The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1890-02-22
MACHINE-MADE ICE.
How 1t Is Produced in the Factories
at New Orleans.
Methods by which Cold Can BE Produced
ArtinciaIIy Under Limited Conditions
A Description of the Chemicals
and Machinery Employed.

Artiaoialy Under Limited Conditions
"A Description of the Chemicals
and Machinery Employed.
The machinery and apparatus re-
oulred for making ice commercially
form an extensive plant, says Harper's
Weekly. There must be a powerful en-
CINE to drive the pumps; great iron re-
torts to hold the aqua ammonia and gen
crate the gas, and 10 receive 1t again.; a
long system of pipe coils for the circu-
lation OF the gas, and extensive watts, In
which the ice-cans are placed ana the
ice formed.
The process is simple in its philoso-
ply, and depends upon he h~eat-absorb-
ing power of u substance which Is ex-
panding after great condensation. Tho
substance used in this case Is ammonia.
Mixed with water to the mount oil ~
per cent, it is placed in n or moro
great cylinders or retorts which con-
tain coils of pipe. Into these pipes
steam Is sent, heating the contents of
the retort until the ammonia is sep
arated from the water and forced out
into another retort, where IL Is subjected
to a pressure of something over 200
pounds to the square inch, d which
1t liqueies.
In another room, which has double
walls and ceiling and protected doors,
as in a refrigerator, are arranged one or
may be several watts. each perhaps 80
feet square and 10 feet high, in which
are suspended from the top frame or
covering as many cans, made of galvan-
lied iron, as the space will accommo-
date. A convenient size Is u can about
4 feet high, 8 inches wide n way and
10 inches the other, which will hold u
cake weighing just 200 pounds. Some,
however, are much larger than this, as
Is the case In some of the New Orleans
factories, whore the cakes are slabs ex-
tending clear across the vat which need
to be sawed up before marketing. Be
tween all these cans, as they hang In
the vat, pass lines OF iron pipe, con
nected with mains ouside that lead from
the retorts and tho whole vat Is filled
with brine; 80 that when the cans are
all in place the space between them is
| filled with salt water, in which they are
immersed up to their rims. This brine
is kept in motion by pumps, so as to
maintain a uniform temperature
throughout.
Such Is the whole apparatus for man
ufacture. In the great condensation tC
which the ammonia gas has been sub
jected in order to liquefy 1t, it has been
obliged to part with its heat and the
largo pipes in which 1t is carried to the
watts are white with frost, showing how
cold they are.
When ice is to be made the cans are
filled with distilled water-the machin
cry for producing which Is a part of tho
plant-and covered with thick caps
Then the ~stop-cocks are turned and the
ammonia admitted from the main pipe
into the coils that run throughout the
brine In the vat.
The instant the tremendous pressure
Is relieved by opening the ~stop-cocks
the liquid ammonia expands into gas
and rushes to fill every coil Of the pipes
In this expansion it must reassume tn,
amount OF heat 1t parted with whei
undergoing condensation, and 1t ex
tracts it from the surrounding brine
l "llCu plSociLll pSSoiAlto oo WIN blAab 4
in turn extracts all the heat there Is II
the distilled water within the cans
which at once begins to CONCEAL, a
would the water outside the can wer
1t not saline In motion.
In q few hours each can Is found +
contain q block of solid Ice. A travel
ing pulley is then rolled vcr 1t, hook
are fastened In the can; IL Is hoisted GU
of the vat, lowered for u moment into
bath Of warm water to loosen the ice
and then upset. ~whereupon the bloc
slides out, and Is taken away to b
stored, or put into a delivery wagon, q
placed in front of q circular saw an
divided into smaller blocks.
A perfect block of such Ice is as white
transparent and lawless as q cube G
flint glass; perfection due to the al
sence Of any air whatever in the dis
titled water from which 1t Is made
Spring or hydrant water, howeve
pure, will not answe here, as
contains so much air that the &c
would look like snow, and have littl
solidity of value. With the creates
~precaution, however, some air wi,
get mixed into almost every Cal
full, and will appear In the ice as q col
or t~ree-shaped center OF quill-like bul
bles, which Is sometimes e~xceedingl
beautiful. The freezing always begins &
the bottom and sides, driving the air
the center and proceeding toward the tol
:, 80 that the cans do not burst. OF cours
q fish, meat, fruit or any thing else su
pended In the water Of the can will |
\ inclosed In the ice with handsome effec
> This ice Is sold at wholesale for from
' to so cents q hundred weight; at reta
for IS to 10 cents.
. After tho ammonia gas has lone l
, work, 1t is returned to q retort, an
= thence conducted again to its starting
place, where 1t Is reabsorbed by IL
water, and can be used over agai
l Thus the process goes on continuous
I as long as needed. There is some vast
Of course, which is supplied by pure
) anhydrous ammonia. One of the Gu
~osities Of the factory is to set a cup
this on the stove. 1t will boil almo
Immediately, but the unlearned visit
Is astonished to see mercury drop I
below freezing point when it Is plung'
n into the vaporous ebullition.
a Attached to many ice factories a
cold storage-rooms, in which a low tel
K perature Is maintained by pumping in
lie them or their surrounding chambers Il
cold air produced in the ice-makin
as The pump which does this work will
ne fre-hot at one end, where 1t gets
steam-power, and thickly glazed wi
le Ice at the other end. where the cold j
IA Is fed to IL.