Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1841-09-24
LEXINGTON, Aug. 9, 1871.

interested III tue SUBJECT SO satisfactorily
treated.
LEXINGTON, Aug. 9, 1871.
To the Editor Of the Kentucky Farmer:
DEAR SIR-The desire to contribute my
mite, however small, to the support of your
valuable paper, prompts me to send you the
following remarks on the construction of ice
houses which, however, beg you not to
publish, unless you think they ere worth the
space they would occupy in your columns.
Yours, respectfully,
ROBERT PETER.
The principles which should be kept in
view in the construction of houses for the
preservation of ice, are few and simple
The sole object of the structure being to
prevent the passage of ca'oric "a definite
term employed to designate the cause Of the
sensation called heat) from the earth, the
air or the sun, TO the ice; for if we could
completely prevent the passage of that agent
into the ice, il would retain ITS solid form for
any length Of time.
The temperature Of ice, when at its mel
ting point, is 81, Fahrenheit; in order that
it may melt into water, it must absorb 40
degrees Of calorc, sufficient to raise its tenn
pcraturc to Up deg, but which only chan
yes its form from solid to iquid without
rendering it any warmer than it was before
the water draining from the melting ice
being always at the same temperature with
theice itself. Without the accession of these
40 degrees of calorc, therefore, ice would
never be melted into water
Could we construct house of materials
that were perfect non-conductors of caloric,
the preservation Of ice contained in it would
be complete. As, however, we have no
perfect conductors, we must select for
orr purpose those substances which conduct
most slowly. Tho materials which cxpc-
riencc has selected for articles of clothing, to
preserve the natural temperature four bodies
stand at the head of the list of these substan-
ces, and would also be the very best that
could be used to protect ice from the sur
rounding Galore, were they not too dear and
too pcrsllabc in their nature. As these,
however, cannot be employed for this rea-
son, except in preserving small quantities
for immediate use, we are obliged to resort
to others less perfect but cheaper and more
ihucshutti"ic' H"'ohS 'I'Hc arc 'ilc IoI-
lowing, which have placed in the order Of
their relative resistance to the passage of
Galore, as determined 10y Count Rumtord
and others; those which oppose the greatest
obstruction TO its passage being placed first,
VIZ:
Charcoal OF light wood,
nry wood ashes,
Tan bark,
ooo'
n n
n'''NS'
ouS c"',''
~ o'o'S 'oIhS'
Dc"Sc rochs'
According to orr data, one of the best
modes OF forming the walls of an ice house,
"on'd De 10 make lramc-Work OF lImberS,
say from to IL inches thick, to board 1t up
on pom sides OF the t'mbers, ana MI the
spaces between the boards with powdered
c"arcoa'' u'y "ood aSh'S' tan PARK or sa"
u"s' '''e "oor ana covering OF inc structure
nu!'S l'o'r'teo III '''e same manner; ana on
'ti'hg II "''' i,c' a considerable thlcknesS
Oh S'fa" s'ou'u De P'aced at 'he bottom, SIDES
anu toP'
"hcio ','cSe n'atef'''lS are not easily TO
ne "p'alhrd' logs OF WOOD putt up IN the
PIT IKE log cao'n' make very good subs
'i'u'e more eSpeciaIly IL iiied on the out
sue, next '"e earth' WIN charcoa'' ascheS,
sa"d"S', or tan park for l"iS purpose
charcoal ana asches are preferable to saw
aust ana IAN park II consequence OF their
'hdeSlruc'ip'i',y'
nr'cKs and stones, although often en-
P'oyeu in the construction OF ice houses, are
less proper than wood, unless lined on the
outside with sufficient thickness OF charcoal,
ashes, or other imperfect conductors.
Ice houses are frequently made partly
above and partly below the general surface
OF the ground; the top being arched over
and the earth which was dug from the pit
hemg thrown on the top of the structure, in
the form OF mound. This is very good
form, provided all the sides are protected by
non-conductors, from the caloric of the soil.
! he Galore OF the suns RAYS, absorbed by