The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-07-30
ICE COMPANIES COMBINE
4 sCHEME TO CONTROL THE ICz
TRADE OF THE SOUTH

"a ON = - ANfAh NJ A---~ @S-
TRADE OF THE SOUTH
The Central Ice Company Absorbs the
Stock Of Five Companies in Mobile,
Birmingham. Charleston, Brunswick
and Savannah Corporation With
Half q Million Dollars Capital at
Work
The Central Ice Company is the name Of
a corporation recently organized 70 control
the ice business Of the south. The scheme
has been on f-ot for some time. A carter
was obtained in Mobile last month, the
Company has been orEanizsd, and the stock
will be issued in a few DAYS.
The company already controls five
rnanufactori in as many different cities.
and is reaching out for more. The Gage
Lyons Ice Company Of Mobile, the Avondsle
Ice Company Of Birmingham, the Charles
ton IS. c. Ice Manufacturing Company,
the Brunswick Ice Company OF Brunswick
and the CiOrrie company II this city have
already been absorbed. The Central com
pany has "a capital Of 100000, Of which
$275, 900 has been paid in.
THE CoMPANY's PLAN.
Inc EtutIhl DlA Al9f III tAl- COMPANY az
cording to its declaration OF Incorporation,
and the nature of the business intended to
be done by it Is the purchase and sale Of
natural or artificial ice. and beer, abso-
lutely or on commission, and the purchase
and ownership, OF sale, Of the capital stock
and bonds of any ice, brewery, or other
manufacturing r industrial company, aud
the conduct Of a cold or general storage
warehouse, wharfage and carriage business,
al. l., anu
manufacturing or Industrial company.
The officers of tue company are:
Presideut-LOuis p. Hart, Savannah.
Vice President-Samuel J. Whiteside,
Savannah
Secretary-A. S. Lyons. Mobile, Ala.
Treasurer-Samuel Lsphanl, Charleston,
sc.
Directors-L p Hart, Savannah; S. J.
Whiteside, Savannah; Samuel Lepham,
Charleston; A. Sidney Lyons, Mobile; Gay
lord b. Clark, Mobile.
THE MOBILE COMBINE
The first move towards the combine was
the consolidation of the two rival companies
iu Mobile into the Gage-Lyous company
few months ago. Mr. Gage has been largely
Interested in tne ice business in the south,
and is one Of the principal stockholders in
the new combine, although considerable
stock is held in Savannah. Mr.. Lyons is
also leading stakeholder, and is secretary
of the company
The plan Of the Central company is to
control the stock of the local companies,
which will be operated through the char
ters under which they were
organized. The capital stock of
the Gorrie company in this city is
SIS, coo, and a controlling interest has been
obtained by the combine The company
will be operated, however under its own
charter, and so with the other companies
Mr.. Hart, besides being president Of the
Central company, is president of the Gage
Lyons Company in Mobile and OF the
Brunswick company. Capt. Whiteside is
president Of the Avondae and the Gorrie
companies, and Mr.. Lapham Of the Charles
toncompany.
A BIG FIELD BEFORE 1T.
The Mobile, Savannah aud Brunswick
companies virtually have a monopoly Of
the business IN those cities. The
GsErie company although it is
not a delivery company. manufactures
all of the ice at present handled by the
Knickerbocker company here. The Sayan-
nah Brewing Company has a large manu-
featuring plant in connection with its brew
ing works, but does not deliver or sell to
small consumers. At the opening of the
season the Gorrie company announced that
II would deliver TO consumers but for the
last six weeks the delivery has been en-
tirely by the KinckerbOcker company The
present manufacturing capacity of the COM
panies in the combine is something over $50
tons day. The Gorrie company has a
capacity for tiftytwo tons, the Mobile com
pany forty-1ve tons, the Birmingham com
pany thirTyhve tons, the Charleston COM
pany fifteen tons, and the Brunswick com
pany five tons The Charleston works will
be increased at once to thirty tons, and the
Brunswick works TO fifteen tons
PRESIDENT HART TALKS.
Mr. Hart was seen yesterday, and was
asked if the new company is a combine for
the purpose of putting up the price Of ice.
mot at ALL he replied. INSTEAD Of
putting up prices it will tend rather to
lower them by cheapening the cost Of pro-
duction and the handling of ice
What will be the.effoct OF the new or
ganization in Savannah
None at all, 50 far as ice consumers are
concerned. The local company will be
operated just as it is now. The only differ
ence will be that the local company will be-
controlled by the Central company IN its
policy"
MIR. Hart went on to show the conpar-
alive prices paid for ice here and in Phila-
delphla, Pittsburg and other northern
cities, ana that the prices there are higher
than they are in Savannah. The prices in
Savannah, Birmingham and Mobile, he
SAID, are just about the same
CHARLEsToN's ICE WAR.
Charleston is having the benefit of a war
between companies and gets cheaper ice
The Central Company is working to secure
control of other territory than il now mas.
and of the ice business OF the south. SO far il
has been working quietly aud but little has
been known of what It was doing. The
company was chartered in Mobile a little
more than month ago and It's principal
place Of business will be there.
The companies in the combine all handle
artificial ice. In fact there is compare.
lively very little natural ice handled in
the south since the manufacture of
artificial ice has begun. Nearly
all Of the ice south of Wilmington, N. c..
Is artificial. The shortage in the natural
ice crop, which is put at about 20 per cent.
OF the average crop, is over 5000, 600 tons.
aud this shortage tends to Increase the
product of ARTIFICIAL ice and to lessen the
amount Of natural ice shipped to the south.
TWO COLORBD PARADEs.