Year: 1887

page_text: L, WILLARD LOWLAND COOK, residing at Omaha in the bounty of Douglass and
State of Nebraska, in the United States of America Mechanic do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be.
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of my invention is to provide a practical car for the transportation of
meats, fruits etc. liable to decay through contact with heated air, and provided for the
preservation of the contents of cars, in case of detention while in transit and also for
removing the moisture of the air in the car.
I accomplish these objects of the construction illustrated in the accompanying
drawings in which
Fig. 1, is a transverse vertical section of a car constructed in accordance with my
invention.
Fig. 2, shows one half of the same in side elevation and the other half in longitudinal
section.
Fig. 3, represents a horizontal section of one half of the car, showing the ice
chamber, the roof of the car being removed.
A represents the ice chamber; B, the storage compartment or preserving room;
C, the longitudinal pocket for holding the flues, J; Da non conducting air space
under and around the ice chamber; E, a warm or ascending air flue outside of said
air space; F, drip pipes from the ice chamber, with trap in upper or in lower end,
G, G, dead air spaces between the sills of the car; I, flooring of car; K, and L, are
slats on the side and bottom of ice chamber, A; M, cold or descending air flue in the
bottom of ice chamber; N, wicking or other like capillary material lying against the
sides of the ice chamber and entering tubing, O, through which it passes, across
the air chamber, D, into the air flue, J, the latter having vertical pipes, J2, leading
into the passages, Q, above the dead air space, P, in the roof over the ice chamber,
said air passages, Q, extend from the opening, S, near the eaves to the central
outlet, R, in the roof, T, are longitudinal strips forming the sides of the cold air
flue, M, U, the running board on top of car; V, cross timbers or joists for supporting
the ice chamber and suspending hooks upon which to hang meats; W, traps in the
drip pipes leading from the drip troughs, Z, in the bottom of the ice chamber; X, wire
gauze or netting over the ends of the air flues, J ; Y, air spaces between the sides and
lining of car.

page_text: When in use the ice chamber is filled with ice through hatchways in the roof, and
the tubes, O, filled with wicking or other moisture conducting material the spaces
between the fibres acting as capillary tubes, the warm air around the ice becoming
condensed, descends through the flue, M, and the warmer air in the storage com-
partment, B, rises through the warm air flue, E, imparting some of its moisture into
the wicking, N, and also upon the ice within the ice chamber, A; the moisture of the
air having become eliminated by contact with the wicking, N, and the ice in ice
chamber, A passes downward through the cold air flue, M, and directly to the bottom
of the compartment B, the air in the car thereby being kept in circulation and taking
the course indicated by the arrows shown in fig. 1. The cool air current passing
downward through, the centre of compartment, B, thereby causing the air to rise
through the warm air flues, E, and into the ice chamber, A.
The object of the drip pipes, F, is to aid in relieving the trough from an unusual
supply of dripping in case the wicking, N, may at times need aid in relieving the ice
chamber and troughs of moisture formed by the drippings from the ice or through
condensation. It is also designed to have these filled with wicking tubes, N, in
sufficient number and size whether constructed cylindrical or rectangular in form, to
carry off from the ice chamber, A, all dampness or impurities in the air. The office
of the air flues, J, is to afford means of rapid evaporation of the moisture and water
which ascends through the wicks; this rapid evaporation causing a
more active
absorption of moisture from the ice pan, cooling the wicks, and causing condensation
thereon of the moisture ascending with the warm air current in the flue, E, and
producing as a secondary result a cooling effect in the chamber, B. The evaporation
on the upper end of the wicks is caused by the current of air passing lengthwise
through the tubes, J, while the car is in motion; and the function of the tubes, J2,
is to produce a nearly similar current and evaporation while the car is standing still.
The end of the air flues, J, are to be covered by wire netting or gauze, c, of
sufficient fineness to allow air to pass into flue, J, without admitting sparks or smoke
in case the car is attached immediately to the locomotive drawing. the train. The
side, T, of the air flue, M, projects downward a sufficient distance to prevent warm air
in compartment, B, which may arise to the ceiling of compartment, B, and prevent it
from coming in contact with the cooler air passing downward through air flue, M.
The upper edge of the flue has small cleats, m, extending above the floor of the ice
chamber, and the central slat, L, is of such a width that its wedges overhang beyond
the cleat, m, so that no dripping can fall through the flue, M, into the storage chamber,
this is necessary in connection with the capillary tubes for the perfect working of the
device as the principle design is to produce perfect circulation of dry air which is
greatly aided by the partitions, T, being constructed as described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a refrigerator the combination of the ice chest in the top thereof, the drip
troughs and a cold air flue in the bottom of said chest and capillary conductors
entering said troughs and lying againt the interior of the walls of the ice chest and
passing through them substantially as described.
2. In a refrigerator, the ice chest in the top. thereof, the cold or descending air flue
in the centre and warm or ascending air flues on the sides of said ice chest the drip
trough in the bottom of said chest and the capillary conductors having their lower
end within said troughs and lying against the interior of its walls and passing through
them and through the warm air flues, substantially as and for the purpose described.
3. The combination of the frame of a refrigerator, the ice chest in the top thereof
the drip trough in the bottom of said chest, the cold or descending air flue in the
centre and warm or ascending air flues in its sides with capillary conductors having
one end in the drip troughs in the interior of said chest and passing through its walls
substantially as and for the purpose described.
4. The combination of the frame of a refrigerator, the ice chest in the top thereof,

page_text: the cold or descending air flue in the centre and warm or ascending air flues on its
sides and horizontal pipes, J, on the outside of the warm air flues with capillary
conductors having one end in the interior of said chest and passing through its walls
and warm air flues and having the opposite end within the pipes, J, substantially as
and for the purpose described.
5. The combination of the frame of a refrigerator car the ice chest in the top thereof
having the central portion of its floor higher than its sides, a cold air descending flue
in the center having cleats, m, on each side extending above said floor and said flue.
extending beyond the bottom of the hollow walls of said ice chest, with drip pipes in
the sides having capillary material entering therein and extending up against the walls
of the ice chest, substantially as and for the purpose described.
Dated this 2nd day of August 1001.
WILLARD LOWLAND COOK.
By Jensen & Son,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Patent Agents.