The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-05-01
TWENTIETH CENTURY ICE.
A Wonderful Invention for Ice Manufac-
turing.
News ard Courier.

things are claimed by its friends.
They say that it can make ice faster
and at less expense than any other
machine in existence, and that when
it is put on the market it will revolu-
tionize the ice business. The inven-
tor is a Mr.. Alexander Conocher, q
gentleman from Scotland, who came to
this country as a representative Of
Wylie & Gordon, Of London, and who
has made a great many friends for
himself in various parts of America.
Mr.. Conocher came over from Port
shire some eighteen years ago and
among his achievements in this coun-
try was the erection of the first cotton
seed oil mill ever built in Georgia.
He represented Messrs. Wylie & Cor
don in the fertilizer business in Au-
gusta and subsequently he became the
representative of the same firm out in
Texas. He negotiated the arrange
ments which resulted in the formation
of the De Bardelebin Coal and Iron
Company, which started and helped
Charleston to build up the town Of
Bessemer, Ala. With the commission
which he received from this transac-
tion he determined to develop certain
ideas which he had regarding an ice
machine built on the vacuum plan.
He went over to London ard began
his experiments, and after eipL.v years
of close application ard ,nsiderable
expenditure Of money he thinks that
he has perfected his invention and
that he has the patents for the best
ice making contrivance in existence.
The vacuum principle in ice making
is. of course, not new thing, it has
been known for probably century,
but it has never been put to success
full practical use. This was owing to
the difficulty Of constructing a perfect
vacuum pump, but this problem Mr..
Conocher says he has solved, and that
the vacuum method will hereafter
become the universally accepted one
Of making ice artifcially. In 1883 a
company with a capital stock Of $780,
900 was started in London for the pur-
pose Of making ice on the vacuum prin-
ciple with the invention Of Prof. F.
Wyndhousen, the celebrated scientist
| Of Berlin. There were defects in the
invention, however, and the company
finally went under. There is also a
company operating along this line in
| this country, but Mr.. Conocher says
that they are employing machines
upon nearly every part Of which he
has the patents, and thatat the proper
time he will assert his rights.
All Of this, however, is merely by
the way, for the machine itself is
down at Walk & Murdoch's, and it
will turn out a block of three or four
pounds of ice for you while you wait.
There are three of the machines now {;
one the old model with which Mr..
Conocher has experimental, another
is an improved small hand machine
and the third is big arrangement in
course of construction which is des-
tined to turn out matter of two tons
of ice a day. The old machine is the
only one which has seen much service
yet awhile, but Mr.. Conocher said
yesterday that he would have the new
hand machine in working condition to-
day or tomorrow.
IF the machine can do on large
scale what it does daily on small one
land there seems to be no reason why
it should not) there seems to he little
reason for doubling that the inventor
has struck upon something that may
make his own and the fortunes of the
gentlemen who are associated with
him. As far as can be learned he has
already made his arrangements for the
construction of company to develop
the invention. He himself holds 30
per cent. of the stock and the other
half of it is owned by Col. Mike
Brown and C. G. Simms, Of Barnwell,
Col. j. II. Drake, general freight and
passenger agent of the Southern Rail-
way system, and Mr.. W. II. Peasants,
the general freight and passenger
agent of the Florida, Central and
Peninsular system. These gentlemen
are expected in the city to-day for the
purpose of taking action regarding the
final formation Of their company. 1t
is understood that they propose to go
to work at once manufacturing the
machine on large scale, making them
of all sizes and capacities from hand
arrangements, which supply the needs
of single family, to large machines
which will turn out tons Of ice day.
If the invention succeeds, as it is ex-
pected to do, they expect in the course
of time to have to build factory for
it's manufacture.
The machine is a very simple but to
the uninitiated at least very wonder
full piece of mechanism. 1t operates
without the use Of ammonia on other
gasses, the water passing into glass
jar and Instantly turning into ice
without apparently any labor or manip-
ulation except that required for turn
ing the handle Of pump. The pro-
cess may be described as pumping
water into ice, and the rapidity with
which it is done is astonishing. A
representative of the Neaos and Cou-
rier was invited to inspect the machine
yesterday. He met Mr.. Conocher, the
patentee, at the works, and was given
full explanation. Omitting as far as
possible technical matters, the de-
scription of the machine and the prin-
ciple which underlies it given by the
inventor were as follows
A large glass jar, containing some
water from the hydrant, is attached to
the machine, and the pump is started.
In less than a minute the water boils
violently and then quickly turns into
ice. A supply Of water is then fed
| into the jar from a water bucket
through a rubber tube, and valve
which opens and shuts as it is acted
upon by hammer which rises and
falls with each stroke Of the pump.
This water freezes instantly and grad,
ually the jar is filled with a solid
block of ice. The pump could be
worked easily by boy or man. The
reason for the water changing into ice
is simple but very interesting one.
Water boils, that is vaporizes, rapidly
| .,;tL ,b,l1;t;on Of o1C daoreoa X at