Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-01-18
ICE SITUATION.
kennebec Operators Simply
Waiting for Cold Weather.
Not Expected that the Winter Will
Develop Sensational Features.
Stories 81 Failure 81 Hudson Ice Crop Not
Borne Out by Fscts.

Gardiner Me-. Jan. 17-(SpeciaD.
There has not been much doing on the
ice for the past two days, on account Of
the mild weather. and everybody con-
cerned has been playing waiting game
,,-the companies waiting for colder
weather, and the army of laboring men
waiting to be set at work. Meanwhile
the fields have been covered with shall
low pools of water and have sacrificed a
trifie in thickness, perhaps an inch.
1t has been reported that the Kntcker-
bockers would stack on the site of their
old Farmingdale houses, but the report
lacks confirmation. and indeed, It is hard
~ probable that they would operate there
the Bodwell & ALLEN houses are empty.
and the. chances are that all the ice be-
tween the two places will be used in fill
ing them.
1t is evidently the intention of some
one to hatch sensation in the Kennebec
ice crop this winter, and IL possible to
bring 1t to maturity, but parties in clos
est touch with the business fail to see
anything as yet that would warrant the
entertainment of any anticipation other
than the average. OF course, the possi-
bilities of Maine winter weather are
without limit, and the ice may go out
within two weeks, as it has been known
to do before, but when what is to be
judged by what has been, on the average,
the. ice men do not as yet lie awake
nights TO anticipate, nor do they dream
of anything like recurrence of the win
ter of 80.
A few sensational stories have been set
in circulation at Albany concerning the
outlook on the Hudson. telling of aban-
doned fields. freshets and loss of ice
tools resulting therefrOm. which were
given some credence in different sections
For instance, over on the PenObscot, It
created quite IA stir in Ice circles. and
badc fair for a time to work great
changes in the quantity of ice housed on
that river.
AS d matter of fact. the amount of ice
put up above Albany only foots up about
IS 600 tons. and the main ice business on
the river is far below that point. and the
recent brcakupS reported affect the gen.
eral business on the river about as much
as does the CobbOssee stream when 1t
eats d channel down along the western
shore of the Kennebec. A well-known
authority tells the journal that the latest
Information that he has received from the
Hudson is that the concerns are getting
9-inch ice in good quantities.
If the Hudson river harvest falls short
and the large concerns doing business in
that locality find that they are not going
to get enough. they will transfer their
base of operations to the kennebec, but
it has got to be later in the season than
at present that will bring about anything
of the kind. There are several fields on
the Kennebec that will not be opened
this winter unless there is a change i'm
the present outlook.
Quite little accident occurred
at the Modoc houses. last week, when
they built fire under one of the
boilers. A crack nearly six inches was
made in the boiler. and it required
several days work of men from Bath,
to repair the boiler SO it could be used.