New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-09-24
STILL SHORT OF ICE.
HARD ON HOUSEHOLDERS.
City Suffers in Spite of Shipments
from Maine.

Two thousand tons Of fee from Kennebec. Me-.
were brought into port yesterday on the barge
Gwynne. and that was the only relief in the fee
situation. That will al least us through to-
morrow, said President Wesley NJ. Oler OF the
American Ice Company. when informed OF # by
The Tribune. In fact he continued II think I
may say that We are all right for the next week.
Tor there is little doubt that other barges viii get
In. now that the wind has changed and swept away
the fog that has delayed them"
Mr. Oilers hopeful attitude was not that of the
average New Yorker. for very real was the distress
caused on Saturday and yesterday by tire shortage.
quite early In the summer the various wholesale
ice dealers gave notice that the practice of selling
double quantity TO the retailers Saturdays
would be abandoned. The wagon men, as the re-
tailers arc known in the trade had been accustomed
TO lay in extra supply for their customers TO
carry them Sunday. and when this practice
was abandoned much annoyance caused On
Saturday, however, the wagon men In many In
stances found that they could not get enough ice
80 around for Saturday and the result was
that thousands OF families had to go without their
i0-cent piece OF fee yesterday
At some wholesale places. too. the price was
raised to 90 cents n hundred pounds. $40 a tom
with consequent reduction in the size of the piece
sold for dime.
situation on Washington Heights was acute. From
sSSturda , morning there was PRACTICALLY no ice
Ice dealers VINO had been accustomed 10 get their
street and the Harlem River were dumfounded on
a6 sG Ta9 they went to The pier and found IL
ice would be tied up 70 the pier at 1sth street and
got there just IN time 10 see the barge cast off and
start for Brooklyn There was not bit OF ice
WestSbester frseSt ards Of tb Se Yor en,r re
pany were supplied The drivers had strict orders
TO SCI! to no one but their regular customers and
especially not to supply any me who had been
buying Of an Independent dealer.
ago the Independent distributors complain, they
often TOLD that they could not OF be- SUPPLIED ana
Not only the families on Washington Heights
rants and soda water fountains could not get
enough Ice to carry them over until Monday. Many
Yesterday the first Sunday this summer that
It has been impossible to obtain glass OF beer at
any saloon IN Amsterdam avenue. from 125th street
up to Fort George. Not one saloon in ten was able
tree Sdbo0 bsd found friend down IN Mott
a dray and drove all the way downtown. and then
got only enough to last him about half of yester-
About 10 o'clock an American Ice Company wagon
meandeLed up over the Heights. stopping here and
the time it had reached street there were three
see men and women on their way to church stop
and beg of the ice cart driver TO stop their
The hospitals on the Heights said they had
enough TO last them until this noon. when IL they
did not get relief they would be in desperate straits
AT the ONCE or the manager Of supply stations Of
with OF ice was expected az the 12Sh street
pier this morning at O'Clock. but it probably would
On the lower West Side there was an absolute
famine. scores OF families being without ice both
who has been dealing with the same firm for two
years, and was promised that. no matter what be-
came OF new customers. he would be taken care Of
met the man who usually makes his delivery on
Saturday morning
Am going to get any ice to-day" he asked
NO" said the driver. But you've got at least a
have some Of III? the customer urged "h ats FOR
the saloon trade" the man replied. so saloons are
taken care Of before private families" said the
customer, wrathfully. That's the order" the
driver retorted
Asked II his company asking more for their
commodity. Mr.. Oler put in emphatic denial
As have time and again said. this shortage
roreseen quite early In the year. Then we adopted
a schedule of prices which determined to main
tain. no matter what happened. The last raise we
ade was in July. when the price made 40 cents
a hundred pounds delivered 10 family trade: 35
cents a hundred pounds delivered. to large users.
and % cents 10 those who took the ice away IN their
own wagons From this schedule we have not de-
Waited. and Will not"
The general idea that there Is a large supply Of
fee stored in the Hudson River houses is
I'VE still have few thousand tons left President
Oler said Yesterday but at the present rate that
will soon be gone. We are now selling about six
thousand tons day. With good luck in the matter
ments. we ought 10 be able to take Of the de-
mand all right
AS was pointed out IN The Tribune some months
the persons who are reaping the greatest profit
from the shortage in the ice crop the artificial
ice manufacturers. The total output OF all the
plants in greater New York is somewhere between
in the neighborhood Of 81 20 10 manufacture.
All the artificial ice plants have been working night
getting for their product from s. ton upward, the
average price probably being fully g. The ma
tOrity OF the plants belong 10 the Independents. or
those outside the trust. the American Ice Com
tee men find Il difficult to make a profit. but this
year they have reaped a golden harvest.