Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-02-20
WITH ICE MAKERS.
This Weather Cuts Considera.
bic Difference.
NAY Ruin THEIR BUSINESS HERE

wAils Il Produces . Harvest 1t Destroys
the MarHet-Prepsrations Had Bsea
Msds for Excessive shipments 60 the
soath.
This latest change in the atmos-
phere has cast q gloom over the
prospective ice shipping of the COM
panies operating near Waterfowl,
from which point quite an amount of
the frigid article has already been
shipped to the south. The sudden
decline in the thernometer has
called q halt on the water aud for
quite . distance down the old Mis-
sissippi they now have upward Of
~ inches OF ice. Thus it will be
readily seen why the ice companies.
who depend largely on their ship
ping revenues, are beginning to get
uneasy. One order for 50 cars at
Pekin has been cancelled on account
Of the weather mans pranks, and it
is expected that many of the cities
counted on as takers of a lot of the
chilly will supply their needs from
nearby places. aud thereby cut down
freight expenses. But the ice COM
Panies have all they can do yet.
To be brief, the radical change in
temperature is more than likely to
have disastrous effect on the bust
ness Of the ice cutters hereabouts,
for while it presents the opportuni-
ties for harvest it destroys the mar
ket further down the river. ALI the
local ice houses are full in the three
cities and an abundant supply is laid
up for such season as its cooling influ-
ence will be sought. Hence. inasmuch
as the field of frigid substance is now
extended further down the river, the
cutting operations will be transferred
to such points nearer where the ice
is needed as will materially save in
the incidental expenses of transit.
So far the c., Il. & q. has shipped
1000 cars south, the Milwaukee has
cent 60 south through here and 400
to Kansas City by way of Savanna
The Rock Island and the r l. & p.
have both done extensive business on
their own account for others, the
former principally for Moline, and
will amount to $50 cars, while the
Peoria has had orders for 500 cars.
The Other View.
A Moline Mail Reporter met John
NJ. Hannibal of Hannibal Bros. & Go. .
ice dealers of St. Louis, yesterday
morning, and he expressed the opin-
ion that this vicinity possessed the
ideal ice fields of this section of the
country. He says the ice here is
better than that obtained elsewhere,
and for several years he has pur-
chased in Moline for the retail trade
in St. Louis and for shipment. He
buys it on board cars here for 35
cents a ton, and has an order in for
$50 car loads. and expects to add
another hundred car loads to this
order. The Hannibals have been in
the ice business since the SOS and
haye therefore hand a large exper-
fence. Last year ice sold for 81 and
81. rs ton IN St. Louis, the natural
ice controlling the price Of the arti.
fetal article. In conversation Mr..
Hannibal stated that the ice business
in the south is good deal OF spec
ulatiou-a dealer may make a good
deal Of money in a season. or he may
lose quite pile. He said he re.
membered that many years ago, be-
fore the ice-making making machines
were perfected, that his father sold
a large quantity of ice at $35 ton,
and next day could have sold it for
&5O a ton Rnt those davs Of hiO
profit are gone now. and yet there is
lots Of money in handling ice when
everything is favorable. Mr.. Han
nibal is delighted with the quality of
ice from Moline. Others from St. Louis
are Of like opinion in this regard.
No less than five ice men are in Mo-
line from that point. all placing
large orders, and seeing that the
shipments are made as promptly as
possible.
Dies At the Hospital.