The sun., 1891-01-21
On leo.

| On leo.
The town OF Colon, on tho Isthnrs o;
Panama, hns three forlorn and unapprc.
ciated refrigcrators. Cigars are stored In
ono OF them. and shopkcepor includes the
other two among his unstable lumber.
The town has no use for ice. and refrlgera-
tors are drug in the market.
| According to recent consular reports re-
ceived at Washington. tho only countries
where Ice Is not popular are some tropical
regions whore ono would suppose the COOL
ing commodity would be welcomed rs one
Of Heavens best gifts. The little island
Of Reunion has ice and snow ON the
| tops of two OF It's mountains. but the
people regard them as damp and uncomfort-
able, and keep away. Most Brazilians
| believe that it is unhealthy to use Ice in
their climate. Three tons OF ice day suf-
| fees for the city Of Santiago de Cuba with
$4,000 inhabitants. Two-thirds Of the popu-
lation are negroes. and Consul RE1MER
writes that even il ice were cheaper, he ia
convinced they would not use 1t. In the
Philippine Islands Ice water is regarded as
injurious to health, and drinking water is
cooled by putting it into bottles which are
laid on tho ice. In Jaffa, the seaport OF Jeru-
salem, q company was formed three years
ago to make artificial ice, but the enterprise
was soon abandoned, as customers welp not
found for tho product.
liking for ice, like the taste for olives.
must be cultivated. But there are other very
good reasons why leo is not destined soon
to come into general use in tropical towns,
Most of their inhabitants are very poor,
and ice is luxury beyond their
means. Not few consumers Of ice in this
city last summer reduced their daily sup
ply when the price was advanced to n cent
pound. Perhaps some OF them would
have worried along without any ice Mt all IL
the ice merchant had demanded five cents q
pound, as he docs in Tanger. Managua,
Iquique. Bahia, Valparaiso. and many other
places. or even three and half cents, the
ruling rate in Rio de Janeiro. When ice sells
at four-tilths the price OF sugar, poor people
have no opportunity to become familiar
with its advantages.
Most natives OF the tropics. however, fail
to understand that ice is useful for any pur-
pose. The good housewife OF Brazil, for in
stance, would think it very poor domestic
economy to buy an ounce of meat or fruit
not required for the days needs One OF our
consuls in Colombia says the people of that
country have prejudice against keeping
fresh meat uncOoked. They do not wish
to preserve food. The people OF Dutch
Guiana" writes Consul BROWNE, "buy
only enough ood to last from day to day."
The habits and ideas OF these people must
be revolutionized bef-4., hey will re-
gard refri9crators with favor or have any
use for ice In the chict town OF Dutch
Guiana only 500 people in population OF
$1,000 use ice at all. Our consul at San Jose,
the capital OF Costa Rca. writes that the
standard OF comfort among the 25,OOO people
OF that town is not sufficiently high to bring
refrigerators into use. In Zanzibar and
South Africa tho high price Of manufactured
Ice precludes any general use Of it.
Maine lce In considerable Quantities finds
Its way to far southern lattudes. BY the
time concealed portions of the Kennebec
River reach the Isthmus OF Panama thew
are quoted at five cents q pound. The same
ice at Nassau Is worth four cents q pound.
while at Bermuda 1t sells ut the compare
tively cheap rate OF three-fourths Of a cent
pound. The only cargo OF ice over landed In
Cadiz went from Boston In 1856. Tho
customs officers insisted that it must be
lAIdel on the docks ip burning sun aud
weighed liko other freight Tho argument
that ensucd lasted for several weeks, and
most OF the cargo turned into water be orc
the vessel was unloadcd. Two shipments OF
ice from Now England have recently been
sent 10 tho tropical coust OF West Africa,
but neither proved profitable. No adc-
quate means has yet becn provided
there for tho preservation OF Ice, and
the larger part Of these cargoes melted
before they could be sold. Recent attempts
to develop trade in ice between this coun.
try aud Egypt have been unsuccessful be-
cause the artificial product made in Cairo.
Alexandria, and Sucz undersclls tho i'm.
ported article; and ono OF the most inter-
estinS phases OF the commerce in Ice Is tho
rapid growth OF the manufacture OF artificial
ice in inany parts OF tho tropical and semi
tropical world. oven In Asia Minor, Fiji, and
the Philippine Islands, 1t is altogether likely
that Its production in tropical regions will
gradually overcome the widely prevailing
prejudice, and that leo will be used for other
purposes than merely to cool beverages In
barrooms for foreigners.
At the opening Of tho year we referred
WIN c"''"'"Shon " NO IutesL Reports from
South America. which showed that tranquility
prevailed over the whole OF that continent. aud
that neither civil nor international war inter-
fered with the prosperity Of tho ten republics.
We regret to say that our hopes for the continu-
ance OF this state OF things have not been real
lied. Since that time We have had news OF
conspiracy In Peru. OF u serious revolt In Chilli
and OF rebellious outbreak in Argentina
Tho Peruvian conspiracy, which WAS In tho in.
terest OF eN-rresident riFEoa., and raised
mutiny in the garrison at Lima. was promptly
dealt with; but its leaders nre still awaiting
tho opportunity for another attack uIon the
Government. The out,renk in Argentina np-
pears 10 have been confined to the province Of