequalities that exist, and working to overcome them through inclusive and gender-responsive policies and programs. It also requires valuing women's knowledge and expertise, and supporting their leadership and entrepreneurship. Only by doing so can we ensure that the environmental policies and actions we take are effective, equitable, and sustainable for all.”[23]
 
The undeniable contributions of Franny Reese reveal the larger story of how land conservation was a crucial aspect of public change/advocacy for women’s rights and the maintenance of the Hudson Valley and Hudson River.

                                                                               Bibliography
Allen, Maeve. “5 Inspiring Women Who Made History in the Hudson Valley.” Hudson Valley Magazine, July 19, 2023. https://hvmag.com/life-style/hudson-valley-inspiring-women/.

Balakrishnan, Srinivasan. “Empowering the Unheard: Why Women’s Voices Are Crucial in Environmental Policy and Action.” IUCN, March 3, 2023. https://www.iucn.org/story/202303/empowering-unheard-why-womens-voices-are-crucial-environmental-policy-and-action. 

“Franny Reese State Park.” Scenic Hudson, June 28, 2023. https://www.scenichudson.org/explore-the-valley/scenic-hudson-parks/franny-reese-state-park/.

“Grassroots.” Wikipedia, February 24, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grassroots.
Hereth, Susan. “Franny Reese: A Hero For the Hudson Valley.” Accessed March 6, 2024. https://www.scenichudson.org/wp-content/uploads/legacy/u2/freesebooklet.pdf 

“Parks & Trails New York: What’s in a Name? Who Was Franny Reese?” Parks & Trails New York. Accessed March 6, 2024. https://www.ptny.org/news-and-media/you-gotta-have-friends/2020/04/whats-name-featuring-franny-reese-state-park.

Rosenberg, Steve. “Preservation and Perseverance: Pillars of Scenic Hudson’s Grassroots Legacy.” Hudson River Maritime Museum. Accessed March 6, 2024. https://www.hrmm.org/history-blog/preservation-and-perseverance-pillars-of-scenic-hudsons-grassroots-legacy.

“Powering The Hudson: Storm King.” Hudson River Valley Heritage. Accessed March 20, 2024. https://omeka.hrvh.org/exhibits/show/rescuing-the-river/powering-the-hudson/storm-king. 

Saxon, Wolfgang. “Frances Reese, 85, Defender of Hudson Valley.” The New York Times, July 9, 2003. https://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/09/nyregion/frances-reese-85-defender-of-hudson-valley.html.

Zissu, Alexandra. “How Franny Reese Fought Con Edison and Saved Storm King Mountain.” Times Union. Accessed March 6, 2024. https://www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley/outdoors/article/how-franny-reese-fought-coned-saved-storm-king-16972561.php.   

ALL THE YARDS ARE BUSY AND IN NEED OF MORE HELP. BUILDERS PAY $250,000 ANNUALLY IN WAGES. SEVERAL HUNDRED MEN ARE EMPLOYED.
           
One of the most important branches of industry that this city is blessed with is that of boat building, which has more than doubled Itself within the past ten years.  But few people outside of the men employed on the yards have an adequate conception of the magnitude of this particular work and the number of men employed at good, substantial wages.  All the yards are located on the Rondout creek, extending from Ponckhockie to Eddyvllle.  In order to give the readers of The Freeman an idea of what is being done at these yards a representative of this journal made a tour of the yards today and gleaned the following facts:
           
The leading boat building establishment is that of C. Hiltebrant at South Rondout, and this was the first one visited.  At this yard at the present time 133 men are employed.  There are seven barges in course of construction and a large amount of repairing work is going on.  Two floating dry docks are used at the works, the largest being able to take on a vessel of 1,300 tons burthen, and the second one accommodating a vessel of 800 tons.  At short intervals large cargoes of timber are received at the yard for the construction of all classes of freight-carrying boats.  Yesterday the work of discharging a big cargo of timber was begun and there will be several more before the snow flies.  One cargo of lumber that is due at this yard almost any day now was shipped on a large sea vessel which left Puget Sound with its load on February 15th last.  The failure of the vessel to arrive long before this is attributed to adverse weather.  
           
Mr.  Hiltebrant, on being asked what the prospects were for a busy winter's work on the yard, replied, with a chuckle, that it was a little early to state positively, but things looked remarkably bright.  The last few words mean a great deal, and it is dollars to doughnuts that, the yard will be busy all winter.  Mr. Hiltebrant volunteered the information that there is as much money paid out here weekly among the boat yards as there was on the Delaware & Hudson canal in its palmiest days.  So busy, indeed, has the work been at the yard since early spring that Mr. Hiltehrant has been compelled to refuse several orders for new boats.  More good mechanics would be a welcome addition to his works and he needs them very much.  The workmen all hold Mr. Hiltebrant in high esteem.  They know his kind and generous nature and every man is happy and contented with his lot.  
           
The pioneer in the boat building business on the Rondout creek is John J. Baisden, who has in active operation two yards, one at Sleightsburgh and the other at Eddyville.  Mr Baisden began his boat building experience at Mongaup, Pa., in the year 1853.  On October 2, 1882, he opened a yard at Eddyvllle, which he has continued ever since, many fine boats having been launched from the ways there.  In the year 1897 he branched out and established a yard at Sleightsburgh. which before long became his main plant.  Today Mr. Baisden has three barges in course of construction, two of which are well advanced toward completion.  Over 40 men are at work on the two yards, which is small in comparison to the number which he usually employs.  At the Sleightsburgh yard much repairing is done, this part of the industry at his works being a little slack just now.  During the past few years Mr. Baisden has built for the Old Dominion Steamship Company of New York ten large lighters and one steamer, and all his work has given the best of satisfaction to the Old Dominion people.  
           
On the dock close by the South Rondout ferry on the Rondout side of the creek is located the boat yard of J. Rice & Son, the selling agents of the building firm being Schoonmaker & Rice.  Here 45 men are employed, and no good mechanic who applies for work is turned away.  But for the delay in receiving timber fifty more men would have been at work on the yard some time ago.  At present there are three large barges in course of construction, and it was learned from Mr. Rice that the outlook for a busy winter's work on the yard was very rosy.  This firm expects, before navigation closes, to have over 1,000,000 feet of lumber on its yard, which will be used up in the building of boats before next spring.  All the barges built at this yard are now constructed for Schoonmaker & Rice, who find a ready market for them in New York and elsewhere.  On Saturday J. Rice & Son gave their employes, who were accompanied by their wives and sweethearts, an excursion down the river on the new house barge Central, recently completed at the works.  The tug J.  D. Schoonmaker towed the barge.  The firm provided its guests with an abundance of refreshments and music was furnished by an orchestra.  Every one on board had a delightful time.  As the reporter was taking leave, Mr. Rice said: "Any man who understands the work of boat building will not be turned away."  
           
At Derrenbacher's Corners near the foot of Ravine street can be found another boat building establishment. that of R. Lenahan & Company, which now gives employment to 65 men.  On the stocks three big freight barges are being put together and as soon as they are finished and launched work on others will be begun, as the firm has several nice orders ahead which will keep the men busy for a long time.  There will be plenty of winter work at this yard.  The firm has large consignments of timber on the way to the yard and for a concern that developed not such a long time ago it is doing remarkably well.  First-class mechanics and sober and industrious laborers are ever welcome at this yard.  
           
Adjoining the yard of J. Rice & Son is the Rondout boat yard conducted by W. J. Turck. Jr., and John Turck, with A. M. Cooper as manager. This yard was formerly known as the McCausland ship building works.  The present occupants have forty men busily engaged in building two barges, and have many orders ahead for the construction of others.  At this yard a large amount of repairing work is done, and the only trouble seems to be the shortage of help.  Good ship carpenters are needed badly.  The specialty of this concern is the building of ice, coal and brick barges.  A member of the firm said that the prospects for a busy winter's work on the yard were exceedingly bright.  
           
On Turck's dock in Ponckhockie is still another boat building industry, that of Captain Dennis Donovan.  Although not as large some of the others, it materially increases the number of men employed in this branch of industry.  Mr. Donovan employs, on an average, 22 men, and would give work to more, but sometimes is hard pushed to retain his usual force.  Two barges are in course of construction on his yard, and he told the reporter that he had enough orders ahead to keep his men — and he would be pleased to engage more good mechanics — busy for a year to come.  He said that the demand for freight barges at the present time was great, and the yards hereabouts could not turn them out fast enough.              
The J. Graham Rose Freighting Line is the title of another boat building enterprise doing business on the upper island dock of the Delaware & Hudson Company.  This firm employs at present on its yard 35 men.  The building of coal and cement boats is the principal feature of its business.  In conjunction with this yard are the Consolidated Cement Company's plants at Eddyville and Creek Locks, which give employment to 30 men or more.  At the present time all the yards are busy.  
           
Nearly a quarter of a million dollars is paid out annually by the boat builders of Rondout and vicinity to their workingmen. who find steady and lucrative employment in the yards that line both sides of the Rondout creek from Ponckhockie to Eddyville.

Editor's Note: Our thanks to Joan Dwyer for compiling, and sharing, this list of Rondout Creek boatyards during research for her newly published book "Dwyer Brothers".

​

Editor's Note: It is an understatement to say that Ray Ruge was accomplished in many areas and lived a remarkable life. He was born on June 21, 1908, in New York City to Bernard Arnold and Beulah E. Ruge.  U.S. Census records show the family lived in Manhattan (1910), Bronx (1915), Tarrytown (1920), Carmel (1925 & 1930), and East Orange, Essex NJ (1940). Raymond married Valice Foley in 1942. 

For information about current ice boating on the Hudson River go to these websites:
White Wings and Black Ice,  HRIYC or Hudson River Ice Yacht Preservation Trust .

Editor's Note: The following text is from "Madison Day by Day", Wisconsin State Journal, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 1945 by Betty Cass.

In the February 10, [1945] Saturday Evening Post, which subscribers will receive tomorrow and which will appear on the news stands Thursday, is what is probably the best article on ice-boating ever written, titled, “Fastest Sleigh Ride in the World,” which is interesting for many reasons. 
​
First, and perhaps most important since we have two lakes in our laps, it points out, and proves, that ice-boating, “once a rich man’s game, today is a sport for anyone who has seventy-five dollars, a craving for speed, and plenty of ice."
​
Second, it gives many intriguing facts about famous old racing ice boats of Wisconsin, and brings to light (for practically all Madisonians except the few iceboating fans still left here) the fact that one of the two premier trophies of the sport, the Hearst cup, “now rests at Madison, jealously guarded by the 350 square-footer, Fritz, owned by Fritz Jungbluth and sailed by Carl Bernard.

Third, and most interesting, the article is written by a man now living in Madison but who didn’t live here when he wrote it.

This man, Raymond A. Ruge, of West Point, NY, now an architect at Badger Ordinance Works, landed in both the pages of the Post and in Madison by two of the most circuitous routes we've ever encountered. One of them is traced in detail in the Keeping Posted department of the Post:

RAYMOND A. RUGE says that the most remarkable thing about him as a writer is that he is not a writer and that, as a nonwriter, he has made both the Encyclopedia Britanica [sic] and the Post the same year - both by request. (He wrote the Britanica’s section about iceboating.)

We asked Mr. Ruge to tell us how he got to be such a successful writing nonwriter. “You have to be born in New York, move to Lake Mahopac, about fifty miles north of New York, when you're eight years old, go to Princeton, become an architect, forsake architecture for running a hotel and, to keep the hotel running, develop winter sports in the vicinity.” At least that’s the way it happened in Mr. Ruge’s case.

As a winter-sports lover, Mr. Ruge would have preferred to go to Dartmouth, but his headmaster at Pawling School thought he had better go to a college which didn’t have such pleasant winters. Princeton, Mr. Ruge believes, ideally filled this bill. He still remembers the Jersey winters, with their mud and fog, with a shudder, but he played ice hockey, and lacrosse in the spring. He picked up a Phi Beta Kappa key along the way.
​
The depression by 1935 had made architecture a profession which men ‘used to follow,’ so Ruge took over the management of a country club hotel near West Point. Winter business was nonexistent, except when snow for skiing was on the ground. To bolster trade, Mr. Ruge built a couple of iceboats and introduced New Yorkers to the sport. When it snowed, the skiers came. When it didn’t snow, the iceboaters came. Mr. Ruge probably got the greatest bang out of the fact that a regular guest for the iceboating was a manager of the lordly Waldorf.  (Waldorf Astoria Hotel in NYC)

For more information on the Icicle:
An Up-To-Date Ice Yacht Using a Sail Boat Rig by Ray Ruge

To keep his hand in at architecture, Mr. Ruge designed a cottage-type summer resort at Lake George in 1939 and supervised the building.

“Starting with a hayfield, four ancient apple trees and a beautiful stretch of sandy beach on May first,” he said, “we set four contractors to work racing one another, and completed the place and were ready for business at four p.m., July first. By six p. m. there wasn’t an empty room.”

THAT, then, is the round-about way Mr. Ruge got into the Post . . that and being recommended to the editor of the magazine as being the man most likely to write a good article on modern iceboating. And THIS is the way he got to Madison:

When the war started, Mr. Ruge was engaged, as an architect, in slum-clearance work in New York. Since then he has been doing architectural work on war constructions, and as he sometimes has a choice of locations, he has made it a point to choose jobs which are in places which offer winter sports. Several of them have taken him to the west, one in particular taking him to the Canadian Rocky Mountains, near Lake Louise, where he did some skiing at 9,000 feet in a beautiful spot which could be reached ONLY on skiis [sic], or by snowshoes.

​When an opportunity to take a job at Badger Ordinance Works in Madison, WI, was offered, he chose it promptly, and last November landed here with Mrs. Ruge and their year-old son Peter, expecting a big winter of ice boating . . . expectations which have resulted in exactly one hour of the sport to date.

“I’m amazed at the apparent lack of interest in iceboating here,” he says, “In the east we travel 20 and 30 miles for a day of iceboating, while here, with two wonderful lakes at your front doors, only a handful of people take advantage of them.”

So sincere is Mr. Ruge in his enthusiasm for the sport and in his interest in helping revive it that he has become a member of the committee recently formed under the auspices of the Madison municipal recreation division which is planning a series of regattas here, starting Sunday, Jan. 21, on Lake Monona,  during which he expects to get in that long-anticipated iceboating on “the famous lakes of Madison” of which he’s heard so much.
 
Editor’s Note:  Badger Ordinance Works in Madison, WI
In the months prior to the U.S. entry into WWII, the U.S. government began construction of several smokeless powder plants to meet the increasing needs of the U.S. and its allies fighting against Hitler and the Third Reich. Ideas to build upon or extend existing production capabilities at existing plants were discarded in favor of building additional plants at new locations which provided greater safety from enemy attacks or sabotage. Spreading the workload out at several plants would also provide employment opportunities throughout the country. Badger was first operated by Hercules Powder which had a plant in Port Ewen, NY.
Badger Army Ammunition Plant Historical Overview 1941-2006