The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1903-02-26
Ice Crop This Year the Biggest and
Best in History OF the Business
in KenOsha County.
100000 TONS ARE IN STORAGE
Nearly Half of ChicaRO's Ice Supply Har-
vested In This COunty-Big Decline
In Prices Expected.

The ice harvest as far as Kenosha
county is concerned is practically fin
ished, and by the first of the week the
great army of 1aborers that have
worked increasingly in fair weather
and foul to gather the crop will have
returned to the city and the little lakes
which for the past six weeks have been
the scene of SO much feverish activity
will again resume their normally
peaceful aspect. Some of the smaller
houses ceased cutting and storing the
ice two weeks ago, and the cutting
which ordinarily continues through the
last week of February and sometimes
far into March ended fully week ear
1ier than usual this year.
The season just closing has been the
most successful one for the companies
in the history of the industry in Keno
sha county. The ice has been clear
and OF good thickness and the COM
panies have had no trouble to speak of
with their men. A strike of the ice
handlers was threatened at one time,
bat the trouble was quickly settled
and the work of getting in the crop
went on without interruption. The
conditions have been so favorab BILE that
the companies have taken advantage
of them to get in the largest and best
crop of ice ever harvested in the
county, and that is saying good deal,
for the Wisconsin lakes ice is known to
the trade as the best that comes into
the market. All of the houses are
crammed full to the roof and some of
the companies have even gone to the
additional expense of removing from
the houses the ice left over from last
years. crop in order to make room for
this years harvest. This is a most
unusual proceeding on the part of the
companies and shows very clearly that
this years crop is considered to be of
superior quality.
In addition to the immense crop
stored in the houses at the lakes in the
county thousands of tons have been
shipped direct to the other houses of
the companies in Chicago and other
cities. The Overlook ice tax law,
WLllSA AOI d tAuS lHICdlSuGu the ruin
of this great industry, has been de-
clared unconstitutional by the Supreme
Court of the State, and the companies
have no reason to apprehend any fur
Their attacks of similar character.
1t is estimated that Kenosha county
supplies forty five per cent of all the
ice used in Chicago, and that upwards
of half million tons have been har-
vested in the county this season. From
these fpures some idea of the extent
and value of the industry in the county
can be gained. Most of the companies
doing business in the county paid
good price for their holdings. They
purchase enormous quantities of sup.
plies of all kinds during the season,
and they give employment to hundreds
of men that otherwise would remain
idle during the winter.
The Kenosha dealers have already
secured their supplies for the coming
summer nd it will be shipped to them
daily during the summer in any guam
tity demanded by the trade. 1t is not
expected that the price will be any
lower this year than last but as the ice
is of better quality the consumer will
be the gamer by just that much.