Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-12-12
WHAT MAY COME.
lee Men Discuss Open Wtnters-Tatk
Of What Has Been and What May be
Expected.

Of What Has Been and What May be
Expected.
A group of ice dealers were discussing
the weather situation III Davenport the
other day ut is about this time of the
year, if the river be not frozen" said one.
that the city papers announce that the
Ice men are in despair The ice men
never despair-that is, those who have
experience in the business, never do. l
arrived on the last day Of November,
1855. I cast about for something to do
and In December l put up an ice house
with capacity for 2,00O tons. Everybody
laughed at me. Here is a greentorn,'
they said; putting up an ice house with
the weather like summer and no prospect
of the river freezing at all Well, there
was no cold weather until the Goth of
January. 1t was Saturday. Snow COM
menced falling. Before night the weath>
er became fearfully cold. On Monday.
people crossed the river on an ice bridge.
l filled that ice house and another one
before the 21st Of February with ice six.
teen inches thick" The Democrat. Gazette
reports the folio wing conversation of the
men:
Remember that winter of '72-7 1877
asked another ice merchant. I'VE never
commenced TO gather ice until inaugura>
ton day-March 4, 10, Grants second
term. Then the ice was secured in the
bays and eddies, and was only nine inches
thick. The river channel wasn't frozen
over at all"
Yes, but the winter of '77>'7S was an
open one, though" put in third gentle
man whose business causes him to de-
light in winters that freeze things.
There wasn't any ice worth looking at
until along in February, and we com
menced packing it when it was but six
Inches thick. | remember l took my
ice from the bay at the foot of the island
Actually, we had to chain the fields to
keep them from floating out. They would
be showed this way and that by the shift,
ing winds, and float hundred feet, or al
far as the slack in the chains would lei
them. We had to shove the blocks
through water to the shore to load the
wagons. 1t was decidedly tough work. >
But. tell you the worst winter fo
ice we eyer had was that of twelve year
ago. Mr.. Altman was the only man o.
US that harvested ice himself. He hsC
time of it, tell you. He went up tt
Steamboat Rock. on the Iowa Central
where there is great dam across tn
Iowa river. He found that St. Loui
man had bought the dams ice privilege
He went to Union, twelve miles below, o.
the same river and same railroad, bough
the ice in the dam there, and put his mel
at work. But he couldn't get cars
Every day he could see trains of emptie
going north-but not an empty for him
He came near losing all his crop befor
he could secure cars He learned u
about it sfterwsrd. The ST. Louis ma
had given the station agents north an
south of Steamboat Rock for many mile
$50 each to send him all the empties the
could spare-sud they did. That VS.
why Mr.. Altman couldn't get cars. Tt
fellow sold his ice in St. Louis at
, profit of $4,000 in less than two week
after he got il there"
, ut was that same winter. l belev
that Ayrehead, who lived 10 Rock IslauC
t went up Rock river several miles an
found an ice bay. He cut the ic
which was eight or nine inches thicI
loaded it on fat boats and stored it net
the mouth of the river 1t netted hi
, several thousands of dollars. I
a bought Arkansas lands with the none
he is down there to>dsy, dealing in hart
woods, which he is shipping to all par
A of the country. He is rich"
: This is the worst place on the Nj
q sissippi river between St. Louis and :
Paul for the harvesting of ice, said N
A Peck. 1T was as good as any place j
: fore the old railroad bridge was bull
. Its piers were ice-breakers. and tn
!, ! created swift channels. They stot
v right in the rapids. The piers Of I
!. government bridge made it worse. A
q then the completion of the governme
: dam at Moline spoiled it entirely.
r. stopped the division of the stream, q
n caused the immense volume to I'll
down the north river between East d.
" export and the Island with a force viii
prevents ice forming with the smoC
surface. Then of course the ice bell
the Rock Island bridge is broken
rs every way and there is no smooth
n anywhere. except in rare spots here a
ty there. The dam and the bridge make
= hard for the ice MEL"
There was considerable floating ice
- the river this morning. 1t would /
:. take much cold weather to freeze thil
., solid with the existing low siege
water.