San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-06-09

THWARTING THE DESIGNS OF THE
METEOROLOGICAL FATES.

frigerat"rs and Artificial lee Machines.
How the Freezing Is Done and What 1t
Costs.
Experiments in the rcfrigeratiug and ice
making line We're made Is far back as 1924
by John Valance, and in 1884 by Jacob Per-
kins but it was not until 1853 that results
We're produced which could be called prac-
teal. Professor TwEin- of New Haven,
had been experimenting with sulpuuric ether
between the Years Is and 1850 and in the
latter year obtained his first patent in Eng
land. Three Years later he obtained the
American patent, and in lN5j he operated a
machine i'll Cleveland, O., which was in
tended TO produce 1000 pounds of ice in
twenty-four hours. The actual amount Of
ice it produced was 900 pounds. In this
machine, which was only operated for two
years the compression system in use today
is completely represented, and on this account
TwinmG deserves the credit of not only be-
ing the inventor but also of having carried it
out i'll practice
On account, however, of the inhamma-
bility OF ether and other obstacles that this
pioneer machine presented, inventors turned
their attention to other substances lesides
ether better adapted to the purpose, among
honic acid, mrthylic ether, nitrous oxide,
methalanliue and cnymogeue. Ambiguous
ammonia, or anmOn!ucal gas, when entirely
deprived of moisture, was found of all others
to answer III. purpose of artificial refrigera-
ton. lis boiling point i, :, dogs Fahrenheit
below zero at tn, pressure of the atmosphere,
the gas producing sufficiently low tempera-
ture at a boiling pressure Of fifteen to twenty
five pound, per square inch.
WRIST NOTABLE PROGRESS
Not till l~IS was any notable progress
made in the art of refrigeration nor any new
ideas advanced. In that year Ferdinand
Carrie, a Frcuchman, proposed an entirely
new and original plan Of liqufying ammonia
by using therefor the aqueous solution Of
this gas, twenty-five parts Of ammonia i'll
seventy-live parts of water. This is called
the "absorptIon system Cares machine
had its defects also and inventors turned
their attention again to the mechanical COM
preston of anhydrous gas which is accom-
pliShei by means of powerful vacuum and
compression pumps, but the mechanical diff
cultes here presented are of such a serious
nature that the absorption system still re-
mains in Use to very large extent.
Ammonia ga, is made out Of the refuse Of
Illuminating gas water. The illuminating
gas under-oo, a process of washing before 1t
will burn clearly, and the water through
which thi, gas has been passel in order to be
Cleaused of Impurities is what IS generally
termed aqua ammonia. This is distilled, the
water taken out Of it, and the pure, dry am
mOnia gas Is that which remains. This gas
is called hydroue ammonia. In this state 1t
is used for freezing purposes. Because of its
great cvaprratng capacity up to the present
time it is considered 10 be the most efficient
agent for the purpos" Of manufacturing ice.
One cubic inch Of this ammonia gas in its
liquid state is capable of expansion to eleven
hundred times its original volume.
The chief object Of making ice is to make it
as cheap possible, and in order to do that
number Of inventors have put their brains to
work. one Of the most effective methods is
described rs follows:
The exhaust steam, after it has done the
COMPRISING Of the ammonia gas, Is utilized.
This steam is passed through a volume of
water to wash it, i'll order to take out the oil
or traces of oil. The steam is then filtered
and after that condensed into water again.
The same water is used for cooling the COM
pressed ammonia gas before the liquiiiCatiJu
Of sand gas takes place. After the water has
been condensed it is never allowed to be ex-
posed to the atmosphere, but is kept in a
system of pipes up TO the time that it is filled
into the cans or molds in which the ice is
frozen. The water passes through the filter
and condenser into a 50 called water regu-
lator, which works automatically, and thence
is taken into deodorizer for the purpose of
doing away with the unpleasant taste and
smell of condensed water The deodOrizer is
chiefly composed Of animal charcoal. From
the deodorIzer the water circulates through
a system Of pipes and is cooled by the ma
chine again to a temperature Of from 81 to So
degs