Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1882-02-15
SUNSHINE AND STORM.
some Of the Difficulties Which II.
wen Experience this Winter
nsa,y SNOW Storm. and Melting w.aths,
hs'ard the Gathering of the Crop.
me kennebec Houses About Hal,
FILLED with Crystal Blocks
High Price for IL. w..
on-t"ssiP and Gleaninxs.

me terrible storms of last week and H.
'Araoie weather which succeeded .,a 49,
'remeiy discouraging to companie. engage,
IN putting up ice on the Kennebec. II i, No,
the middle of February, and it will take ,x,
weeks OF good weather to secure anv,h;n,
ike full crop. About $50 600 ton. NJ -,
nave been put into III ehouses to date. and tbe,,
10 considerable old ice on hand. Ias,v.L
companies did not run on an AVERAGE NV.
Two days, the remainder of the time holm,
devoted to removing the accnm,,,,;o
snow from the surface. This week IN.
weather has been so warm that ice does no
run "eii' becoming soft and spongy, so that q
PICK will sink deep into a cake. The bes
temperature for running ice is about 90 Above
when IT is extremely cold the cakes become
so brittle that they liable to break while he.
ing handled. Snow has settled compactly dow n
on the fields, and is from to l6 inches deep in
places where it has not been removed The
bottom ice averages Is inches in thickness.
and will sustain this vast weight without sink.
ing. The two storms of last week will greatly
increase the bills for putting up ice, as it will
cost from $40 an acre upwards 10 remove
the snow. The ice companies have not ex-
perienced such a season as the present since
1871. AT the outset owing to the drift the ice
was frozen together in such bad shape as to
require much chiseling Only here and there
rpnIl of,
has been planed, ''sculled" and ''eulled," re.
curing large expenditure of money twill
cost from % to 45 cents per ton to fill the houses
this winter; while in ordinary years it costs
from 10 to 30. In addition to this it costs
about 80 cents ton to put the commodity on
vessels. 1t will be seen that ice must be sold
at at least so cents a ton at the houses on the
river to give the companies their money
back, to say nothing of interest on the capt.
tai invested. To-day it does not look as if il
were possible to secure a full crop of ice on
the kennebec. but we NAV have a cold snap
between this and the LIST of March which NAV
materially change the aspect of affairs. The
companies are now all running, and will i'm
prove every moment of daylight (includng
Sundays) until the ice becomes so porous
chat not another cake can be secured.
The Ice CROP ELSEWHERE
According to reports from headquarters no
ice of any consequence has been gathered
this year south of New York On the Hud-
son. including the stock of old ice on hand,
there is from 1900, 900 to 1000, 900 tons
Much of this is of poor quality, and suitable
only for packing purposes.
PROSPECTS OF Prices.
Gardiner is the headquarters for the ice
men now, and after supper they congregate
in the hotel offices, and talk over the pros
poets. 1t is simply impossible to form an
approximate idea of what ice will be worth
next summer, and buyers and sellers are ex-
tremelv cautious. Sales have been made
this year from 90 cents up to $3.50. Before
the cold snap, offers were numerous at Sl.25,
and that seems to be the prevailing price at
present for summer delivery. Con-
versing with one of the shrewdest ice brokers
in Maine, a Journal representative asked:
MAY we expect high rates for next season.
s.Youll get them. whether expected or not
in nv Judgment"
what will be the prices?'
sob. we can't tell that. 1t depends alto
gether upon the season. Should the summer
be long and hot. ice will be luxury, and will
sell at big figure"
"Where will Kennebec ice be sold?'
.Jn the South, mostly. New York will be
supnlied with Hudson river and Lake Cham
plain ice
..Then New York will not call upon the
Kennebec for supply?"
s.Probabiy not Here is letter which
have just received from large commission
house. You may publish it, if you wish, for
your readers benefit"
New YORK, Feb. IL, 1882.
Have DELAYED writing about ice. hoping for
some change in the market so that we couid
sell some of the ice you speak of as being
suitable for brewers; but they have got so
mush ice up river. and it Is offered so low
that we do not see anv chance for Name zee
at nresent. 1t NAV be possible to sell ice at
a low figure but our market will he very
unsatisfactory one this year, and cannot De
depended upon. They have already harvest
cd +, 500. 900 tons on the Hudson. and expect
% ~, more. We NAV find demand for
Maine ice in the summer, but there is none
now.