The Washington critic., 1886-04-06
TEE ICE CROP.
How Washington People VIII be
Served Next Summer.

Served Next summer.
With the advance of the season and
the near approach of the weather when
the people begin TO feel an interest as
to the supply of that cooling luxury,
Kennobec ice, reporter Of The Critic
visited the Office of the Independent
Ice Company this morning to learn
something regarding the harvesting of
last winters's ice crop, and of the adc.
quacy and quality of the supply for
the incoming season. The severity of
the winter which has just passed, very
naturally left an impression on the
minds of consumers that the price of
ice this summer should be unusually
low. Such II seems Is not the case;
that Is, the prices this season will
not be lower than they were last year,
and after considering the circumstances
attending the unpropitious harvest on
the coast of Maine, consumers will be.
licve themselves fortunate in securing
this chrystal luxury at the nominal
prices at which they were supplied last
season.
When the Kennebec River froze over
on January /, last, to thickness of
eight or nine inches, the crop being of
clear and chrystalizcd quality, the
indications promised good harvest,
and preparations for cutting the ice
were put In order. Several days later
warm rain began TO fall, which was fol.
lowed by general thaw, which lasted
until the ice began to break and run,
and as a consequence the river became
blocked, the ice jamming in great heaps
over the ice fields, packing in depth
from five TO fifteen feet, and in some
places to the bottom of the river. II
was while the river was In this ominous
condition that a cold snap set in, freez.
ing this mass of useless and jammed
ice solid
The river remained in this condition
the remainder of the winter, and as re-
suit of the fortyfour regular dealers on
the Kennebec, but twenty three sue.
ccodcd in housing about two.thirds of
their capacity, while the other
twcnty-one secured none. What
ice the fortunate dealers secured was
cut and housed at an expense, nearly
three times the usual cost. Some of
this ice had to be hauled several miles
in order to reach the houses. At some
places gorged Ice had to be cut, hoisted
up, and hauled out in order to prepare
the river for second freeze.
The harvest on the Hudson River
was also disappointment. The crop
fell way short of last years product
and was Of all inferior quality. In
view of these facts some of the Ken.
ncbec dealers in other cities have de-
cided to advance their prices two hun.
dred per cent. over last years figures.
The dealers in Richmond are among
those who have advanced the prices
and have issued statement to the
people setting forth the above circum-
stances as necessitating the advance In
referring to this instance, Mr., G. b.
Church, president of the Independent
Company, said that there being but one
producer at Richmond, he, the pro.
ducer, very naturally agrees to such
prices as the high prices on the Kenne.
bee compel the other retailers to make.
such, he said, "was not the state
of affairs in this city, where there are
more ice producers than any city south
of Boston. which equally secures this
city almost a certainty of an ample sup.
ply of good Ice. The prices of Kennc-
pcc ice at asnlngtOn THIS season, he
continued, twill be about the same as
last season, unless the labor movement
cause such stoppage in shipments
that 1t may become necessary for self
protection. 1t Is from the crop of 1885
that our consumers will largely be sup
piled, and not necessarily from last
winter s crop The former was fine. the
Ice being solid, pure and crystal,
which. owing to the immense storage
capacity of our houses on the coast of
Maine, enabled us to carry over last
season large surplus, which very ma
terially reduces the cost of the new
crop of Kennebec ice harvested last
winter. The end of September will
leave very little ice, If any, to be
shipped from Maine; therefore the
next winter is the one we have all to be
mindful Of -