Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1911-03-17
Boy Lets Pals Filled With Water
Freeze and Stores Cakes.
Got Idea by Thawing Out Pail in Hen
yard and Now Is Capitalist Him
self-SeIls Product to Ills
Neighbors.

yard and Now Is Capitalist Him"
self-SeIls Product to Ills
Neighbors.
Ware, Mass-How would you like
to be independent Of the ice trust
next summer when the hot rays or
the sun are beating down and your
refrigerator is empty, though you
have had a card in your window for
several days and have telephoned the
ice trust and been choked off with the
reply, you will get your ice when it
arrives and not before?"
The 11-year-old son of a Ware sign
painter has solved the problem. Hav-
ing already made two tons of ice and
sold it to his father for 80 cents a
hundred pounds, he is busy making a
further supply which he proposes to
sell to neighbors next summer. Je-
rome is the son of Mr.. and Mrs. A.
Henry Eldredge of 81 East street and
is one of nine children.
1t is a case of hustle to keep the
family supplied with the necessities
Of life. and to each Of the children old
enough to be of assistance is assigned
a task which makes the burdens light
er for all. Jerome feeds the hens,
which are supposed to keep the fam
lily table supplied with fresh eggs, but
usually fail in coming up to expecta-
tons. He also feeds the lone family
pig and keeps Mrs. Eldredge supplied
with coal and kindlings from the
shed. Jerome has a longing to get a
college education and become a law
yer, but has been told repeatedly
that college education costs money,
and the only way he can get it is by
strict economy and thrift.
1t was while watering the hens one
cold morning that Jerome hit upon
the scheme of the ice plant. The pan
containing the water was filed with a
cake of ice each morning, and it was
necessary for Jerome to turn the pan
bottom side up and pour hot water
on it, the cake of ice then dropping
out. In short time there was pile
Of ice that worried Jerome, because
it came from water that had been rem
dered muddy and impure by the hens
and was unfit for use, but it occurred
to him that he could draw water from
the kitchen faucet that was pure,
place it in receptacIes, allow it to
freeze, then get the cakes Of ice out
in the same manner as he did from
the hens pen. He asked his father if
he would pay him the same price for
ice That he had paid the iceman last
year Mr.. Eldredge said he would be
glad to do so if the ice were of good
quality and he would contract for two
tons. The ice has been delivered and
paid for
Jerome has about two dozen recep-
tacles Of various styles and sizes He
first began with what stewpans and
kettles he could abduct from his moth
er's pantry, but now he has pressed
the family washtub, coal hod, wash
pan, wash basin and about everything
else into use, and has made square
wooden boxes, which he fills with wa
ter and makes large cakes of ice in.
These boxes he has already sold to
his mother for use next summer for
flower beds. The price was more
than cost of the lumber to make
them.
The cakes of ice vary in size from
two to seventy-five pounds, and dur
ing zero weather Jerome has made as
many as fifty cakes Of ice in a day.
Jerome attends the seventh grade in
the South street school. His four
year-old brother, John Harold. sug-
gested a few weeks ago that he be
taken into partnership on percent
age basis. and he would keep the
business moving while Jerome was in
school. The suggestion was favorably
received. and Johnny is as interested
in the business as any one could be.
When the neighbors' boys come
around Johnny keeps his eyes open
plant. explaining that the ice must
be clean and pure or it cannot be
marketed.
The boys have met some discour-
agement in the ice making BUSINESS.
At first Jerome used ordinary wooden
pals and tin pals, but with the first
freezing the pals were hopelessly
ruined, as the ice burst the pals in
many places. The boys have learned
that common enameled ware is best.
Tin pals that are small at the bottom
and large at the top are also useful,
as the ice swells at the top much like