IMPROVEMENTS IN, THE ARRANGEMENT AND CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS, CHAMBERS, RECEPTACLES, AND APPARATUS FOR STORING, DESICCATING, REFRIGERATING, AND PRESERVING MEAT, FRUIT, VEGETABLES, AND OTHER PERISH- ABLE MATTERS, AND IN THE PROCESS EMPLOYED FOR TREATING AND REGULATING THE TEMPERATURE OF SUCH ARTICLES OR MATTERS WHILST IN TRANSIT OR OTHER- WISE A
Year: 1877

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Garrett Tongue at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th February 1877 A communication
from abroad by Carroll L Riker and Alexander Montgomery, both of New
York, United States of America
JOHN GARRETT TONGUE, of the Firm of Tongue and Birkbeck, Patent Agents
and Engineers, of 34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN, THE ARRANGEMENT AND CONSTRUCTION OF
BUILDINGS, CHAMBERS, RECEPTACLES, AND APPARATUS FOR STORING, DESICCATING,
REFRIGERATING, AND PRESERVING MEAT, FRUIT, VEGETABLES, AND OTHER PERISH-
ABLE MATTERS, AND IN THE PROCESS EMPLOYED FOR TREATING AND REGULATING
THE TEMPERATURE OF SUCH ARTICLES OR MATTERS WHILST IN TRANSIT OR OTHER-
WISE A communication from abroad by Carroll L Rikei and Alexander Mont-
gomery, both of New York, United States of America
"
The first part of this Invention clates to improvements in the arrangement
and construction of refrigerator buildings for the storage of articles of food and
the maintainance of the same at a low temperature, and it consist in certain
features and details of the building 'as herein-after fully described For this
the outer shell of the building is preferably of brick work or masonry, having a
purpose
lining of some nonconducting material, such as powdered charcoal Inside of the
inner lining another lining is arranged at a short distance from the first lining so as
to leave an open space completely surrounding the part of the interior of the
building enclosed by a partition
The interior of the structure is furnished with suitable floors and has a flue ex-
tending from the ceiling to the lower floor At one side of the building the lining
extends unperforated nearly to the top of the building, where an opening is left, the
lining of the cential flue having no opening except the bottom On this side of
the building the floors are pierced with numerous perforations On the opposite
ide of the building both the central flue and inner lining are perforated at points
ust below the floors, which latter are not perforated as on the other side, but are
urnished with automatically closing hatches These hatches consist of two parts
which meet in the centre of the opening and are arranged to slide backward under
he floors upon a suitable railway, weights attached to chains or ropes serve to
lose the hatch. An elevator is arranged to be lifted in the usual way

page_text: The slanting top and bottom of the elevator serve to open the hatches and allow
them to close gently as the elevator is raised and lowered
At the bottom of the central flue there is a fan blower driven by suitable
power
The bottom of the building, beneath what might be termed the receiving floor, is 5
filled with blocks of ice The walls of the ice chamber slant inward at the
bottom, near which point they are perforated to permit the egress of the current
of air from above
The entrance to the building is constructed as follows -The walls are pierced at
some point just above the lower working floor, and a suitable closed shute is pro-
This shute is provided
vided which reaches from the side walk to the said floor
with two doors hinged at the top and arranged to swing inward and outward, the
doois enclose a vestibule The object of this construction is to enable goods to be
brought into or taken from the refrigerator building Other means of access may
of course be used if desired
When the building is in use the blower is caused to revolve, thus drawing a cur-
rent of air from the flue into the working chamber, this curient finds its exit
downward through the perforation in the lower floor and thence through the
interstices between the blocks of ice and the perforations in the ice chamber wall
and in the basement into a chamber surrounding the ice, from this chamber it
rises through a passage which may or may not completely surround the interior of
the building
On the side of the building in which the floors are perforated the current of cold
air finds no entrance into the preserving chambers until it has reached the top of
the buildings, when it enters through the openings there situated and descends
through the various chambers by means of the perforate floors to the opening in
the lower chamber, and thence to the blower to be again driven through the circuit
described
On the opposite side of the building the walls are perforated at points near the
top of each chamber, and a portion of the current of cold an finds entiance into
each of the apartments
The entering cold au sinks to the floor of the chainber and the incoming curient
causes it to rise gradually and displace the an of the apartinent, which air passes
out through an opening, also at the top of the building, into the central flue and
thence to the blower
The advantages attained by the above described construction of the two sides or
It is obvious that the current of
halves of the building may be briefly mentioned
air is coldest at the moment it emerges from the ice chamber into the chamber sur-
rounding it, and warms as it passes through the openings in the lower floor
Between these two points the air is gradually increasing in temperature by contact
with the walls of the building and the substances to be refrigerated, the principle
source of inci case however being the former
On the side of the building in which the floors are perforated the temperature is
practically uniform since the incoming air has passed entirely to the top of the
building and thereby has acquired all the warmth which it is going to attain before
On the other side of the building this
entering any of the refrigerator chambers
is not the case, none of the chambers connect directly with those above or below
except by the hatchways which are always closed either by the hatches or by the
elevator itself, each thus constituting a chamber to itself It is clear that the
temperatures in those chambers will vary, the lowest being the coolest, since the air
enteiing it has traversed but a part of the distance to the top of the building, and
has not therefore absorbed much warmth from the walls of the building A series
of chambers are thus formed, easy of access, and each of a known temperature
varying from that of the others. This construction furnishes a chamber in which
the temperature is very low and suitable for the storage of articles which will spoi
at any but very low temperatures, while above it are other chambers for the storage
of less perishable goods. The other side of the building contains a series of com

page_text: municating chambers, in all of which the temperature is about the same, suitable
for the storage of goods which do not demand an excessively low temperature, and
calculated for the storage of goods, such as butter or other provisions or mer-
chandise, which are to be kept for a considerable time to await a rise in the
5 market price
It is not necessary to describe any particular means of access to these chambers
since any convenient one will answer, such as an elevator or pulley and platform
Precautions need only be taken to keep the opening in the lower floor closed
tight, except when goods are being stored, otherwiso the current of air from the
blower may rise through the opening instead of descending through the ice
The large chamber in which the fan or blower works, and which for convenience
is called the preliminary cooling or working chamber, is useful for the temporary
storage of goods which do not demand a very low temperature to prevent spoiling,
but it is especially designed to furnish a chamber in which the goods which are to
be placed in the colder apartments will undergo a preliminary cooling before entering
the refrigerating chambers proper, by this means any bad results arising from a too
sudden refrigeration of the goods are obviated as well as the contamination of the
temperature of the refrigerating chambers by the introduction of warm or rather
hot articles, such as strawberries 01 blackberries fresh from the fields, and picked
while the temperature reached perhaps 125 degrees Fahrenheit
Importance is attached to the construction of the walls of the ice chamber, which
are advantageously formed, slanting inward, with the perforations near the bottom
only, were the walls perpendicular (as is usual) the ice would melt away from them,
leaving an open space for the passage of the air which would not then be com-
pelled to traverse the interstices between the blocks of ice By this improved con-
struction the weight of the ice causes it to fall as fast as melted against the inclined
walls The perforation in the walls being only near the bottom the au is compelled
to traverse nearly the entire depth of the ice before entering the lower chamber,
this chamber is designed to furnish a large compartment in which the air practically
comes to rest before ascending the space within the inner lining of the walls.
During this period of rest any spray which the air carries from the ice chamber
18 precipitated and is conducted away with the drip from the melting of the ice
The pipe for the exit of the water is advantageously constructed with a goose
neck to form a water joint so as to prevent ingress of warm air from outside
Buildings similar in construction to that of either of the two halves of the
building may be constructed and used separately, their juxtaposition being merely
for the sake of convenience, some of the perforations in the lower floor may be
closed by suitable pieces of board if desired, and this feature becomes valuable in
case the ice in the ice chamber is seen to be melting irregularly, if such is the case
the perforations in the lower floor are closed over the place where the ice is most
melted, and the current of air being thus diverted from that portion of the ice, the
melting goes on more rapidly in the other portions of the ice chamber, and the level
of the ice is restored.
It is obvious that the temperature in the chambers having the sliding hatches
may be regulated by opening or closing the entrances from the flue, since the
temperature of the chambers will in great measure depend upon the amount of
cold air introduced.
The openings in the flue may be closed partially or completely by means of air
checks Similar air checks may be used to partially close the entrance to the
chambers on the opposite side of the building.
In place of having the ice chamber at the base of the building or structure it
may be arranged at the top or upper part, the current of air being conducted down-
wards through the several compartments and back again through a flue or air space
rranged for that purpose
Another part of the Invention relates to improvements in apparatus for and in
nethods of desiccation by subjecting the articles to be dried to a current of air from
which the moisture and impurities have been removed, or nearly so, which process

page_text: is applicable alike at the ordinary atmospheric pressure at increased pressure, or in
a partial vacuum as herein-after described
In the desiccation of vegetables, fruit, meats, milk, and other matters by a
current of hot air as usually practiced there are many obstacles and objections
which this Invention is designed to obviate
It is well known that the capacity for evaporating moisture possessed by a given
bulk of air depends upon the temperature of the air and the amount of moisture
already held by it In summer it is frequently found impossible to desiccate fruits,
vegetables, and other matters, from the fact that no increase of temperature of any
consequence over that of the atmosphere is possible in the current of an used for
desiccation without causing the fruits, vegetables, or other matters to putrify before
they become desiccated Even when the fruit or other matters does not spoil under
the cucumstances it fiequently acquies a peculiar and unpleasant cooked flavor
In order to obviate these results the evaporating desiccating power of the current
of air used is increased by abstracting all or nearly all of its moisture before
In order
bringing it in contact with the fruit or other matter to be desiccated
to do this, advantage is taken of the fact that by refingeration the moisture held by
the air is condensed.
In carrying out this improved process a suitable chamber is used in which the
fruit or other articles to be desiccated are placed, a fan blower is employed to force
a curient of aur through a pipe into the drying chamber and over the articles con-
tained therein.
From the drying chamber the air passes (now charged with moisture) through a
pipe into a cooling chamber, which is either filled with ice or contains a coil of pipe
In this chamber the an is cooled and its
full of a cooling material or mixture
moisture caused to condense the cool dry an passing into another chamber in which
a heating coil or other heating apparatus is arranged. From the heating chamber
the hot dry an 18 drawn to the fan blower to be returned to the desiccating
chamber
If desired the moist air from the desiccating chainber may be discharged into the
open ur and fresh air from outside be drawn through the condensing chamber
The
The desiccating chamber may, if desired, be attached to the exhaust pipe of an
Ice machine from which the cool dry air is obtained, and which may be heated or
not by a suitable coil or other heating apparatus The an from the discharge pipo
of the desiccating chamber may be forced by means of a fan blower into a chamber
through which passes the coil from the expanding engine of an ice machine
an in this coil being thereby cooled the chamber acts as a condensing chamber
from which the now cool diy an passes to another chamber in which is the coil
from the condensing cylinder of the engine The an is thereby heated and passes
upwards into the desiccating chamber
The same device may be modified by dispensing with two of the chambers, the
air for desiccation being that which passes through the coils and thence into the
desiccating chamber
Another part of this Invention relates to improved processes for treating animal
or vegetable substances which have been preserved by efigeration prior to their
shipment or use, and it consists in gradually raising the temperature of the articles
to the natural temperature, or allowing them to reach the natural temperature
spontaneously under the conditions and in the manner herein-after described
The difficulty that has heretofore been experienced is that when articles which
have been frozen or preserved by refrigeration have been brought from the ice
house or refiigerator into the open air they become covered with moistness con-
densed by their cold surface from the an, and the saleability of the articles was
thereby greatly impaired, not only is the appearance of the articles injured, but
their wet surfaces cause dust, grit, and dut to adhere to them, rendering them unfit
for food, besides this the presence of the moisture is directly conducive to putri-
faction To obviate this a cold curent of diy an or other gas, such as nitrogen or
carbonic acid, is caused to pass through the goods, gradually increasing the tem

page_text: perature of the air or gas until the natural temperature is reached, when all tendency
to the condensation of moisture upon the surface of the articles will obviously have
been destroyed The same result will be reached by allowing the articles to stand
while enclosed in air-tight packages in the open air until the natural temperature
has been reached when the packages may be opened and the goods taken out
and used.
The air which is forced through the goods, or which is kept in contact with them,
is dried by any suitable and well-known means, such as by passing it through sul-
phuric acid oi chloride of calcium, or by refrigeration
In carrying out the process above described the articles are placed in suitable
boxes while in the refrigerator building, the boxes being provided with inlet and
outlet pipes, having valves opening respectively inwards and outwards, the boxes
are then removed from the building and dry air is forced through the box by any
suitable means
The curront of an is advantageously at first quite cold, nearly as cold as the
articles themselves, and its temperature is gradually raised to that of the external
all
When the refrigerated and cooled articles are fruit, such as peaches, this pre-
caution is necessary to prevent them from bursting, which sometimes will take place
upon a sudden change of temperature Or when the goods are not intended to be
used or sold immediately they are enclosed in air-tight boxes allowing the cold dry
an of the ice house (or other suitably died an on gas) to fill the box containing the
fruit, which box is then closed, an tight, and set out in the open air to spon-
taneously reach the temperature of the an O for this a package or railway
car is substituted into which the goods are placed, and communication being tein-
porarily established between the car and the ice house by means of hose or pipes
the car is filled with the cold dry air of the ice house, the same being forced into
the car by any suitable means The communication between the car and the ice
house is then broken and the openings in the car closed air tight. The goods are
thus enclosed, surrounded by a cold dry atmosphere, in which they will keep for a
length of time sufficient in any but extreme instances to enable the car to reach its
destination Of course the car should be packed with some non-conducting material
to delay as long as possible (or as long as the journey shall last) the warming of the
goods When the journey is not over twenty-four hours in duration it is not
necessary that the car should be packed. It is sufficient if it be an-tight to prevent
the egress of the cold air and ingress of warm an, which latter may carry with it
also cinders or dirt.