The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-28
THE CITY'S ICE SUPPLY
LOCAL PLANTS CAN SUPPLY ALL
THAT WILL BE NEEDED,
But the Combine VIII Try to Keep
Up Inconsistencies for Maxi
ing the staple.

Inquiry shows that although there has
been little ice cut during the past winter
in the vicinity of Indianapolis, and. in fact
but little in the State, there is no reason
for the supply the coming summer being
short of the requirements of the city, or
that exorbitant prices should be charged.
The city has several of the finest artificial
ice plants in the country, and If pushed
could supply the local demand. The Polar
Ice Company plant has a capacity of fifty
tons day, the Crystal Ice Company forty
tons and the Holt Ice Company fifty tons,
but thirty of which, however be fur
nished for retail, their cold storage houses
requiring about twenty tons day of ice.
The Artificial Ice Company has capacity
of thirty tons and the Arthur Jordan Com
pany thirty TONS Kingan e. Co. manufac-
ture fifty tons a day. but sell only their
surplus, while the Gardner and Indianap-
oils Abattoir Company has a fine artificial
ice plant, but will sell only little of it's
product. In the way of natural ice the
Indianapolis Ice Company has 5000 tons and
CARRIER 5000 tons stored near the city, and
the Indianapolis Ice Company has consid-
cradle ice stored at Warsaw. The Ice
houses at Laporte are about two-thirds full
but most of the natural ice stored is thin
OF the artificial ice companies all but the
City Ice Company are in a combination,
and but for the City Ice Company refusing
to go into the combination higher prices
would have been paid doubtless for ice
than in any former year, as the combina-
ton had planned to charge the wholesale
trade II to 20 cents a hundred pounds and
the retail trade, large consumers 40 cents
a hundred and small consumers so cents,
but the price that will be fixed now, says
one or the trust, will be wholesale trade
10 to 171a cents and to the retail trade
So to $3.50 per book of 1000 pounds. The
small peddlerS will not be as numerous
as last year. as the combination is to ask
them such prices that they cannot make
much money in running wagons, and as
probably no ice has been cut at other
points in the State the ice manufactured
by the artificial plants at such points as
Lafayette, Terre Haute and Shelbyville
will be consumed at home. Any ice cut in
this State the past winter will be so thin
Ice that was carried over from 1897, how
ever, is Of good quality and thick. but
dianapolis Ice Company to other points
where higher prices can be commanded
than at Indianapolis, because of shortage
of ice. The production of Kingan &, Co.
and the Gardner and Indianapolis Abbatoir
Company could be utilized to a greater ex-
tent than heretofore. says one of the arti-
hcial ice manufacturers. There might be
q very hot spell when the artificial plants
here could not furnish all the ice required,
DuC Sucn a situation would be or but q Few
days duration and could be overcome by
storing ice ahead. However, the Holt Ice
Company is the only concern that has any
in store, and it has only three thousand
tons now. The general sentiment with the
ice men is that there will be ice sufficient to
supply the local demand and that prices
will be but to 10 cents a hundred pounds
higher than last year, when the supply
exceeded the demand. The local ice plants
are all either new or have been increased
in capacity during the last few months, so
that, all things considered Indianapolis is
in good condition on the ice question unless
the trust gets a control of the market 1t
requires seventy-five to eighty wagons,
either one or two-horse teams, to deliver
the ice for domestic use in Indianapolis
The City Ice Company, which has increased
the capacity of it's plant ten tons day,
will put on twenty-four wagons, and most
of the other companies will increase the
number of their wagons this year, as there
will be a less number of dealers in q small
way.