The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-01-10
THE COLD WAVE CAME JUST IN TIME.
An Ice Famine Threatened In the
New York Market.
All the Cole Waves Have Passed Far
North of Gotham.
Boston Dealers on Their Travels to
Find a, supply.

New YORK, January 9-The supply of ice
in this town and within reasonable reach is
not sufficient to fill an ordinary winter de-
mand for three weeks. As matter of fact,
the mild weather has increased the usual
winter consumption fully 40 per cent Plen-
ty of old-fashioned zero weather within two
weeks is all that can avert genuine ice
famine.
An ice famine in winter doesn't mean any
great hardship to private consumers, but it
means great deal to butchers. caterers, res
tauraut and hotel keepers, and others who
depend on cold storage for the preservation
of perishable food. The scarcity of ice has
been threatened so long that many people
have an idea that there has been no more
reason for the alarm than that it furnished
good excuse for advancing prices. Now that
the real pinch has come there has been no
advance In rates and very likely there will
be none. Dealers will simply supply their
customers as long as the ic- holds out, and
then II cold weather has not come people
must go without, that is all. Probably prices
would have been marked up substantially
some time ago had there not been so many
promises of ice-making weather. Cold wave
after cold wave has started booming along
from the Northwest, and aimed straight for
the metropolis, but every time it has been
switched oil to the north, down the st. Law
Trnce valley, and over the Provinces TO sea.
The dealers still have hopes that zero wea-
ther Will reach here in time to bring fresh
ice to market before the old crop is exhaust
ed, but some of them are beginning 10 get
discouraged. Transient customers are the
only ones who, Sc far, are obliged to pay
higher prices. Dealers are having all they
can do to supply their regular trade, and
nfk fnrF hnc
Ii was said at the Kuickerbocker Ice Com
pany's office yesterday. that the visible sup
ply OF Ice would not Outlast the month, even
II the demand were reduced to the ordinary
mid-winter average. Generally, at this sea-.
son. butchers and others using large refrige.
Iators do not keep the ice boxes filled, but
depend in part upon the natural low temper
ature to preserve meats ard other perishable
goods. In December the demand from such
customers and others as well was fully 40
per cent greater than during the same month
OIL the previous year. The dealers are not
helping each other out in this emergency,
but the stocks of the larger concerns are
proportionately about the same. Only
few small dealers have so far completely ex-
hausted their supply.
Boston is as badly off as New York, and
some dealers there sent over here day or
two ago to see If New York had any reserves
which they might draw upon. No Ice to
speak of has. yet been cut in Maine, So the
old crop Is the only resource. The icemen
from the Hub went home disconsolate.
But, while the immediate outlook is decid-
edly bad, it is said there will be plenty of ice
here for the coming summer in any event.
The ice dealers will not give up hope Of har-
yesting a local crop for fully month yet.
When they do it is simply question of how
far moth they must go for supply. As soon
as 1t Is apparent that the Hudson and local
lakes will not fill the ice houses, everybody
in northern New York who owns even
frog pond, will begin cutting ice for the New
York market. 1t is possible that 1t may be
necessary to cross the CaLada line for some
weeks to harvest all the ice the companies
need, and, although the expense would be
great, the necessary quantity could be
brought from the north within that length
of time. The price of ice last season was
high, but if no local crop is gathered this
winter the cost of ice to private consumers
will be greater than it ever has been.