The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-08-06 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD

AMERICAN ICE.

We promised last week to give some further particulars
of this ice, its uses, &c., and the mistake made in the
construction of our English ice-houses.
Of its uses, we will confine ourselves only to a notice
of its value to us. The first, and a very great luxury it
is, is to be able to have a good cool glass of water ; this
ice being so perfectly pure of itself, (it needs only to be
rinsed, to free it from the sawdust in which it is packed,)
that when you put it into the water in a few moments
it will be as cold as charity. After drinking a glass or two
of that, you will not be surprised at the number of the
cold-water advocates, or why the temperance cause pro-
ceeds so rapidly in America ; and the water is so much
improved, that the old excuse of requiring a little brandy
to destroy the sickening taste of tepid water, will now be
unavailing. Still, if you like a drop of brandy, the ice-
water is necessary to have it in perfection. Hock and
Champagne are both improved by putting a small piece
of ice in the glass. It will not make wine water, as some
would suppose, but simply ices it. These modes of using
it are luxuries; and we now come to its necessary and
economical uses. The American Refrigerator, or air-
tight ice-box, for preserving the ice, or any other perish-
able articles, such as meats, fish, fruits, butter, cream,
&c., is a small compact portable box, and a few pounds
of ice will keep one of them at a temperature of about
36 degrees of Farenheit. The articles to be preserved
are placed on shelves over the ice ; and the box, if kept
properly closed, will keep everything cool and sweet a
long time. Thus the complaint, which is often heard in
families, that " we must have such a thing for dinner
to-day, because it will not keep any longer," is now en-
tirely obviated. The Wenham Lake Company are ma-
nufacturing large quantities of these refrigerators, which
are giving universal satisfaction ; and the only wonder
now is, how families have ever been able to do without
them. They form a neat article of furniture, when made
of mahogany, or nicely painted, for the dining-room, or
in larger sizes for the pantry or hall ; and, when known,
will, we think, come into general use.
We now come to the great mistake that has been made
in this country in the management of ice, by which we
have been doing more to destroy than to preserve it. Ice
should be kept as dry as possible, above ground ; as mois-
ture, or the damp exhalations from a cellar, will destroy
it quicker than the heat of the sun. It wastes when ex-
posed to the sun and air, but rots and crumbles by damp.
The secret is simply to keep the air from it, and in some
place where the moisture will evaporate that exhales from
it. This can be done by wrapping it in a blanket, or co-
vering it with saw-dust, and keeping it above ground.
In America (as we stated in our last) all the ice-houses
are above ground, and ice has been kept five years, with
but a trifling loss. The Wenham Lake Company, in this
town, have their ice at present in vaults, being unable to
find a suitable building for it. It is, however, their in-
tention to erect an ice-house, and to keep 1,000 tons con-
stantly on hand. We feel convinced that, if any one will
give it a trial, he will find this solid ice answer all the
purposes that it is recommended for, and at the end of
the year there will be a decided balance in favour of the
ice and refrigerators, whether as regards those who use it
merely as a luxury, or those who employ it as an econo-
mical means of preserving food. The imported ice is in
blocks so large, pure, and fissureless, that we see to read
through it (a thickness of 18 to 20 inches, or more), as if
it were a mass of the clearest crystal. The ice procurable
in, this country, and particularly in the neighbourhood of
large towns, is generally thin, and in comparatively small
fragments, opaque with sand or mud, so that it cannot be
so well preserved, and is, moreover, somewhat repulsive
to consumers, if they begin to think whence it is obtained.
At one of our principal inns, the other day, a gentleman
who had been accustomed to the American article, on
ic
e,
put served with some of our discoloured and dingy
put the waiter to a nonplus by inquiring whether there
were any dead animals in the pit from which it had been
taken ! It certainly had a very suspicious appearance,
and was by no means inviting.
We perceive from a Boston paper that the ice trade of
that city is getting to be of great importance. The ex-
ports in June were 4097 tons, of which there were to Liver-
pool 430, Calcutta 556, St. Jago 200, Trinidad 10, New
Orleans 2160, Mobile 441, Charleston.

COLLEGE OF SURGEONS.—An official notice has been
issued from this college, from which we perceive that the
following are amongst the hospitals and schools of surgery
and medicine from which certificates of the professional
education of candidates for the fellowship will be received
by the College of Surgeons for the year commencing the
Ist inst.—viz., Liverpool Infirmary, Liverpool Northern
Hospital, and Liverpool Royal Institution.

LONDON, CHATHAM, AND NORTH KENT

RAILWAY.

CAPITAL, £1,500,000,

In 30,000 Shares of £soi—Deposit £3 per Share.
PROVISIONAL COMMITTEE.
Sir Brook William Bridges, Bart., Goodnestone, Kent.
Joseph Bailey, jun., Esq., M.P., Belgrave-square.
J. C. Colquhoun, Esq., M.P., Putney-heath.
Lieutenant-General Sir Howard Douglas, Bart., G.C.8.,
G.C.M.G., M.P., Green-street.
Frederick Mildred, Esq., Nicholas-lane.
William C. Mylne, Esq., New River-head.
J. D. Powles, Esq., New Bank-buildings.
H. T. Prinsep, Esq., Hyde-park Gardens.
Joshua Walker, Esq., Abchurch-lane.
George Whitmore, Esq.,.Austin-friars.
With power to add to their number.
ENGINEER.
Charles Vignoles, Esq.. F.R.A.S.,
COUNSEL.
Francis Henry Goldsmid, Esq., Stone-buildings,
Lincoln's Inn.
SOLICITOR.
William Stephens, Esq., 30, Bedford-row.
BANKERS.