New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-05-13
ARTIFICIAL vs.. NATURAL ICE.
SOME EXPERT OPINIONS ABOUT THEIR
RELATIVE MERITS.

THE PROCESS or PRODUCING THE ARTIFICIAL
ART1cLE-rHE ENORMOUS CROP AND THE
FUTURE OUTLOOK OF THE BUSINESS.
The method OF manufacturing artificial Ice Is as
simple as Il Is interesting and Instructive Ihere
are many intellgen, persons however VINO imagine
the process to be complicated. and the product
thereby to be very limited. The facts are the re-
verse and instead OF extensive production being In
any way impracticable. the manufacture OF art-
fetal Ice Is already an important industry in ms
city Enlargement OF the facilities Tor It's prohuc-
ton Is 80 easy OF accomplishment. and the demand
for the artificial article steadily increasing. that
experts who are engaged in Its manufacture con-
nden,ly predict that in very few years us use
will supersede that OF natural ice. except Tor the
conmonest refrigerating purposes.
Emile Meyer. the superintendent OF the largest
Icc-producing plant In New-York. escorted IT'D
une reporter through the works few days ago.
and furnished him with much Information.
Tho works with their yard-room for loading
WAGONS occupy nine full city lots. The freezing
house is A two-sory structure. leo feet by 100 rect
and has three freezing tanks on each floor those OF
the first floor having capacity for producing ninety
tons o, ice daily. and those on the second n'or
100 tons making a total daily product OF 20 tons.
CONNECTED with the freezlng-rooms are two cold
storage warehouses IN which an average stock 81
about FOUR hundred tons is kept In reserve TOT
immediate use in case 81 an emergency. lne e'-
g!ne.house ~ a four-story structure ~ Feet oy %
feet on the FIRST noor three large De La Nergne
engines two OF which have daily capacity oil
sixty tons each. and one ninety tons on the
second noor are coA-water coolers and hters. on
enc third floor arc steam filters and water-con-
densers and on the fourth floor ammona-con-
denscrs The ho.cr-house. ~ feet by % ieet con-
tain. three boilers. each OF 575 horsepower Ihe
yari and platforms for loading the company
,ron,y- four large wagons which are neatly painted
f.f
s., arranged that the loading Is done Win great
ronsiitv A wagon can be fully laden In two
minutes and eight wagons loaded at the same 'me.
On one occasion hr,y-three wagons were "'u'i
In one hour and at another time III cakes Of Zee
veng 90 pounds each. were loaded IN on'y SIX
minutes.
In the manufacture n artificial Ice the first step
s >, n,ocure an ample supply OF cold. filtered Croton
wafer This is then heated to a temperature OF SD
degrees Fahrenheit; which absolutely destroys every
trace OF bacterial lie The boilers are used LOT uS
purpose and from them steam Is conveyed III pipes
10 immense steam filters. thence 10 condenaers'
where # Is condensed back into water. and then re-
hailed cooled and passed through three large de-
odorlzers each IS feet high and feet IN diameter
With the can freezing machines In ordinary use an
soutely pure water with the air expelled by boiling
is required to get satisfactory results some xmas
Of Mate freezcrs can use ordinary water
The water having been made perfectly pure then
novs by Its own grav!tat!on through large pipes 70
the freezing rooms where 1t Is placed IN we'll
cleansed galvanized-iron cans. each containing hVe
and one-hlrd cubic feet OF water The cans are then
lowered into the freezing tanks. which nave oeeh
filled with very strong brine composed OF water ana
rock salt none OF which permitted to come In con-
tact with the water In the cans which Is carefully
,ro,eced against the slightest pollution from start
70 finish Coils OF 2-lnch iron pipe. hlled with am
monla run through the brine In every direction Inc
ammonia from COMPRISING reservoirs expands as 1t
ahln - III.
heat from the brine reducing It's temperature TO 10
degrees Fahrenheit.
There Is separate trapdoor In the moor OF the
freezing room for each can and through these the
cans are lowered into and holstcd from the prime
by means OF sliding beams extending across the
room and supplied with numerous tackles when
enable workmen to handle the cans quickly ana
easily.
The cans are kept In the brine for sixty hours the
time required for freezing. They are hatsided open
n, The top and filled to within few inches OF their
brims Contact of the brine with the outer sides
and bottoms OF the causes the water IN ireez- !
ing to expand upward about three inches ana the
cans being open at the top and not quite filled. are
thus prevented from bursting.
The ice thus produced is literally clear as crys-
tai except that running through the centre OF each
cake from end TO end Is white core about as
thick az n piece of newspaper, looking AT IL from one
side. and about four inches VIDE, viewing from an,
other direction This core is caused By the TACT that
there Is always little air In me wafer WHICH, nm III
the process OF freezing Is forced TO the centre Inc
core has a snowy appearance but all other parts OF
newspaper placed against one side Of cake OF the
Ice easily be read by a person win average eye
sight standing the other side. ID, ,.
When the freezing cans are hosted from the TANKS
after their sxty-hour bath in brine ana ammonia
the ice is allowed to met trhe so that they VIII
sin out OF the when Inverted Inc cans, are
then slid along suspended by the tackles, 10 doorS
Leading TO the storage-rooms ana by an ingenious
contrlVance, inverted so that the Ice faiS mo
chute which conveys IL TO the storage-rooms through
a series OF simply devised cold-ar automatic locks
or traps which prevent the escape OF the cold ar
from the rooms where a freezing temperature Is
constantly maintained by means OF larger iron pipes
filled with ammonia and thlckly lncrusted with
snoW.llke ice formed from the atmosphere
Each cake OF Ice when put into the storage,roorns
Is iix22x40 inches In dimension ana weighs 3l0
hounds In the storagt-rooms the handsome ana
uniform cakes are neatly piled up, ana everything
10 the storage rooms makes one feel as though he
were in some mysterious grotto or Greenlands Icy
mountains Inhabited by genli who drive RENDERS.
hut ne doesn't care to stay very long in trying 10
solve the mystery lest he too should be turned TO
Ice and be sent out In wagon 10 reIrserate sherry
cobb,ers or pain drinking water.
The manufacturers OF artificial Ice In this way
in New-York are the Hygea Ice Company which
can make zls tons OF Ice daiiy; jacob RUPERT
c5nTiniers' Hygiene Ice Manufacturing Company
1a1 tons a day, and the New--ork Ice Company
whose three pants have a capacity OF 90 tons each
ar "a total of $50 tons n day. The last-named com
uany has been operating only one OF its plants for
m achinery but VIII soon again start al! three pants
!" t an, the hotels supplied by Superintendent
Meyer are the Savoy. Para: . Berre IF MURRAY
srdcial ice plants OF their own, but have not found
than 10 work satisfactorily for various reasons,