The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1909-03-02
SUMMER SUPPLY
IF. ICE IS Up
TO MARCH
lF MONTH DOESN'T COME
THROUGH WITH BUNCH OF
COLD WEATHER PRICES ARE
BOUND TO SOAR.

What will the month OF March bring
forth?
This Is the all absorbing question
win the Ice men just now. They are
watching the thermometer as ply
sician watches a patients tempera-
tire. and the daily weather bulletins
ere awaited with anxiety For on the
weather for the next 80 days hinges
the summers Ice prices. say some or
the dealers. while others insist that
the prices must go up no matter what
comes.
March possibilities In the cold
weather line are the ice mems last
nope, SO TO speak. A couple OF weeks
OF zero or even freezing temperatures
would be u gcodsend but all the
dope is against such visitation
In quest OF consoling information.
David Brown, OF the Peoples Ice CO..
celved into weather records going
back 80 years, but the search was dis
appointing. He found that the mean
temperature for March during that
period was 1871 degrees over a degree
above the freezing point. So he Is
banking none too strongly on any pros
pective cold snap.
Detroit il in any danger of an iceless
summer.
Wen get Ice IL we have TO go 10
the north pole for 1t" is the way the
dealers talk, but" And there's 4
world OF meaning In that little WORD.
1t has TO do with prices.
still have seen conditions even
worse than this and prices have been
no higher as result" said Mr.. Brown
1t is pretty early to talk about prices
yet. There Is no telling what DAY
OF a week may bring forth. Ia we nave
few days OF real cold weather II
would change the situation compete
~ Otherwise the dealers must ge'
their ice outside, for there Is none
around Detroit now that | know OF
and there hasn't been any worth men
tioning. As far as my company Is con
cerned, we will build an additional
Ice factory IL necessary. altnougn, 10
SIMPLY all our trade with manufac
tured ice. we would have 10 have more
than double our present capacity
I'VE are cutting some Ice now, our
In the state. but it's very thin ans
ice. which. ordinarily, would not DC
harvested at all" -,
There Is nothing doing in the Ice
line on the river front. Some or the
dealers in desperation. are harvesting
few loads from their private canals
where the ice has had better oppor
tunity to form, but this source or sup
ply is. OF course, wholly inadequate
! to meet the demands.
I'VE will have TO get practlcaily al
chr ice from outside" was the lnfor
nation given out in the Office OF }. ! 3
Miners Ice Co. I'VE got In couple
OF loads in January. but none since
and there Is little prospect or gettlh'
any more from the river. We nave
men out cutting I'm Lake Orion am
vicinity now, and expect to Get our err
tire supply from there. The cost o
harvesting will be from one-third tt
one-half more. and there is no ques
ton that prices will be much higher
this year"
ice prices will undoubtedly be high
err this year" said John r. Long, sec
rotary and treasurer OF the Beaubien
Ice Il Coal Co. IL don't see any way
out OF 1t. even though we should GO:
a spell OF cold weather. We are cut
ting ice at Fair Haven. but 1t is way
below the normal thickness. running
from six and onehalf to eight Inches
where II ought TO be from 10 TO L.
inches at least"