Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1867-07-09
from the Evening Express
The Washington and Georgetown Ice
COmDany.

The Washington and Georgetown Ice
Company.
Editor Of the Express In your article OF Sat
urdays paper you speak of the Washington
and Georgetown Ice Company as q MONOPOLY
The apparent caudor and fairness the Express
has exhibited since its publication leads me to
conclude that nc. injustice was int nded, vet q
simple statement of facts, which hope you
VIII allow me 10 make through yonr columns,
will show that we were not justly represent
ed. We consolidated because we. like three
drum ken men. could stand holding on to each
other ..bufinether,conld stand alone. Every one
knows that tor the last three years there has
been very close composition between the
three Ice firms now Consolidated, and the re-
suit was, that at he commencement of thu wear
our condition was like that OF the skilkenny
Oats.. we had ous little left Each OF us were
fraSeTsing the whole city. An owl at noon
day could have seen that were all these teams
controlled by one there could be q saving of
twen'y.fiye per cent of the expense. We
Gems olidafed for that purpose. We reduced
The number Of wagons to the lowest possible
number. All our expenses were rigid Iy cur.
tailed and we have, since January /. 1856, con-
conomical as l find by recent inspection.
thsn the ice companies or firms of Boston,
New York. or Philadelphia But by our trea-
suIerts statement. furnished us July l. 1887
the not very pleas mt fact stares us in the face
thai we have not to this date. made one cent
profit. GLOWING nothing for wear and tear,
surer, Henry g. Jewell. ESQ corner q.
Twelfth and + streets. is at liberty to exhibit
cur books to any one enough in terested to call
Now the practical question arises, can Ice he
retaied IN this city, in amounts over 100 pound.
daily, tor t'y cents per hundred, Afflicted
credicTs Will tell that il cannot be, for about
nne-half of the ice shipped to this city for the
last II Il years has not been paid for, and pre-.
vions to that, il my memory serves me. was
SELDOM paid for. Ali customs less than 20
pounds daiiy is loss to the dealer, at Z cent
per pound We bought the Great Falls lee
Company's ice, and, although we regret 10 saw
it, no man can selIstnat ice in warm, or rather
mot weather, at 50 cents per hundred and
pay his bills. All our customers can testify Of
this. or else tbeir complaints are unjust. The
breakage in canal az neduct compels us, for
about TWO weeks: to team our ice purchased Of
we suffer IN exposure and meltage nearly. il
not quite. four dollars per ton. We hope soon
to retail Boston ice To enable us to retail Ice
at last years rates we reduced the number OF
teams, and worked the harder. But people
complain OF the lateness of the delivery of ice
We must have more teams. thus in creasiueour
expenses, and, as a natural consequence in our
depicted condition must have greater price
This we have determined to do ALI family
custom consulting our own interesi1 we do
not crave, but it is necessity. and no pains on
cur part shall be spared to furnish them as
promptly and faithfully as we should do did
il pay az well. Abuses will arse from extor-
ton and short weight on the part Of drivers
Customers N ust see for themselves that they
are not cheated. For repeated offences I Al
ways discharge employees Weinstruct them
to give full weight: but common sensean a
little reflection will show that ii is worth ten
cents TO call on family with q atwo-norse
team" and two zen, saying nothing about ice
An ordinary load OF ice will melt more than
ten pounds while they are delivering ten
pounds, however agile they may be- Ourrule
from the beginlng has been. and nowls, TO make
ten cents per hundred on all ice sold Ii we
cannot do that. then other hands must peddle
ice rsther than mine. We are satisfied with
that, hut nothing less. In Boston they are now
getting nearly our prices, and in PHILADELPHIA
they get more than we do, notwithstanding in
both OF these cities. from more general use Of
III, they can save Is 10 30 per cent on expense Of
delivery. We have invested in horses over six
teen thousand dollars subject alike as they are to
accident and disease. Ii seems that no reflect
ing man, not controlled by selfshaess, would
OBJECT to paying fair remuneratiye price for an
article SO capficious and wasting as ice Its
.uties are arduous. While Iaany OF those who
complain are locked in the embrace OF "Mor.
pheus, so secure that n CAD fly could not sting
rhfm TO life, we at two O'Clock A. M, are
Qoliogeo 10 commence our work, and often
work unii II rs time they were asleep again.
Disease like CHAMBERS will often deplete whole
stable OF horses in a single month. We are
exposed on every hand, and while using everv
enaeaNor to furnish ice now a necessity Ia
rich ard poor alike. at the lowest possible
price consistent With our creditors interests
and ach5 selling al he old pr.ces. we are assaled
publicly as monopoiists and almost II the same
breath charged with ssincr ca sed price of ice -
! am aware that often honorable anc impartial
journalists are misled by designedly partial or
untrue statements. II when the difficulties
bHHrf "uiCH We i.tDCl, DIS StaloQ ABOVE. are
moved, we find that can make our ten cents
per hundred, and reduce the price we shall
do SO at once. have ever endea vored TO a void
taking any advantage on account OF our uni
ting, and shall ever do so while l have the
care OF This company. 1 will correct any abu-
ses. and bestow all the attention to my custo-
mers now that ever have done while pursn-
ing my ayocatton in competition with others
." w edresday next we shall put on more
teams, when we hope 10 serve all our custo-
mers Early and promptly Certainly l need
not write TO show that people are more upgsne-
rons 10 the ice dealer than any other. Ahuck-
ster in The market, with $500 capital, can an!
does stock m ore money than a a ice dealer with
To,eco capital-iheir prices paid without a
mnr1nur, ours grudgingjy. Yours,
I. T. FOWLER, Superintendent
TIE FAIRIES DUTbONE.-The Princess in
the Fairy Tale. dropt pearls from her mouth
when she opened it, bat whoever uses that
talisnan of science, So-odoaf, will have a
mouthful OF pearls that will never drop out,
darken, or decay. 60