Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-08-09
WHAT IT COSTS
To Bring Supplies From the Grower
 to the Market.

to the uafhef.
 Washington, D. G., Aug 9.-Eyery
 now and then a commission merchant | with statistical turn of mind takes | pencil and. does some figuring on the cost of getting a car of peaches, canta- loupes or oranges from the grower to the market. He estimates it takes so many tons of ice to properly refriger- ate the cars; ice costs so much per ton at the icing points delivered in the bunkers of the car; so many tons at so much per ton amounts to certain sum per car. He compares this amount with the charges made for refrigeraT tion and is astounded to find the latter is, perhaps, almost double the cost of the service as he has calculated it. An agonized shriek against the exactions of the refrigerator car companies is the natural sequence. 1..,as..5 z -- 14 .e.
 Some interest, therefore, may be ex- cited by information recently re. ceived from inside sources as to the operations of the refrigerator car lines of the country during the present season, which tend to cast some light on the situation as viewed by the car company. There is but one great com pany. as everybody who reads the magazines knows, which makes a spe. cialty of this business, and that is the Armour Refrigerator car lines. with some 6,000 refrigerator cars designed for and exclusively engaged in the transportation of fruit It has plenty of competition, but being the largest of all it may be properly termed an oc- topus and if its tentacles should be in- jured who would care? Consequently. it may be worth while to note a few of the difficulties it has encountered this season. .--. '.- Some years ago the Armour lines, in common with everyone else, -antici- pated large crop of Georgia peaches. Ice was stored in great quantities in houses conveniently located, to be used in refrigerating the fruit in transit. l The crop failed and the ice melted un- der the summer sun. The car line pocketed the loss and refilled the houses. Another season. probably the next, several of the ice houses burned. It was a critical time for the season was advanced and ice must be had at any cost or the fruit being shipped would be ruined, and under its con tracts with the railroads the company would be responsible for all damages. At such q time desperate measures were resorted to and ten trains full loaded with ice were rushed at eX- press speed from the lakes to the gulf and what ice did not melt in transit preserved the fruit on its northward journey. The fruit was saved, the tue car company charged up the addi- tional expense 10 profit and loss. Florida is now raising early lettuce and it is to the interest of the refrig- orator car company to cooperate with the grower on the principle that better rates and facilities means the raising of more lettuce and more shipments for the cars. By this cooperation a pretty little business has been built up in certain sections to the mutual profit of the company and the growers. While congress had the matter of rail- road rate legislation before it last ses- sion they were shipping twenty-five ears of Florida lettuce per diem. One lLt dropped below freezing and the next day the shipments ceased. Until they were resumed some three weeks later the refrigerator cars rested quietly in railroad yards. earning nothing. Twen- ty-five carloads of shipments per day means at least 200 cars in motion, so the loss was not small.
 In the spring the strawberry grow. CTS of North Carolina. according to the reports. were ruined" because the car company did not supply sufficient ears for the crop. As a matter of fact the company had the cars, but the rail- roads were congested with freight and they could not be moved sufficiently fast Hundreds of cars of berries were thrown away and a tremendous loss was incurred. Under it's contracts with the railroads the car company was responsible for q large portion of the loss and in a few days its agents were at work settling the claims. Probably a hundred thousand dollars was disbursed on this account. and that went into profit and loss"
 And now comes the Georgia peach crop. the handling of which has just been completed. Last year the crop was estimated at 4.DO0 carloads and arrangements were made to supply cars and ice accordingly. Almost at the height of the shipments it was dis covered the crop would run 5.oO car loads and the additional cars had to be provided instantsr. together with several thousand tons of ice Ice houses were swept bare and the trick was turned but 1t cost the Armour lines something pretty. This year op- tomistie growers predicted another rec- or. breaking crop. even 600 cars and tie company was ready to handle 1t But. alas. the crop fell short amount iAg in fact to only 25o carloads and this time the car company has On hand hundreds of cars assigned to the Georgia field the most of which must Tie hIe until wanted elsewhere
 Nor does this appear to be all Ny information is that anticipating an other enorro1s crop nsch ice was unznufscsured and stored for the con rany during the winter and spring An | ice plant z- IzrkscaviTle. Fla and sev- erzl in North CaruIiaa broke down A
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