Evening star., 1934-02-04


Lewiston.
arising from the asphalt pavements in Summer
and the ice man was never accused OF g'hg
short weight.
Strange to say refrigerators were not then
unknown. for we have the record Of one having
been patented close to Washington, about 1913,
by another clever Irishman of the dstin-
guished name of Thomas Moore; but not the
one who likened Washington to place
"s where fancy sees
Squares in morasseS obeliSkS in trees"
This Thomas Moore was a member OF the
Society of Friends and at the time he invented
the refrigerator was living in the neighborhood
of Brookeville, Montgomery County, Md. He
was a progressive farmer, and conceived the
idea of carrying butter to market SO that 1t
would reach there fresh and firm Travel was
then largely on horseback, when the load was
not too heavy, and SO, for the purposes stated.
Mr. Moore constructed cedar tub of oval
form, about 18 or 20 inches deep, in which
was placed a tin box, with the corners square.
large enough to hold % prints of butter of one
pound each Space was left between the tin
and wood for small Jumps of ice. The wooden
box covered with rabbit fur SKINS. over
which was placed a covering OF coarse woolen
cloth and in this cCntraptlon the butter was
carried horseback to market at George
town. a distane of 20 miles. Even In warm
weather it is said 10 have arrived there hard
and firm, with ice enough left to give each
purchaser small lump. But higher price
was demanded for this butter, We are told.
n EFERRING to Mr. Moore and his nven-
N ton, an early account says:
After this he made them of larger dmen-
sions and in a different manner, for family
and dairy purposes They we're composed OF
two square cedar boxes one of smaller size.
and the space between them filled with pull
verized charcoal well packed in; tin box
fastened to the inner side of the lid contained
the ice and the whole was covered with coarse
woolen CLOTH Thomas Jefferson, then Presi-
dent Of the United States; some of the heads
of departments and other citizens of the Dis
trict of Columbia who had ice houses. used
Thomas Moore's patented refrigerators. In IA
years his patent expired, when he gave the
public the benefit by not renewing it. The
refrigerator was however, of but little practical
benefit to farmers generally, as not one In
hundred had such useless appendage to his
farm as an ice house, SO they went out OF use
for number of years.
Thomas Moore was remarkable man. His
father. Thomas Moore, also an Irish Quaker.
came to this country early in the last century,
settled first in Pennsylvania, where he married,
and afterWard removed to Loudoun County.
Va, where he built residence and called the
place Waterford, after his native home. Here
the son Thomas for a time carried on the buSi-
ness of a cabinetmaker which he had learned
He then engaged in milling and merchandising
in connection with his brother-in-law, James
Mccormick. About the year 1894 he removed
to Maryland, having married Mary Brooke.
daughter of Roger Brooke of Brooke Grove, LII
Montgomery County. Here he commenced
farming on the estate of his wife and soon
distinguished himself a practical farmer
Later he wrote a treatise agriculture
and, it is stated, another on ice house and
refrigerators, which proved of signal benefit to
the State of his adoption. In the year 1905
he was employed by the corporation of George
town to construct the causeway from MaSon's
Island to the Virginia shore, for which he
received $24 600, and completed the work in
less than one year. After this he was em-
ployed by the United States Government to
lay out the great national road to the West.
During the war with Great Britain, from 1912
to 1916, he took charge Of the Union Manu-
featuring Works, near Ellicott's Mills, chief
manager"
THERE were even some vegetable gardens on
street subsequent 10 1900, and we find
that James Hoban had q well-kept garden near
the Treasury. in which there were some fine
shade trees. Where is now the Patent Office
was a farm conducted by John Orr, and this
was still 50 used for 30 years later.