Southwick's Ice Industry: The Berkshire Ice Company (Part Two)

After harvesting a meager 57,000 tons of ice in 1906, Berkshire Ice was desperate to get ice wherever it could. Allowing for shrinkage, they could only offer about 33,000 tons for sale, which caused the wholesale price of ice to jump from $1.50 a ton to a staggering $4. The low supply of ice, expected to run out in mid-September, combined with warm weather temperatures, forced Berkshire Ice to turn away new customers. That same year the Congamond Ice Company of Suffield, Connecticut, deeded land to Berkshire Ice, who built a new ice house. 

The following year was no picnic for Berkshire Ice, whose newly built Congamond ice house, the largest of its kind in New England, burned on July 1. In addition to destroying the mammoth ice house, the fire consumed a large quantity of machinery, 75,000 tons of ice, and around forty train cars, the latter owned by Consolidated Railroad. Southwick lacked a fire apparatus, so a bucket brigade formed, which saved a cottage, a couple of boarding houses, and a barn. They also saved three train cars by uncoupling them. Some tramps smoking in a boxcar may have accidentally started the massive fire, which resulted in an estimated loss of roughly $270,000 ($200,000 for Berkshire Ice and $70,000 for Consolidated Railroad). Witnesses said that the fire was a spectacular sight as it jumped from train car to train car.

Hermenigile Belliveau, a local tramp better known as "Frank," was murdered in 1909. His body was found floating in the lake. He appeared to have been stabbed in the head with an ice pick. His killer hid in one of the ice houses. (See separate story.)

Berkshire Ice eventually hired night watchmen to protect its most valuable assets: the ice houses.

Prior to being Balch Bros., it was
Berkshire Ice Company Store. 
(thankfully, the building still stands today)

By 1910, Berkshire Ice Company was the world's third largest ice harvesting company, with six ice houses (five in Southwick and one, the largest, at Bantam Lake). While Berkshire Ice maintained an office and company store on what is known today as Congamond Road, their home office during this period was in Bridgeport, Connecticut. 

In January 1910, Berkshire Ice was harvesting additional ice from its water rights at Congamond and working to fill all five Southwick ice houses to help meet consumer demand after the ice houses at New Hartford burned in 1909. By the close of January, the company had successfully filled three ice houses to maximum capacity and anticipated filling the other two within ten days with the most excellent quality ice. The ice cakes were up to 15 inches thick. By mid-February, the harvesting was complete, bringing in some 285,000 tons of ice with an average thickness of 12 inches, and the workers returned to their homes, with about half going back to New York.

Even when faced with shrinkage, price fluctuations in the market, and increasing competition, Berkshire Ice did exceptionally well. And, just as they did with the ice fishermen, the company had no problem taking any legal avenue possible to try and keep it that way. 

 

Ice House Ruins

Police arrested Frank Jarry of Southwick for cutting ice on Congamond illegally. At this arraignment on February 12, 1913, Jarry pleaded not guilty. Authorities claim he had cut the ice in one of Berkshire Ice's runways. (Ice theft from ordinary citizens was a minor but growing problem.)

Berkshire Ice filed a lawsuit against William Saunders. The dispute was regarding the title of a strip of land along the shore of Middle Pond (across the street from the Lake House). Berkshire Ice claimed the title of the property by a deed. But Saunders prevailed in court in January of 1926, when he became the land owner through adverse possession (occupying and using the land for 20-plus years). Several of Southwick's oldest and longest residents took the stand and testified that Saunders (and his father before him) had been using the land for many years and maintained a boat livery there.

At one time, the Berkshire Ice Company owned the entire west shore of Congamond lake, from the Point Grove bridge to the end of South Pond.

Berkshire Ice Company's lawsuit against W. Saunders concerned the land on the right.
(Note the Crystal Ice House in the background)
The Lake House (left) was on Lake Road (today's Congamond Road).
It was where the Franklin House is today. 


Southwick's Ice Industry: The Berkshire Ice Company (Part Three)