The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1892-09-24
MANUFACTURE OF ICE.
JACK FROST PLAYS A SMALL
PART IN THE ICE CROP.
Tho Machines which Make aud Saw
Blocks OF Solid Water-Points ms
to what Led to These
Wondered Inventions.


either OF ancient or modern times.
isn't In it. with the Yankee OF to-
day. The question OF its use has
been debatable through the ages.
Aristotle said it was unhealthy. blu,
opposed to the dictum OF the wonder
full Greek Is the declaration OF Solo.
mon. who writes ia Proverbs" LAS
the cold OF snow in time OF harvest
SO is faithful messenger to them
that send him. for he refreshes the
soul OF his masters"
The Caucasian OF the present seems
to indorse Solomon and ignore Aris-
totle Gays the Chicago Inter Ocean.
At any rate. the annual harvest OF
natural ice In the United States is
now nearly 35. 600. 900 tons. and this
often being insufficient for the demand.
as before limited, Yankee genius has
made good the deficit Professor
Twining. OF New Haven. owes his dis
tinction to the fact that forty years
ago he demonstrated the feasibility OF
making ice In large quantities by the
use OF chemicals. Sulphuric ether
was the principal agent employed by
him and the method he adopted is
still known as the compression
system. Subsequent tests however
showed that anhydrous ammonia or
ammonia gas. best answered the pur-
pose OF artificial refrigeration.
There are. says recent au-
thority. three principal parts in the
complete ice or refrigerating machine
the engine and ammonia pumps. in
which the dry gas is compressed to
che point OF liquefaction; a conden-
SER in which the compressed gas is
cooled into liquid form. and series
OF evaporating coils. in which they are
plunged. The ammonia is applied to
the machine from heavy iron drums
it being first allowed to enter The
evaporating coils, when it Is drawn
into the compression pumps. lique-
faction and expansion.
1.-The ice machine Is really cold
producing machine. and is used chiefly
for refrigerating purposes. There are
two methods the direct expansion
system and the brine system. BY the
former plan the gas expands into
coils disposed in the rooms to be
cooled: by the latter plan the coils
are immersed in huge iron or steel
tanks. their size varying with the
size OF the plant These tanks are
filed with brine, which rapidly fails
TO temperature far below freezing.
From these tanks the intensely cold
brine clrculates through system of
pipes and returns again and again TO
the tank. This is the usual plan fol-
lowed:
I'm the making of ice cans or
molds are plunged into the brine
tanks and distilled water is frozen in
the cans. The complete method is as
follows: The exhaust steam, after it
has done the COMPRISING of the am
monia gas is utilized. The steam is
passed through volume OF water to
wash it in order to take out the oil or
traces OF oil The steam is then fl
tered and condensed into water again.
The same water is used for cooling
the compressed ammonia gas before
the liquefactiOn of said gas takes
place. After the water mas been con-
densed it is mover allowed to be ex-
posed 10 the atmosphere but is kept
in system OF pipes up to the time
that it is filed into the cans or molds
in which the ice is frozen.
The water passes through the
filter and condenser into so-called
regulator. which works automatically,
and thence is taken into a deodori err
for the purpose OF doing away with
the unpleasant taste and smell OF
condensed water. This deodorizer is
chiefly composed OF animal charcoal.
From the deodorizer the water circu-
lates through system of pipes and
is cooled by the machine again to a
temperature OF from 32 to 80 degrees
.. Thence 1t enters into the molds or
cans. To freeze block Of ice. say of
800 pounds, requires sixty hours Of
constant work under u temperature Of
about Is TO 80 dogs. Fahrenheit 1t
is necessary to freeze slowly in order
to get absolutely crystal clear ice.
Then it is taken out sawed into suit
able sized blocks. and is ready for
delivery TO customers" For plant
which will turn out fifteen tons in
twenty-fou hours the running cost
is estimated at 81. so per ton. This OF
course does not include the outlay on
the original investment for machinery
Nearly every large city OF the United
States now has from one to q dozen
establishments where ice is manufac-
tured. All OF them are said to be
doing n profitable business and the
annual output is estimated at Z. 900. :
900 tons.
So IL will be seen. mans ingenuity
can overcome almost any difficulty,
and in case OF ''hot winter no one
need go without supply of ice al
reasonable cost The coal famine
is SO remote that it may be relegated
to the consideration Of those yet I'M
born. BY the aid of alcohol elec-
tricity and other devices yet to be
utilized our descendants will probably
be able to struggle along and find
comfort and even luxury on this gray
old planet we call the earth. even il
Dame Nature does turn cranky.
stage kissing.