The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-21
FREE ICE FUND ABUSES.
NOW TIE MONEY OF THE CHARI-
Table Is SQUANDERED.


In anticipation of the heated term there arises
each year In this city u host Of summer charities
holding out their caps with more or less specious
plea for the contributions OF the pbilanthropic.
Before the first whin Of heat comes they are
p~luoking at the pockets Of the upper classes"
for the benefit of the lower classes" Many OF
these charities arc worthy in purpose, hone=. in
administration and highly effective In the relief
OF suffering. Others are schemes for the profit
and ACKNOWLEDGMENT Of the institutors. and q
few arc not only dishonest, but ridiculous as
we'll.
No branch OF so-called philanthropy has been
moro heralded abroad than tho fund for provid-
ing the suffering masses with ice. Conceived in
the same spirit which animated the Rev. Mr..
Stiggins OF Plckwick fame to make up his collec-
lions for providing the infant negroes in The est
Indies with flannel waistcoats and moral pocket
handkerchiefs. II has been managed on similar
lines and with equally benofcont effect. While
organized and responsible charities arc busy
distributing milk or furnishing medical attend
ance to those needing 1t. or sending the children
ofthe and the cutters to the country
side. the so-called lice Fund.-" responsible,
happily for itself, to no one, proceeds to gather
In the rhekels Of the gullible and devote them to
the noble work Of furnishing some two thousand
and odd dollars worth Of ice without allowance
for melting) for $l5 ,o0Ol There is an clement
of finance In this charity which cannot but ap-
peal to tho thoughtful man.
Even II SIS 900 worth OF ice were distributed
among the poor in return for the S15. 900 donated
by tho public to the fund. It 10 doubtful IL even
81. 500 worth of actual benefit. in comparison
with what might have been achieved along other
lines, would accrue. The solemn. sober, and sad
fact is that the suffering tenement dweller'.
(which Is the generical pet name given by the
fund " to Its benofciaries, doesn't care particu-
larry about ice. Neither does his wife nor his
children. For himself he would prefer beer,
generally speaking. HIS wife would rather have
a Ho nsw ribbon Son Sr a alice Of pineapple: and the
on a TWEEN ; pound chunk Of ice for a stick Of
s1ri %sro e s,iGE;: R PR 4 nth they irs S9Sld int S get. two
sen who %ssui has 81 BEEN c snU spen ne Sae R Ris mSneS for G thc
s ~ per He cent? ief for se' tho RSSo pooT2 RsI cent Il !: nor tae fSea;
the fact, and any man of intelligence can satisfy
crowded portions Of the east side that, com.
pared to other beneficial uses to which the
expensditnrTe Of i i for Ice 10 NO. FAR removed Ssrer ir ono
sheer waste.
This must not DO taken a. implying that ice is
not In use on the east side and IN other tene-
article Of trade in hot weather. regulated BY the
the greater the demand FOR this co@modity and
the ~livelier the bargaining. On a very hot day
sHS s"S fsT iS Ss % Is ]pfo ssPssHIs IN 4 i fSll 's ssssS OF the the
amount spent for soda wafer. Nobody who has
threescent lump oG Of ice and a ippeaii SlG the f qP
es, L qa aRsHe before seF P II sss time sia ID a,san 'ssn
neiehSor. whose o1trsruranoe extends Syf no f aSs
ther than unripe watermelon or mucilaginous
s ssai Si. III asr 0 of PfGs sErS saR SSaG 'h th Sums a se Of
the city would perccptibly raise the average Of
Malaga grapes. paste diamonds. and n muiti.coi.
ored Ghromos; These do not belong more spe-
the enements are concerned, than does Ice ."
On q recent very warm day a sUS reporter
wsns DOM in II 'b nsseh !, street = s,,es to e gather The ., some in,
coolness Of Whatsoever kind is at a premium
that street is Essex. Its high tenement walls
the network Of thorouKhlfares and never get to
lation sTelters on the stoops and the side.
oilers Of cooling things do a, thriving bus.
winter sell from their carts coal and Wood. So%
those carts arc filled with blocks Of ice wrapped
ii, and 5p .iia esaF sInssn wi,h : Th 1,llin e. in , Of sots gnsS,a
duty; 1t preserves the fruit and Is itself a com
modify TO be sold at a good profit. On that hot
leo! Icc-ol Watermelon. pineapple.
Around each cart was a little group of bar
gaining women. those OF them who intended
puISudslnR lte carrying TN DdSlnb OF pans.
How much for this piecef' A slatternly
woman pointed to q bit Of ice that might have
"six cents said the dealer, looking at her
oentsIS Walled. the woman, picking, up
"A good seven pounds. declared the dealer.
What would that weigh. Mike r.
Say. You put that K WHY viii yo MI p Hinsit
mslti1' fas. enough without your handlin' III"
down 's ae the Got cora e SiST said Ri sSe c ss sea, for s 2 ISoss
how fast Il melts: What should it be worth nowi
ETske 1t along" said the dealer. II can't
w IMsS sS0 y a; SSS pay sSo e much %am fS5 i %So Ma S1d
but had purchased 8 cents worth Of melon in.
"Ain't there ice water for, nothing around in
Houston street at the fountain r.,
own loe water. don't have to drink out Of the
What will she do with the ice r. asked the
reporter OF one Of the peddlers.
'front.' oMa stoS up e a PitaishsF' It Il if Ssf Sss't tho and n St SG ,ns
g woao 6I no 6f IKE else ;cs eg y her own family get any
Don't they use the Ice to preserve food -
"D'yoa think them tenements is fitted with
fancy refrigyratersf' asked the man seornfully,
season. They only want It fer a show. It's no
more good tothen than 20 much dirt, I've seen
was maxim EN- eat The Ice. ice wateri They
don't need II. an II they do there's Ice water
fountains a:plenty around here, where they can
drink 4 tn their insidos is froze.. They buy IL
cause itS ne swell thing. see; an, thai fet Jew
was wearin,, diamonds while Il lasts. II some
Teller came down here with a big wagon load an
gave 1t, away, SOS IL was common, them folks
wouldn't hardly take the trouble to como down
That this 10 true nobody knows better than
the police. Last year they conducted an loo dis
tribution;, All the deserving poor who wanted
Ice were directed to apply at the station houses.
In the first allotment from three to five tons
we're sen. 70 each of the downtown station
houses. AT first there was O great rush for the
,oe, mostly on the part Of those who had never
had that commodity In their houses before.
Ten and twenty pound Jumps were given out
and carried away and bitter was the denunciA.
tion OF tho police by those who discovered that
the Jumps which they had gone to 80 much
trouble to get soon resolved themselves into val
ueless water. despite the best preservative Of.
forts OF The owners; What good was this stun
bands, and was painful TO hold into the bargaini
They had been fooled once. That was enough,
and they didn't como again.
Results unpleasant for the police developed.
Nobody cAme to take away the ice; therefore IL
stayed and melted. The t6mperaturA of the ata.