The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-04-27
How American Ice Esrst Went 20
En~lpns2

Under The title Of "Cold Comfort" a
writer in CGsSeiFs Magazine gives inform
alton concerning the ice supply of Eng
land. aud tells how American ice first found
It's way TO that country.
Until the last twenty years even epicures
in England only employed ice us means of
cooling wine before it was decantcd. Grad
ually demand sprang up for ice rs IN ac-
compartment to everything that was drunk
and of many things that were eaten. The
Americans. quick to take advantage of
every means Of increasing their revenues,
immediately set 10 work 10 supply this de-
mand. Their own marvellous beverages
are only compounded of ice. The adoption
OF one OF these -" sherry cobhlers - at
oxford II once caused tremendous de-
m1nd for ice there, which has since con-
tinucd.
he large hotels in London ard elsewhere
throughout the country, finding foreign
visitors unanimously demanding ice ut
every meal. began to extend its use among
EngliShmcn who trequented their coffee
rooms. The latter We're not slow, having
once experienced its grateful effects, to in
troduce Ice At their home meals, and when
they went abroad naturally carried the
taste over the sea with them so that when
hot weather sets i'll we have now learned
regularly to expect n supply of ice. at
breakfast with our butter. at dinner with
our wine and buildings. This evcr-incrcaS-
iu- demand. together with the great quanti-
ties which are now employed to keep fish
and game sweet, or to pack round any
article of domestic consumption that has to
travel many miles by railroad, has, rs might
be expected, created an evcr-growing trade.
Every one who has once been accustomed
TO ice with his meals deems it a hardship
attcrward TO be unable to obtain it !; so that
il j. easy to see what Il tendency to enlarge
even it, present ample proportions is al
WAYS actin. on the trade. An enormous
quantity of ice is used also in all English
towns 10 be pounded into gerating
mixtures for producing ices and icc.crcamS.
4 great deal of ti,is is housed by the con-
iectionerS in thin sheets from any neigh
boring pond whenever frost sets in SUI
licicntly severe 10 make ii worth while 20
break up and collect it: but for the bulk of
The supply. and for all ice which is TO APP
pear on the table, England is dependent On
foreign trade. Two great streams OF this
have in succession st in toward England
one formerly from the West. the other,
which sill continues. from the Mort beast.
Much OF the supply used TO pc obtained
from the Wcnham Lake Company. They
purchased 4 lake Of pure water with the
Surrounding farms 1T Wcnham, about cioh-
teen miles from BoSt on, with which place
they connected i; l,ya railway. From BoS-
ton cargur> were dispatched to different
part Of the world, especially to Liverpool.
| Wcnham Lake. however. WAS speedily
| found too small 10 provide Great Britain
and India with its commodity. The latter
country had been wont to secure thin
| films Of Ice al Il certain time in the year
| from shallow carthen pans. which sold ut
| Calcutta for about SiXucncc per pound ;
| but in 1873 a ship arrived laden with Wen
| ham Lake ice, which, even after paying al
the expenses OF Il long voyage, could be
sold at threcpcmcc sterling per pound, and
was OF excellent quality. This was the
| Gcuut-cou37cr ct IN enormous trade with
| India, which is now carried on, and the
ice thus imported is disposed OF at still
lower rate. Of that exported from Boston
| ONLY small quantity is now sent to Eng
land, India absorbing the rest.
Owing 10 the expenses Of freight. the
Wcnham Lake Company were soon obliged
to yield 10 ice-tiClds nearer England. And
so the Norwegian ice appears to have al
most entirely superseded the true Wen
ham Lake ice, and the proximity OF Nor
WAY t0 icc-conSumin@ countries will no
doubt give il virtual monopoly of
the trade liz Europe. England, however,
continues to be the chief receiver Of Norwe-
"ian ice. though in 1860 several cargoes
were shipped from Norway to Egypt, Spain,
| and Italy. \ lake near Drohak, a small
| lake in the Fjord few miles from Chris
| tiana, furnishes the bulk Of Norwegian ice
| that reaches our shores. Its waters are
very translucent, and tho farms around it
| have been secured in orticr to prevent any
| injurious drainage falling into it. The
stvrchouseS take in during the winter
about II, 900 tons.