The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-04-29
AN ICE COMBINATION.
THE FATE OF 100000 TONS OF ICE,
How the Companies Intend to Enrich Them.
selves During the Coming Season.
The Sum Of 100000 Out of the
Pockets Of the People.
IS THERE A MEDY?

The price OF ice is to be raised The companies
furnishing this commodity to New York consumers
have come to an understanding" which means
combination to raise the price from fifty cents for
100 pounds to sixty cents, that is an advance Of
ten cents per 100 pounds to families, and In whole
sale quantities from thirty to thrty-fve cents,
when measured by the ton from So 50 to So. There
Ia no written agreement to this effect, as an ice
oficial informed HERALD reporter yesterday;
only an understanding" AS this advance con-
Germs nearly o million and q half Of consumers
In New York and Brooklyn II not more flor Ice Is
the most democratic as well as the cheapest OF
cOmmodities), 1t IS worth while to glance at the
general features OF the trade In order to
place the ice situation more fntelligibly
before the reader. To begin with, America
ID the only great Reproducing country
of the world, and New York is the greatest ice
market Ice Is ''laid up" in small quantities In
Norway, but in no other land is there any attempt
to preserve and move the natural substance. In
England, France, Italy, and indeed throughout
Southern Europe ice is manufactured by machin-
cry and frozen in bottles for the elegant con-
sumner, who, with money and leisure can SIT on
the velvet cushions OF some gorgeous cde ana cool
his absynthe or dilute his vermouth with water
contained in these GARAGES. But, naturally, the
consumption Is not large, because every square
inch has its value, and must be paid for accord
ingly. A machine with which can be manufactured
aity tons OF ice per day, costs about $4,000 Thus
1t will be perceived that ice machinery in not q
cheapener In the business in this country, because,
to produce the 100000 tons OF ice annually con-
suned in New York, 1t would cost an enormous
sum Of money.
THE FOREIGN ICE TRADE
OF the United States Is still very imperfecty deve
sped; In fact it is not developed at all. TO export
Ice foreign country, for instance in the tropics,
Is always monopoly. and the right is sold by the
State to the company agreeing to furnish the COM
modify. It VIII be seen from this fact that the
great companies OF the Union do not rely upon the
chief cities for their CUSTOM but have considerably
patronage In foreign ports-more or less perllous,
1t is true because of the ephemeral character OF the
merchandise and Its destroying contact with hot
climates. This is one reason why the Ice business
of the United States is still in very undesiraby
crude condition. 1t has never risen to Its natural
magnitude, that u.s. to the proportions 1t should as
sumo when the constant demands OF the consumers
at home and abroad are considered.
IN THE UNITED STATES
the organized commerce Is confined to the Atlantic
rivers. and to many OF the interior lakes OF New
York State and New England. On the Pacific
slope the consumers obtain much OF their ice rom
Sitka but during recent years the ice bottles OF
Paris are becoming the mode In san Francisco In
the Southern States the seaboard alone Is fur
nished, and the interior populations are obliged to
use their refreshing brooks and streamlets But
throughout the Northern and western States each
the Winter. claws it up and sells for an average
Of twelve cents per 100 pounds.
seaboard is put down at ss,oooooo, and If the in
guiry be extended to cover the entire Continent 1t
tSi IN the
To repeat, New York consumes the enormous
s SIX MuSpREp THOUSAND TONS OF ICE ANNUALLY;
yet these figures represent but one-half OF the
actual quantity Of Ice brought TO this island, be-
melting before the bulk finally reaches the con-
sumers. Thus, with ice at So ton the companies
lose by waste the sum Of s., SOC, 900 every year.
Their operations along the coast are by no means
as extensive as they are in the CITY, and with their
united capital OF S. 200 900 1t does not appear that
over 100000 Of tons are annually "aid up"
THE CONDITIONS OF A LARGE ICE CROP.
its delivery IN this city and ITS until IL
reaches the consumer, are quite peculiar The sue
cessful supply depends:-
Ftrst-On a cold Winter.
ISecOnI-On cheap labor.
Third-On light SHOWS.
FOIrtn-On direct relations with the consumer.
wnser M has sn Seen Tery favorable one for
the gathering In Of ce but that the labor has been
forty per cent higher consequent upon the heavy
and almost perpetual SHOWS which have impeded
transportation thrown back the season OF deliv-
cry, and therefore raised the price Of the COM
The n.odus operands may be briefly stated. The
ice for the Knickerbocker Company, for example,
at its various stations along the Hudson the first
cost it should be understood, Is nothing, but 1t is
maintaining the houses and In employing the labor
that large capital Is required. This company owns
thirry-nine barges, and each Of them can receive
cargo varying from 500 to 1000 TONS Some OF these
barges are very capacious, consisting OF con-
demned "double-enders," ssld at public auction
by the government. Among them Is the re-
nowned Sasacus which encountered the rebel
ram In North Carolina waters during the naval
operations in the south Atlantic. When the con-
sumers demand ice the company telegraphs for
certain quantity; the barges are ireighted, ana
come down the North River and discharge I'M
mediately. No further storage takes place IN New
York, as every time ice Is moved the waste 10 ex-
traordinary. 1t is then farmed out to the custom
ers come to that high-priced class OF go-betweens,
s'thc Independent dealers" and to the various re-
tail ice merchants. In all these operations more
than five thousand men are employed by the
Knickerbocker Company, and in the general trade
the figures estimated at 10000.
The Ice men state that no better idea or the ex-
tent of the business OF the different companies can
be given than by scrutinizing their capital, OF
which the following Is a statement
knickerbocker $Z,WWWU
Mutual Benefit IoUUO
National $4,000
zoNW
Newark city, Observation-Disclosures. 10000
Other and minor companies. $4,000
Anderson, Gage Co. (Boston) and the Tudor 80 600
Enckerbocker philadelphia. ............... l000,000
Other Philadelphia companies. .......... -. 5U0,00O
Eighteen companies on the Kennebec ......... 10000
On the Penobscot. 5000
The shipments of these COMPANIES to foreign
countries do not begin to equal the home con-
sumption, and the large export trade is carried
by the Tudor Company, OF Boston, which ships to