, 1875-05-09


, Stone Lake. Laporte County, Indiana, is sceu
Of busy industry. It is from oil the waters
t ! this beautiful lake that Mesars. Mark {
l Thompson l. Co. annually store their inmenH
stock OF ice for the refreBhment Of Chicag
, and Southern cities during the heated term
Clear as crystal, and pure as the uever-failin
springs which fill the lake, are the CLASSY block
l packed carefully away to be taken ont in 8um
mer, with scarcely rounded edge. It was owe
thirteen years ago that Mr. Mark 8. Thompso
!. ! and James e. Thompson became engaged in til
business Of cutting and storing ice, but it va
not until the year 1869 that the brothers ayaile
themselves OF the splendid opportunity onere.
that vicinity by securing control OF the ice-de1d
there located. Tho wisdom Of their choice ha
been fully Demonstrated by the steadily in
: creasing demand for their ice, ant
from 4 comparatively Buau beginning thei
business has Increased to such an extent tt,a
they have been obliged to erect additional store
houses at various favorable points. the priuci
pal localities, besides Stone Lake, being Gea
Lake, also in Laporto County, Ind, AMI at Lake
Wlnnebago, Wisconsin.
The past SEASON, as the shuddering citizens o1
Chicago hive been too ofson, forced to realize
has been moderately favorable for the formation
Of ice, and consequently tho present stock o1
that commodity secured at Stone Lake is both
large aud excellent, and the firm find themseIvs,
we'll prepared to furnish tho finest quality o1
ice in quantities to suit the people. The ex.
tent OF the present years crop may be
adequately judged from the fact that On the 23d
OF March last the firm had in store about 43, 900
tons, aud had stored and shipped for other par
tiesfabout 19, 600 tons, making an aggregate Of
$1,000 tons. Nearly all the ice consumed in the
City Of Vincennes ia supplied by this firm, and
they also ship largely to Louisville and Evans-
Vile.
As in former years. the ice for their city trade
will be ahlpped to Chicago via the Lake Shore Il
Michigan Southern Railroad, and upon it's IT
rival here Ii switched upon their slde track and
1oaded into their distributing wagons. They
also have various city depots, which are situated
On Twelfth street at the Lake Shore l. Michigan
Southern crossing, st Nos. 81 and SO North Alay
street, 2443 and 245 Twcnty-sixth street, and at
tho corner Of North franklin and Pearson
stseetB It will readily be seen that these locali-
ties sre most convenient for people who mny
! wish to haul their own ice, which market and
milk men often prefer to do.
| To transact tho firms city business about
I fifty msn are employed, and during the summer
! months seventeen wagons are kept constantly
running. Thesa wagons Aro OF uniform size
and pattern are furnished with platform springs
and are ail made in Cincinnati, and, Of cour9o,
are the best and strongest that can be procured
With their gayly-painted Rides representing an
ice-cutting scene they arc familiar and welcome
objects to our citizens during the heated term
The process Of daily distribution Of ice COM
mehces at about 8 o'clock in the morning, when
the wagons are losded at their depot in the Lake
street, and almost tho first sound which break
tue silence Of our summer mornings is tho
heavy rumbling Of those ponuorous wagons,
whose contents twelve hours later ere to cool
the fevered heads and palates OF our inhabitants
during the hot MONDAY.
JAMES P. SMITH 4 CO.
Ice, formerly regarded ss delicious luxury
has now come to bo positive necessity to
metropolitan American life. The article was
delivered here in primitive way az early as
1847, at which time one-horse wagon supplied
the North. South, and Woet Divisions OF the
city. In earlier days, with an inferior populs-
tion and fewer stately walls to enclose hot and
oftentlnes dusty streets, there was OF course
less need and demand for Ice in large quantities.
Messrs. James P. Smith l. Co. haYo been en- !
gagged in the ice traffic for the last twenty years.
These gentlemen bare left no means untied to |!
build up and increase the business so prosperous-
y begun, and the best standard BY which to
Judge of thelr success Is their present heavy
trade and Weu-earned reputation. These years !
bove placed them among the most euterprising
and successful ice dealers in the Northwest, aud ]
their excellent stock and fair prices must enable
them to retain such position. The ice sold by
the firm is cut in several choice localities, among
which are Lake Calumet, Calumet River, Batavia,
Illinois, and Fond du Lao, Wisconsin The ice
houses owned by the gentlemen aro large
md numerous, and would, il collected, form
f.-~t@oA9 NoAA%AJ fA4hbH. 4ue4 AI0 40EHk9u !
as follows: Three On the shores Of Lake Catu-
met, and IN equal number On the Calumet River
one in the For River Valley between Geneva and
Batavia, Ill. built in si1 SECTIONS; one IN thu
town OF Riverside; ono In the City OF Fond du
Lac, Wls., and si1 in Chicago, five Of which are
% Indiana avenue near Sixteenth street, and
he other at the foot Of Ellis avenue. The latter
vas erected during the present season, and was
'ulls e1pressaly to accommodate the inhabitants
It the most southerly PORTIONS Of the city, and !
Ilso residents Of the Village OF Hyde Park. All
hose houses are 30 located ss to be accessible
Q some one OF the many railroads centering in
3hicago; hence the facilities OF the firm for
promptly filling outside o11e1s arc most excel
ent. ]
The capacity OF thcse houses is about 5000 |
ons. The ice is from 20 to 28 inches thick, and
clear and solid. They employ about sixty :
zen, and have constantly in use during tha
Iarm season twenty-five heavy ice wagons
'hich may ba easily known sinceal are painted
7hite.
The ohices Of the firm are at Rooms 8, 4, and
40 Monroe street, and 786 Indiana avanue.
WADHAMs. WILLARD & co, .
The Oldest firm in the ice business in Chicago
J that Of Wadhams, Willard / Co., whose Office {
) In Superior Block. This concern has been