New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-08-09
TAKES UP ICE INQUIRY.


The grand jury. acting upon the suggestion
OF Judge Rosalsky. took up the investigation
yesterday Of the alleged ice conspiracy. Wesley
III. Oler. president OF the American Ice Com
pany, was the first OF about a dozen witnesses.
District Attorney Jerome and Mr.. Smythe. one
of his assistants. who has been making an in
dependent investigation into the ice situation.
appeared for the people.
They had a mass OF evidence bearing on the
matter which guided them in the examination
OF witnesses. Although Il is known that con-
siderable important evidence was obtained by
the grand Jury. IL could not be learned whether
or not IL was Of a character 10 sustain the con-
tention OF the existence of criminal conspir-
acy 70 maintain shortage in the ice supply and
TO raise the price.
Besides Mr.. Oler, the witnesses were the fol-
lowing representatives of independent cOnpa-
mics: Charles Mulford president Of the Glas-
gov Ice Company; Richard Foster. r. A Scott
and John ID. schoOnmaker. OF the Foster-ScOtt
Ice Company; William WEIGH. of WEIGH
Brothers, and John HaggerdOrn Of HaggerdOrn
Brothers
Mr. Oler was under examination by the Dis
trict Attorney for about an hour. When he
came out of the grand jury room he refused to
answer any questions as to the line OF evidence
given by him. He did. however, with some
vehemence, pronounce as a "villainOus and ma
licious lie" story that his company had ad-
vertised for sale in two towns in Pennsylvania
its stock Of ice stored there.
Instead OF Offering our ice for SALE said Mr..
Oler Eve are buying all we can get for the
Philadelphia trade
Mr.. Oler was asked how high the price Of ice
would go this summer.
IT don't know how high it is going" he re-
piled. II am paying 20 cents a hundred pounds
at my home in LarchmOnt.
According TO an apparently trustworthy
source the grand jury did not consider the evil
dence given yesterday as OF sufficient inn
portance to warrant their spending the entire
day on the investigation. Therefore. after a
single session they put off the further examina-
ton Of witnesses until this morning.
District Attorney Jerome reticent about
what took place in the grand jury room
In the evidence presented yesterday was an
exhaustive table Of comparisons showing the
prices Of ice in this city for the last twenty-nine
years. This table showed that with the excep-
ton of a few years. in 1901, 1902. 1904 and 1905.
when ice sold for 80 cents hundred pounds.
the price had always been either 20 cents or
higher The shortage in this years supply. the
Ice Trust explained. was the only reason for the
increase Of 10 cents a hundred pounds.
It is said that the District Attorneys Office
has correspondence between local companies and
independent companies and out Of town con-
Germs. showing that the New York companies
this year could not buy ice in large quantities
at the prices prevailing in previous years. other
data, it is said. show a general scarcity OF Ice
throughout New York and other states. espe-
cially along the Hudson River. The statistics
prepared It is said. by the American Ice COM
pany show that all the ice in sight for its GUS
toners amounts 70 $4,000 tons. These statistics
also show that if this single company supplies
all it's customers. the quantities sold last year.
there will be a shortage by the middle of Sep
TENDER of 10000 tons.
1t is expected that when the grand jury meets
again tomorrow. additional witnesses will be
examined. But it is said that they will consist
largely Of small ice dealers. IL is expected that
District Attorney Jerome will appear again in
nerSOn.