The ice tub challenge

With all of the hoopla over the ice bucket challenge, many people are unaware of its local Schuylkill County origin.

Some say it had it began in the late 19^th century in Mahanoy City at the Kaier Ice Plant.  Others say it began at The Knickerbocker Ice Co. located at Tumbling Run.   One stubborn hold-out believes it began at Rita’s Italian Ice outside of Schuylkill Haven on July 4, 2013.

While these people differ, they all agree that the ice bucket challenge, which has raised so much needed money for ALS research, had its start somewhere in Schuylkill County. 

Ice blocks in Mahanoy City

 Well-respected historians argue that when 19th century beer baron Charles Kaier built a large ice plant in Mahanoy City for the purpose of keeping his beverage cold, someone got the bright idea to raise money to combat the bleenia epidemic plaguing  northern Schuylkill County.  As we all know, carpal funnel-cake syndrome(CFCS) was plaguing the southern end.  Some of those who resided on the dividing line of northern and southern Schuylkill County suffered from both simultaneously. Poor bastards.

The first ice bucket challenge got off to a “pour” start (pun intended) as the ice at the Kaier plant consisted of large, heavy blocks.  The small, drink-size ice cubes (as well as rubic cubes) were not yet invented.  The idea was for a notable personality, such as Nicholas Biddle, Captain Jack Crawford or Judge Pershing, to challenge five others to have an ash tube full of ice dropped on his or her head.

 The ice drop was to be captured by camera by nationally recognized photographer, George Bretz, who we all know, gained his fame taking action pictures of anthracite coal miners.  Bretz had volunteered his services after seeing first-hand the scourge of bleenia at a block party in Mahanoy City. The compassionate shutter-bug wanted to help those afflicted with this strange greasy, potato pancake obsession.  

 

Once developed, his photographs were to be mailed to the Shenandoah Herald, the Miners Journal, and the Mahanoy City Record American for the world to see (or at least parts of Schuylkill County to see).  Remember that cable television had yet to be invented in Mahanoy City yet; newspapers were the main method of communication ( besides the lost art of talking person-to-person).  It would be decades before Schuylkill Countians would be hooked on cable television with entire families gathering around the television set to watch such classic shows as The Real McCoys, Sea Hunt, and (The Fully Clothed) Dating Game,  which didn't insult our intelligence and were story and character driven; not the garbage that is on today. 

In those early days entertainment was confined to the newspapers’ crossword puzzles or, if none, spending hours looking for any misspelled words.

 It was believed that the ice tub challenge would then “snowball” (pun intended) as readers would hurry to join in on the action after making a donation to Stamp Out Bleenia.  

It was a very, very complicated operation.

strong women with tongs

It needed the cooperation of the brewery baron, the U.S. Post Office, the ice plant, the Knights of Labor, Western Union, iron and steel entrepreneur Charles Atkins who manufactured the ash tubes, the fledgling telephone company and, most importantly, big, strong women with tongs to lift the ice into the tubs.

ice tub challenger

Unfortunately the ice tub challenge was a disaster with too many people received concussions, fractures and cold shoulders (not necessarily in that order) from the weight of ice blocks.  Only $5.85 cents was raised before expenses were paid to combat bleenia. George Bretz was so appalled by the injuries and horror that he witnessed that he retreated back into the shelter of the coal mines, but not before taking the $5.85 to spend on bleenies.

                                       Insult upon injury.

Several years later the challenge was revived after the Pottsville Iron and Steel Plant created a primitive, hand-held tray to make small cubes of ice, making the ice drop challenge less hazardous.  The original trays contained only four cubes each.

Tumbling Run was the site of the revived event, raising several hundreds of dollars to combat CFCS.  Incidentally, the Tumbling Run event was also the precursor to the wet tee shirt contest, that we all take for granted but hold dear to our hearts, after one man's long johns got soaking wet. Women were not permitted into wet tee shirt contests until after decades of protests, demonstrations and marches resulted in the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution.  The popularity of that contest soon sky-rocketed. 

 Unfortunately the Challenge faded quickly into obscurity as Schuylkill Countians were more interested in using the smaller cubes to make mixed drinks such as Scotch on the Rocks for immediate consumption.  It would be decades before the local population enjoyed cocktails which made life so much more comfortable,  such as the frozen  banana daiquiri, the Singapore Sling and Sex on the Beach.