New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-07-19
HOW ICE Is HANDLED.
GETTING AN ELUSIVE PRODUCT rpov
THE WHARF TO THE CONSUMER
THE TRANSFER is DIRECT WITHOUT sroe,c,
IN THE CITy-IcE FROM NAINE-.Osa
From MELTING AND RREAKAGE

l 49,
OF the larger local companies to a Tribune reports,
| the other day. "s far rnor- extensive conpea,..
! and hazardous than IL commonly supposed Thai.
is more than $4,000 invested IN the Industry /,
| this city. and 1t gives employment many ,so,
| sands Of men ard horses in the course OF a Yea,
| Besides the two or three large companies In n.
| business there about dozen small ones ana
more than twenty private dealers who purchase
| their supplies from the larger producers
"A maximum full crop Of Ice Is abou, 10000 TON.
| when II Is harvested but by the tine tina: tal. i'm
mense quantity is distributed for consumption /,
has dwinCled about half. through melting ard break.
| ing The principal source Of supply for the 3Van
inhabitants OF Newfork, Brooklyn. JerFey CITY
and smaller adjacent places are the lakes and ,hs
| Hudson River
when thc crop at these sources Of supply IL shoe.
J II has 10 be supplemented by sh pmcas from Main.
| wh.nc, large cargoes are now arriving here alnoa
daily 10 Offset d deficiency OF abou, 10000 ,oos
| in this years Hudson River product.
NO sTOREHOUsEs IN THE CITY
Formerly the large companies had s,orehouss
IN this city, but they were abandoned more tina
forty years ago. Every time that even snr~
wagon went TO one OF them for load the yhos
house had 10 be opened and the waste from m.,.as
was 50 great that the storehouse system enaed
heavy losses storage on barges was. therefore sub
s;ituted In its place The ice keeps fairy well %
| the barges In cod weather but In sumner there 10
| G waste Of from 20 to Is per cent from the nth.ns
OF the cargo Of each barge on a single TRIP from
the icehouses to the city. counting from the tina
the barge Is laden until its cargo Is landed here
THE barges land their cargoes at between thirty.
five and forty depois In different parts ~ this CITY
and Brooklyn, and tho ice Is Immediately car,ed
away for distribution among CONSUMES The Ice y
landed from the bargcs mainly by means u steam.
hoisting apparatus. and much waste "a causd
through breakage during the process Of ianiing
Only the whole cakes are suitable for general trase
but the broken pieces OF good size can De- utilized 4
discount from regular prices by ice-cream manu-.
facturers. meat packers and refrigeraang ware
housemen. This city and Brooklyn are aid ou, THO
districts ard each distributing station has certain
number OF regular and extra wagons for delivering
the ice to consumers
There are about $40 regular wagons and 30 ex.n
wagons the latter being express wagons and o,hs
vehicles but besides these there j. also large
Der OF wagons run by peiers. who hawk tee IN the
poorer neighbofhoods. where they SCI 4, IN small
quantities to suit the slender purses Of their I'M
poverished customers. Each u the regular wagons
Is drawn by horses and operated by two or 'hrs
men, About 5000 men are constantly enpoyed v
the ice business here In summer.
DISTRIBUTION AMONG CONSUMERS
The j s,rbuton OF ice among consumers begns u
DAYLIGHT and continues til long after sunse, daily
Families are served in the morning a. FAR as pos
sihle because the househeepers generally Ike 70 20
ont SHOPPING or calling IN the afternoon. and cont
ike d have the iceman around their houses when
they are absent. The drivers and Their helpers nave
to take the ice into private houses and pace II IN
the family ice-boxes This causes much delay and
while it is being done the ice in the wagons standing
in the streets is rapidly melting away
From the time the Ice leaves the houses a. ~
mil :. * flii we're .
sumers both families ard The heavy coasunets' is-y
50 per cent is lost by melting ana nfeak,hs, ,.d
The deliveries TO the heavy III, e ba. "a
In the afternoon and evening. ana thei re nas "
be placed by the companies whoieSer ure roI'
sumeIs wish 1t 10 be put IN ther O-i'u1s, r 49,
fer how many stories above or below the tes."
The street il may be. II the meat paC hers tsIrts'
have elevators in their buildings. they a0r 10
companies to use them. otherwise the co u.s. q,
must provide their own horses ana hpparHssx
hoistinp the ice into the buildings through nsA,
ways the inside or windows on w s,Srs
mo tn air and into upper-story wnao" =
big building after dark The Ice l. httn'. ,on.
nv longs attached TO the END OF ho,s..ns ~, e.
n:3h,cb y onerated bv one or horses down ID n'
street If 1t could be delivered on tiie s.Se" TIE
i'ord provides the ice without money and wi'ho..
price but its harvesting ana ils'r'o.u'" ~
aborious and costly underiaHlhss
GETTING ICE FROM MAINE
..rbs getting of ice from Maine Is no cihen
although most people seem to thi.A "'H' -,
ding for the icemon. The vessels ihA' p'''s " ~"
are chartered They have certain n""0
lav DAVIS at the wharyes. after "h'o" 49,
&c charged for every day on which they feiha'" go
| loaded The cargoes range from 80 10 NV w.
acb and have to be unloaded AT me .NpesI.sry
me companies which use steam hos''is IL a. nos.
for the purpose and 90 me owy for dstribution
as fast as they can. but there i h'u'" ''''
H ..r a"u fro, netting ranges from 70 r. r.
| cent and sometimes II as mlcn a. - ~ .ored AID
cordlng to the care win whlsn 'ne ~ mere The ~
| The length OF time II IL on the way rom Maine
erage waste from the melting OF zee III cargo
fully 30 i;s per cent los. rf from melting Tier. y.
| always from 1900 70 700" tons 81 -, come OF tss
brought here from Maine by oiccrs ally o ntcr..
ed in the ice product OF that So teat the enS
snSu,a er', IF 5000 tons in the Hudson Eysr ~
may have to be procured iro" wv
s's Ths best dunnage or packing for Ice cas'S
| composed OF mill shavngs ana nay y IN are no, d
Green boughs are also USED p aiessiv dumped 10,
good Sometimes the Ice Is caIeiessas, Ssrk,oais Il
the vessels without any dunnags ana ,,n.t IN. Sun
lumber are carIlea o fhat the loss from me'ns
runs Nd 10 the highest percentage
COSTLY DELAYS IN TRANsPoKrArlo'
"vesss,s ,ha, bring ice from Main, of cou's' 80.
subtect 20 wind and weather. hut iey a' 49,,
| an the way here sometimes that II se'"' % ,,,,.
| skinpers must have dropped an'nor a. S
| mediate port and gone ashore 70 zee M =. ,r,
| Is therefore necessary 10 keep 'o"eu -. 49,
/ Ming between this city and the Hudson NV" =,
-, 80 "a =, emergencies the vesses are tow"
graa, expense all the way from Maine eirc'
| docks in this city. which has already Dee" UNIV
era rb IN. yaraee normal crop OF natural ice annoA
harvested in the United states is cs,.has 49, Is a.
about 100000 tons. In addlton 10 ''Is ,nu,actrs,
| immense quantity OF aruhcia! ice ns m 10
| The artificial ice manufacturing comIah's Cd ts,r
city can produce from zoo 70 so tons 1s. 10 1907
| annual product is estimated at from 4.v,"T ,sni as
TONS There is one brewery whose Ice p pa. ev