Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-01-26
a sHORTICE CROP.


The Effect of Warm Weather on the Ice
Fields at the NOrth-What the Ice
Companies say About It-NO Advance
in Price to be Made in Savannah.
Adv1ces from the North and East indi-
cate light ice crop this season. So far
the crop has been an entire failure in the
Hudson and Merrimac rivers, but the in
dications now are that if the cold weather
that is prevailing in the North continues
the ice companies will be cutting ice from
the Kennebec in a few days. The indiea-
tions of short crop has caused a scare
among icemen which has been communi-
Gated to the consumers, and many of the
latter in Savannah, as well as in other
cities. are apprehensive that there will be
an advance in the price Of ice this year
over the price OF last year.
A NEWS reporter called upon Mr.. J. +.
Cavannaugh- Manager Of the hnlcker-
booker Ice Company, yesterday TO ascer-
tain his views Of the situation. Mr..
Cavannaugh had just received a letter
from his company. The letter stated that
this has been an exceptionally mild winter
in the NOrth, nothing like il having been
known since 1920, and that so far no
Ice Of any consequence has been har-
vested. On Jan. It,, the day upon which
| the letter was written, there was but one
inch Of ice in the channel Of the Kenne-
bec. and about six inches at the shore.
| The ice was full Of holes, and was rapidly
wearing away. The ice in the Hudson
and MeTrimac had recently run out. and
these rivers were then clear. The letter
stated that the company had carried over
| but small quantity of ice from last
| year, and that the situation is decidedly
/ blue. Since this letter was written the
| cold weather has improved the ice in the
/ Kennebec.
"WIll there be an advance in the price
/ over that OF last yearW inquired the re-
| porter.
i do not think there will be- was the
/ reply. I'VE intend to sell ice at the same
| price we did last year, one cent pound,
! if possible; and, although it is now GER
/ tain that there will be a short crop,
| think we will be able TO do sO.'
At the office of Haywood, Gage Il Co.
/ similar information was obtained regard
ing the crop to that obtained from the
| knickerbOcker Company. They stated
that the ice crop VIII be a very short one
and the ice will be thin, but otherwise Of
/ GOOD quality. They had carried over but
| little ice from last year. They stated
! positively that come what may they Will
not advance the price in savannah this
I summer. The kennebec is now freezing,
1 ana Iueg expect 10 ne CuILlhS ASG hum
/ that river in "a few days.
/ The consumption of ice in Savannah
amounts To about 14,00O tOns, or about
] z~.roOOO0 pounds, per annum, land still
! II would surprise YOU to know the amount
/ If people who do without ice, or cut of
/ their supplies when theweatherls cloudy"
said one dealer. The trade is between two
companies and is about equally divided.
/ The retail value of Ice at one cent pound
] - Tho rRr7en Il therefore "A
/ important consideration to the citizens Of
/ Savannah and vicinity, and they VIII
Z gladly receive the announcement that
there will be no increase in price.
Another gentleman IN the ice business
/ made the following statement IN regard
To the prospects: "Strange as II may
I seem IL Is nevertheless true, that the
many cold waves ana Billiards which the
( whole country has experienced TO more
I or less degree for the past TWO months has
not produced much of an ice crop. This
/ i the case all over the country, from
/ Missouri To Maine. where the ice crop Is
never known 10 fail. 1t has been cold
| enough TO cover with an icy sheet the
I largest ponds, bays and small rivers, but
! before the concealed surface could get
/ ripe. to use the icemen's expression,
that is, for the new made ice to
( ret of sufficient thickness to cut
Z and store away. the weather would sud
denly turn warm and be followed by a
/ rain. and the work of the cold snap on
{ The bodies of water would be Ctfectuallv
. undonc. or course some ice has been har-
vested i'm Iowa and some parts of Illinois,
but not much, and It is not very thick. l
10 not think that any ice of twelve inches
! thickness has been harvested this season
at any point in the United States. Per
haps in Canada and way up IN Manitoba
( it is a little thicker. Not very much, now
ever. You see they had about the same
! bad luck up there as everywhere else,
namely. warm rams after each cold snap"