The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1910-12-03
NUMBER It
An Ice Plant for Every Home.

The electrical ice box is on its way and
the time is surely coming when the ice
man win Cease to call when the pressure
of finger will furnish low temperatures
for the refrigerator or the ice chest.
The new ice plant for the home looks
akin to the ordinary refrigerator, being
about the same size and shape. But. in
stead of the iceman dropping huge hunks
of ice into its interior, at so much hunk.
small electric motor will drive a small
ammonia ice plant and circulate brine
through series of refrigerating pipes.
In the city of New York over five mill
lion tons of ice are used every year and
throughout the entire country ice has
grown to be daily necessity during the
hot months. It is estimated that it takes
thirty-five million tons of ice to supply the
people of the United States during the
year. Only a few years ago natural ice
was used entirely and in the southern
states. where ice was practically un-
known, the crystals had to be shipped IN
at high cost. Today artificial ice can be
made almost as cheaply as natural ice.
Many of the large apartments and ho-
tells in this country maintain private ice
plants, or refrigerators, which amount to
the same thing. A small motor circulates
the brine and ammonia gas, and the tenn
perature of the refrigerator is controlled
automatically.
The new refrigerator is operated by
electricity. In place of ice cooling
liquid is circulated by small motor
driven pump. The scheme for keeping
the refrigerator cool is the same as is
used to make artificial ice. With the mo-
tor-driven pump ammonia gas is COM
pressed to the point at which the gas IL
quefes (for pure ammonia is gas) and
the heat generated by this compression is
extracted with water jackets. This hque-
fled gas is conducted to the cooler
through pipe and allowed to expand in
a coil. Of course as the gas expands il
absorbs just as much heat from its sur
roundings as was generated in compress
ing it. This lowers the temperature of
the interior nearly to the freezing point.
From the expansion coil the gas is con-
Quoted back to the compressor ready for
another cycle.
The beauty of the electric refrigerator
is that it works absolutely automatically
and with the perfection of economy,
When the temperature in the ice box
rises above a certain point a tiny electric
device starts the moter which circulates
the cooling liquid AS soon as the tenn
perature drops to the desired point the
same device, called a thermostat, stops
the motor The automatic devices con-
troll the apparatus indefinitely and there
is no waste of electric power So simple
is the new refrigerator that it requires
practically no attention except an occa-
sional oiIing of the electric motor and the
compressor.
In many cases the amount formerly
spent for ice would pay for the new re-
frigerater, and the amount saved by keep
ing vegetables. meat. milk and other
things in the ice box will more than COM
pensate for the cost of keeping private
ice plant
The iceless ice box has been success
fully used for some time in hotels. meat
markets, fruit stores, cTeameries and in
wholesale and retan houses where per-
ishable goods are handled. Now it is to
be made in sizes suitable for the home.