The New York herald., 1867-03-14
THE ICE BUSINESS.

THE ICE BUSINESS.
4 -~~~-~,>-->~~->~~~>~->1~~
The Prospects for Is57-Amoant Of Capital
| Invested-Statistics of the Season--The
| Quantity ON Hand and Where IL Is stored
| Expenses of Gathering and Trnnsporta-
| tiou, tGc.
In large cities like New York plentiful supply Of ice
IL to be counted especially in a necessity Of
housekeeping rather than luxury, and any hotel in
which this indispensable article the summer or even
for the winter months should be wanting would be
likely to be abooed by all respectable patrons In the
country and In small towns Il IL possible dig we'll
and thus bring up cool fresh water from tho streams
underground; but this is generally impregnated
with mineral tant, and is less wholesome than Croton
water cooled with crystals from the wntry surface OF
somo quiet lake along the Hudson. Even in small viii
lages particularly along the Hudson the ice trado is
exceedingly heavy and remunerative though il is not
until one has been translated from and shad into
the sutry heats and seething OF the metropolis
that the article becomes necessary comfort az are
bread, butter and beefsteak.
To three classes Of people Ia New York. in fact in
all cities in this latitude, the consumption OF large
quantities FORMS through tho hot weather a material
consideration the bill Of expenses; and these classes
are, FIRST, keepers Of public houses, who without 1t
would find themselves In the condition of the pro.
verbal poet viz, in want Of patron secondly, the
propreors OF restaurants largo and small to whose
patrons ice water and Iced wines indispensable
forts and thirdly housekeepers general by whom,
taken In the aggregate more ice Is consumed than
by either OF the former Well informed persons
reckon the ratio Of consumption among these several
classes about follows-O. the quantity of
sumed from year to year in New York calculated
that the proportion used 10 hotels thirty per
Of the hundred used by propretors OF resau
rants being about twenty hve per cent in addition and
the remaining iotyve per cent being Appropriated TO
ticaiy sated, from these proximate proportions,
have the following table,:
Pr reea:
Quantity consumed by hotels s.................. 80
Quantity consumed by families, &c.............. As
Total Observation-Disclosures 100
New York and vicinity amounted In tho aggregate to
$50 900 tons, the quantity stored in the winter OF 1865
90 having been about 800 TONS and 40 900 tons re-
in the various places OF storage along the Hud
TO be added OF course to the aggregate quantity cut
for This years consumption The estimate Of 10000
based upon tho quantity Of Ice in after having
been subjected to the wastage Of shipping catng and
being hawked about the streets The wasiage broueht
per Of the whole number OF tons stored adding
10 thu quantity Of 100000 the quantity wasted which
round numbers estimate OF $50 600 to 600 900
tna as the gross quantity which was actually housed in
that in connection with the business Of the laie New
York Company has n" wsss,so Ied 70 overrnn forty
high ffty per cent The quantity Of ice ac.
tuay sold will not therefore exceed fvennths Of that
which actually stored, and to make actual yield OF
is reckoned by ice dealers exceedingly good
sale. II is obvious from these figures that
ICE BUSINESS
is very extensive one though present controlled by
nine ten companies Of which the Knickerbocker
eaoa aa OF 81 oco COO have been for some time the nam
moths which have rodden under all attempts to emulate
their transactions In the trade and have now gained the
monopoly OF tho trade IN New York city and vicinity
For single year since l840 has the ice crop fallen
short 800 n for no year since 1850 has
fallen below 400 000 and for no year since 1850 has Il
been less than 450000 For 1860 the quantity stored
was numbers 900 tons OF which only 500 900
were actually shipped leaving. with all aiosance
for wasage 40 900 tons added the crop Of the
present winter For last yearto We the dad Of the
above estimate-he OF tons OF ice by
companies alone amounted TO 543 000 in the following
proportions to the several companies
Knickerbocker. aOooOO Oo0O
:, "s,'ns on' -. an ooo
.uUs,y Mepe.' Stone Colgate $4,000
Ransom, Parker l. Co. o...................... $4,000
Total 54s, 600
The amount Of capital engaged in the business last
year was about 81 500, 600, distributed as foows:-
Knckerbocker. $s00OOo
New York. tcOuUO
| Prookiyn Observation-Disclosures. 1000
| Mepes Stone Colgate to.................... 80 600
| Ransom, Parker Co...................... Co. 80 900
Total s., SIC, 900
This amoun, has been increased $3.50 600 bv the
eOIdatlOn OF the knickerDOCkcr ana cOmPa-
nes and the addition OF $3.50 600 capital max
ing aggregate capital Of 81 100 600 engaged In the
business OF which 50 900 is coniraed by single
company The exhibits Of the two years stand, there
fore. as follows:-
Capital for the year 1906 .............$1,sl0 $40 900
Capital for the year 1867 100000
Excess Of 1867 over 1865. S66............... $3.50 600
MONOPOLY THE rIEID.
II Is from these neures obvious that have gas
monopoly in this city, so we are soon 70 bo burdened
with ice )nopoy similar u that which prevails In
Boston, where OF tho 100 900 tons consumed IN 1885,
coo supplied b5 single company, at s own
list Of prices Even now cry has been raised that the
enpply ice the OF 1887 Is small TO m tho
demand and the varied difficulties OF gathering owing 10
the heavy of the early wnicr recounted and
unduy exaggerated by in the business is in fact
certain that strong effort will be made 10 force up
price or at least twenty per cent during
the summer and this will be done upon the al acious
assertion that has not bccn stored In sufficient guam
titles The fallacy OF this assertion will be patent when
shown by actual figures that the aggregate storage
for 1867 exceeds OF 1860 by thousand
SUPPLY FOR 1867
Is distributed az follows:-
Tom
Krckerbocker and New York. rk.............. $3.50 900
washington 3o,0OO
CITY 80 900
Jersey CIV ZOVo
newark Ilty - voo
Ransom Parker OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 1850
w NJ Andrews h Co. Observation-Disclosures. 5000
BROOKLYN SIS 600
Total I.......,............. sos 600
Quantity lett over. 10000
Total on hand. ...........5o sos 900
Supply for 1896. ZOO
Excess Of 1867 over 1896. 86................ S. 900
If therefore, OF the supply Of 543 600 tons for 1885,