Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-09-06

Are Paid lust The Same, and Output on Ken.
nebec Is Good.

Reports that the Consolidated Ice Com
pany, known as the ice trust" has lost
| money this season. through the melting
of large quantities Of ice that was
shipped from the kennebcc early in the
season and melted on the vessels in New
York and other ports. through lack of
demand, owing to cool weather, are
stated here to be without foundation
writes the Gardiner correspondent of the
Boston Globe.
The company is made up of several
large concerns. and its president Is
Charles Morse Of New York He recent
~ stated, while here. to j. G. Ballard
the Farmingdale ice expert, that the
company had declared its annual divi-
dend, and he added that though the sea-
son had been dull. owing to the GOODNESS
of the weather, the company was making
a success of the combine, and was all
right. reports to the contrary notwith-
standing.
How much the dividend was. Mr.. Morse
did not state. The cause for the loss OF
ice. as stated in a leading New York
paper was follows.
EARLY shipments to New York were
great because the summer began with
several warm days. Thousands Of tons
of Hudson river as well as Kennebec ice
were carried to New York and held there
in barges ready to meet the expected de-
mand upon it. But the temperature fell
and continued several degrees below the
normal Not alone was a great quantity
of the Hudson river ice lost through
melting, because of the lack of demand
but the ice whic had been shipped along
the Kennebec remained in the schooners
until ii melted away and became practi-
cally useless
1.-THE amount of loss which the com
panes sustained cannot be ascertained
hut that ii was considerable is acxnowl-
edged by those interested in the com
panies are enormous and the effects were
in no sense extremely serious.
THE prices of ice established in New
Work la Sf lime will cpntipnp 4 no
end of the season. The over-supply win
not induce the companies to lower their
rates merely to increase the demand.
The directors of the corporations declare
that ice is now sold for as low n price
as is possible. when the natural losses by
melting and by the waste and expenses
of Transportation are taken into consider
atom
The report went on to say that the
kennebec houses were still more than
half-full, This is not so. Mr.. Ballard
makes the following statement of the
amount of ice being shipped, and carried
in the houses. along the kennebec:
An estimate of the ice on hand April
|, 1887, was 1.097,W1 tons. A careful est-
mate of tons in houses, Aug. 90 is All 600
This amount would seem quite large hui
nearly 2oo.00o tons of this belongs TO the
Consolidated Ice Co. which company
housed a large amount in order to MI up
the Hudson river shortage. and previous
to this season the company had not fig
ured in our regular trade.
In 1896 our Kennebec crop was J. 032 900
tons. To load this capacity in eight
months, $4,000 tons a month must be the
average shipment. As we carried over to
this year 2l2.0 tons. our average ship
ments were 900 tons. or % 600 tons Il
month below the general average
In 1881 1907, 900 tons We're housed, and
the average shipment to load in eight
months must be kept up at the rate of
l3l. l23 tons month. As we now have
lGWo tons on hand. the shipments to
date have been 12f, 900 tons month for
the five months. As the three months
remaining are expected to be below the
AVERAGE. we cannot expect the average
shipment on the whole season to be much
larger than that of last year. while the
extra amount of ice housed last winter
remains in our houses.
"A very warm fall viii help this and
If the Consolidated lee Co. must move it's
ice to supply the demand during the fan.
We shall not have reason TO complain as
our average monthly shipment will equal
aay except those of 1890