The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-12-15
THE ICE HARVEST.
Preparing for the Annual
Ingathering.
A BIG CROP ANTICIPATED.
Where San Francisco Obtains Her
Natural Ice-Dependence of the
lcemen on the Mercury.

The Truckee River began to freeze a week
ago Sunday night and the ice at present is
ten inches thick. Yesterday morning the
thermometer at Boca was deg. below zero,
with every indication that it would continue
so for the next few weeks.
1t is from the Truckee River that all the
natural ice used in California comes.
Two big ice companies have damned the
river up in number of places. thus form
ing large ponds, which at present would
make as good skating Kinks as one could
wish for.
Here is the great ice reservoir for the
Pacific Coast.
Lloyd Tevis and J. B. Haggin, In addition
to owning few mines. banks. ranches and
the like, also control the second largest ice
company in the United States. This is the
Union Ice Company of this city, which sup
plies the greater portion of natural ice us ed
from Portland, Or. to Santa Fe, n. Mex.
Its only competitor of any importan ce is
the National Ice Company.
The two corporations have monopoly in
Truckee River ice, aud the weather in that
region now is u source of peculiar interes
In the offices of those companies.
The product OF the two companies an
nually is in tile neighbOrhood of 10000
tons, of which amount rs per cent is stored
by the big corporation.
The ice AZ present is ten inches thick II
the present weather continues, on Monday
next the ponds will be frozen to depth Of
thirteen inches, when the harvesting of the
ice is commenced. Ii takes three weeks TO
store the whole product, and a thaw OF
spell of warm weather in the Sierras dur
ing the next month would mean a big loss
to ice companies.
The probability of such a change, how
ever. is not very great, and there is very lit
tie danger OF shortage in CALIFORNIA; ice
crop.
Such a serious occurrence, however. has
happened.
-Four years ago California w as importing
Ice from Chicago, and IN this CT ty there was
perceptble increase in the price of ice
cream, might caps" and ''eye-openers."
When CALL reporter called at the Office
OF the Union Ice Company yesterday Mr..
Tobin, the general manager. was willing to
| tell all he knew about the harvesting of Ice.
we have five big ponds up there" said
| Mr.. Tobin. land we will probably store
between 11J, 900 and 100 900 tons In the next
three weeks. Once the ice gets thick enough
we lose no time in butchering ii and putting
| Ii in the siOrehouSes. There is always dam
ger of tbaw. and we have learned to look
| for the weather TO switch about New Years
| day, or short time thereafter.
From present indications / think we will
begin on Monday morning. We have big
storage warehouses on the banks of each
| pond where the ice is stored away In its
sawdust bed. Our company has 135 agencies
! on the Pacific Coast aDd, of course we have
storage warehouses at these points also.
The distribution is done as the demand re-
qulTes. Sometimes we run a special train
from Boca to some city on the coast, loaded
with nothing bat ice.
the outlook at present for a big cropis al
good As could be desired. The weather is
clear and cold.
mo. the ice business IS not such bonanza
as most people Imagine" continued Mr..
Iobln, IN answer 10 an inquiry. For our
company, l can say we are making no
money as far as the san Francisco trade is
concerned. Ice, to-day, is as cheap here as
ia any OF the Eastern cities. The competi-
ton IS so keen that profit is out of the ques-
ZION. VI course, on our outside agencies
we make money, and Ia this way we man
! age 10 get lar return on our investment.
Gathering the ice is also attended with
| considerable expense and annoyance. Snow
is one of the greatest difficulties we have
to contend with. After our ponds begin TO
freeze the surface must be kept clear of any
considerable depth OF snow. If the ice is
strong enough we take il off with horses
and ScrapeTS. LII not, il must be cleared
away by hand. which is quito an expensive
matter. To aid the frost in its work we
also keep the ice broken along the edges of
the pond. This allows a current of air to
60 under the main body, and il will freeze
more rapidly. Once the ice gets to certain
| thickness Ii increases lis depth at the rate
OF about three-Quarters Of an inch per day
because the frost must penetrate through
the already solid mass on top before it can
| find water 10 feed upon"
BY the National Ice Company prepara-
tons are also being made to harvest on
Monday next.
San Francisco consumes annually about
| $1,000 tons of ice. The trade i. divided
| about equally between the natural and arti.
fetal ice companies. The competition of
the artificial people has no doubt been in
strumental IN keeping the price of ice at its
present standard. In ths smaller towns
however, the natural companies have a
monopoly and charge a pretty stiff rate for
the article.
In the shipping of California fruits 10
oily. This Industry annually consumes
about %. 900 tons. There are big storage
houses along the Central Pacific Railway
especially for the supply of refrigerator
cars. A car is loaded at Los Angeles. for
instance.
BY the time it reaches Boca another
supply is taken, which is sufficient to pre-
serve thu fruit until it reaches the Atlantic
seaboaTd. Owing to their advantage in To-
cation the natural ice companies will always
have this field of business TO themselves.
To ship California ice to Oregon would
seem like shipping Goals to Newcastle, yet
II is done. The Truckee article goes up
there in large quantities. The parboiled
citizens Of Arizona and New Mexico get
almost ali their supply from BOca.
In point of territory the Union lee CON-
pany of this city is the largest in the world.
The Knickerbocker Company OF New York
and Philadelphia. however. stores away
more of the product
Cuopr ooafs for obiIdran fro.,, -