The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1869-07-19
Daily ARGUS.
Monday Evening, July 10, 1859
IMPORTANT ACHIEVEMENT OF SCIENCE

ANN the widest guessing CAL ho' even ~
nro,im.te to the grsnd ultima thule OF hu'
n,,cross .nd material development.
The intellect of man, in its aspirations and
oob;eveuents, ms''almost TO trench on
,,a domain of the Infinite. Man is coming
10 be a marvel 10 himself; aud as the ser
pent persuaded Eve she should be II she
would eat Of the forbidden tree, he thinks
il not impious to aspire to be IS the gods,
knowing all things. Suppose fifty years
hence we shall have made the progress IN
the arts and sciences which has been made
within the past fifty ye ars, where shall we
be, progressively speaking? who can
puess? VIA, will our children be dong,
and how will they be doing it, and how
long will it take them? How will they be
travelling? How will they be living? How
many Of the barriers now considered insur'
mountable TO our wishes, will science have
put into its sling and cast away forever
How many more of the forces aud agencies
Of nature shall be tanned as have been
lightning and steam, and hsrnessed to the
car of human progress, and made the hand
maids ofour daily necessities and pleasures!
No one can conjecture we can only wait
and see.
We have been tempted thus to peer into
the future, by an account Of the arrival at
New Orleans of the steamship Agnes, laden
with perfectly fresh Texas beef. The beef
WAS butchered in Iudianola, Texas, OF the
18th of July, put on board the vessel on the
9TH, and after boisterous and DISTRACTED
passage, landed at New Orleans on the 10th.
This is the first experiment, with Wilson
Bray's system of preserving fresh meats,
to at once annihilate the distance and time
and suspend the atmospheric conditions,
between the Texas rancho and the meat
markets of the world and it is completely
successful. We learn from the Picdyune
that the Agnes brought on this experimental
trip thirtyseven head Of nicely butchered
cattle, and tina. the meat was transferred,
on its arrival at New Orleans, to q retriger.
ating house, similar in its appliances to
those successfully used on the vessel, and
that the meat on the 18th Of July was as
fresh, juicy and sweet as that furnished on
the same morning from the butchers stalls.
This marks new era in the history of
Texas, and indeed, in the breakfast and
dinner dishes Of the world for while Texas
beeves may never acquire the power and
Importance in the worlds commerce that
were claimed for cotton, yet a fresh, tender,
savory srloin, smoking in the platter is no
mean offering for science to offer even to
crowned heads Of the world.
OF the process by which this wonderful
result has been obtained, the Picayuae says:
The walls are made double, and lined with
conducting substance. At one end is a small
IAN when 10 moved with great rapdty by
steam engine in another apartment and At the
other bulkhead is built which contains a re-
frIgerating mixture 80 degrees colder than Ice
BY the rapid revolution of the fan, q current OF
air is created which is forced along q large tube
aud through tho mixture in the bulkhead. b,
the constant repetition of this process q temper
sture Of 80 degrees below the freezing poin
may be obtained.
For preserving purposes, however, the temper
ature is Kept just little below the free1in D. mt
because at that point there is no evaporation
from meat or fruit, and because the condemnation
OF moisture In the air is prevented and perfect
equilibrium is preserved. At this point No de-
composition can occur nor can fermentation in
Lqnids take place, rs oil chemical action is sus-
pended Decay, therefore, is impossible. The
refrIgeratlng mixturs-the com position of which
is not generally contemporaries the peculiar
qushty OF condensing gil the gaseous emana-
lions from meat or fruit, or any impurities, such
as eShalations from the lungs, etc., and conse-
quehty the ar Is maintained in a cold, pure,
and dry condition, which is essential in the pres.
erFatlon OF meat, fruit, or anything subject to
decay. roultry (sntrails and ALL and beef have
Seen KEPT oy this method ono hundred md fifty
oAys without impairlng the quality, flavor or
appearance.
When 1t is remembered that Texas raise.
the largest and most numerous herds of cat
tie IN the world, and tina. heretofore ,bous
"hds OF choice beeyes have wandered owe
Its vast prairies, till death, in the natur,
way, has overtaken them, simply becaus
there was no accessible market for then
the Importance of this process to the pc,
pie OF that state cannot be estimated
nor are the benefits to the people of Texa
alone; for it will enable them to compet
with local meat vendors in the most i'm
portant meat markets in the East Here
tofore the fines. beefcattle could be pur
chased In Texas for a trihe com pared to their
cost near i'll supplied markets, and the cost
OF slaughtering and shipment by this pro
cess, added to the original cost, will still
leave margin for profit on the sale Of I'll,
meat in the best markets of the Ausp,;,
and Gulf States.
AS Mr.. Bray's invention may be used o,
cara, as well as boats and steam vessels
seasons and latitudes of all points of tn,
compass, may be made to contribute tbei,
fruits and vegetables to the world aImos,
simultaneously, and in their freshness and
native perfection. When the rates sball ba
reduced, as they must, over the railroad 10
Tho Pacific, California will be brough, Ia
the very suburbs of New York and the otba.
great centres, with its golden clusters Of
cheap fruit and early vegetables. A cal
constructed with this appliance, and loaded
win the most peFisAable frui, grown in the
vicinity OF New Orleans, has already been
sent from that city to Louisville, and arrived
with every article in perfect state o.
preservation and flavor.
The capital of the company organized tc
prosecute this enterprise is to be increased
to 100000, and the business is to be car