IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF REFRIGERATING ROOMS OR CHAMBERS IN SHIPS FOR THE PRESERVATION OF MEAT AND OTHER PERISHABLE SUBSTANCES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF REFRIGERATING
ROOMS OR CHAMBERS IN SHIPS FOR THE PRESERVATION OF MEAT AND OTHER
PERISHABLE SUBSTANCES." A communication from abroad by George H.
Hainmond, of Detroit, Michigan, United States of America.
Sooled the 19th Dreamb 1970
the
Thanaalla
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 13th May 1879.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO THE CON-
STRUCTION OF REFRIGERATING ROOMS OR CHAMBERS IN SHIPS FOR THE PRESERVATION
OF MEAT AND OTHER PERISHABLE SUBSTANCES." [A communication from abroad by
George H. Hammond, of Detroit, Michigan, United States of America.]
This Invention relates to improvements in the construction of rooms on board
ships for the purpose of transporting fresh meats and other perishable materials,
whereby economy of space is secured, and at the same time the articles are trans-
ported without danger of loss by decay.
The importance of providing efficient means of transport is daily increasing by
reason of the rapid increase in the traffic in fresh meats, the animals being killed at
or near the place where fattened, and the meat transported across the ocean and to
distant parts of the world. To render this transportation safe it is necessary that
the rooms wherein the meat is placed or hung should be airtight, and provided with
receptacles to contain ice or other refrigerants, to which access can readily be had
from the outside, so that as such receptacles require re-charging it may be done
without opening or admitting air into the rooms; it is also essential that so far as
is practicable the outside of these rooms should be kept as cool as possible, as this
to a large degree prevents a rapid thawing of the ice in the receptacles, thereby
rendering it unnecessary to frequently charge them, a work of severe labour.
Hitherto it has been found impracticable to introduce ice into the refrigerant recep-
tacles in the meat preserving rooms on board ship without cutting through the decks

page_text: .
and inserting funnels for that purpose, to which there are great objections; and the
ice could not be utilized except by being inserted into the receptacles.
The object of this Invention is to overcome these objections, and obtain all the
results required as above stated, and it consists in the peculiar construction, arrange-
ment, and combination of parts as hereinafter described.
In carrying the said Invention into practice I build the room between the two
decks of the ship, and it extends athwart the latter. Between the outer walls of
the room and the inner walls of the ship, and between the decks and the floor and
the ceiling of the room, there is placed any suitable non-conducting material, such
as felt, wool, sawdust, or other materials; and if there is room it is preferable to
I
provide for a dead. air. space around the sides and top and bottom of the room.
also provide apartments or preserving chambers within this room, some of which
are about half the width of the others. There are passages or apartments between
these preserving chambers, but care must be taken that there is no communication
between any of these chambers. The said preserving chambers are provided with
doors through which access is had through said chambers for the purpose of storing
them with the articles to be transported. These doors should be fitted so that when
closed they are airtight. The said passages are also provided with doors fitted
tightly over the top. The said preserving chambers are provided with V shaped
receptacles, made preferably of galvanized iron, near the dividing walls, between the
preserving chambers and the passages; these receptacles are tight, so that there is
no communication between their interiors and the preserving chambers wherein
they are situated, but at or near their upper ends these receptacles by means of
openings coincident in the walls of the passages communicate with such passages.
These receptacles are so secured in place in any convenient manner that a space is
left above, below, and in rear of them to allow for a free circulation of air around
them. The aforesaid passages are employed as storage places for ice, and from them
as is required the ice and salt are charged into ice receptacles through openings
which are supplied with stoppers or covers, and should always remain closed except
when necessary to recharge the receptacles with ice, as described.
By this construction and arrangement I am enabled to store the surplus ice for
charging the receptacles where it will assist in keeping a low temperature adjacent
to the preserving chambers, and so that with but little labour it can be charged into
the top of the receptacles through the openings as required without the necessity of
cutting openings in the deck for that purpose.
In practice the preserving chambers are stored with fresh meat at the point of
shipment, the receptacles are filled with ice and salt or their equivalents, and the
doors leading into the preserving chambers closed airtight; the surplus ice sufficient
for the voyage is stored in the passages between the preserving chambers, and as
often as necessary is charged into the receptacles, as above described; the process
of charging the receptacles is repeated during the voyage, at the termination of
.which the contents of the preserving chamber will be found in a good marketable
condition.
It is essential that the ice should be charged into the receptacles at or very near
the top, so that they may be kept as nearly full as possible; hence the necessity of
charging them with ice through the side walls.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Williain Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
13th December 1879.
-
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO THE CON-
STRUCTION OF REFRIGERATING ROOMS OR CHAMBERS IN SHIPS FOR THE PRESERVATION
OF MEAT AND OTHER PERISHABLE SUBSTANCES." A communication from abroad by
George H. Hammond, of Detroit, Michigan, United States of America.
This Invention relates to improvements in the construction of rooms on board
ships for the purpose of transporting fresh meats and other perishable materials,
whereby economy of space is secured, and at the same time the articles are trans-
ported without danger of loss by decay.
The importance of providing efficient means of transport is daily increasing by
reason of the rapid increase in the traffic in fresh meats, the animals being killed at
or near the place where fattened, and the meat transported ocross the ocean and to
distant parts of the world. To render this transportation safe it is necessary that
the rooms wherein the meat is placed or hung should be air tight, and provided with
receptacles to contain ice or other refrigerants, to which access can be readily had
from the outside, so that as such receptacles require recharging it may be done
without opening or admitting air into the rooms; it is also essential that so far as
practicable the outside of these rooms should be kept as cool as possible, since this
to a large degree prevents a rapid thawing of the ice in the receptacles, thereby
rendering it unnecessary to frequently charge them, which is a work of severe
labour. Hitherto it has been found impracticable to introduce ice into the refri
gerant receptacles in the meat preserving, rooms on board ship without cutting
through the decks and inserting funnels for that purpose, to which there are great
objections; and the ice could not be utilized except by being inserted into the
receptacles.
:
The object of this Invention is to overcome these difficulties, and obtain all the
results required, as above stated, and it consists in the peculiar construction, arrange-
ment, and combination of parts, as more fully hereinafter described.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of an improved engraving
chamber, which is arranged to extend across the ship between decks, according to
this Invention.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section on the lines x, x, Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section.
Figure 4 is a front elevation with the front wall removed.
A represents a deck of a ship, and B another deck, and between these two decks
the room is built, extending athwart the ship. Between the outer walls C of the
room and the inner walls of the ship, and between the decks and the floor and the
ceiling of the room, there is placed any suitable non-conducting material, such as
felt, wool, sawdust, or other materials suitable for the purpose; and if there is room
it is preferable to provide for a dead air space around the sides and top and bottom
of the room. D, D, and D' represent apartments or preserving chambers of varying
widths, and arranged within this room. E, E, represent passages or apartments
between these preserving chambers, care being taken that there is no communica-
tion between any of these chambers. The said chambers D, D, and D¹ are provided
with doors F, F, F, through which access is had to said chambers for the purpose
of storing them with the articles to be transported; these doors should be fitted so
that when closed they are air tight. The chambers E, E, are also provided with

page_text: doors G, G, fitted tightly near the top of said chamber, as shown. The chambers
D, D, and D¹ are provided with V shaped receptacles H, H, H, H, made preferably
of galvanized iron, and arranged preferably, as shown, near the dividing walls
between the preserving chambers and the passages; these receptacles are closed, so
that there is no communication between their interiors and the chambers D, D, D¹,
wherein they are situated, but at or near their upper ends these receptacles, by
means of openings I in the walls of the passages E, E, communicate with such
passages. The receptacles are so secured in place in any convenient manner, so that a
space is left above, below, and behind them to allow for a free circulation of air
around them. The passages E, E, are employed as storage places for ice, and from
them as required the ice and salt are charged into the ice receptacles H, H, H, H,
through the openings I, which are provided with stoppers or covers, and should
always remain closed except when necessary to recharge the receptacles with ice, as
described.
By this construction and arrangement I am enabled to store the surplus ice for
charging the receptacles where it will assist in keeping a low temperature adjacent
to the preserving chambers, and so that with but little labor it can be charged into
the top of the receptacles through the openings as required without the necessity of
cutting openings in the deck for this purpose.
In practice the preserving chambers are stored with fresh meat at the point of
shipment, the receptacles are filled with ice and salt or their equivalents, and the
doors leading into the preserving chambers are closed air tight; the surplus ice
sufficient for the voyage is stored in the passages between the preserving chambers,
and as often as necessary is charged into the receptacles, as above described; this
process of charging the receptacles is repeated during the voyage, at the termination
of which the contents of the preserving chamber will be found in a good marketable
condition.
It is essential that the ice should be introduced into the receptacles at or very near
the top, so that they may be kept as nearly full as possible; hence the necessity of
charging them with ice through the side walls.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it under-
stood that I claim,―
First. In combination with a ship's decks, and between the same, a room sub-
divided into preserving or refrigerating chambers provided with ice receptacles and
doors, and with passages between the said preserving chambers for the storage of
surplus ice, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Second. In combination with the icc receptacles situated in the preserving
chambers and with ice storing passages between the said chambers, the openings in
the dividing walls and in the walls of the contiguous receptacles, substantially as
and for the purposes described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.