The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-04-13

Papers were filed yesterday in
which w. e. Worth & Company sold
out their ice factory to R. w. Wal
lace, trustee. Mr.. Wallace will take
charge of the business at once, and
so far as can be learned there will
be no changes. 1t is stated positive
Iy that there will be no advance in
the price of ice, which will be wei
come news to consumers.
A deed, bill Of sale and lease were
recorded in the register of deeds Of
flee yesterday afternoon, all relating
to the ice factory deal. The deed
was from w. E. Worth and wife to
r. w. Wallace and the amount namad
was $4,000 and other valuable o n
sideration. The lot is So by SO feet
and the warehouse is located on it.
The bill of sale is from w. E.
Worth and B. G.. Worth, trading as
w. E. Worth & Company and was a
transfer of the entire plant, which
consists of a 25-ton machine and tlso
a 50-ton machine.
The third paper is a lease, or at
least a suitcase, of a lot extending
$50 feet on Second street and 83 feet
deep. 1t is on this property that
the ice plant proper is located. The
consideration named is an annua!
rental of $500 per year. The proper
ty is owned by Miss Louisa B.. Smith,
and she rents it to Mr.. Worth. It is
this property that the suit was de-
cided yesterday relates to-.
Only a nominal mount is named
in the bill of sale. so it is not known
just what price was paid for the
plant, Mr.. Worth will continue N
the wood and coal business as at
the present time.
History of the Business.
In 1885 W. E. Worth & Company
erected in this city the first absorp-
ton ice machine to be brought into
the Atlantic seaboard states. Up to
that time all the ice used in Whining
ton was natural ice shipped here
from.the north. The plant was start
ed with a ten ton machine, but some
eighteen months later was increased
to 80 tons. This was sufficient to
supply the trade for some three or
four years before it was again en-
larged. In the meantime the truck
ing business was begun and this re-
quired a large amount of ice. Mr.. w.
e. Worth was instrumental in get
ting the refrigerator service started
in this state. He went to Florida and
interested the president of the Cal
ifornoa Fruit Transportation Com
pany n this was the first step to-
wards making the berry business
profitable, for nothing could be done
without refrigerator service. Only a
few cars were brought here at first
and this has gradually increased I'M
til it takes more than $500 to handle
the strawberry crop alone, not to
speak of the hundreds of cars used
in carrying other crops.
Up to the time Mr.. Worth began 10
make ice by artificial means the price
was very high and was looked upon
as more of a luxury than a necessity.
The trucking business had increased
so much by 1898 that it became ne:-es-
sary to again enlarge the plant and
this time the 10-ton machine was
taken III and a modern 50-ton ma
chine installed.
Were it not that ice can be made
by artificial means the great trucking
industry would not be what it is to-
day. To secure natural ice was very
expensive and it would have been
thought absurd to speak of getting
ice as cheap a. the present time.
Wilmington has two plants and il is
understood that they will work n
harmony but no attempt will be made
to increase the price of ice.