Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-09-15
kenxesec ICE TRADE.
By Close Of Season Every House on River
Will Be Empty.

season of ice shipments for the year 1885
is fast drawing to a close. and the few re-
manning tons on the Kennebec are being
hurried South as fast as vessels can be
secured to ship them. Every concern on
the river that has ton, of ice in its
houses Is at work and the. prospect now
is that not a pound will Be left in any
house when the river closes. One of the
prominent ice men said, a few days since,
that he foresaw in the spring what the
season was likely TO be, and gave orders
to his broker. to charter all the vessels
he could. and had found that his estimate
had turned out TO be nearly correct.
by the spring estimate there were
along the river 914, 600 tons, and to COM
plete, shipments in the season of eight
months 114.000 tons must be loaded month
ly. At the present rate the shipments are
many thousand tons in advance. and in
cleaned out by November.
In an interview with gentleman who
is in close touch with the ice business.
Throughout the State. the Journal man
learned. Tuesday, that the situation is
about as the following figures indicate:
OldfOrchard houses.
Knickerbockers, Chelsea houses. Empty
Enickerbockers. Randolph houses, 1000
> oun HANCOCK Ice Co., PittstOn, Empty
1Snickerbockers. Shutdown. 5000
Great Falls Ice Co.. Green's Lodges,
Great Falls Ice Co, South Gardiner, 5000
Independent Ice Co, rPittston, 10 900
Knickerbockers. Pittston. 5000
Consolidated Ice CO.. Pittston, Empty
Consolidated Ice Co.. Modoc houses.
Empty
Consolidated Ice Co., Lincoln houses,
5000
Consolidated Ice Co.. Clark & Chap
lin houses. destroyed by fire.
Consolidated Ice Co., Thwings
Point. 5000
Knickerbockers, Pittston, 1000
knickerbockers. Dresden, 1900
Cochran-Oler. Hathorn house, Empty
Cochran-Oler, Berry houses, 10000
Cochran-Oier Cedar Grove houses, 1900
Knickerbockers, Iceboro, Il. 900
knickerbockers. lceboro, $4,000
Consumers Ice Co., Richmond. Empty
Consumers Ice Co.. Swan Island, Empty
Russell 4 Co., Richmond, Empty
Russell & Co.. Dresden, q. 900
Kntckerbockers, Swan Island. Empty
c. E. Deering & o.Swan Island. Empty
John Hancock Ice Co., Bowdoin-
ham, 6,000
There is a great deal of repairing go
ing on at the different PLACES already
be expended in repairs and improvements
this fall. The knickerbockers have crews
at work at their Old Orchard and Ran
dolph houses. At the former the engine
and boiler houses will have new sills
and floors. new shingles, and the runs
will be put in readiness for the winter
work. AT Randolph the elevator has
BEEN changed over to a 42-inch machine.
The improvements at the Independent
houses have already been mentioned. and
their new stable IS being built with a
view to making it handy and convenient
for the accommoda ton of their horses.
which will be brought from Washington
for the winters work.
The Consolidated Ice Co. have built
sumers houses in Pittston. besides other
work.
The following communication from the
last issue of the Ice Trade Journal, writ
ten by Mr.. l.. c. Ballard of Farmingdale.
will be of interest. not only to people d.
rectly identified with the ice business, but
to the public in general, from scientific
standpoint:
..The Journal has been asked many
times under the heading. Answers to
Correspondents the temperature of the
ice block and the effect of outside tenn
perature on the same. Last January l
went to the expense of testing the mat
ter. but misiaying my records at the time,
l was unable to present them until today.
l copy my notes for the benefit of Jour-
nal readers.
"On TUESDAY. February 1st 1898, select
ed a perfect block of ice 22x2S inches and
about Is inches thick. Placing. it under
cover ! made a hole in the side on top
of the block about six inches wide and Is
inches deep. In this hole placed a float
ing thermometer in such way that 1t
rested in the certer of the block. l then
filled up the hole with water. and before
noon that day the water was frozen.
Wednesday morning, a thermometer out
side stood at 2Go above and inside the
block at SOo above. At p. NJ. that day,
the thermometer outside fell to 10o above.
and inside the ice block dropped to 2So
above. Wednesday morning. February
I'd. thermometer outside stood at % above,
and inside the block 15o above. During
the day the thermometer went zip as on
thermometer outside was 27' below zero.
and inside the block TO- below zero. Fri
day morning February 4th, the thermom-
eter outside stood at 23o below zero, and
inside the Ice block 1t was about as the
morning before, 10o below. The 5th. Sat-
zero and in the ice block 1t was 130 above.
During the day the outside temperature
was 20o to % above, and in the ice block
2So above.
The 7th. 4 above. Tee block 20o above
Sth, 160 above. Ice block 2So above
9th, 2So above. Ice block 20o above.
10th 34' above. Ice block 800 above,
During Thursday, the 10th. the ther-
mometer went up to 4Oo outside, and in
the ice block 900. and water was freely
dropping from the block. Friday, Febru-
airy 18th. the thermometer at A. NJ. was
360 above. and inside ice block 32o, and
during the day the thermometer in the
block melted out SO that the floating
water in the hole showed temperature
of $50 above zero. During the following
week the weather again fell below tho
freezing point with same results.