Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1868-02-24

WAsHISGToN AND GEoRGErowN leg Con-
PAEY.-The card Of he Great Falls Ice Com
pany calls for reply TO the charges made
against us. We shall commence IL by stating
facts that are fresh in the minds OF the commu-
NIFTY, or that can be proved by documentary or
other Indispensable evidence. On January 18TH,
Ieo3, we received from the two leading ice deal
ers I'm Boston, kilograms stating that the pros
Pect was THAI their crops would be so small
thaf they would be unable 10 furnish the trade
I'M supply. In consequence of this we
opened nfgesial2ps with the Great Fails Go.
or their Ice. oferinr. under ample security, to
take it net ied, paying ISf ~ OF y, "net,er
taken or not. They declined this offer, as also
one that we should take theirs and "a ~ sup an
equal quantity of Northern ice, giyin. eueto-
mers their choice. Thinking We could o.
tain the requisite supply from no other
source, except at high rates, we entered
INTO the only agreement "a which they oould
consent, viz: that we should not purchase
from any other person or company, for sale or
use in the District, any ice, so long as they
should continue to furnish and supply Ice I'M
der this contract" We were obliged TO enter
into bonds OF twenty thousand dollars to carry
out these terms. No promise, either written or
oral, was ever asked for, looking 10 the inter-
ests of the consumers, either in prices or
prompt delivery. Their terms regarded their
own payment and the compulsory sale of then
ice only.
Is not the inference from this Irresistible.
that they were determined to drive Northern
ice from the market, snd force their own FIX
opinion a comparison would be- fatal 70 the
latter
Which party appears a. the mouOplists, those
who offrr or those w no refuse their customers
n choice, and require heavy bonds 10 preyenl
others from doing so
So great was ths public dissatisfaction with
the ice supplied BY us under TIM contract, that
IN July we seriously contemplated paying the
penalty IN the bond and letting their ice-the
InteLioenteT called II slush-melt, rather than
longer endure the complaints which were pour
ing in upon us from our customers and the
press. But as this in yolNed a loss OF $4,000
we did not feel able 20 do so, aud the ace con-
sumers in the District suffered the conseq ucn-
ces. Will they be likely this year voluntarily
10 use the ice that their and our necessity, yield
ing TO the hard terms CT the Great Fails Com
pany, could scarcely force upon them laSJ
year
That the rates at which that ice was sold were
high we then freely admitted, but our book
Will prove that owing 10 its perishable natur,
they were barely sufficient 10 save US from los
That he never sold II as northern ice, our
repPated public announcements and written
comm nications abundanily testify.
Our experience of last year led Us 70 deter
mine that under no circUnstanees We aid ~.
again buy sell Potomac ice. r-h,s ,,sT q,
shall supply northern ice only. fscn, yon,,sssr
10 twenty inches thlc.&, ard ali OF parrst ousi-
ity. Through our efforts esssurae.s are oi,.re,
cholce between thss northern and p ytorac
ice, winch last year tho contract with the raa
fals company derIed them VI. have ne
oouot What wii' be the decision of those who
rememoer V'e'r past experience. For a sale
we rely upon the quality and rrice OF our ics
aiohe. Az the public exam inc AZ and Judge.
q. 1. MCCLELLAN. President
J.. j. MIDDLETON
t. FOWLER, Directors.
WALTER Cooley, \