The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-08-06
FEEL THE CHILL?
There is Plenty of Ice in
Jersey City Today.
THE WICKED COMBINATION.
There is Really no Famine Except
What the Greedy Monopolists
Create to Boom Prices

Danger of an Immediate famine has
passed. About one Thousand tons Of ice
was received in the city yesterday after
noon and last night. That this news is
good news can be readily imagined by
every soul in the city. The great scarcity
of ice during the last five days has been
the cause of much suffering, and no end
Of anxiety. Corporations and other large
employers of wage earners were for the
ployes Of the much needed necessity.
Private families were exceptionally for
tunate to obtain megre supply at cent
pound, and undertakers, b utchers and
confeotioners have been constant beggers
of every dealer for it.
Monday and Tuesday the firemen on the
Erie ferryboats mad to suffer the intense
heat from the furnaces without cold
water TO quench their thirst, and for the
first time in the history of the company,
Lorillard & Co.. three Thousand em-
ployes had no ice. The work in the fac
tory Is exceptionally hot, and generally
great quantities of ice water are con-
sumed. When deprived of it on Monday
there was considerable suffering and a
vast amount of grumbling. The COM
pany, however, succeeded on Tuesday in
obtaining a partial supply at a fabulous
price.
The greatest suffering caused by being
unable to procure ice was observed In the
poor tenement house districts, particu-
larly on Railroad avenue. Brunswick
Colgate, First, Second, Third, Fourth and
Fifth streets. There in these fetid homes
can always be found sickness, neglect
and filth. The people however consume
much Ice, and it frequently is their only
n
condition was deplorable, and the wan
faces of the sick infants more than
showed it and spoke but too plainly.
PLENTY OF ICE ON HAND Now
But now there is ice. Ice and plenty Of
it for this weeks supply, and it is said at
the offices of the different companies that
before Saturday good supply for next
week will be received. There will be no
longer any fear of an ice famine, the deal
ers say, If families will pay $40 ton for
ice and butchers and other large dealers
SIS ton. The New Jersey Ice Company
last evening received one schooner load
of 300 tons. and early this morning q
barge load of forty tons, and expect more
during the week. One barge will leave
Luzerne tomorrow with 100 tons, and
should it be necessary, will be expressed
down the river with an extra towboat at
an additional cost of $50. This company
has also made arrangements with Moore
& Co.. and other wholesale dealers of New
York for ice in cases of emergency.
The Hudson River Company last night
received one barge load, which is suffi-
cient to last the Company until three
o'clock this afternoon, but they have on
| the way !, 200 tons more. which is hourly
expected.
The United Ice Lines, of which the
Greenwood Lake Company is the princi-
pal stocKhoIder, this morning before day
break received from Maine a schooner
INod of k].1 xnrlnt nt,A 4, ro11{ T.. -
for S12 ton to dealers, as fast as it can
be unloaded.
Yesterday evening a schooner with 800
tons was sent to Hoboken by this
company. There are three or four more
schooner loads on the way from Maine
which are expected here at any time
One load. it is believed, will arrive to-
night or early tomorrow. This is the first
ice the Greenwood Lake Company has
had since Saturday. The Hudson River
Company has been down to its last pound
three or four times during the past week
and was only able to keep its wagons go-
ing by purchasing from New York.
THE FAMINE CAUSED BY THE COMPANIES.
At the office of one of the companies
was told that there was plenty of ice
stored at Lake Champlain and Maine, but
that the great demand made on it was
more than could be handled as rapidly as
required. This story was denounced as
false by large dealer He told me that
beyond any doubt there was plenty of ice,
and that if the companies wanted mora
of it at time in the city, they could
very easily have it. There are plenty of
vessels and plenty of men to supply every
pound wanted and thousands of tons
more. if the companies saw ft to have
it done.
NO." said he. "the ice is purposely
kept back to keep the price up, and it is
crying shame that people should be
made to thus suffer for the purpose of
satisfying the greed of these companies
Ice could be sold by any company to deai-
ers for S. a ton, and the company would
then make good profit too. Now they
charge $12 a ton, and if we want to buy
| any from the New York companies wa
must pay SIS ton. / tell you this is an
| outrage"
That ice will not be much cheaper, If
any. this season appears certain, but than
there will be plenty for those who can pay
for it is not doubted by men of wide ex-
perience in this traffic. Meats, provisions
and all edlples that require ice to keep
them from perishing have increased in
price, and in consequence the purchasers
of these articles eally pay the increase in
the price of ice.
TiM0NEY DISMISSED.