The New York herald., 1872-07-11
THE ICE PANIC.
e fmG~-sIx%
Why the Supply Was stopped-Breaking Of the
Companies Engines-Nearly One Million
Dollars Loss to the Meat and Fish
Dealers-No Fear for the Future.

Forced In upon the general alarm OccasiOned by
the remarkable prolOngatOn of the season Of exces
sive heat and the continuation OF the daily record Of
an alarming number of deaths by sunstroke, there
came yesterday the really appalling declaration
that the supply OF ice had been
CUT OFF FROM
New York, Brooklyn and Jersey City, and there was
altogether too much ground for the declaration to
enable any one to lessen the general fear in that
regard SO far as the days developments were con-
cerraA.
During several Of the days last past many of the
hotels, dining and larger boarding houses had
been very seriously incommOded by the late ar
rival OF fee each day, and by the decreased supply
when 1t did arrive. This condition Of very general
scarcity and delay continued until yesterday, when
instead OF an Improvement in time of delivery and
quantity delivered there was, in multitude OF
cases,
NO DELIVERY OF ICE AT ALI.
At first, and until nearly noon, the in
quiries as to the cause were confined to ascer-
tanning whether neighboring slaughter houses,
hotels dining and drinking saloons and pr
vate residences were in. like predicament, and
when it became generally known that nearly all
were in trouble from the same cause anxiety grew
to positive alarm and the cry for Information as to
the cause increased. Reporters for the HERALD
were sent to the various central depOts of the
more extensive ice companies, and the following
facts were made Known
The officers of the Knickerbocker Company were
found perspiring freely over their ice, and time
would permit they gave the following account Of
the
FAILURE TO DELIVER
so far as their establishment was concerned. In
to general inquiry the PRINCIPAL ser
time, had very seriously depleted , our
the Fourth of July. On that day we had, OF course
calls for extraordinary quantities, but, despite all
the Inducements held out to them, very large
number Of our men positively declined to work on
that day. Had they been willing to work, as we
expected to have been able to induce them to do,
1900 tons which, because of their refusal to work,
we did not even receive from the upthe- Hudson
stores This OF course very greatly lessened our
scarcity and delay OF the past few days, so far
this company Is concerned. Then, this morning,
barges with ice, we received Information by tele-
graph that the tug by which the barges were to have
the morning delivery had
BROKEN HER ENGINE
and, therefore, twelve barges laden with Ice were
unable to come to our aid. This, of course, placed
us In position of inability to deliver, and the
sequence Is the alarm which has spread through
out this city, Brooklyn and Jersey City. Az soon
however, as the disabling of the tug was known We
sent up
TWO ADDITIONAL TUGS;
and now, so far as this company Is responsible for
the supply OF this and the other cities named, we
feel confident that the day after tomorrow FRI
traordinary demand. We had stored between
EIGHT AND NINE HUNDRED THOUSAND TONS,
and have all the supply that can possibly be re-
quired. The late scarcity and delay and the almost
entire st0ppage which occurred to-day were beyond
our control, but not occasioned by any scarcity
either existing ieared at the storehouses up the
Hudson In fact, the extended term of extreme
heat and the accident named has already caused a
loss of more than $4,000 to the company, for the
wi Vhaf
been almost entirely cut OF; and then another in
jury has been occasioned by the fact that we have
peen opugsu ~ WIZ vur iioises rom tnrec a. M
horses and sickened many men,"
Mr.. M. @. Leonard, President OF the Washington
houses and establishments other than hotels, in
which large quantities are used. sad:-
srATEMENr 0P PRESIDENT LEONARD.
"The supply In the storehouses Is amply sum-
cient, and the means for its transportation in
control and In that OF the other companies are
under ordinary conditions ampiS Sufficient for fur
nshing all tue Ice required. both
MEN AND HORSES ARE BROKEN DOWN.
order ord to to supply even % the Quantity we nave sun.
piled we have been forced TO use the express COM
panies. gentleman was here a few minutes ago
quantity OF ice he had
FORTY THOUSAND DOLLARS WORTH OF NEAT
ber Of others in the same business who now re-
quire eight ten, twenty, forty, fifty and some Of
them even one hundred tons per day. or they viii
lObe u pIOpOf hoHooo nuutooT VI tuOusauuS vi uO-
lars and at present they cannot get It; therefore
the loss to them Is enormous.n
The entire crop OF Ice gathered for this season
was from one million to
ONE MILLION TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND ToNs.
Only nfty per cent OF the quantity gathered, how
ever, be delivered, 80 great is the loss through
melting and breakage.
The present condition and prices compare with
the short-supply season Of as follows and there
Is no occasion for increase In price through fear Of
scarcity y-n 1870, SIS per ton; In 1872, 81 so per
ton. Retail--to families, Y cent per pound; to
trade, 4 cent per pound, to hotels. Is cent per
p0un0,s