The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1884-10-17
WilDER'S ICE WORKS.

lHlS ~ llC popular Hallic lOT INC
very interesting industrial establish
ment that bears the sign, Homo
lulu Ice Mandatory" Anybody
who has been to the Pail does not
need to be told where the works are
situated, as, besides the sign, q
strange-looking, cylindrical building
forming part of them is one of the
most striking objects by the side of
the Nuuanu-Pali road. little above
the head of Nuuanu street. The
BULLETIN representative was driven
out to this Arctic region the other
day, through the avenue of tropical
beauty, urban and rural, leading to
it, by Mr.. Tucker, the versatile en-
gincer whose familiar buggy is con-
stantly fitting from one to another
of the several centres of industry
included in the extensive operations
of Messrs. $. G.. Wilder 4 Co.
Arrived ut the Ice Works, Mr.. j.
X. Wilder, the superintendent, and
Mr.. Orth, the mechanical engineer,
gave us friendly, yet, at the same
time. rather cooling reception. AS
the GOODNESS was only due to the
frigid surroundings, it was over
looked with the conscious dignity of
the fighting editor, who only wanted
an opportunity of seeing Jack Frost
coniured up from the midst of trop-
ical balminess. With three such
able preceptors as the gentlemen
named, it is needless to say that he
graduated, after fifteen minutes
course, Il full-iledged professor of
ice-iugglery, and indulgent attention
is asked to his maiden lecture upon
the art, delivered below.
lee is manufactured at these works
by the expansion process, the latent
heat being drawn from the water by
the expansion of ammonia. The
ammonia for the purpose is imported
in strong wrought iron casks. each
containing 100 gallons. of which
- parts are ammonia and 20 water.
At present there is in use in the
Works three thousand dollars worth
Of the material. but the apparatus
once charged the subsequent eXpen-
diturc is tritling, as the leakage is
very slight. The diluted mixture
is first placed in Il retort in which
the gas is separated from the water
by heat. 1t is then anhydrous am
monia, or ammonia destitute of
water, and from the retort il is
pumped into the condenser. The
latter is contained in the cylindrical
building mentioned above. This
building is 100 feet in circumference
and about 80 feet high, and
around its inside circumference is
c0iled ll,O0O feet of inch pipe.
Though this vast circuit, then, the
ammonia is forced, becoming COM
pressed in the process and trans
formed from gaseous to a liquid
state. The coil is kept cool by a
revolving sprinkler, which is supplied
with water by a donkey pump
through Z inch pipe. This, in pas
sing, is part of the Works where
the visitor does not care to linger,
unless preferring a shower bath with
his clothes on. From the condenser
the ammonia passes into two re-
ceivers, whence it is pumped through
inch iron piping, from which q
quarter inch branch leads to each of
six tanks of pure water. The
branches suddenly widen to an inch
in diameter two feet or so above the
tanks, and when the ammonia reaches
the wide parts it expands, rcsumiDg
n gaseous state, and thus is con-
Quoted through the water by a
system of pipes, four times each
way from end to end of each tank.
BY the sudden transition of the
article from liquid to gas ex-
pansion, the latent heat is drawn