New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-12-26
OUTLOOK EOR THE ICE CROP.


AN ABUNDANT HARVEST in MAINE.
,,ut,oN Am HALF TONS TO BE CUT ON THE
PTYoBsCOr ANDKENNEBt C--MAGNTUDE or ThE
AnuRICAN ICE IRADE-FOREIGN COMrETilIoN
NOT FEARED.
TFRoM Az OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT or THE rRIHuNE'I
BANGOR. Me-, Dec. 1S.-The icemen OF
Name had good uck this past season ara sod lu!p
million tons of product bringing into the state
about a million and half Of dollars, perhaps more
They are again making preparations for housing an
enormous quantity of The prospect Is that l5OOOOo
tons will be cut and the present winter The work
has already begun both the Kenneo,c and the PeuOD
SCOT on ten OF the finest Ice that ever brought
comfort to swelterDg humanity in the torrid days of
July.
The business is new on the Penohscot Hardy DOCK
OF lee had tor shipment before last winter Inc
warm weather in the West they cal It here thal Is
to sag along the ana in Pennsylvania, last WIN
fer called out the cemtn mere, and they cut about
100000 tons for shipment winch, during he summer,
they disposed Of at large profits There Is lc prospect
at present making the handsome cams OF last season.
because the reports from the Hudson are not ehcouraS
ng to the Maine cemen but every finn IN the business
on the Penobscot VIII lds years cut, and sew
era new firms have started to cut for expectation
The Penobscot River Company, the Arctic Company,
Sargent q sons Frost & Lord and Smith. Woodbury.
& Co. VIII each cut over 1900 tons;
Dale. Wiswell ~ CO., Barstow Co.,
and he Eltaldu Company will store 10000 tons each;
f. H. & H. Rollins and ". c. Putnam, 5000 tons each
and William Engcl aud \. H. r ocock 5000 tons each.
These firms are an young and utuslastc and viii cut
their quotas hs winter regardless Of what - done on
the Keubcc They VIII take the Zee OUT OF the river IN
the vicinity Of Bangor and Brewer, TWO miles be ow.
o. the Keunebec, the IL. are bn,lly at work but
their cut VIII depend the advices they receive from
tue West" Last winter the advices were favorable,
and they collected every idle workman they could fud
in the gnb0rhoOd of Bath aud cut aud stored for snip
ment 100000 The urore Was 20 great that every
shpyard was raided sawdust pack the with
An extent never known before Mash hay, used the
same purpose, rose from 50 ton IN value 10 $40. And
40 many were called of from the cutting Of fuel in the
woods thar several localities have suffered since on ac-
count OF the high price of codwOod THIS year the ice
men are disposed he Tore conservative. The only
large ihat will cut mucn as Usual is the Phia
delphia Knckerbocker which depends on Maine as a
source OF supply Il stored 100000 tons year and
Will cut AZ much This year, II not more. They
cut every year in good many places along
the KenneDec River and they also have ponds at North
Boothbay the coast where they cut for cur
rent use during the winter. At those ponds they take
the blocks out OF the water and shoot them directly
down an inclined plane 10 the ships that lie there load
ing. The NewYork KnickerbOcker, which came up o
Maine last year and bought several houses at Richmond
with them to exc out the short supply on the
Hudson will do cutting. but the extent Of 1t de-
ponds on the weather in New-YOrk State. few days
ago they orders to Richmond, few miles above
Bath TO do anything AT present but to wait until
later III the b. W. & II. f. Morse of Bath, cut
largely year ago and Will do the same this winter
Their business il largely with the Gulf states and is
independent that extent OF the ither in NewYork
They handled during tue 900 tons Of ice
The Arctic Company will probably repeat its cut OF
"a 900 tons This concern also does largo business
with the South and the West Indies At Bowdoinham
there six seven small companies which will store
10000 tors in all.
1t costs to cut lee these from IA to %
cents a ton 90 cents to load 1t vessels, and about
81 so to freight market. The ghts vary great
DEAL however, according TO the supply Of shipping. In
the early part Of the SUMNER the Arctic and other
panles obliged to telegraph to Europe frequently
to charter ships for this trade, many vessels coming
across the Atlantic in ballast to take cargoes TO New
York City and the South. Ice selling at from 80 TO
rs ton, laden on board the vessels the Kenne
bee, but the frelghts were high So ton,
times "a Later ia the season IA ice rose IN value the
supply OF shipping larger, and fieghts dropped
from "a TO - %. So. 81 So aud finally to 81
the price of Ice going up, however, Teciprocaly
aud rapidly, and ending mouth or two ago at 80 ton
The first lot, which sold az high S. sent
New. York by tho Arctic Company The New-York
buyers of the n rst two cargoes oil 1000 tons
eacl at that price unfortunately lost about
II 800 on each cargo, account OF IA 1uctuation In
values which took place before the vessels in
port; nut nat was an eScepilonal experience Nearly
all who dealt in tho commodity the last part OF the
made handsome thing out Of IL. and con-
that be named made fortunes They all sold
clean Their profits stirred the good people
Name amazingly, and this winter several trims
who vessels and sail them in general
trade on their own account are contern plating
embarking III the lee business "a new field OF
operation. number OF vessels building while
do part OF tho frelgntng Some or these are
shOal vessels Of large capacity, which long
the rivers Tails class of schoOners Is parcI
larry adapted 10 the business aOd usually
high prices for treighng. ms Is tlade when they
meet with competition from steamers, and such
trades are, unfortunately for the depres ed shipping OF
this country. few and far between now.
Name Ia particularly opted for carving the ice
business on large scale Here Is untaIlng supply
OF Ice and an abundance OF the large qurn
sending II 10 market The Ice goes almost all over
the world Cargoes have been even 10 the East
Indies. The arrival of few small ships from Norway
last tal wnen lee was regning At Sc ton with CARGO,
of the commodity, gave monenGary shock the trade
here. But the competition OF Norway IA not feared Tor
the future No ship can afford to to Norway Tor Ice
unless II Is cOnndent or selling out ut 50 SO dollars m
the United btaies The prospect Is that
prices Will not no Reached at tino tas coming
son. Ii IL DO true IA rumorod here that there ia 10
ncaes OF Ice Virginia tho Price VIA not go above sS
] or "a at the most. freight .aoladed.