Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1870-08-03
ARTIFICIAL ICE MACHINES.
Their Cost and the Amount of lee
Produced.

Ice was one time looked upon rs q luxury, but
at the present time so far from being regarded
as such, il is considered an absolute necessity
Indeed the article is almost indispensable when
is taken into consideration the fact that in
many acute diseases physicians employ IL as the
principal remedial agent. But its production il
not always certain, the mildness OF winters and
the consequent failure Of the ice crops have
long exercised scientific men in devising plans
by which il can be produced artifcially. 1t has
been long well known to chemists that small
quantities of water can be frozen by means of
the cold produced by evaporation. The expert
ment Of free water in bottle by means of the
evaporat of alcoholic ether has been per
formed hundreds of times in the lecture room
The free zing of chemical mixtures in a red hot
tine men. All these are accomplished by the
well known law Of evaporation, but il Is in the
application Of the principle which has puzzled
tne chemists. A few years ago, however. an
producing cold of an intense degree by virtue of
the conversion Of ammoniacal liquid into gas.
he employed an iron receptacle filled with ordi-
nary aqua ammonia of the shops. Heat was
applied to this and the ammonia which is
nothing more than gar, was drawn from the
water and conveyed by tube to a hollow iron
hquid form. The heat was then removed from
the first receptacle containing the water, and
the liquid ammonia in the hollow cylinder again
dsafess as v Kes being
from the surrounding articles, nothing was
easier than to place wfthing the hollow cylinder
a tight fitting tin can filled with water. The
water was in a very short time converted into
ice.
THIS simple arrangement devised by the
French chemist is substantially the foundation
for the construction of all the ice machines In
use at present in France, England. and MANY
portions OF this country, especially the Southern
States. The production of ice in the foreign
countries at present by meaps of these machines
is immense, and the same fact is true in regard
TO the Southern section of our country. In
Texas, New Orleans, Shreveport Memphis,
nm nh tAr 1np&l
principal Southern cities, ice machines are now
supplying the inhabitants with this necessary
article at rates below those paid by the people
In New Orleans, prior to the introduction of
such, ice was supplied TO the people at the rate
OF forty dollars per hundred, but the ARTIFICIAL
production has completely exploded that busi-
ness, as good ice can now be obtained in that
city for twenty dollars per hundred, and the
dealers realize handsome profit in obtaining
the latter price. The cost Will be very much
reduced as the number OF machines increases
and competition becomes more rife. In the city
named a single ice machines costing about S25-
The smallest apparatus, one of whice left this
city few days ago for Houston, Texas Costs
S12 Geo. and will produce four tons of ice per day
second class instrument, capable Of turning
out ter tons Of ice, can be built in this CITY for
$50 The construction of these instruments
as performed in Philadelphia is much NOR,
elaborate and intricate than the simple arragc-
ment of the French che mist, but the princii,,,
does not vary. The aqua ammonia used
amounts to about go gallons, and batch Of
eco pounds OF ice, in cakes, measuring q
inches in length by > in width and in thick
ness, can be produced in about three
hours and fOrty-iive minutes The water
from which the ice is produced is pure.
as il lis subjected to a thorough distiliation
before employed. 1t is frozen in vessels made
Of tin, the size Of which we have mentioned
The distilled water is placed in these tin boxes.
and the latter are immersed in a solution of salt
and wates contained In the "cooling box The
cooling box has nennery through it, tubes
arranged in convenient shape for the reception
of the tins containing the water to be frozen
These tubes contain the ammoniacal gas in a
state OF evaporation and the heat withdrawn
from the surrounding iron, IL also Withdrawn
from tue saline solution, producing in the latter
a temperature much below thirty-two degrees
the point at which tie fresh water in the cans
freezes.
One very important fact connected with the
production OF artificial ice is, that although the
cost Of the apparatus Is originally great vet the
wear and tear y 50 small, that the machine in a
short time amply pays for itself The aqua am
monia is not exhausted, as ii returns again to
the liquid form and Is pumped back into the
cylinder. One charge OF aqua ammonia will
thus last very long time.
The agent employed in heating the aqua am
monia h steam, q spiral pipe conveying the
same, passing through the ammonia cylinder. A
small steam engine Is also applied for the pump
ing Of the condensed liquit into the cylinder in
which it was originally contained.
One firm in the city has orders from several
southern cities, and ere long that locality will
not be troubled by scarcity Of ice.-Phila. Day.