The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1902-06-18
ICE,
Rapid Progress In tho Manufacturing
Industry.

Washington, May 28.-Few Amcri-
can industries are so extraordinary in
their character or make a more sur
prisiDg exhibit Of progress in the last
decade than the manufacture Of ice.
Here is commodity of which nearly
two. thirds of the cost of production
is in coal, about one tenth is ammonia,
and practically none in anything
which actually enters into the pro-
duct. Often natural spring is secur-
ed in connection with an ice factory;
but this must be largely for advertis-
ing purposes, since in making "can
ice"-the usual process-any water
must necessarily be distilled or the
ice would be Opaque.
The artificial ice business started in
New Orleans in 1866, and has been
steadily moving northward, till to-day
the country may be divided into three
zones. manufactured ice monopolizing
the Southern and natural ice the
northern, while in the middle zone
the Two are in vigorous competi-
ton. The census shows that the
range of competition is moving north
wards ten years ago the distinctly
Southern States had Is per cent of
the manufactured ice plants in opera
tion in the country; to-day they have
only 40 per cent.
The relative merits Of the two pro-
ducts differ about az much as cane
and beet sugar, butter and oleomar-
garinc, in the experience Of most
housekeepers. That artificial ice is
increasing in its staying qualities is
probable, in view of the constant i'm
provements in the process. It's manu-
facturers already claim that it is fully
equal in this respect to natural ice,
but that they have secured the trade
of fish packers and other critical buy
ers of ice in the competitive zone may
be doubted. On the other hand,
manufactured ice possesses an obvious
advantage in purity, since a distilled
water product is the purest thing pos
sible.
The surprising growth Of the arti6-
cial industry puts to blush the ac-
counts of manufacturing progress under
new protective tariff. It's infant
start was made against the greatest of
natural odds; but by the progres ssive
display of our native ingenuity it has
now reached the stage where it en-
ploys thousands of men and millions
of capital, and, what is vastly more
important, has opened the way for
the development, in the South and on
the Pacific coast, Of many industries
which were impossible before.
Americans are great consumers of
ice; it is luxury in almost every
other part of the globe. The city, in
distinction from the rural districts, is
also great consumer Of ice the year
around, due doubtless to the complete
warming of the modern house and
apartment. In old times many rooms
in every house were unheated in the
winter, and these furnished a natural
cold chest for butter and other things
perishable that needed to be kept
cool, just as the marketman usually
has heated Office in winter time for
his own convenience, but let's his
supply benches remain in the natural
temperature. In the country, and
especially in the South, the people
have long habituated themselves to
use wolls and caves for refrigerators.
Because of the high price of the
Maine produce in the inland towns of
the South, after long railroad hauls
from the seaboard and perhaps further
conveyance over rough country r. = Is,
ice has been used there with great
frugality until the coming of the arti-
fetal product. This will in time
make the South as great user of ice
as the North, since the climate makes
a longer demand for it.
In 1870 ell four of the artificial ice
establishments reported were in the
States, and the same is true
of nearly all Of the thirty~fve plants
returned for the census of 1880. Be-
tween 1890 and 1900, although the
Of establishments increased
remarkably throughout the South, tho
greatest and most striking increase
occurred in such Middle and Central
States as Pennsylvania, Indiana, New
York, and Ohio. Not one of these
reported fewer than forty ice manu-