IMPROVEMENTS IN THE "
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Gamgee, of King's Road, Chelsea, in the
County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Gamgee at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd October 1875.
66
I, JOHN GAMGEE, of King's Road, Chelsea, in the County of Middle-
IMPROVE-
sex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ICE AND IN APPARATUS AND MOULDS EMPLOYED
THEREIN," to be as follows:-
-
The primary object of my Invention is to produce clear transparent
ice without having recourse to that agitation of the liquid during
freezing which has hitherto been considered essential in the manufacture
of transparent icc.

page_text: Previous attempts at perfecting the manufacture of ice have been
mainly directed towards freezing in moulds or from walls or cells
arranged beneath the surface of the water.
Now according to my Invention I carry out the natural process of
freezing by which ice is produced on lakes and other comparatively still
waters. For this purpose I employ cells or tubes on the upper surface
of the water to be frozen, which cells or tubes are by preference in the
form of rafts or floating cells, and I cause the refrigerating medium to
circulate through these cells. By this means as the freezing commences
from the surface and without agitation I prevent absorption by the
water, of heat from the surrounding air. I favor the normal circulation
of the water in the act of cooling with the separation downwards of air
and impurities, and I secure the confinement of the cooling power to the
upper strata, and thus obtain ice of great density.
As I find in practice that the ice begins to form on the metal surface
at the top of the water, that is to say, on the lower surface of the rafts
or floating cells long before the body of the water attains the freezing
point, and that the lower strata of the water have always a tendency to
remain at a comparatively high temperature, I combine with surface
refrigeration as before described "direct refrigeration" by circulating
the water through the refrigerator until the mass is lowered to 32°
Fahrenheit or thereabouts; I then stop the circulation and allow the
freezing to proceed from the surface refrigeration while the water is
quiescent.
Whenever agitation is required in thickening the ice I adopt the
method of permitting slight oscillation of the floating cells or rafts, and
thus do away with the wipers or agitators moved at the expense of con-
siderable power, and which by commingling air at ordinary temperature
with the water tend to retard the freezing.
The oscillation above named may be caused by the simple flow
of the refrigerating medium through the cells or rafts owing to these
being quite free in the movable water or simply suspended by springs.
Floating rafts or cells with air spaces above the cells in which the
refrigerating medium flows act as non-conductors and materially facilitate
the production of ice.
The floating cells may be extended vertically downwards by flanges or
divisions, so as to constitute spaces of square or other desired shape, to

page_text: favor the formation and subdivision of blocks, or to carry out any special
design of the mass frozen.
In freezing water in bottles, viz., manufacturing what are called
"carafes frappées," I place the bottles in an air-tight metal mould neck
downwards, and float this in a water bath so as to insure the formation
of transparent instead of the usual opaque ice in the carafes.
Further, I employ hollow moulds of any desired form, ornamental or
otherwise, through which when submerged I circulate the refrigerating
medium at a very low temperature, so that ice to a certain thickness,
and partaking of the form of the mould, will form on the exterio
thereof; I then stop the circulation and close the moulds tightly with
the refrigerating medium therein; the medium remaining in the moulds
will very much retard the melting of the ice, and the moulds with
their coating of ice, which may be transparent or otherwise, are con-
sequently well adapted for use for temporary ornamental or decorative
purposes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Gamgee in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 22nd April 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
GAMGEE, of King's Road, Chelsea, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six, in
the thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said John Gamgee, Her special
licence, that I, the said John Gamgee, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Gamgee, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the

page_text: "
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OP ICE AND IN APPARATUS AND MOULDS EMPLOYED THEREIN,'
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Gamgee,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be
filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Gamgee, do hereby declare 1
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, that is to say :-
The primary object of my Invention is to produce clear transparent 1
ice without having recourse to that agitation of the liquid during
freezing which has hitherto been considered essential in the manufacture
of transparent ice.
Previous attempts at perfecting the manufacture of ice have been
mainly directed towards freezing in moulds or from walls or cells 2
arranged beneath the surface of the water.
Now according to my Invention I carry out the natural process of
freezing by which ice is produced on lakes and other comparatively still
waters. For this purpose I employ cells or tubes on the upper surface
of the water to be frozen, which cells or tubes are by preference in the 2
form of rafts or floating cells, and I cause the refrigerating medium to
circulate through these cells. By this means as the freezing commences
from the surface and without agitation, I prevent absorption by the
water of heat from the surrounding air; I favor the normal circulation
of the water in the act of cooling with the separation downwards of air
and impurities, and I secure the confinement of the cooling power to the
upper strata, and thus obtain ice of great density.
As I find in practice that the ice begins to form on the metal surface
at the top of the water, that is to say, on the lower surface of the rafts
or floating cells, long before the body of the water attains the freezing
point, and that the lower strata of the water have always a tendency to

page_text: remain at a comparatively high temperature, I combine with surface
refrigeration as before described "direct refrigeration," by circulating
the water through the refrigerator until the mass is lowered to 32°
Fahrenheit or thereabouts; I then stop the circulation and allow the
freezing to proceed from the surface refrigeration while the water is
quiescent.
Whenever agitation is required in thickening the ice I adopt the
method of permitting slight oscillation of the floating cells or rafts, and
thus do away with wipers or agitators moved at the expense of con-
siderable power, and which by commingling air at ordinary temperatures
with the water tends to retard the freezing.
The oscillations above named may be caused by the simple flow of the
refrigerating medium through the cells or rafts owing to these being
quite free on the movable water or simply suspended by springs.
Floating rafts or cells with air spaces above the cells in which the
refrigerating medium flows act as non-conductors, and materially facilitate
the production of ice.
The floating cells may be extended vertically downwards by flanges
or divisions so as to constitute spaces of square or other desired shape
to favor the formation and subdivision of blocks, or to carry out any
special design of the mass frozen.
In freezing water in bottles, viz., manufacturing what are called
"carafes frappées," I place the bottles in an air-tight metal mould, neck
downwards, and float this in a water bath, so as to insure the formation
of transparent instead of the usual opaque ice in the carafes.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a longitudinal section on
the line A, B, of Figure 3; Figure 2, a transverse section on the line C, D,
of Figure 3; and Figure 3, a plan partly in section on the line E, F, of
Figure 1 of one form of apparatus for carrying out the manufacture of
ice in floating rafts or cells as herein-before described; a, a, is a tank or
vessel containing the water to be frozen; b is the top of the floating raft
made of wood or other sufficiently buoyant material; and c is the bottom
surface of the same composed of copper or other suitable metal. The
space between the top and bottom c is divided by walls or divisions d, d,
into a tubular zig-zag passage communicating at one end with an inlet
pipe e, and at the other end with an outlet pipe f. The glycerine,

page_text: brine, or other refrigerating medium is caused to flow through the
floating raft by means of a pump or otherwise, and ice is thereby caused
to form on the lower surface of the metal c. The raft may be made to
oscillate when thought necessary, and this oscillation may be con-
veniently caused by the simple flow of the refrigerating medium through
the raft which floats on the surface or is suspended by springs.
Figures 4, 5, and 6, are views, corresponding respectively with Figures
1, 2, and 3, of another form of floating raft in which the cells are
continued vertically downwards so as to form square spaces in which
blocks of ice are produced. The refrigerating medium enters the first
vertical cell or tube g by the inlet pipe e, and after travelling along this
cell enters the first horizontal cell g', and then continues in a zig-zag
course through the horizontal and vertical cells alternately until it
reaches the outlet pipe f. The ice quickly forms between and below the
vertical cells as well as at the sides and ends of the raft, which in this
form of the apparatus should be about 6 inches clear of the sides of the
tank a all round.
In some cases, as already mentioned, I form air spaces in the rafts
above the cells or tubes, so that the air in such spaces by acting as
a non-conductor will facilitate the production of ice.
Further, I employ hollow portable moulds of any desired form,
ornamented or otherwise, through which when submerged I circulate
the refrigerating medium at a very low temperature, so that ice to a
certain thickness, and partaking of the form of the mould, will form on
the exterior thereof. I then stop the circulation and close the moulds
tightly by cocks or otherwise, with the refrigerating medium therein.
The medium remaining in the moulds will very much retard the
melting of the ice, and the moulds with their coating of ice, which may
be transparent or otherwise, are consequently well adapted for temporary
ornamental or decorative purposes.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,―
First. Manufacturing ice by causing a refrigerating medium to flow
through cells or tubes on the upper surface of the water to be frozen,
substantially as herein-before described.
Second. Manufacturing ice by the combination of "direct" refrigera-
tion and surface refrigeration as herein-before described.

page_text: Third. Constructing apparatus, substantially as herein-before described
and represented in the annexed Drawings, for manufacturing ice on the
upper surface of the water to be frozen.
Fourth. The combination with floating rafts or cells of air spaces
above the cells as and for the purpose herein-before described.
Fifth. Manufacturing or producing transparent "carafes frappées" in
the manner herein-before described.
Sixth. Producing or forming ice on the exterior of hollow portable
moulds as and for the purpose herein-before described.
Seventh. Constructing hollow portable moulds for the manufacture of
ice as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Gamgee, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of April, One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-six.