The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-24
WILL BE CHEAP TO KEEP COOL.
THE COST OF ICE TO BE CUT MORE
THAN HALF.

cial Ice Than to Cut the Natural
Product-A Plant to Make Five
Thousand Tons "a Day Soon TO he
Erected
New York, July 21.-One cake Of ice
every minute is the record which ID. L. |
Holden claims for the ice machine that
he has Just invented. The blocks may he
of any size desired, varying according 10
the size Of the machine \ machine that
! VIII turn out a ion a day in two-pound |
| blocks every minute and half wiz proba- |
| bly, meet the needs Of the ordinary
! individual in The Cog DAYS. But whether
large or small The inventor claims that
his machine win not fail to produce the
most cooking kidd Of ice with the accuracy
and regularity of ciockwork
Moreover, The new apparatus will man
ufacture its crystal product for one lhird
the cost Of making ice by the processes
now employed and cheaper than II can be
| frozen on pond and river by winter wealth
er. II the new invention does not do away
with winter altogether il viii, a leas, as
sert its usefulness as an ice-maker. The
! inventor says that he can now make ice
for % cents a ton in New York city or
Chicago and for 10 cents in Philadelphia
In other places The price WI vary ac-
cording TO Local conditions, hut it VIII not
rise above these figures, except, perhaps
in Southern ci!ics that are distant from a
coal supply. Even here it VIII not amount
to more than sixty CT seventy cents per
ton.
If Mr.. Holden's claims are well founded
they will undoubtedly result IN an import
ant modification Of the ice business which
now involves capitalization of many
millions In the country. Artificial ice has
already made its way into Northern cities
where 1t is sold in competition with the
natural product. But its cost price when
made by the process now employed is MOI
less than Sl.65 per ton and frequently rises
to 1925 per ton.
Ice that is naturally produced, harvest
ed in winter and stored in houses, costs
the retail companies in the larger cities
from $l25 10 $50 per ton. They sell il for
$3.50 TO $3.50 per ton. The difference be-
tween these figures represents the cost Of
handling and the profit OF companies.
If Mr. Holden's machine can make fee
for fifly cents per ton 1t win be seen read
lily that this means a great cheapening in
the product. How much of the leneat Of
this POO per cent. decrease in cost will ac-
crue to the consumer viii probably depend
T., ! on lNe amount OF competition lNAt Tue new
device meets with from the older compa-
MES.
Companies have been formed in nearly
all the states cast Of the Mississippi to
develop the new method of ice manufac-
! ture None of these organizations are
thus far Identified with the big Ice com
: panies already in the field or what Is
known as the ice trust. If the new con-
: Germs put the ice made by their process
upon the market 81 is likely that an ice
{ war will result If this corhes about the
> gleeful citizen may see the price of ice
: melt faster than the microscopic block
d that the iceman now deposits before his
y door every morning.
This new process differs from the meth
, DDS of artificial ice making now In vogue,
' not in the materials employed, but in the
r manner of applying this material, The
familiar ammonia system is used for the
refrigeration but The freezing process goes
e on in a different fashion from the one
= followed in machines now in use.
= In the present system of manufacturing
l. ice the distilled water which Is to form
= the ice is held in a square tank about
e which the ammonia current which does
Il the freezing circuates. The water freezes
{ therefore from it's outer portion inwaTdsy
l. AS ice is a poor conductor OF heat long
:. time is required for the central portion
y of the tanks contents to become sohd
y Thus the operation Of the machine is slow,
|
+ essary to complete the freezing process
S The cost Of labor of coal for running the
l. engines and of other expense makes Inc
a cost of the product comparatively high.
: The speed with which the new machine
o-,erates is the cause of it's greatest saw.
ing. II works rapidly because fresh por-
lions Of the water are constantly EXPOSED
to the action of the current. Moreover
II is not necessary to put the water used
" through the process Of distilling in order
to assure purity of the ice. The process
of freezing in itself puriies the water
10 without going into unnecessary techn
% cal details II may be said that Mr. Hold
A ems ice machine consists of on apparatus
1t for developing the ammonia and a tanl
e to contain the water during the freezing
process Inside this tank and submerget
in the water is q hollow cylinder through
ID which the cooperating ammonia Is con
g ducted The action Of the ammonia re
IS duces the temperature Of the shell of tn
cylinder to 80 degrees below zero, or 6
degrees below the freezing point Of water
1t which means that ice is frozen on the out
IS side of the cylinder very rapidly; in fact
g about one-fourth of an inch per minute
IT The ice Is never allowed TO thicken to NOR
s. than oue-sixteenth OF an inch. Arrange
i on a cutter bar and working close up 4
re the cylinder, is a series of knives, which
IS keep the ice cut off down to the skin o
the cylinder, working like the knives OF
lr turning lathe. The knives are fed au
~ tomatcely by the cylinder through
re worm gear.
re The ice scrapngs, when cut off, rise t.
OF the surface Of the water, as they are light
re er than the water Itself. and are caugh
le in a curved hood. Underneath this hoo
n is a revolving screw conveyor, which push
as es the ice scrapings out through a pipe
m and from this pipe into hydraulic press
re The particles of ice are naturally mols
y, and when they are crushed together un
IL der the action Of the hydraulic press, tn
I'd moment the press is released the particle
IN fly together, and In a second form per
ir fecuy CONCEALED mass, much more com
he pact indeed, than natural ice, since
contains no air bubbles and no half-froz
u en- snow.
Of When the ice omerges from the machln
at IL Is slightly Opaque, but this appearance
II; due to the process Of readjustment anon
nd the CRYSTALS, soon passes. A perfect
!. j