The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-06-22
Two Largest Plants of the Sort I'm
the Country Are Here and i'm
New Jersey.
STORY OF THE FIRST ICEMAN
HE KEPT HIS GOODS IN A CAVE AND
HAD a MONOPOLY.
This Continued Until n CIeverer Eel
low How to Build
an ~Icehouse.

When the summer sun Is trying its best
20 melt the asphalt streets and the in
habitants are rushing to the country to
seek a cool breeze, there is no better place
10 so FOR startling contrast than a cold
storage plant. for there the temperature
remains near zero all the year round. There
are only three cold-storage plants in this
city. so people who follow this suggestion
will have little choice. The plants have
the most improved machinery and in them
over 100000 is invested. 1t seems strange
10 look at ali OF the complicated machin-
cry which is employed now In the preser-
walton OF meats and vegetables and then
read the description which the historian,
McMaster. gives of the methods the people
OF the Eastern section of this country used
a century and a quarter ago to keep their
meat butter and milk fresh. Yet in some
of the rural districts where icehouses are
few and the artificial manufacture of ice
IS unknown. the methods used are the most
crude. Within a short distance of this city
the springhouse. with its shelves. crock
of butter and milk with cream on it thick
enough TO cut with a knife. is still a neces-
sity on the farm. On farms where there
are no springs the farmers wives have
&c resort TO placing the meat and milk in
a bucket and lowering them into the well.
II took the genius of a Yankee 10 conceive
the idea Of preserving ice during the sum-
mer, and IL was soon put into practice.
A man whose name history fails to give
tried the experiment Of storing Ice in a
cave on the northern coast Of Massachu-
sets. He was successful. and sent his ice
IN small quantities to Boston by boat. max
ing the voyage at night and selling his ice
the following morning. For a while he con-
trolled the market more successfully than
the combine of ice dealers does the trade
an this city. for he gave out the impress
sion that it was impossible to keep ice
except in a cave. Finally, a man whose
name was Tudor. and who. historians say,
was the original iceman, built the first
house In which ice could be preserved dur
ing the summer. He went In the business
on a large scale and shipped his ice to the
West Indies. This put the man with the
cave clear out of business, and he was
never heard OF afterwards. Tudor, how
ever, did not enjoy his monopoly long. for
come one soon learned his methods of build
ing and icehouses became numerous.
After the icehouses had been used for a
number Of years they suggested cold stor-
age houses and many successful attempts
were made in this direction. 1t was i'm
possible to make the plan feasible because
natural ice could not furnish an evenness
of temperature such as must be used for
refrigeration. With the use Of natural ice
in connection with cold storage the results
were always uncertain. Although numer-
Gus attempts were made TO make 1t prac-
teal, it was not until artificial ice making
proved entirely satisfactory that cold stor-
age was established on a sound basis. 1t
u. -. fC-9 tLo+ n 80 80 frozap
meats was sent from Australia TO England.
but the venture proved a failure. Two
years later. however. a large quantity of
frozen meat was sent from this country TO
England and arrived in good condition. and
from that time TO this the business has
steadily increased. OF course, this shipping
OF meats was only cold storage on a small
basis. but il showed conclusively that the
idea was practical. and now every city Of
any size has its cold storage warehouses,
Its refrigerator cars. and from the seaport
towns refrigerator ships are also seen leav-
ing the harbors every day with their per-
tshable burdens for all parts of the world.
The cold storage is now becoming one Of
the leading industries of this country and
millions OF dollars are invested in it each
year.
While local managers say that Indian
apolis is holding its own in this line of bust
ness, Chicago is considered the leading cold
storage city in the United States. Chicago
IS deficient in what is called the pipeline
system. which is used extensively in Bos-
ton, st. Louis and a numer Of other cities.
This system is employed by the cold stor-
age concerns to furnish cold air to outside
establishments. such as butcher shops, no.
tells, saloons. restaurants and other places
that need such service. The pipe lines have
not been inaugurated here yet on account
of there not being enough slaughter houses,
En5. as the other branches Of business that
use them are so scattered. it would be al
most impossible to make the service profit
able.
MONSTER PLANT HERE.
The largest cold-storage establishment in
the United States. with the exception of
ore, which is in the State of New Jersey,
IS situated here. The solid brick walls
which inclOse this establishment have
eighty-hve rooms within them. which have
an aggregate capacity Of 1.5O0 carloads.
This building. like all other cold-storage
plants, is built on scientific principles, and
the construction Of IL is exceedingly ex-
pensive. The walls are four feet thick and
are OF the best hard-burned brick. which
Is nct laid in mortar, as is generally the
case. but in cement. 1t seems that the
thickness Of this wall would be sufficient
TO keep out the heat OF the sun on a long
summer day, but II is not. To accomplish
this an inner lining il used OF nonconduct-
ing material, which consists OF sixteen
courses Of = lumber and waterproof pa
rsr, besides four inches OF mineral wool
End a quantity Of ~granulated cork. Some
cold-storage houses have double walls. the
space between the two being filled with
nonconducting material. but IL is claimed
that The best results are obtained when the
noncOnductOr is placed on the interior. The
boards which are always used for the inner
lining are poplar or sycamore, on account
of the purity Of the wood and its perfect
freedom from odor.
The eighty-hve rooms In this place are
separated by thick walls. and are used for
different classes OF goods. The building is
divided into four separate parts. which
have no connection except one little hall