The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-03-30
THE ICE QUESTION.
FAILURE OF THE ICE CROP IN THE
NORTH ANB WEST.

-The Manufacturers Of New Orleans Able
In weather the summer, ana No
FEAR for the Crescent City.
The Future Great City. better known MS St.
Louis, has recently. through the enterprise Of
some OF its papers. originated real. live sem
sutton, something which would affect the rich
and the poor. the sick and the we'll alike. and
may yet have more stimulating effect on sher-
Ev eobblers. mint iuleps and other like delica-
cies than would full-blown Mofrett register
law.
The paper In question put 1t UP with head
ings such as these. Costly Coolness," Ice
Water will be an Expensive Luxury this Year, !"
and ",rhe Supply Very Light and the Price
Very High etc.. all OF which was followed by
an article nearly q column in length showing
that the mild winter there apdin the West had
been anything but productive of healthy ice
crop.
The inference from the article Is that the
dealers there. generally. will advance rates to-
morrow from So to $40 per ton. and make ad
xiitional advances during tho summer. one por-
tion Of the report mentioning that the manu-
featured GOODNESS CONCEALED here from Misss
sippi river water might e In demand there.
Desiring to obtain all the information obtain
able as to the stock, probable consumption, etc,
In this city, in order to lay the facts before the
patched to make the necessary Inquiries. Our
representative fret called upon Dir. Dugazon.
president Of the Louisiana Ice Company, for
the purpose OF Obtaining this gentleman' 3
opinion OF the failure of the Ice crop in the
North and West. and also what effect this
sson his beo hat Tie
will be very short for this season and that the
sale # Loai lana Ice will be much better this
There has always existed among our people
acertain prejudice against the article Manufac.
tured by this CONF nny. because the ice was sold
eeauently melted more readily than the larger
blocks received from the North.
" This Inconvenience has been done away with
thanks 10 the patient researches and skill of
Mr., Michaels, an employee Of the company,
who has devised an apparatus by which solid
blocks q pure, clear. TRANSPARENT ice of one
hundred pounds and over, are made
In answer to tho reporters inquiry whether
sufficient preparations have been made TO meet
the INCREASED demand. Mr. Dugaz,n said that
will be manufactured for our markes.
Mr.. Dugazon stated that the Louisiana Ice
manufactured in their establishment to the the
Crescent City Ice Company ut u fair price. the
quantity not being mentioned.
somewhat higher Than last year. L now w1 sells
at from sl2 to sla per ton--.Nsrthern Ice SIC to
VT, Whet1sr the failure OF the Ice crop in the
will depend on certain circumstances which
cannot be clearly foreseen.
by reason Of Improvement to apparatus and
machinery. will be able to furnish all the ice
needed fol-, the New Orleans market. He is
confident that the factory will manufacture
some 80 900 tons next year..
Thanking Mr. Dugazon for his valuable In
formation, the reporter withdrew. and went to
Exchange Alley. to examine the blocks Of ice
manufactured by the new process. He was
clearness, weight and conpactnsss compare
faYorably with the best quality Of Northern Ice
The next call was upon the representative Of
the New orleans Ice Company. at their new
streets. Just put up by Nevada Jones. Mr., L. j.
Gorom was In charge; and when, questioned
s Of Ice G IN hs su S6 darns
the summer. The entire failure Of the crop in
the West would cut 9ff large source OF supply
ish. THOSE here g would have their capacity
tested to meet the local demands. The New
Orleans conpanys works, was making but
being made. When they were completed the
tons per day. ali Of which would be taken up in
this market. They have no stock on hand at
present. He did not think there would be
what might be called an ice famine here. but
per ton higher than last year. and they would
probably 60 still higher.
Our representative next paid visit to the
and IS Front street. where Mr. H. Gamotis. the
secretary of that company, In reply, to various
questions propounded. stated in substance that
his company had contracted for every pound of
Ice that could be made during the season by
the Louisiana Ice Company. add ing that owing
70 the shortness OF the crop IN the North and
West the supply from the latter quarter that
usual comes here by barge. would be entirely
cut off, necessitattng work both night and day
he foa n the cv would
amount to about 600 tons during Il season,
with ordinary weather. but should the summer
to as 900 TONS AS to the stock held by his com
pany. Mr.. Gamotis stated that 1t would not. all
told. exceed 5000 tons. and. although he did not
he did not think the total stock in the city
would exceed 5000 or 1000 tons. and he did not
think the Louisiana Company's works could
make over 5000 or 1000 tons.
There was, he stated, no possible chance of
getting any from the Western lakes or rivers.
rs ali that gathered would hardly supply the
Consequently they must depend for all they got
here from abroad fol-. that which came by sea
had one schooner laden with 500 tons. already
on the way. and another was ready to load with
600 tons. and other shipments would be ordered
Our reporter here inquired as to the proba-
bility OF an advance in prices. Mr.. Gamnts re-
plying that freight rates had been advanced
ton in Boston. Then" said he. take into con
SiueIdllOu tiiS mSlLluR. WHICH Is lully Az per
cent on the voyage. ana with an additional melt
Ing OF from 10 to 20 per cent. according to the
temperature in handling here. and you see
there is not SO much profit in it as many sup
pose; In several eargoes. say amounting to
the 'meltage' would be II 900 tons"
The prices here last season. he said were s12
to SIS for the ice manufactured here. and SIS for
the Boston ice. and that, is what we have been
selling for this season. but I cannot say how
long those prices vii remain. Our board of
directors establish the prices and we sell as
they direct.
An inquiry was made then as to the retail
trade amounts shipped in sacks ETC.. Mr. Ga
motifs replying that the river trade was very
light; that last year they put up with sawdust
sacks containing 100 pounds each at 81 25, and
this year they had cha ged an advance OF %
cents. but the trade was very light. as we're the
sales to steamboats,. as they carried from here
but enough to last them to Vicksburg and
there supplied their ice. box to last them to
Memphis; that at all Of the river towns ice
houses had been put up, even at the smaller
ones. and the result was that where once there
was good trade nothing at all was done now.
EOut interrogation asked as to the cOmpetitiOn