Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1890-03-21
THE ICE BUSINESS
How Its Manufacture and Sale
was Commenced.
An American the First to En-
gage in the Industry.

According to writer in a London
papor, the man who first sold ice IS
commodity in warm weather, or to
people living in hot Countries was an
American, and his name was Frederick
Tudor Tho idea of preserving aud
exporting ice as marketable commod.
lty seems to have occurred to Frederick
Tudor whom he was only %; but year,
elapsed before he could persuade the
numerical world, or his own c,mD,.
riots, that his scheme was in anyway
moro feasible than might be one for
oottling suabcams, or of obtaining
green cheese from tic m,on.
He began By sending shipments to
Martinique and to tho Yves. Indies, and
finally, in September. 1888, cargo of
Ice shipped at Boston was discharged
AZ Calcutta, India. an | sold at 3 p,nce
pound, while tho native ice cost G
pence. 1t was packed in large tubes,
lifting closely together, so as TO form
once concrete mass, within chambers of
double planking, with layer of we'll
dried refuse tan or bark between them.
The quantity shipped was 1870 tons, of
which about 60 wasted GU the voyage,
and ~ in tho transit up the river
uooghly to the city of palaccs
The arrival of leo in the Bengal prosi- >,
dency was hailed with delight by nor >
nally swclicring and thirsty communf-
ty, lut it must not. at the same time, DC
forgotten that from time immcmorial
tine natives Of small town up country,
about 40 miles from Calcutta, had been
able to obtain supply of ic, during
their brief winter from the Gu Of No
vember to the middle OF February by a
skillful use of the cold CAUSED by cvap-
Grafton. Immense troughs were
formed, Tho smooth bottoms of which
rested upon bundles of ric, straw-ex.
ccllcnt non conductors Of hcit-wt,lo
tho water to be froz>n was contained in
pans OF unglazed porous car;hcn ware.
Tho most favorable wind for freczinr
tho water was nor nor wcslcr, and rs
soon as slight film of ice appeared,
which was usually n Little before mid.
night, the contents of several pans wcrs
mixed together, and the congcaling
liquid sprinlSlcd over the others. Tho
process was continued till sunrise, when
perhaps about as much at half an inch
of ice was found in EACH pau.
1t is said that capit,l of sis. 00O-
900 Is invested i'll the United States leo
trade, which gives employ mcnt to
scores of thousands of persons, and tho
quantity collected yearly at tho d ate of
tho last census amounted to 10, 900, OOS<
OF tons, there being many localities
where as much money is expended an
nuatly upon ice as upon fuel.
This enormous consumption il not
entirely due to the foadncss of Ameri.
cans for confectionery ices or ice
creams. a wcll-appoiu:el European
dinner comprises full a, many iced
sweets as does one in New York or SIN
Francisco; lut, on the other hand.
among the $4,000. 900 citizens of tho
great republic, there are very few who
do not preface their break fast by swal.
lowing tumblcrful of iced wstcr.
Such an adjunct 10 an English break
last table is about a, rare as the add.
ton to the matutinal bill of faro of
bucswhcat cakes. slowed oysters or
CLAIMS.
Although the export of tho article
from America to India grow to such
magnitude that vessels specially adapt
cd for the trade were bull, the manu-.
facturc of artificial ice in IIindostan has
been so largely extended By means of
improved machinery that Boston has
given up the East India business. Wen
ham Lake, nevertheless, Continues to
yield its thousands upon thousands of
tons ever year for expectation ia E1r .
land, while in the S.atcs Themselves it
IL thought that 5000, 900 of tons are
used each year. Iu largo cities tho
average quantity used is about tws-,
thirds of a ton per head of the popula-
ton; in smaller cities and towns tho nm
nual consumption has been estimated
to amount to 500 pounds.