Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-01
WILL MAKE own IcE WAY TO RAISE PAY
Plant in State Building Will Be
in Operation Soon.
SAVING TO BE $1,000 YEAR
Contract Let to New York Firm.
Capacity Will Be Five
Tons Daily.

Within the next few weeks a complete
ice-making plant will be In operation in
the big granite building occupied by the
State. War and Navy Departments. II
is located In the north court OF the build
ing and will have a capacity of five tons
OF ice a day. Its construction was au-
thorized by Congress I'm the sundry civil
appropriation bill approved June -. 1910
which contained an appropriation of $4,000
for the purpose. The contract for its con-
struction for $685. was let to r. II. Nc
Crary of New York. In addition to the
installation OF. the ice-making machinery
the work includes the construction of
foundations. etc. involving an extensive
remodeling of the old vaults in the sub
basement.
The plant consists Of a twenty ton re-
frigerating ice-making machine, with a
five-ton Freezing and dstilling system. II
embodies all the latest improvements In
| such apparatus. Probably its leading
feature Is its ability to make crystal ice
from undistilled but sterilized water. The
| water will be sterilized In the Forbes
steriliZer. already in the building. and
| pure Ice Is to be insured by compressed
air agitation. Some of the pipes in the
| machine are welded by the "thermit pro-
| reduces the possibility Of leakage to a
| minimum.
To Meet Wants Of Employees.
The plant is designed to supply all the
| Ice needed for the State, War and Navy
Departments, with their many employees.
during the summer as we'll as in the Win
ter time. 1t is estimated by Capt u. 8
Grant. superintendent Of the building, tina,
1t will take about three tone of ice a day
70 meet the present actual requirements
1t was considered good economy, however
TO install plant with an initial capacity
In excess OF present needs in order to pro-
vide Tor the natural growth of the service
Furthermore. it is deemed more economical
| to operate such a plant at less than its
maximum capacity. thus avoiding un-
necessary wear and tear on the machin
cry.
Besides being entirely independent O,
any possible combination of ice dealers
Capt. Grant confidently expects that the
operation of the new plant will result in q
decldeL reduction in annual expenses The
| the fiscal year 1909 was s.. 10 a ton, and
Its cost at the prices bid for the fisca
year 1910 averaged $40 ton. Since Their
the price has risen to about $6 a ton
With the new plant 1t is estimated tina,
| the necessary supply of ice con be manu-.
-
ton, a saving of about 81 ton, amount
ting to about 5000 year on the estimated
quantity required. Therefore, it Is claim.
ed that the cost of the nsiallation of the
Ice plant will be saved in less than three
years.
Price Of Ice Has Advanced.
In providing for the new ice plant Con-
gress was guided to a considerable ex-
tent by a statement prepared by board
showing the necessity and advantages OF
such action. 1t appears from the state
ment that the price of ice gradually has
advanced from II cents in 1905, 10 cents
in 1907, 221a cents in 1905 24h cents in
1909 and q cents in 1910. to % cents per
100 pounds in 1911. During that period
there were no changes in the quantities
of ice consumed or in the places of de-
livery.
The lowest bid received for furnishing
plate ice for the entire government In the
District Of Columbia for the fiscal year
1910 was "a cents per 100 pounds for LOCO
pounds or more delivered at one place al
one time and "a cents per 100 pounds for
quantities less than LOCO pounds de-
Hvered at one place The actual cost0
ice for the State, War and Navy build
ing under that bid averaged not less than
81 cents per 100 pounds.
1t is not improbable that the new Ice
making plant will be utilized to supply ice
for the Executive Mansion and the gov
eminent nurseries near the Washington
Monument, which require about 1000
pounds year. The plant could easily
meet that demand in case it should be
found expedient to increase it's output
above the limit of three tons a day re-
qured for the State, War and Navy De-
partments.