Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1882-03-29
THE ICE TRADE.
Prospects for the Seasons Prices.-Th,
Crop Of 1882.

The ice harvest is all gathered, of course,
TO fix the price which the public will have to
paw for it, This they claim cannot be known
till about the LIST of May, but they are quite
certain that there can be no very low prices
this year. Although the ice houses are
generally pretty well filed, it is claimed that
the ice has cost more to harvest, owing to the
varied weather, snow storms and thaws follow
ing each freeze. The thickness of the ice is
also below the average of former seasons,
thus necessitatng a greater percentage in
waste in delivering to customers, AS well as
shipping One noted Boston ice company
has secured a fair amount of ice II inches in
thickness, which is a fair quality for this
climate; another has been extremely fortu-
nate. and has secured an abundance Of good
ice from Il to 90 inches in thickness. This
achievement was attained BY what is called
! punching" the ice fields Of that company at
inst the right time; that is, the ice was
punched full of holes when the weight of the
.pow messed down the ice and the water
flowed over and covered the snow, followed
nv a hard freeze, which converted the whole
| into splendid. thick ice. Other companies
were not successful in the same operations,
the punching process being followed by a
thaw instead of freeze, and the ice already
formed was injured or rotted away.
great deal of poor, thin ice has been har-
vested this season in Massachusetts,, and es-
pecially farther south. In fact, but little ice
of over eight or ten inches in thickness has
been secured south of this State. So light has
ia cron been south of Massachusetts that
nor,bern ice will have to be depended upon to
=. rrea,er extent than usual. 4 knowledge of
,,,;s foo, renders the Kennebec ice people very
Arm and consequently, although it Is held
/ tho. the ice houses there are all well nlied
with a fair quality of ice, the price Is likely
| IN start some CSC. to SOC. per ton higher than
| Isst vear. that is. at 81 % to $3.50 per ton,
ioad.d ON shipbard. While there is likely to be
! ice enough to go round, the quantity Is nothing
| like the great abundance OF 1881, ana prices
will be higher. Still there is no such scarcity
az characterized the season OF 1851, anu
| those dealers who are expecting 10 chaisc
the outrageous price which prevailed tha'
ye.r in many instances will md that there
has been great increase In the nu1'oer VI
Zoo companies and ice dealers. and that COM
ne,;r;op stronger than ever may compel them
/ 70 take such prices they can get Inc
I ,r,,b.t.IIiup men of experience among the
80 dealers admit frankly that there Is Ice
enough of pretty fair quality, though the
t...,as, has been more difficult, and the per
n..r,sge of waste will be greater than the
| average of other seasons. Dealers less caIe
| 81 g ,ba;r word. to the solicitations OF the
.gent for northern ice company reP.iso
,hs, they had plenty of ice already engaged
,h., ice would be drug. newspaper re
nnr,er called soon afteA and the same dea'e'
iabored to impress him with the scarcity o,
;ce and the consequent high prices ~hiet
ms, follow. Other dealers wisely shu
| ,h.;r mouths when q representative OF tue III
forests of the public proposes to tel. MS reau
s,s anything about what they have got 10 pay
-. IN, which has come to be necessity
In 1870 only about $50, 900 tons OF ice ~er'
an, i, the State of Maine for export no"
Tho ouantity is more than six times As greA.
millions If money are now invested III pr
-aa.,ss storaee facilities and machinery oil
Eannahec alone. single Philadelphia
onr,nsnv cuts nearly one-fifth Of the quantit,.
his river. Notwithstanding the great IN
..sse in the resources Of the trade ana u
,hs nnmber of companies and dealers IN
demand for ice has more than KEEP Pae.
peonle who formerly deemed ice only an ua
hesIthful luxury, now regard u . ness"
c,r both health and economy. Inc reir'se'
,or TRANSPORTATION and cold storaees PeoPi
s,e nov using thousands Of TONS whe.e,eNe'
So years ago, such use was hardly Know
p.o.;,;on dealers and fresh ish men re9uir
arormous quantities of ice. Forty years ag
.,,ch an article - ice was scarcely Hno~n
he fresh Ash trade. Now. In the s"""e