Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-01-20
TO MANUFACTURE ICE
The Chautauqua Co. Has Let Con-
tract for an Artificial Plant.
LAST YEARS SUPPLY EXHAUSTED.
A Fair Outlook for a Settlement of the
Carbon Settlers Strike.
A CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD TO-DAY.

The Chautauqus Lake Ice Company has
purchased piece of property 50x100 feet in
dimensions between Thirteenth and Four
teenth streets, on which an artificial ice
plant is to be erected at cost of $3.50, 600.
The contract was let to an Owensburg firm
last Thursday, and it is to be completed and
ready for operation by May 1. Two ma
chimes will be erected. The plant will
cover the entire area of the property pur-
chased, and will be a two-story building.
The machines will be put on the ground
floor, and the freezing vats will be placed
on the second. The system known as the
Compression will be adopted, and the capa-
city of the plant will be one-hundred tons
of ice daily.
Three wells will be drilled on the prop
erty for water to be used in the manufact-
ure Of the ice. Work has already been
commenced on one of these which is to he
an eight-inch hole. 1t will require about 300
gallons of water per minute to operate the
plant. The water is boiled and stilled TO
take out the impurities. It is cooled, and
then run through steam filter, and then a
cooling filter, into the freezing vats.
VERY LARGE vATs.
These vats are 45 inches high, IL inches
wide and % inches long. They are placed
within a network of iron pipes through
which is forced ammonia brine, freezing the
contents of the vats. Each vat holds a cake
of ice averaging 80 pounds in weight.
The plant will not be capable of produc-
ing enough ice to supply the company's
trade; in fact it would take five such plants
as the one proposed, to do so, but it is the
intention to give the manufactured ice
trial, and if it gives satisfaction, the plant
will be increased, if future emergencies re-
quire it. In warm weather the average
daily service runs from 500 to 600 tons, and
if the plant can be made success. the COM
pany expects to save considerably on trans
portation when the natural supply runs
short. Heretofore, when they have been
obliged to bring ice from the Northwest, the
loss during shipment was SO great that the
profits were almost, if not entirely, de-
stroyed.
The Chautauqua Company will not be
able to supply the trade much longer, unless
a change in the weather comes. They have
been compelled to buy mp all the ice in the
country available. C. f. Vallowe, the
General Manager of the company, was seen
at his home on the Southside last night. He
said: IT don't know where to get another
carload. We have bought every pound we
could find everywhere. We have been
compelled to refuse ice to outside dealers,
except those who always were our customers.
But am afraid we will have to shut them
off too before long"
THE SUPPLY GIVING OUT.
"How long will your supply last" was
asked.
81 cannot say. It depends largely on the
weather. 1t won't last long at all events.
am still hopeful that we will have some
cold weather yet, and 1 believe we will get
a good crop of natural ice before the last of
February. We didn't have pound of ice
cut at this time last year, but we had about
80, 900 tons of old stock on hands, and that
let US out nicely.
eve always cut about SOC, 900 tons, so as
to have good stock on hand to carry US
over possible winters such as this; but there
is such a terrible waste that even that
amount will scarcely be sufficient, am
afraid"
"How do you think prices will be next
summer"
81 can assure you our company will do
everything possible to keep the prices down,
but cannot tell anything about IT, Last
year we were able to prevent an increase be-
cause we had large stock of old ice, and I
am hopeful that we will soon get new crop
that will enable us to do the same this year.
depend on the month of February to give
us sufficient supply for next year"