Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-01-24
Would Be Appreciated by
All the Ice Men.
American Ice Co. Officials Are
Not Worrying Badly
But Would Welcome Cold Spell
to Thieken Ice Fields.

taEOlN6r, Me-, Jan. Sc.-tSpeCldi).-
The question Of whether or not any ice
Will be harvested on Maine rivers this
winter is one that cannot yet be an
swered, and while it is by no means an
iU1possibility for the ice to reach
thickness as will enable the operators
to secure all that they desire, still the
conditions TO date have been such that
1t may be said that the feeling today,
regarding the general situation, which
covers not only the Maine ice fields
but those of New York and Massachu-
sets as WELL is one Of anxiety.
The ice crop in Maine is one that
has never failed in the history of the
ice industry, and to this fact is pinned
the faith of the operators. Sometimes
the harvest has been housed as late
as t.Ie latter part Of March, and when
spring was almost within hailing dis
lance, and sometimes a winter freshet
has taken the ice from the river in
January and still the ice has formed
again and OF sufficient thickness to al
low Of the cutting Of a crop. but the
conditions this winter are Of such q
nature that it is q very difficult thing
TO form an estimate of what the re-
manning weeks of the winter have In
store in the way of weather.
AS yet there are no Indications of
worriment regarding the Kennebec riv-
er Ice crop. but regarding the general
harvest the officials Of the American
Ice Co. are not so confident, and are
anxious!y awaiting the advent OF suf-
fol- n har 70 plt ~
gather their supply for next summer
This feeling is shown by the following
article which was published in Thurs
days New York Herald:
Although the winter is we'll ad-
vanced not one pound of ice has been
harvested by the American Ice Co. and
officials of the company are anxiously
awaiting a heavy freeze" SO that they
may get in the supply for next sum-
mer
Equipment has been installed, men
engaged and everything placed in
readiness for the harvest. Once the ice
in the fields in Maine. Massachusetts
and the Hudson river reaches a thick
ness of 10 inches the entire supply can
be put In the houses within three
weeks. Wesley II. Oier, president of the
company. stated yesterday
While the company did not begin
cutting ice on the Hudson until late in
January last year they had stored
great deal of ice in Maine. The mild
weather this year has prevented the
cutting Of ice even in the most north
ern OF Maine fields.
eve are just waiting Mr. Olcr said.
There are still two months of winter
We have some reserve on hand. but If
the Ice crop should fail I should hate
to face next summer on that supply :"
Regarding TIE situation on the Ken
nebec river L. G. Ballard. general man.
ager In Maine for the American Ice Co.,
said that he had in no way changed
the opinion expire ssed BY him when in
terviewed concerning the outlook the
last of December, end that wa; that he
expected to have $500 men working on
the river by the first OF March. The
conditions on the kennebec as con-
Germs ice are little better than they
were at that time. though not 4 great
deal. but Mr.. Ballard has had tho ex-
perience OF the greater part of a life
time in the ice business, and has been
a close student of the seasons. especial
ly in the ice-harvesting months, and
upon this experience he bases his opin-
ion.
In speaking Of the ice in the river last
evening he said that it varied in thick
ness from open water to 81, inches.
and fhat at Icehoro, just above Rich
mond, the river was not closed at all.
Above that point there are some good
fields of ice, and all that Is needed is
some cold weather to bring it UP n
the required thickness.
The pl eSent capacity on the river is
between 100000 and 100000 tons. and
according to estimates more than half
OF this capacity is now empty, so that
in case the demand warrants the avail
able space to fill in the various houses
along the river will be about 100000
tons. The places at which there is
available space are as follows: The
'Rieh, Old Orchard and Chelsea houses
and the stack at Randolph are empty,
also ono-half of the south houses at
Smithtown. The Lodges houses are
empty, also the south independent
houses. the Nahumkeag and Hathorn
houses. The Cedar Grove houses are
two- thirds empty and the Iceboro
houses half empty. The Modoc houses
are empty and there is an empty ca
pacity of 10000 tons at storms Point
At Swan Island the houses are two
thlros empty. Y and the Sagadahoc
houses are empty. At the other places
in Maine where the American Ice 70
operates there is an capacitv az %. oCO
tons in the Arctic houses Mt Bangor
and the houses at Boothbav. Rristo,
and Portland are about half en,ntx.
Over on the Penobscot river Tie ont
look is not very encouraging. The
last report from the river a few DAYS
ago stated that the ice was all the way
from an inch to six inches in thickness.
BELOW High Head there was hot over