New-York tribune., 1871-01-03

HOW MUCH THERE Is OF IT-PROsPECTs OF
THE CROP
The amount of ice which annually passes
through the market R this city is estimated at 0000O0
tuns The greater portion Of this sold for city consum
toD but the suburbs including Brooklyn. Newark, Jer
sey City, and other distant places, Southern and
foreign partially supplied. Formerly ice
table luxury merely now is Of the necessities Of
life Markets. saloons, hotels families packers, grocers
and all others using refrigerators would keeny suffer
without it, This abundanty illustrated in the past
Summer when ice not only scarce, but OF an infe-
rior quality, and held at extrayagsnt prices over
OOOOOO Of capital invested in the business the Enick
eTbocker Company alone hay ing stock Of $1,000 49, the
WashiD gon 81 100000 the National 100000 and private
firms various Speculation likely 10 I'M nence
the market very extensively The greater ice concerns
jealous and dscordan There is as much rivalry
between them in any other business From present
Indications there will be vast depreciation in prices
next Summer The promise of the principal crop, along
the Hudson River excellent But even should that fail,
there is already large and splendid harvest OF fine'
clear ice the Eastern states and in the Canadian dis
tricts. At Stamford NewHayen, and other places IN
Connecticut the ponds frozen seven inches thick At
shakers Village, Mass; about Troy n. Y; Saratoga,
and vicinity, the lakes frozen eight inches thick At
Portland and other points in Maine large quantities OF
lee OF superb quality already cut, which Will vary
misapprehenson the public idea that Nature furnishes
the material and but inconsdcrabe expense is re-
dnl, hard to cut hut troublesome to lit and handle
Ii is also subject to much damage by melting and break
age The mode of procuring supply is: First, to hnd
clear thick, hard field OF ice which Is done by cuthg
and measurement. The space selected is then inclosed
10y a movable fence, which establishes legal ownership
In the route of public travel all these open spaces are re-
qured he safely hridged Canals made through the
poor ice through which to boat down the large cakes
steel tuOthed pow drawn by single horse, ctt groove
about two inches deep Men follow and finish with hand
saws Crow-lrs are used to pry of the cakes, which
then pushed along the canals by poles TO the ice
house where they are broken into pieces OF SIX py 10
inches powerful elevator, operating ike gram eeVa-
tor, then LIFTS them into the soiehouse The elevator Is
adjustable 10 reach any OF the iloor levels various various
kinds of material are used for packing such rs anoIh'
saWdust, chips, etc., but straw Is the best The cean
ness of ice Is most important CONSIDERATIONS oiTit ,
il is tainted with dirt or floating surface refuse rms not
only the appearance and affects its market value
but renders II more Aaole To i1eIt. iIequenu1 ~ % tc
lee Is not solid but spongy as 1t was last year Az Lave
port necessary 30 cut canal through the poor ice
| for "A distance Of nearly two miles ~ ~
when the freezing spells short night work is some
or calcium FIGHTS. such occasions produce striking
scenes the TieG9ns upon he nee nflg Y 3o m no U d a
housing; there must Ue added this the transportation
ping, ncltage &c. usually about 80 per Stacking
Ice when it is done is attended by great risk one
M T voe mass E soon aheneycoinbcd and spoiled
of mclean ice is taken rom ponds, sunken lots, &C. in
city hut it is apt 10 he injurious TO health ana shOud
he cgilly prohibited. The KnickerbOcker Ice Company
have the following houses and capacities; CoHsIGke,
$1,000 tuns New Baltimore, 1900 Athens $500; Ham
sOOJ Turkey Point. 5000; Fatbush 5000; Rbinebeck
1000; EsOpuS, 10000; Staasburg, 10000; Marlboro $500;
New-altz 1900 Clearwater lGO0G Rockland Lake, $1,000
TIE Washington company have the following Kondoht,
10000 Washington and Kingston Points, 2O0C0; Athens,
2OOOs COeymau's % Geo. Glasgow 1900; Milton. lOWU;
extra houses at other points increase this total The N-
tonal have "a storage capacity of 10000 tons Beside
these are many other houses either leased or owned by
the several companies. ON the kcnDcbec River, III
Maine the folio ing: Haowcl, $4,000; FarnIngdalc,
$4,000; Pttston 9OOU Dresden $4,000; Gardiner 10000;
Richmond $1,000; Bath 200QO BOOthbay 4O,pJJ. Ire
Consumers Ice Company, formed this season. has an
immense house at West Camp, on the Hudson II II 400
hy 200 feet dlmcnsiOs and has capacity Of 7OhO
tons They have three new baTgcs of 500 tons each An
idea Of the magnitude OF the operations OF these c9npa
MES inferred from the fact that they employ %
barges steamers $50 wagons 400 horses and nearly 600
men A moderate quantity Of stock has been gathered
IN Maine. Eeyen-inch ice is Oifred on board vessels
there S. The iccmen here think that their
present viii hold out until the Hudson River crop
harvested, and that throughout the season there Will
be great competition and small prices.