The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-02-28
ICE BURIED IN SNOW.
Billiards Have Been Expensive For
Operators.
OF DOLLARS LOST ON
THE PENOBSCOT.

Ohty AohS aHo SIrobS Soio onaP 10"
Bring Crop Up To Even Two Thirds of
What Was Expected-Most of the Time
Has Been Devoted to Scraping.
Bangor, February 27.-The remarkable
snow fall Of this winter is likely to cost
the ice operators of the Penobscot river
good many thousand dollars, for such
have been the delays in work on account
of the time lost in scraping the field that
the harvest which ordinarily would have
been finished two weeks ago, is still
dragging along. and only q long and
strong cold snap can bring the crop up to
even two thirds of what was at first ex-
pected. Some of the housts are full of
new ice of the best quality, others have
few thousand tons of old stock with the
new, and others still are either empty or
only partly filled.
The snow storms have been SO many
and SO close together that more time has
been spent in scraping than in all the
other work. In some places there are
several feet OF snow on the ice, under that
a few inches of water, then six or eight
inches of sap ice and then eight to twelve
inches of blue ice. On some OF the fields
there has been SO much snow that the ice
has had no chance to thicken even in the
coolest weather and the fields of Union
and Dirigo companies, near Crosbys s
narrows, have thickened very slowly in
spite of cultivation, because the dumping
of gravel there by the government dredges
~ A., ,,,f vsx
what and made quick water where there
formerly were eddies.
The present condition of affairs may be
briefly summed up as follows:
E. Fl. & a. Rollins have full h1use,
14,000 tons, all new ice. e. & I. K. Stet
son about 1000 tons in their upper house
of 10, COO tons capacity, having stopped on
account of the rain. In their lower house.
20, 600 capacity, they have at this time
about 5000 tons.
The Consolidated Ice company, whie-
recently purchased the houses of E. &
j. f. Webster, has filed the lower house,
&C, 1000 tons, and is now at work with
big crew trying to clear the field at the
upper house where there are 4, geo tons of
old ice and IA, 600 tons empty space. The
ice here is 12 to Is inches thick, but it is
covered by sap, slush, water and snow.
Tho Consolidated also owns the American
houses on the opposite side of the river,
but will do nothing there. The field was
neglected until 1t was found that the
Hudson crop would be very short and
then it was too late, boring the other day
showing only six inches of blue ice with
seven or eight inches of sap on top. These
houses have capacity of about $4,000
tons and there is some old stock in them.
d. Sargent's Sons have about $4,000
tons in their houses of $4,000 tons capac-
ity and are now waiting for cold weather
to thicken the fields.
The Orrington Ice company has about
$4,000 tons of fine ice in their house.
which have o capacity of a. coo tons. and
is now scraping expecting to fill nexu
week.
The Arctic Ice company, capacity 16. 900
tons have about II, COO tons housed.
The Sterns Lumber company, capacity
80 GOO tons, have $4,000 tons new ice and
5000 tons old.
The Dirigo Ice company, capacity $4,000
tons have but 5000 tons housed, and it is
doubtful if the houses can be filled this
season.
The Union Ice company has not housed
pond of ice to date.
The New York and New England COM
panies will not fill this year.
Thus, with house capacity OF 3ll,c00
tons, there are today about 134, 900 OF new
Ice housed on the Penobscot Future
operations may increase this to 10000
tons and there are on hand about l3,0O0
tons of merchantabIe old ice. From
present appearances that will be about
The size of Bangor s stock of ice for ship
ment this year-183, 600 tons.
Much of the ice held here is already sold
under time contracts. No new contracts
have yet been made and none are likely to
be made right away, as the prosp ect war
rants the dealers here in holding out Tor
q much better price than WAS obtained
last year and buyers are likely to be some
what slow in meeting their views, hold
ing off until compelled to buy.