New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-01-17

harvest ice companies doing business in this city
already have made much progress toward ming
Rhsir ,cs bouses The total capacity of the houses
If the five leading city companies is 600 TONS
None of them are packing ice in Maine this year,
although two companies have large houses there
6triking employees have caused expensive delays III
some instances, aud the recent SHOWS and thaws
have retarded greatly the work OF ice-gathering'
TALKS WITH THE MANAGERS.
"What about the ice prospects this year !"
asked a TRIBUNE reporter Of Mr.. Bailantne OF inc
knickerbocker Ice Company.
"The prospects are very good indeed. Inc leo crop
nh,s year IL much larger aud the quality Oh the ice Is
much finer than usual. The ice we have stored 'hus
Far averages over foot thickness and IS as Gear as
orysta."
chow much ice have You stored areadyT
About 600 900 TONS believe The total capacity OF
our houses exclusive of the houses VIC put up in Maine
last year. is 100000 tons, and we estimate that we
have them about half filed. The houses In cur upper
nstrict -abOve ROndOut-are almost ful' put COLI
paratvely little ice has been stored In the houses peo"
Rondout II Ia very seldom that we can NIL up between
RondOut and Albany; this is an exceptional year lof
such thing Our houses extend all along tine river
1t intervals from Rockland Lake to Albany
From Rockland Lake We will take probably
100000 TONS We will also get considerable ice from
Catskill Creek We will not probably put up any ice in
Maine this year. because expect to get as much rs we
20 be obtained along the Hudson, 1t does not pay
10 bring it from Maine Maine ice be sold probably
bnly during short season, like last season for
instances otherwise the cost Of transportation 10 greater
than the Ice can be sold for"
"will not ice be unusually cheap next summerT
"I think it will be- There Is such an immense amount
Of Ice being put up, and there will be much compe
zion naturally that the price Of ice will doubtless be
very low, and Of the companies will make large
fortunes out Of it. This year 1t costs great deal moro
usual to house ice; labor lumber and horsefeed
are expensive than they last year. and then
1t Will much more TO get the remainder or cir
dee out, account Of the snow which covers 1t at
present and which viii have 10 be removed before
get at the ice. The trouble is, there have been
SHOWS, thaws and then colder weather freezing the
half-thawed snow again and again, and the covering
thus formed will be very difficult to remove The Ice
underneath will not be damaged any by the thaws. for
the great amount of over 1t will protect1t efctu
ally Besides other increased expenses, the strike
of the wOrkmen at Verplanck's Point annOys us very
much and will cost something too. Every hour OF
delay in storing ice is loss to Should we have
warmer weather henceforth and should the break
losses would become. But we do not expect
20 for lime yet, and IN the meantime we want
10 I'LL houses to their capacity. II do
that we will not only be a6e to supply all demands but
may e1ws Pee S @e 80 rr % f
storage of Ice there is this year, not only tue Hud
body viii il up tHis year aud probably there Will be
large surplus to cover the possibilities OF the succeeding
-" VIII this surplus stock remain to a second or
third year losing so little IN the meanwhile that when
At Is sold Will repay the cost OF storage aud the interest
Oh yes. 1t loses considerably, however; the ice at
the top edges mels and the water through and
down the sides and this iTeezng makes the whole
hard TO get out, and besides, there is much
waste in getting 1t into marketable shape"
About wnen do you usually begin storing ice each
We take the d r1 good ice that forms If 80
risk OF getting better ice II we have taken mucn
Ice before January Is or February l, calculate
Sstey Set 10 work to III our houses in Mana We
would not store Ice IN Maine before February l.; The
" Do you not increase somewhat YOU storage capicy
the Of eti The and the to
I'VE do This season. ASIDE from our Maine houses
have capacity for storing 100000 tons than
we could have stored last year. We have built large
the past season, besides several smaller houses"
BY the way, was there not considerable ice brought
TO this country from Norway last sum0ierp
Eyes; between $4,000 anu 10000 tons. but doubt II
Norway ice Will ever be brought 10 this country again;
In large clear blocks about yard square. We bought
brought over as ballast generally, or was taken 1T
very low rate as freight 90 not know OF any company
here engaged IL Its importation; think Was Or. ugnt
over by sLipnasters mostly, IN their own acc juDt"
"Ddit NOT waste a great deal ON Tie way ovcrP
In sa6dus, just as in ice houses, ana, although the trip
took from nve TO seven weeks there was scarcely any
Nova scolia New Brunswck and per Canada, but 1t
was generally Of very poor quality, not comparable with
ONE-THIRD OF ITS STOCK STORED.
The secretary OF the Consumers Ice C.mpany was
found tile Office Horatiost. aud North RIVER. lie
said:
Thus far stored about one-third Of the ice
want Our houses scattered along the Hudson
River for seventy five miles above the Catskils and
have ige capacity of 20 900 We also have
houses III Maine but will not put any ice there unless
the supply the Hudson falls short before February l.
The ice Is thicker and better this than before
but Just covered by great deal snow. winch
must be taken of before we can reach the The
snow great thing for us In thawing weather. as #
protects the from the suns rays which almost
fatal TO good The weather has Deen very bad for
us this Out OF about four weeks began
work, we have had only three or four good working
days People apt to think that after
some very cold weather we ought to f up our Ice
houses day, but that, unfortunately
accomplish. We have not had any trouble account
Of striking our employees have not troubled the
ever, thu Water L. young yet and hopes
VIII have plenty Of opportunity TO fiji up although one
never TELL Ordinarily. the greater portion OF our
ice Is 0buined later In the tnan this Tit Coolest
81 i%s %
rather excrptonsl anu maybe we have bad our winter
viii viii be- VIZ" wy large aud prices low,' " ~ MA
AZ the oIice Of the NewYork City Ice Company. No.
ohefeurh OF the desired quantity OF bad been sOied
already The c0mpanys houses are along the hudson
Cutsklls ana their total capacity is 100000
Jops. |
EFFECTs OF THE RECENT STORMS
William H. Parker, superintendent OF tae Mutual Ben
cit Lee Company. sad We are fairly under
way with our ice this season. and had IL not been for
the recent storms should have had 1t all In Tne
great trouble and in clearing the ice Of the
snow order get ut It. The ice 10 extra good this
year. We get all Of Ice from the Hudson houses
are stuated about West Park. stsatsburg and Barry
town. Thcr aggregate capacity is 10000 TONS We |
put up ice In Maine. but Just buy there when