Place one end of a piece of lead pipe against the ice to be thawed, and then through a funnel in the upper end pour boiling water. Keep the pipe constantly against the ice, and a foot or more per minute can be penetrated. In order to thaw out water-pipes that become frozen and are inaccessible, the plan used by New-York plumbers is to surround small india-rubber tubing with coiled wire so as to stiffen it and admit of its being inserted far into the pipe. Through the tube a current of steam from a small boiler over a charcoal furnace is allowed to pass. This acts very quickly, except when the pipe takes a very irregular course, in which case there is no remedy except to dig down into the earth or break out walls until the pipe can be reached, and thawed by the direct application of heat.