Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-08-11
ICE STOCK IS LOW
Oly a Three Weeks Supply in Watsr-
 bury at Present Time.

waterbury is confronted with an Ice famine. There is q stock on hand that will last only seventeen days ana unless a fresh supply is discover ed somewhere people will have to go witnout 1t. The stock on hand at present amounts to 1.7OO tons and ihis IS stored in the East Brass Mill ice houses. It is all the Ice that is m waterbury at present for the re !rigerating plant at the Hellmann brewery Is crippled and has been since early June, in consequence of which its daily output is far below us full capacity. Usually at this time the Waterbury Ice corporation has n stock of 5000 or 6,OOO tons on nana. August 10, which was yester- day, is considered to be the middle of the season for the ice men, so with only T supply of HOO tons on hand, when usually 1t is five times that amount, it is difficult to see where the householder will get his supply or Ice for the rest of the summer.
 Charles k. Vail, president of the waterbury Ice corporation was busy With the long distance telephone when he was requested for informa- ton on the situation this forenoon.
 T have just been telephoning a concern in Massachusetts, he said, "that owns plant in New Hampshire Whether or not we can do business with them have not been able to as- certain yet. have been trying to get them to send us six cars of ice every day after our present stock of 1.700 tons is exhausted, but they say they can't see their way to sending us more than two cars day. I have heard however, that these people have been sentling out twenty cars day. Then there Is the difficulty of rates to adjust besides other things fin connec- tion with the haul from New Hamp- shire to Waterbury.
 "The average daily consumption of fee Ill Waterbury is about 125 tons. We have contract with Hellmann Brewing company to furnish us sixty tons a day. That amount with what we could afford to take from our own supply would put us through the sea- son all right. but the fact Is. the He'll mann company on account of it's crip- pied plant has been able to give us only from ten to fifteen tons day, which Is something over fifth of what our contract calls for. That has been what we have been getting from the Hellmann company since June
 "You probably have heard of tho discoveries made by Mir Hearst of New York city in his campaign in York state. Well. he sent some men to inquire into the actual ice situa- lon in New Hampshire and they dis covered that the supply is, I think. 1si0o0 tons short of what 1t was this time year ago. The factt is the country Is without ice, but the people ,a'r know it. they won't realize it The retail price is now from thirty tn fifty cents a hundred pounds in Waterbury. but that is no argument to the people in general that Ice is Scare.
 What will you do if you can't make n enntract with the New Hampshire poonle you have been telephoning!"
 ''Wcll. people have got to have ice brt if they cant get it they can't have 1t. If the Hellmann Brewery fee plant would start up 1t would gi-c us great hopes of being able to pull through the season. If we got mr contract supply from that source, slxty tons day, it would be great help 10 us.
 T suppose" said Mir Vaill as the Interview was drawing to close, people would smile at me If l told them that the only way to help is to he economical fin their use of ice. But you see every man thinks he has more use for ice than his ncighhor has and that 1t is his neighb0r who ought 10 economize."
 Waterbury never faced situation like this before and 1t Is quite evident that people will pay dearly for the fine weather of last winter.