New-York tribune., 1870-10-06
The ICE QUESTION.
mouth Church

ORGANIZATION OF A Consumes COMPANY-Ho-
TEL PROPRIETORS MOVING.
The story of the origin ana progress of the Ice.
Consumers organization, is most complicated one In
the early partof the year Mr. French Of French Hotel
making arrangements with the Washington leo
Company OF this city for supplying his establishment
with TIE bookkeeper of the Company calling at the
hotel agreed in the presence Of witnesses TO furnish ice
for So up the 1st Of Jnne, and from the 1st Of
June to theist of December for 50 90 tun Itice be-
scarce the price shall be = from June 70 Decom-
Der 1870 This circumstance especially notable in
view Of the fact that the Washington Company shortly
after attempted to raise the price OF ice TO so tun aoa
keeper had authority make the contract, and dis
charged him because he would De obstinate as 10 in
sist that ne was authorized by the officers ~ the Com
pany do just what he had DONE Mr. French refused To
pay he extortionae price demanded and attempted to
obtain ice from the other Companies, but y an evident
understanding with the Washington COM pany, 1t a
ths demands made bV the CompaHV 1oyi3. his bfls
under protest He has taken legal adyic the subject
tho year. when he VIII attempt recover by process OF
aw every cent over the original price ezGcted fsom him
by the Washington COmIany.
The Washington Company, when cillad on BY re-
matter and assert i6at Mr. Fii9 Fsanch has never
made any contract With them, and thai all his
allegations are untnae. They lay the blame of
negspapers and charge that If the newspapers had but
held their peace and not informed the rusal mind OF
Maine @ as to The grea increased value Of ee the hold
price; the COMPANY could have bought it at 81 tun.
shipped it fos 81 so tun, and general pee aud plenty
plain that they E-sve been abused like pck-p6ckeis.
although they Tese formed as an antiAonOpois Asso
Mr.. French mas up his mind that it was time for the
large consumers OF ice to protect themselves against
sumers' Ice Company formed. They to have
been rather unfortunate in ther undertaking. thus far
After q long search for proper site, Round Lake,
Orange Co., " " selected The statements OF tho
Company that the Erie Railway agreed transport
tie ice to NewYor City at re asonabe rates but when lie
time for SIGNING the contracts came they had alEo-
duced the proviso that the Company must guarantee 20
scnu down lOOO3 tuns and freight be Dalu
for that quantity without regard TO tie real quantity
refused TO allow tie use Of the ferries and woNd only
transport the ice to Jersey City, This tn 1st OF
graphed 70 come the city and sign the papers
moTcment told Mr. FIX &nt he had he ri S vas aS
excelen business man aud very quick IN the execution
or all financial matters, but he imagined thai bs On-
ises and obligations mast pass quickly through his
nlnd that they lett 10 Impression tb're.' .,,,
The officers Of the Erie Railway state toat they h&d
consented Ia build branch road l3 MI IN lcnstn'
from Round Lake TO Monroe station the cs company ai-
themselves by freightng their ice free OF charge unl
the debt paid, the amount Of fregAt being estimated
nounced that they would carry the Se only TO Jersey
City, and that when the Ice Company discovered 'ha' 20
pay the ferage would increg tAer expenses about 10
cents tun, they desired the a he eryi oats This
the Railway Company objected -, lnasnUch @0 ICE.
carts crossing and recrossng the river daily would NJ
their boats continually ana drive away paAlng business
They also say that they could not undertake to build
branchrOad buy and Eake all necessary pcpaa-
tons when the Company would not pOsltiNely SuiLah-
! tee to transport single tuA Of ice on the road
Notwithstanding ali the confusion in which cary ope-
rat ons OF the Company involved it Is eydrbt that
it work in earnest, and Is already tie cause 81 m9ch
| meaSincss 10 the monepolist Organizations. hGmb.r
OF the principal hOtclktepers ot tie city nave net IN
the movement ana doubt when the entertr, i iuy
established, It's promoters Will n.d plenty ~ encoufas
ment and support. Great CIucully was az hiet tAlF,
enced in inducing hotel-keepers, me2tpachers, ana
other large OF ice 10 join IN the noN eme. as
they feared that their supply o ice would be cat on by
| the muuOpCll,t companies. Ihc company is now ihiy
organized under the laws Of this Sta', with capital OF
$2jOOO0, with the privilege OF increasing the amount 10
100000 The supporters OF the Company de are that
they stand ready 10 eNpend millions lcOre the attempt
shall be failure. Those who hold stock I'm Til Comp y
which shall yield 81 prot 10 the Company. IL
| will be retailed TO outsiders at reasonable ra,Is
Land has been purchased nc a point on he liudson
| opposite Germantown, few miles above CatSAlu. 1
undertaking Is attended with considerable expense,
The cost blasting has already exceeded the total COST
of the land and tie grading Will probably reach trto
times that sum- An icehOuso 100 hy 400 ee Is building.
with M the necessary machinery, every part oi which -
duplicated, that no accident can delay the NOfA 0i
storing. Tie house Will hold 60OO0 tuns, when VII
probably all be bought up even before 1t Is stolS
Everything TO be In readiness Tor the beginning OF no
work December 25, 1870. The ice will be shipped TO lms
| city IN barges by way OF the Hudson. Inc company
feel confident of success. Their appliances VIII an 70
new and in good order. They have the sympathles OF
the public with them they believe and claim thAt 'eS
| have unlimited capital at their command. -,
They knickerb0cker Company which has abSoroea
almost all the smaller dealers paying IN one case ooh
of S2000O0 TO ice dealer pretends 10 regard lhe
yoment without the least anxiety, say ing, IL VIII
probably fall into hands In year or two ~,
The officers Of the new Ice Company are H. FRENCH
ident; Samuel Hawke, EicePresdcni, ana william -,
Earle, Treasurer The Trustees are A. D. Darilns7 rnu
Avenue Hotel; Samuel Hawks, ST. Nicholas Hotel CAS-
sius G. Read, Hoffman House; Wlnh ,I NJ Il hii0 -
Circulars issued recently purporlng 10 CoiaSe
from the Consumers Company, bearing the nSmo ..
Mr. Burrows The Everett House Presideht' ~ was
at first supposed that there had been some dsse,ou
the ranks Of the original Company, nu u S nov no" -
cred that Mr.. Burr0Nss name WAS used W'huul P'-''
! sion. and that the soealled COMPANY WAS opS