San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-08-08
Information Gained from the Superin-
tendent of Big Ice Company.

tendent of n Big Ice Company.
I'm the common portable block Of ice Go
thamites enjoy during the heated term lux
ury which is now deemed an indispensable
necessity, but which was entirely unthought
of sixty years ago." remarked the superin-
tendent of one of the biggest ice companies
in New York to a reporter who sought in
formation concerning the local ice trade.
LAS a rough estimate" continued the man
of cool affairs, 81 should say that more than
100000 tons of ice are consumed in New
York alone during the three warm summer
months Owing to the severity of the weather
last winter ice is quite plentiful this season
and reasonably low in price. 1t does not
always follow, however, that because we
have a bracing winter ice for the following
summer is sure to be cheap. a good ice crop
epends as much upon the proper condition
of the water of which it is composed as it
does upon the GOODNESS of the weather"
What" asked the reporter, ARE the most
profitable months for the ice companiesF'
July and August, usually being the hot
test months of the year, the demand for ice
is then greater than at any other time" re-
piled the Superintendent. THE best and
clearest ice" continued the latter, 'comes
from Maine, the Hudson and Rockland lake
That gathered at the latter place is considered
by many to be superior to any other, Those
who make this assertion claim that the water
at Rockland is seldom or ever brackish, and
contains fewer impurities and foreign matter
than is the case at other stations of ice
culture BY most New Workers, however,
our own Hudson river ice is cosSidered equal
in quality to that gathered from any other
body of water.
Ice cream manufacturers, brewers, butch
ers, hotel and saloon keepers are the greatest
consumers of ice. In one or two instances
the latter annually harvest and store their
own supply of ice. There is a big ice mo-
nopoly composed of several large companies,
who nave joined forces and control almost
entirely the great traffic in ice. At the be-
ginning of each season a pool is formed
and the prices fixed for the ensuing sum-
mer Having once been established these
prices are not departed from during the
year. Our company alone supply ice to more
than $4,000 families in this city. The aver
age ice barge has storing capacity of from
500 to 500 tons. Ten of these barges are con-
s:antly employed in transporting the ice to
our docks. The familiar ice carts, which
deliver the bricks of CONCEALED water to our
city patrons, carry an average of twenty
tons apiece each week"
Hasn't the making of artificial ice percep-
tibly lessened the sale of the real articleg"
was asked.
No The manufacturing Of artificial ice
has in no way interfered with cur business.
The process of manufacturing the fictitious
frozen fluid is quite remarkable, but it has
yet to be made more rapidly and in larger
quantities than is now possible before it can
seriously injure the trade in genuine ice.
Even then there are a great many people
who will remain prejudiced against chemi-
cally made ice and continue to purchase, so
long as it is possible, natures own product"
New York Evening Sun.