The Portland daily press., 1895-10-08
ICE and LUMBER.
Two Kennebec Valley Crops Which
Promises to be Light.
THE FROZEN PRODUCT HAS NOT
FOUND LARGE SALE.
And SO the Winters Harvest Will be Re-
duced, Unless there is Failure of the
Crop Elswhere-The Lumbermen Look
for Limited Operations but may Change
Their Ideas.

--Oo--
for Limited Operations but may Change
Their Ideas.
ESPECIAL TO THE PREss.l
Gardiner, October 7-There are two
slang phrases which might have very ap-
propriately originated in the Kennebec
valley. In fact when Mr.. Chames Hadden
informs his friends that it "do1't cut no
ice'' and advises them to Ego saw wood'
he mentions two products which con-
tribute very materially to the wealth OF
the towns and cities on the Kennebec.
Consequently the amount of the annual
cut of lumber on the upper waters OF the
river, and the size OF the ice crop
harvested below Augusta are matters OF
no little interest. tits as yet early to
obtain accurate estimates of the probable
operations of the winter in the logging
camps and on the ice fields, but from the
present indications it does not promise to
be particularly busy year.
This summer has been what the icemen
call an off season. Last winter when they
began harvesting their frozen crop, the
big houses had been practically emptied
by the shipments of the previous summer
They were filed with the big cakes OF ice
and they are still partially filed for the
shipments of this last summer have been
away below the average. Philadelphia,
which is one of the biggest consumers OF
Kennebeo ice, has used only about one
third Of the customary quantity, and
Washington, Boston and New York have
also greatly reduced their demands. This
state of things is due to the fact that last
winter great deal of ice was out to the
South and West of Maine, notably on the
Hudson. An average crop on the Kenne-
bee is about $50, 900 or l, OOO, 600 tons. MI.
Shepard, the local manager Of the
Knickerbocker company, said today that
he Thought about half of this amount
would be left in the houses at the close OF
the shipping season about six weeks
hence, and so only about one-haf the
usual crop would be cut next winter, I'M
less it should be found that there was to
be failure of the crop elsewhere. In
that event, large quantities OF ice would
Speculative ice;'' that is, ice cut not for
some company with an established
market, but for sale to any purchaser.
Such a condition it will be remembered,
did exist several years ago and so many
rushed into the ice business that some Of
them at the end of the year could tell
lust how it felt to have blush tinge
like Kennebeo ice. It might have been
that then and here Chimmie Fadden's 8
expression sit don't cut no ice"
originated.
The lumber men who operate on the
headwaters of the Kennebec, made only
small cut last year, and it is not now be-
lisved that they will increase it much
next winter, but here, as in the ice bus1-
| rha aonAitinna change t(Jnl6SS
they do change in the next month, how
ever, the cut will be small. It all depends
more or less upon the shape of the market
in the next few weeks. Since the Demo-
Gratis tinkered the tariff, the Canadians
have had the best of it in the Boston and
New York markets. and there are
evidences that the Proyincials are getting
ready to make big cut this year. The
Maine lumbeImen have a way OF tell
ing about what their competitors in the
Queens dominions are about, and way
too, which does not neoessitate going over
the boundary. If large numbers of
Canadians come through the state, will
ing to go into the woods ana work at low
prices it is safe to say that tho demand
is not very great in Canada, and II there
are few of the Bluenoses and they want
gilt edged prices for their labors, it Is
equally easy to see that there will be
lively winter in Canada. The mon from
the Provinces are, Judging from present
indications, not coming here th Is fall.
A peculiar feature of the situation Is
that while the Kennebeo lumbermen are
not at present planning for very lively
winter their brethren on the Penobscot
are doing considerable hustling and there
are indications at Greenville and other
points of departure for the camps that
the winter will be busy one. This Is
due to the fact that while the kernebec
4 l. nod
Penobscot lumbermen got better prices.
While logs were selling on the Kennebeo
for 50. rs thousand feet, on the Penob-
scot they went as high as Sl3 and over.
This was partly because the mills on the
Penobscot were large buyers A gentle
man interested in the lumber trade here
said today: "The Penobscot lumbermen
made some money last season and they
appear to be getting ready TO blow it in
and guess they will OF course the
Iawrences of South Gardiner, the
Millikens of Augusta and other mill
owners who also own timber tracts will
out enough to supply their mills and
there will be in addition lumber enough
cut on Kennebeo waters to fill the ord1-
nary demands of the mills on its banks,
but it looks now as if the cut would be
25 per cent below what several years ago
would have been thought o good winters
work. Still it is not too late for things
to change and it should be remembered
that it is yet too early to make definite
estimates
Speaking of Kennebec Industries, re-
calls the attempt made by the Gardiner
Board of Trade some time ago to build a
shoe factory. At that time the people
were so enthusiastic that the societies
which were among the subscribers to t he
stock paraded with bands and everybody
took hold, Chinese laundryman being
-tr ILL., oil
Germ which it was hoped would come here
and run the factory went elsewhere and
little has since been said about it, but
the scheme has not been abandoned and
the committee know of fives or six shoe
manufacturers who would probably
favorabIy consider proposition to come
here. When the right man is found, the
Gardiner shoe factory will be built.