Did you know?

By William E. Males

Panama City Beach has always been an area rich in natural beauty with its crisp dazzling white sandy beaches and sparkling clear emerald colored gulf water. Here you will find near constant sunshine, gentle breezes, inland bays and gulf waters full of a variety of fish, sailing, yachting, and endless opportunities to treat one’s self in pure enjoyment of some of the best vacation indulgences Florida’s Gulf Coast has to offer. What could possibly be missing?

Once you’ve been here you will have to admit that here on the Emerald Coast, life is good. You can get up early and hit the beaches, play, swim and surf hard. For more intense action head out on one of the several local dive boats or fishing fleets for a day of absolute guaranteed fun and excitement. Swim with some dolphins or catch a sail fish or a blue marlin. All you land lovers can take off with your prized clubs to one of several incredible golf courses for a great day and then head back to the club house to relax with a cool drink and a great meal.

As a matter of fact, sometime throughout the day while in Panama City Beach, it doesn’t matter whether you’re sunning on the beach, surf fishing, out on a jet ski or perfecting your swing with your new Cobra ZL Driver at the driving range, at some point of the day you’re going to stop and get a cold refreshing drink. Now, it really doesn’t matter what you’re drinking. Maybe it’s just ice water, or a cold soda, or maybe a Long Island Iced Tea - just keep in mind that life wasn’t always that good or easy here. It wasn’t until July 30th, 1908 that Panama City Pilot newspaper announced what it boldly and proudly declared to be “Panama City’s first important industry.”

Now, be aware that at this time Panama City and St. Andrews was already booming with commerce. Already established and doing business here were two hotels, a livery stable, a novelty works, two real estate offices, a cement block plant, a soda water factory, a saw and planing mill, four mercantile houses, a bank that would set up savings account from $1.00 up guaranteed to “pay you,” and last but not least “the Largest Dock on the Bay.”

That’s right, right here in the heartbeat of the Emerald Coast was “The nearest and best deep water port” set up for “immense commerce” with Cuba, South America, Central America, and the Panama Canal area. This significant sea port was “the terminal of the Atlanta to St Andrews Bay Rail Road. The shortest and best route from Atlanta to tide water, less than 260 miles as the crow flies, and equally as direct a route from Birmingham, Columbus, Montgomery, Eufaula, Troy and all other points in the Central and Lower South to the Gulf.”

So just what business was opening up that the Panama City Pilot was so inclined to declare was without a doubt “Panama City’s first important industry?” Well if your enjoying a cold drink at the moment, you are closer than you think to appreciating this “important industry” right were you are. It was the Panama Ice Company, a plant with a 30 ton absorption ice machine manufactured by the Columbus Iron Works of Columbus, Georgia. After the primitive coolant of ammonia was injected into the cooling pipes it wasn’t long before there was an abundant supply of clear, pure ice in the storage bins. Enticingly, a little was even freely given out to those who just had to have some.

Now, when we reach for that chilled bottled of water or toss a handful of cubes in a class for a cold drink we don’t even think twice about it. But this here ice cranking factory changed Panama City and St Andrews immediately and in a big way. The new absorption machine produced a purer quality of ice than was made by other systems because the steam from which the water for the ice was procured did not have to pass through oiled valves or other places where impurities could be introduced. And of course, back then they didn’t have all our fancy plastics or Styrofoam cups or clear water bottles.

One of the boasted features of Panama City Ice plant was that the machines required a low cost building; actually, the least expensive covering was necessary. That’s partly because all the different parts of the machine were on their own foundation . . . so if the building burned over them the machine remains with little injury, (please excuse my chuckle.) The building was a wooden frame construction 31 feet by 150 feet with the boiler set in brick some little distance from the main building. It had a brine vat that was 21 feet by 67 feet and held 602 two hundred pound cans for ice storage. This was a bona fide state of the art ice plant, first class in every respect, as good as could be made by one of the best manufactories in the world, and guaranteed to do the best of work!

ICE! Panama City now had ice and plenty of it. That meant longer storage for food products, a better price for the fish caught, and a stable supply of ice for local domestic purposes, like a glass of ice tea on the front of one of the two local hotels. This “first important industry” was now going to draw to Panama City and St Andrews bay much business that had gone elsewhere for lack of ice for refrigeration. Now this deep water port would be frequented by passing fruit boats from Central America, as the railway can now secure a plentiful and economical supply of ice for their refrigerator cars. This making of ice marked the commencement of a new era in business for St Andrew Bay and helped to contribute to countless facets of commerce and industries that helped make Panama City beach what it is today.

So, while you’re there in your beach chair, or out on the boat or coming into the club house, enjoy a cold one and raise a toast to good ole’ Panama City Ice for helping to make your stay here as comfortable as it is. Ice . . . don’t ya just love it?! Crunch!