Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-08-09
THE ICE FACTORY STARTS UP.
A DESCRIPTION OF The NOVEL PROCESS OF
FREEZING WATER IN AUGUST.

A DESCRlPTlUN VI THE NUVEL PR0CESS vi
FREEZING WATER IN AUGUST.
The ice Factory of J. F. Tannehill u Co..
on Frederick Street, commenced refriger-
ating yesterday, and in three OF four days
will commence putting out ice. A repre-
sentative of the VINDICATOR called there
to get such description of the process as
to give it's readers an idea of it. He found
that one of the gentlemen engaged in put
ting it up is Mr.. Alfred p. Smith, former
ly of Staunton and later of Charlottesville.
He is an agent of the company that manu-
factrlfes the machines, and entered it's ser
vice at Charlottesville some six months
ago. He kindly went with our representa-
tive through the works and made the novel
process clear to him.
The machine is Of the Hodges system OF
ice making, and is manufactured at Dover,
NH, by the Dover Engineering Co. of which
Gov. Sawyer of New Hampshire, is the head.
1t cost $40, 900, and has a capacity Of turn
ing out ten tons Of ice every twenty-four
of Boston, and the other is Mr.. David }.
Havenstrite of Newark, NJ. Mr.. Haven
strife is one of the most prominent experts
in this country in the manufacture OF ice,
and is here with MI. Smith putting in the
machinery in the factory. The factory
will be run by Messrs. Havenstrite and
Smith for 80 days and after that it will be
turned over to men that they have taught
and that they think it safe to entrust the
machinery to.
THE TWO ROUTES-THE WATER ROUTE.
MI. Smith patiently took our reporter
oyer the routes taken by the two things
that make ice in sunmer-water and
ammonia. The building is of brick
and two stories high, while at the
side is the boiler house. 1t looks strange
but the starting place of the water that is
| to be made into ice is inside steam boiler of
60-horse-power. Out of that boiler it comes
in the shape of steam which enters galva-
niZed iron troughs through a number of s
inch pipes. These trOughs are immersed IN
running water and the passage through
them changes the steam to water. This
water is collected in manifold and run
into tank of 5000 gallon capacity. In
this tank the water goes through a
coil which is immersed i'll water and
then passes to a second tank of the same
capacity where it is freed from the coil and
lies in a body under floating cover made
as near alright as possible. BY that time
the temperature is brought down to 400 by
an ammonia expansion coil 1t then
passes down stairs to a Hyatt filter
four feet high. From that it passes into a
tank in an adjoining room 21x7x4 feet and
with a capacity to hold 226 galvanized iron
moulds 2SX16xS inches, each of which will
hold 100 pounds of ice. 1t is in these that
the water is frozen and in that shape it is
sent to the wagons.
THE AMMONIA ROUTE.
1t is astonishing to know that in a ten-ton
ice factory, only one hundred and ten pounds
of ammonia will last a whole season and be
good the next season with the addition of a
little fresh ammonia-to such perfection
has the machinery under the Hodge system
been brought. There is a tank 21X9X5 feet
containing 16S coils into which the ammonia
is forced. These coils are immersed in brine.
The coils are charged from the upper floor
and the ammonia which passes into each
coil through an aperture not larger than a
cambria needle is allowed to expand, and
takes the heat from the brine. Then by
two gas pumps OF cOmpreSsors, this ammo
MIA after it is expanded is drawn back into
a condenser where it is restored again to its
liquid form. The brine thus deprived Of it's
into the tank containing the moulds and
the water is frozen by it. The ammonia,
which has done it's work for this time, is
drawn back still carrying the heat it has
taken from the brine, and forced into a con-
denser of nine manifolds, each containing
ten II inch pipes IS feet long. 1t is then
condensed by means of a spray of water
playing over it, a suction fan drawing a
cold draft from the bottom and out at the
top of the condenser box. From the con-
denser the ammonia is taken back to a re-
} ceiver where it is reduced and sent out to
do It's Work over ana over again.
THE MACHINERY.
The machinery of this factory is, as
might be expected, of novel character
OIL at least the most of it is. The engine is
a 45-horse-power Porter engine, with auto
matte cut off. There are two large COM
pressors-four cylinder duplex, which run
at so revolutions per minute-and force all
under a pressure of 500 pounds to the
; square inch. They are built SO that one
end of a compressor may be at work while
workmen are repairing the other end, and
they may be used according to the demand
,, that is t, OF may he run, just as the
demand for ice is.
On a walnut board in the engine room
are two ammonia gauges showing the pres
sure under which the ammonia is being
expanded, steam gauge, and clock.
THE OPERATORS.
The gentlemen who have put UP the ma
3 chinery, and who will operate it 80 days,