Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-30
ICE GETTING SCARCE.
Nearly All the Dealers Buying From
the Chautauqua Company.
THERE is NOT A POUND IN SIGHT,
The latter Company Will Fut in Ice Ma
chimes and Make 1t.
PRICES WILL HAVE TO Be ADVANCED

Ice dealers Of Allegheny county are be-
coming alarmed at the prospect of the ice
harvest this winter. There are only three
companies in this city who have any ice on
hand, and two of them are expected to run
out within very short time The other
company has enough of the cool product in
its sheds to run it until next summer; but
the question is what will they do for the
next years supply. The mild, open winter
has precluded any possibility Of getting ice
in this part of the country. One Of the
companies will put in ice machines and try
to manufacture enough for consumption.
A meeting of the Board Of Directors Of
the Chautauqua Lake Ice Company will be
held tomorrow afternoon to take action
about the threatened famine. It is the in
tention Of the company to purchase two ma
chimes and make the ice in their warehouse,
on Pike street Some time ago The DIS
PATCH announced the fact that the company
was considering this matter and would not
put in the machines. At that time the
officials of the company thought they would
not have to go to this expense, but they
now find that they must do so. They have
been talking of putting in nine machines al
together, but will start with two. The two
machines will cost about $50, 900.
In taking this step the company is con-
sidering its chances of losing on the invest
ment They are afraid of the fact that
after putting in the machines, the ice crops
next winter might be SO large that there
would be no necessity to manufacture ice.
In this case the machines would lie idle on
their hands, and the company would have to
wait for another mild winter before they could
use the machinery. If the machines are put
in the price of ice will go up several points,
and the consumers will have to pay higher
rates for the CONCEALED article.
HE WENT TO BED EARLY.
A DISPATCH reporter tried to see Presi-
dent Scott, of the Chautauqua Company, at
his home on Rebecca street last night. Mr..
Scott retired to his couch at o'clock, and
would not be disturbed. Mr.. Robert Wood
side, one of the directors was seen. To the
reporter Mr. Woodside said:
last year we got about 80, 900 tons of ice
from Lake Chautauqua. The last of this
will run out about next week. We still
have considerable ice in our storehouses at
Lakeville and Ravenna, o.. and other
places. We also have two large sheds full
at Pine Creek, but this is cooling ice, and
cannot be sold to private families for con-
sumption. We got 10000 tons last year
from Conneaut, and think the present sup
ply will last until about July 1.
t'Every ice dealer in the city, with the
exception of Messrs. Richmond & Bruce,
have been buying ice from us for weeks to
supply their customers The consumption
so far this winter beats all records of previ-
ous years. We are now selling to our Gus
toners seven or eight cars per day, which is
alA frkA 1o-r
previous to Christmas we delivered 78 tons
in Allegheny and % tons to private families
in the East End.
"The company does not care to increase
the price, and will not do so unless we have
to put in the machines. To put in enough
machines to supply all the ice we want
would cost us about 81, SOC, 900. This is
almost too much money to invest in some
thing that may be dead weight on our
hands next season.
NO MACHINES HERE.
sThere are no ice companies in Pittsburg
now using the machines. Most Of the
brewers have machines in their establish
ments, but the product of these can only be
used for cooling. IF we decide to put in the
machines we will start with two of them.
These will cost $75, 900. and we will be able
to manufacture about 40 tons Of ice per day.
We have so far refused to advance the price
as we are in the business to stay. The pres
ent low rates enables the company to declare
a fair dividend, and the stockholders are
satisfied with this. We are now delivering
to consumers 100 pounds twice week for 90
cents per cwt. In 1874 and up until 1880
the price was 81 30 per cwt,
'sIn Philadelphia and New York the COM
panies are worse off than they are in this
city. The price in those cities has gone
up considerably, but there Is not much dan
ger of such an effect in this city. I think,
however, that we will have cold spell yet
and there will be good crop of ice to
harvest. Messrs. Bruce and Richmond are
receiving their ice from Silver Lake, N. Y,
while the other dealers have no other place
to get it but from u.s..
James Stratton, OF the firm Of Culver &
Stratton, manufacturers of ice machines at
Akron, o., was in the city last week. He |
had just returned from tour of the coun-
try. LII an interview with DISPATCH re-
porter he said:
IN THE ICE FIELDS.
"The consumption of ice all over the
country for this season of the year is some
thing enormous. The chief fields for natural
ice is the Kennebec region in Maine, Hud-
son river, the Upper Schuylkill and Lehigh
regions The quantity of the cut on the
Hudson river is about 1000, 600 tons per
year and Penobscot 1000, 900 TONS"
The artificial production of ice consists |
simply in transferring the heat of the water |
to some other body. Water at 900 Fahren- |
heit contains an excess of heat beyond that |
of an equal weight Office at 800 Fahrenheit, |
amounting to 17O65 heat units for each |
pound. Then fire to reduce the water |
from the first temperature to the second,
will necessitate the abstraction of that |
amount of heat from it. To re- |
duce one ton of water will require |
the removal of 62,72O heat units.
1t then will still be water To convert it |
into ice, it is further necessary to abstract
the latent heat, which would be 319, ,536 heat |
units, bring the total to 3S2, ,256 heat units.
1t would require the eEaporating of 4245O
of anhydrous ammonia for these results.
Artificial ice can be made for 70 cents |
per ton. The ice palace in st. Paul this |
year was abandoned son account Of there |
being no ice in the Northwest The Chau-
tauqua distributes about 75 per cent of the |
total amount of ice demanded in this city. |
The price is sure to 60 up.
Mr.. Stratton reports that there is no ice |
in any of the favored regions, and he pre-
diets shortage and higher prices.