Morning journal and courier., 1882-06-29
The Icemep's Harvest.
Something About New York's Supply Of
 Ice-Prfess, Etc.

From the New York Times
 There are many people to be found every I summer who, in spite of the various excuses offered by the ice companies for the high price of ice, loudly compIain that the article sells unreasonably high. This opinion was evidently entertained by the massive proprie- tor of butchers shop in Third avenue, who on one of the warmest days of this week stood at the door of his establishment watch ing the delivery of quantity of ice at his shop. Take of th, m there tonga" he cried presently, with anger and indignation, to the Ice wagon man, who left his large iron tonRs sticking in each cake of ice he weighed
 Its downright robbery" he continued,
 with ice at this price, to be weighing them 1 tongs along with each lump"
 "What the matter wid you ?" retorted
 the ice wagon man, reluctantly withdrawing
 the tongs. Look at that ice 8 melting and q running away through the bottom of that cart What if I did weigh the tongs. Don't
 you think some one ought to stand part of that loss? But some people is always grum-
 bling. Why, you're not paying anything like what you was year afore last
 ''Well, I should hope not" rejoined the butcher. Look at the sharp winter we just mad. Ice ought to be selling at next door to nothing"
 Last winter was not good one for ice,n answered the iceman doggedly- "It was cold enough, but"
 ''Thatn do," broke in the butcher savages ly. "I know what you're going to say. You fellows have always got some excuse for keeping up the price of ice. If the winter a mild one you couldn't get any, and had to go way up to near the north pole and tow
 pack an iceberg or two. If the winter was cold enough to kill one, then the ice was rot ten or something or other turned out to make
 ice dear. Every year it's the same. Some
 time or other" exclaimed the butcher, WAX ing sarcastic in conclusion, T expect to be told that the ice took chill and shook itself all to pieces, and that it is scarce on that count" And turning sharply his heel the fat butcher walked in high dudgeon into
 his shop.
 The present price of ice is S3 per ton, or
 35 cents per 100 pounds, and among shop
 keepers and housekeepers generally the idea seems to prevail that, taking all things into consideration, it should be much cheaper than it is. The ice companies, on the other hand, give certain reasons for what is, under the circumstances, a high price for ice. These reasons will be more reaf y under stood and appreciated perhaps Nnen accom- panied by statement of the condition of the
 ice trade in this city and the manner in which
 the business is conducted. There are in
 New York fifteen ice companies large and
 small, besides few small dealers who, as a
 rule, themselves buy from the large compa-
 nies The quantity of ice annually sold in
 this city amounts te nearly TOO, 900 tons, and 1t is computed that there is an annual in
 crease in sInand of 15 per cent. The ice supply of this city is obtained mainly from
 the Hudson and Kennebec rivers. Early in
 the season the different companies mark out in the river tracts over which they intend to
 harvest their ice. Although no rights can be claimed under law beyond tide-water mark in a navigable stream, any tract thus marked
 mi ix hva mn m a0naant hald canrad from trespass by all others in the business. When the harvesting season comes, canals are cut in the ice, and along these canals the square blocks of ice which have been chopped are propelled to the banks of the river. The ice is then hoisted by means of elevators and placed in the ice-houses. These ice storing houses, in order to keep out heat, have double
 walls and roofs, the space, from IF to Is inches, between the inner and the outer walls and the lower and the upper roofs being filled in with sawdust. Much difference ex- ists in the qualities of different crops of ice some varieties of ice being frmer, more solid and better in every way than other varieties snow, when followed by 8 thRw, is apt to become mixed with the ice, thereby greatly deteriorating the quality of the latter when ice is in this condition it often becomes what is known as rotten" It is computed that the average loss on ice at the storing houses is from the close of the winter until late in the fall about 25 per cent, and that on an average there is a further loss in transporta- ton from the place of storage to the point of delivery of from 25 to 30 per cent. The condition of the weather during the summer months exerts @ material influence on the price of ice, which usually ascends propor- tionately to the eincrsase in the demand. The price of ice last year did not exceed $2 per ton. This year it is already selling at s ton, with strong probability that the price will soon advance. The ice companies now assert that large quantities of ice were spoiled by snow and the chsngefulness of the season, and that the frequent snow and rain falls oc- cured at such times as to hinder greatly the gathering of the crop, which was harvested at far heavier expense than is usual
 Often when ice has been scarce or very high in price there has been much discussion to importing it. This has, however, never yet been done to any extent In scarce sea sons ice has been brought here from Maine, and also from Nova Scotia and New Bruns- wick. The ice from the two places last named is, however, of very poor quality. At one time the project of bringing ice to this city from Norway was mooted, and an attempt was made to form company for that purpose. But the obstacles in the way of such an undertaking were so numerous that the scheme fell through. The manufac- ture of ice by means of freezing machines