Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-07-11
SHIPMENTS OF ICE.
kennebec Houses Being Emptied in
Spite Of Fight.
The magnitude Of the Ice Industry in the
Country at Large.

Despite the New York ice war. the
trust is rushing ice from Maine to the
large cities just as II there was no cru
SADIE against II, and the Kennebec Is
dotted with barges and schooners after
the product. At the present time. the
company is shipping regularly from its
various plants in the State an aggregate
of from four to five thousand tons n day.
On this river ice is being loaded from six
houses, shipments are being made from
Wiscasset and BOothbay and two crews
are operating on the Penobscot. Mon
day, the houses of the company at Port
land were opened and shipping COM
menced.
All the ice possible was saved from the
| Dresden houses which were recently
burned. Owing to the hot weather only
about one-third Of it was secured in
merchantable condition. the remainder
melting.
| 1t is estimated that not far from one
third the company's stock of ice in the
State has been shipped-from 200 600 to
100000 tons. A portion of the ice is going
to New York for consumption, three car
goes having been started for that port
from the Kennebec and two more went
Saturday.
| a new feature in the river CARRYING
trade at this port is the arrival here this
| week of four barges freighted with coal
| for local dealers. There are several rea-
sons for this new departure One is that
| small vessels carrying $50 or 100 tons Of
coal such as could come to this city to
which there is depth Of only II feet Of
water, have been able ordinarily to OBJ
tain lumber freights in return. But the
lumber trade Is now quiet ard they have
not all been able to secure lumber for
their return. Without a cargo back the
coal carrying business to the upper Ken
ncbec becomes Improbable.
These small vessels are not regarded as
economical as ice carriers, so that the
company does not use many of them. and
they are practically barred here from
getting return freights.
On the other hand a barge carrying
from six to nine hundred tons draws
no more water than the small vessel be
ing broader on the bottom ana with less |
keel, and it will carry a sufficient uuan- |
tity of ice to make it a profitable car
rier. TWO Of the barges which discharged |
cargoes Of coal at Augusta this week are /
now down river loading with ice. and the |
other two will follow. The barges belong |
to the coal companies which are selling /
the coal delivered. adding the cost of ,
freight to the price. 1t Is claimed that ,
the companies can do the freghting
much cheaper than the local dealer who
charters sailing vessels. The use of /
barses and the sale of coal delivered is
growing and it is said that it will not he
long ere coal vessels on the river will !
seldom be seen.
The ice industry of this country is OF
such magnitude that 1t undoubtedly will |
be 4 surprise to many to note the facts
and figures as compared with those uf
mining.
The ice crop of Maine which in some
seasons affords an annual profit of 81
Go9.OO0 or S5.000000, exceeds the annual
profits OF gold mining in California. for it
Is to he noted that the average cost of
producing and making ton of ice is far
less than the average cost OF mining and
treating a ton of quartz, and that the
percentage of profit realized in the pro-
duction and sale of ice is far greater than
the percentage of available profit real
lied from the production of gold
James ID. Hughes of New York an au-
thority on mining, makes the following
The Hudson river yearly ice crop is
between 100000 and 1905 600 tons. AS
Stunning the lower figure as a net aver
age, clear of waste, and reckoning the
average price paid by all consumers
large and small al s. per ton (25 cents per
100 pounds. the total value realized per
annum is sl5,OOO,Ooo.
The value of CALIFORNIA; gold. includ-
ing the product of placers with that of
quartz veins. has averaged about sl3 300
600 annually during the last Il years. and
has only slightly exceeded $4,000. 900 dur
ing the past three years. Its annual
average value would, therefore. be con-
less than the value of the Hud-
son river ice crop. even after allowing a
reasonable discount on the above esti-
mated quantity and selling price of ice
1t thus appears that the Hudson river
alone forms every winter a vein Of ice
covering many square miles in area.
nearly as thick as the average gold bear
ing quartz veins of California. producing
tonnage comparable to and
probably exceeding the tonnage of quartz
mines of California, reckoned together
with a higher average value per ton of
ice tnan the average ton OF California
quartz yields, and giving an annual
yield for which the consumers pay in
the aggregate a sum exceeding the value
of the total annual gold product of the
state of California"
The quartz vein once exhausted can
yield nothing more, production can
only be maintained by more extended de-
velopment in length or depth Cat in
creased cost, or by the discovery Of 9TH
or veins. while the Hudson river forms
its vein afresh every winter.
The annual consumption of ice in the
United States which is estimated as 25,-
900 600 tons. at 81 per ton, would amount
to sl0O,000.00. considerably exceeding in
value the total annual prod
uct of precious metals, gold and silver
rcckoned together. from the whole of the
United States. which in 1898 amounted to
s96, ISL 400.