Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-08-06
ICE INDUSTRY
Its Past, Present and
Future on Kennebec
River

In 1897 the Ice Trade Journal Of
ihiiadelpnia published a map showing
lhe various Ice houses along the KEN
hepec river which gives one an ex-
cement idea of the Kennebec ice in
dustrE' IN which fortunes have been
I iildoe ana dropped. The map shows
inc territory between Abbagaassett
rent ana the Augusta southern boun-
Dry nne There were then SO ice
houses with an approximate capacity
~ storing 10000 ton harvest
me hrst authentic account of ice
helng shipped from Maine as an ar
'lcie OF merchandise was previous TO
1867 when the brig Orion, which came
10 Gardiner in the late fall. was frozen
~ at Dearborn's wharf. Pittston. The
following spring it was loaded with
zee ana sailed. at the opening Of navi-
eaton. to Baltimore, Md. where the
cargo was sold for $500. In 1925 Ru
fus r. Page in company with a NJ,
Getchell of Hallowell erected at Trott's
Point Richmond. a building for the
+ storage of ice, with capacity Of 1900
tons. The building was filled the fol-
lowing winter. Ship carpenters and
their tools were used in gathering the
harvest and the following spring ship
pings were made to the West Indies
Tho speculation proved improbable
and for several years nothing furth-
81 was done.
IN 1881 the Tudor Ice Co. filed the
building and erected another on Long
Wharf, Gardiner. No other attempts
at housing were made until the winter
OF lS4S and 10 when the kennebec be-
/ n
ice became famous on account of its
clearness and purity. The machinery
for housing was still crude and oxen
were used for hosting the ice. Dun
mage. swale hay and sawdusf, added
/ considerable to the expense. In 1860
among the operators were numbered
Major Andrews of Hallowel, G. A.
Colburn of Pittston. w s. Grant of
/ armingdale. Peter and William Brad
street OF Gardiner Franklin Stevens
ana stephen Young of Randolph and
Majlr Tiffany of Richmond. In this
year commenced an era or more per-
manency and New York men became
interested, among them being James L.
Cnessman. Modern ice harvesting
tools and the endless chain method of
hosting came into being. High prices
rel%ned and as high as ST. per ton
was in some cases received Huehe
houses. owned by concerns backed
With large capital, such as the knick-
"Ib"cker Ice Co. Great Falls Ice Co,
Cochran and Oler. came into existence
and in 1890, when the crop was a prac-
teal failure elsewhere. it is estimated
: that 3,O9o.400 tons of ice were stored
along the banks of the Kennebec. This
YEAR many lost money invested and
others made.
IN 1901 the American Ice Co ac-
CURED many Of the ice properties with
";iiccS in Gardiner
The present status Of the ice in
, (HStry on the kennebec is practically
I'll. 1t has, like home spinning and
weaving, made way for improvements
ana today artificial ice is made cheap
I G and considered better than natural
ice.
OF the SO houses which stood in 1897
but eight remain. Fifteen houses
Lave been destroyed by fire, nine have
hccn taken down, three have been de
molished by wind and one has fallen
DOWN
At the present writing there are
about 100000 tons of ice in the Ken
rahec houses. those containing ice be-
inG the Old Orchard Chelsea. Smith
town independent Cedar Grove,
S.earns Point and Hodges houses.
Unless. by some extraordinary turn
of fortunes wheel. natural ice should
again be demanded it seems probable
that the ice industry is gone from the
kPNnebeC forever.