Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1878-11-09
Artificial lee.

The ice factory recently opeood In
West Eleventh street vas visited yeo-
serdsy. and il proved TO b an Object
II much interest. The ire, produced n
blocks Of about Ave hundred pounde
each. measuring four feet square and
uine inches thick. wss % clear that TIE
hour coull plainly be told on Q vatch
dial through the entire thickness Of Tie
blOck. Printed bills and bottles Of
champagne we're fr0sen tight in the
ice. The bills were reed With TIE
greatsst ease through the side OF TIE
block in which they hal been i'm.
b~dded. A Thermometer marked With
PAhrenheit's scale Us fros.u into the
block at point marking nineteen de-
grees l~los the freezing point.
The ice generating apparatus il run,
In the present instance. by . steam
engine Of twenty horse poser. On The
right hand Of the engine il the refriR.
orator. . copper tubular vessel, en-.
closed in Q wooden box about ak or
seven fest square. The refrigerator il
charge vita liquid ether, evsporsted.
shen required. By q vacuum pump.
which stands on the left Of the engine
and is connected by c.'ppor tubes With
thu refrigerator. The ether is drawn
away in tbs form OF vspor and passed
into q copper tubular condenser,
where uuier a low dsgre. Of pressure,
aideL by stream Of water, it is again
brought back to its original state and
returns through the ether coolor into
the motor. which regulates the flow OF
the liquid ether into the refrigerator.
The same ether 10 used continuously
with inappreciable loss. To utilize the
cold producsd by the ether, a strong,
uncongealsble brine is circulated by Q
machine called the brine pump through
the tubes OF the refrigerator, parting
with its heat to the ether vapor on it,
passage. Thus it leaves that vessel at
q temperature many degrees below the
freezing point ami is then used in the
freezing tanks, returning afterward to
the machine to be recooled. For the
manufacture of ice blocks the machine
is furnished with large wooden tanks,
(plsced at the left of the vacuum
pump OF any convenient dimensions,
which tanks are filed with the fresh
water to be frozen. In the tanks q
number of hollow metal cells are fitted
and SO connected with the refrigerator
and with each other that the cold,
having the refrigerator at tempera.
ture of from Il degrees to 20 degrees
Fahrenheit, is continually circulated
inside them, thus causing the water in
the tanks, on each side. to CONCEAL I'M.
til the required thickness of ice has
been obtai led by the process Of suc-
Ia l,,,k dana 11noa1u o~l
compactly as nature performs her ad.
mirable work in winter on the lakes and
ponds. When the blocks are frozen
solid the cold brine is pumped out of
the cells aud replaced by brine Of the
ordinary atmospheric temperature. The
circulation of this comparatively warm
brine, for few minutes in their cells,
loosens the ice from their sides and
renders it's removal very easy. A
knotte,l and Hoped rope is frozen into
the block, o hook is inserted in the
loop and the block is hoisted away. It.
is then carried by means OF traveller in
any convenient direction for delivery at
the door OF the factory.
It il claimed that this machine,
which, however novel here, has been
in use for about nine years in England,
can produce thirty tons Of ice daily at
cost of one dollar o ton. It requires
an engineer, two fremen and two la.
borers to work it. It will cost, how
ever from $75 900 to 500. 600 to put it
in running order, SO that the invention
could only be made available to cor
porations or private individuals COM
msuding a considerable amount Of cap
ital,-M. Y. Herald.