IMPROVEMENTS IN REFRIGERATOR CARS OR CARRIAGES AND STATIONARY REFRIGERATORS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Morgan-Brown, of the Firm of Brandon and
Morgan-Brown, Engineers and Patent Agents, of 38, Southampton Buildings,
London, and 1, Rue Laffitte, Paris, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
REFRIGERATOR CARS OR CARRIAGES AND STATIONARY REFRIGERATORS." A
communication from abroad by Arnold Washington Zimmerman, of Dayton,
Ohio United States of America.
Sealed the 27th November 1877, and dated the 10th August 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Morgan-Brown at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th August 1877.
WILLIAM MORGAN-BROWN, of the Firm of Brandon and Morgan-Brown, Engineers
and Patent Agents, of 38, Southampton Buildings, London, and 1, Rue Laffitte,
Paris. "IMPROVEMENTS IN REFRIGERATOR CARS OR CARRIAGES AND STATIONARY
[A communication from abroad by Arnold Washington
Zimmerman, of Dayton, Ohio, United States of America.]
REFRIGERATORS."
These improvements relate to the constr
struction of railroad refrigerator cars, but
A
may be applied to other carriages, and consist,
事
First. In a new and improved construction of ice receptacle and means for
supporting ice in the receptacle by which the brine formed by the use of salt and
ice, usual in refrigerator cars, is collected and retained mostly below the ice, so that
its presence is utilized for refrigerator purposes in place of being discharged, as it
heretofore was, as soon as made.
Second. In connection with the ice receptacle of a truss device for supporting the
same, which not only firmly supports the ice récepacle in an improved manner but
affords facilities for the hanging up of meats, &c., within the car.
Third. In a new and improved manner of constructing the doors and hatch covers
of the car by which they are rendered perfectly air-tight, and by which facilities are
afforded for convenient manufacture.
Fourth. In a new device for ventilating the car which gives free passage for, the
currents at many points along the top of the car, the various passages or conduits
uniting in a general passage common to all.
Fifth. In a new and improved device for securing the door.

page_text: Sixth. In a combination of felt and paper for introduction into the walls of the
car between the framing, for the purpose of forming a cheap non-conducting partition,
the felt having the requisite thickness, and the paper having the requisite stiffness
to form a non-conducting wall adapted to prevent the passage of heat by conduction,
and dispense with wooden facing to support the non-conductor.
Seventh. In the improved form of ice receptacle.
The interior of the car is that used for the occupancy of the meats &c., to be pre-
served in transportation.
The ice receptacle, having a concave bottom interiorly, and a convex exterior
surface at the bottom, which collects the condensed vapors and discharges the same
into a gutter having a discharge pipe emptying into a trough around the car, under
the provisions of the first improvement à platform is constructed within the ice
receptacle for the support of the ice above the bottom of said receptacle, the same
being formed of cross pieces and slats, or in any other preferred manner.
By the
use of this platform the ice is supported at a position so high above the convex
bottom of the receptacle that a chamber is formed below the platform for the
collection of brine, and the platform at the same time prevents the ice from
injuring the bottom of the receptacle in falling down as it is supplied through a
hatchway.
In shipping fresh meats in hot weather it is usual to use one pound of salt to
fifteen pounds of ice, which produces a brine twenty degrees colder than the ice itself.
This brine under the old system escapes as fast as made, and thus the principal
refrigerating agent is lost too soon. By these improvements this brine is retained
below the ice until it has reached a height and a temperature which renders its
escape desirable. To provide for its escape at the proper time an overflow pipe is
attached to the ice receptacle, in which it is hermetically sealed, its upper end
rising a short distance above the upper surface of the platform, and its lower end
discharging into a water trap cup, which overflows into a pipe leading out of the
car, the cup acting as a hydraulic trap to prevent the escape or entrance of air from
or to the ice receptacle, the trap at the same time preventing passage of air to or
from the car at the bottom.
In the operation of this improvement the brine and water from the ice is caught
under the ice platform and rises at little above said platform, so that when the ice
is put in and the car set in motion the liquid is washed against the ice backwards
and forwards, and the continued application of the salt to the ice therefore becomes
automatic, while at the same time the brine formed by such application is
retained in the receptacle so long that its presence as a cooling agent is fully
utilized before it is permitted to escape through the overflow pipe.
Although the advantages are more apparent when salt is used and a brine there-
fore formed, this improvement is important when pure water occupies the bottom
of the ice receptacle, as the water has an extended surface contact with the bottom
of the ice receptacle, whereas if the water was all permitted to escape the points
alone of the ice would be in contact.
To support the ice receptacle within the car there are a series of trusses. Each
truss is formed of three bars secured together at the centre by links passing over a
bar and coupled by a link. The bars are secured to the car by bolts, and the bar
by flanges and screws. The bar may be a gas pipe. The bars or pipes of all the
trusses in the car may be used to support rods, on which meats in the car may be
hung, and thus while these bars serve as members each of a truss which supports the
ice receptacle, they also act in the capacity of supporting rods for the meat to be
transported, a very important item, as this saves at least a thousand pounds in
weight in the manufacture of a refrigerator car. This may of course be applied to
any refrigerators now in use.
The casing of the refrigerator car is composed of an outside shell secured to the
sills; and timbers, and uprights; or studding, the studding having longitudinal pieces
morticed into them, to which is attached a sheet of felt having a facing of paper

page_text: between which and the shell an air space is left; an inner shell of wood faced with
paper is also provided.
A trough is formed for the collection of condensed vapors and the discharge of the
same into an exit pipe.
An air space is formed between the inner shell and the felt on the sides of
the car.
The bottom of the car is also formed of inner shell and outer shell secured to sills,
and with the air space and felt lining, the air space having no connection with the
air spaces in the sides of the car. The top of the car is also formed so as to leave
air spaces between strips of felt or felt and paper similar to that used in the sides
and bottom. The hatchway of the highest receptacle is an extension of the receptacle
itself, and is of tapering form, fitted with a plug door which can be forced in till a
tight joint is effected, and a trap door may be used above it and locked after the
plug is put in
The side door of the car is formed in a similar way to the construction of the sides
of the car, and made tapering to fit a tapering receptacle formed in the car.
In order to enable the side doors and hatch covers to be made conveniently, and
yet always of a construction to enable a joint to be securely made; they are con-
structed with a chamber around the edges, into which is inserted felt, and the felt is
retained in the chambers of the edges by means of a piece of duck secured at the
edges at a lower plane than the surface of the felt by means of row of nails, or
otherwise. By this construction the surface of the felt and ducking is made to
project above the surface of the row of nails, so that a smooth surface is afforded
which is compressible and wholly exterior to the rows of nails, and the fastening
therefore of the ducking forms no obstruction to the forcing in of the doors and
hatch covers: In order to facilitate the supply of ice and distribution of the same
properly the ice receptacle is separated into compartments and connected together
by short pipes, each compartment having its own hatch cover. A ventilator is also
applied, an enclosed trough is formed extending the entire length of the car, and
by a series of short pipes opening into the interior of the car. By this connection
the noxious vapors have free escape at all points, and the ventilation is therefore
perfect.
The door is preferably in two parts, and is bolted when shut by sliding bolts
attached on each side of a fulcruin to a lever which opens and closes them, the
lever being hinged so that its outer half can, when the bolts are shot out, be folded
over and a padlock secured to a staple to secure the whole.
These improvements' are of course equally applicable to stationary refrigerating
houses as to cars.

page_text: and the platform at the same time prevents the ice from injuring the bottom of the
receptacle in falling down as it is supplied through the hatchway F.
In shipping fresh meats in hot weather it is usual to use one pound of salt to
fifteen pounds of ice, which produces a brine twenty degrees colder than the ice
itself. This brine under the old system escapes as fast as made, and thus the
principal refrigerating agent is lost too soon. By these improvements this brine is
retained below the ice until it has reached a height and a temperature which renders
its escape desirable. To provide for its escape at the proper time the overflow
pipe G is attached to the ice receptacle, in which it is hermetically sealed, its upper
end rising a short distance above the upper surface of the platform E, and its lower
end discharging into the water-trap cup H, which overflows into a pipe leading out
of the car, the cup acting as a hydraulic trap to prevent the escape or entrance of air
from or to the ice, receptacle, the trap at the same time preventing passage of air to
or from the car at the bottom.
In the operation of this improvement the brine and water from the ice is caught
under the ice platform and rises a little above said platform, so that when the ice is
put in and the car set in motion the liquid is washed against the ice backwards and
forwards, and the continued application of the salt to the ice therefore becomes
automatic, while at the same time the brine formed by such application is retained
in the receptacle so long that its presence as a cooling agent is fully utilized before
it is permitted to escape through the overflow pipe G.
Although the advantages are more apparent when salt is used and a brine there-
fore formed, this improvement is important when pure water occupies the bottom of
the ice receptacle, as the water has an extended surface contact with the bottom of
the ice receptacle, whereas if the water was all permitted to escape the points alone
of the ice would be in contact.
To support the ice receptacle within the car there are a series of trusses. Each
truss is formed of three bars I, J, K, secured together at the centre by links J¹
passing over bar K. and coupled by link J". The bars I, J, are secured to the car
by bolts, and the bar K by flanges and screws. The bar K may be a gas pipe. The
bars or pipes K of all the trusses in the car may be used to support rods on which
meats in the car may be hung, and thus while these bars K serve as members each
of a truss which. supports the ice receptacle, they also act in the capacity of sup-
porting rods for the meat to be transported, a very important item, as this saves at
least a thousand pounds in weight in the manufacture of a refrigerator car; this
may of course be applied to any refrigerators now in use.
The casing of the refrigerator car is composed of an outside shell M, secured
to the sills N .and. timbers N¹, and uprights or studding M¹, the studding having
longitudinal pieces 0 mortised into them, to which is attached. a sheet of felt P
having a facing of paper P', between which and the shell M an air space is left, as
shown, the inner surface of the shell being faced with paper. An inner shell Q
of wood faced with paper.is also provided.
A trough D' is formed for the collection of condensed vapors and the discharge
of the same into an exit pipe S.
An air space is formed between the inner shell Q and the felt P on the sides of
the car.
The bottom of the car is also formed of inner shell Q, outer shell M, secured to
sills N and N, with the air space S and felt lining P, the air space having no
connection with the air spaces in the sides of the car. The top of the car is also
formed so as to leave air spaces, as shown, between strips of felt or felt and paper
similar to that used in the sides and bottom. The hatchway F of the ice receptacle
is an extension of the receptacle itself, as shown, and is of tapering form, fitted with
a plug door T which can be forced in till a tight joint is effected, and a trap door U
may be used above it and locked after the plug T is put in.
The side door of the car V is formed in a similar way to the construction of the
sides of the car, and made tapering to fit a tapering receptacle formed in the car, in
the manner shown.

page_text: In order to enable the side doors and hatch covers to be made conveniently and
yet always of a construction to enable à joint to be securely made, they are con-
structed with a chamber W around the edges, into which is inserted the felt ✗, and
the felt is retained in the chambers of the edges by means of a piece of duck Y
secured at the edges at a lower plane than the surface of the felt by means of a row
of nails, or otherwise. By this construction the surface of felt and ducking is made
to project above the surface of the row of nails, so that a smooth surface is afforded
which is compressible and wholly exterior to the rows of nails, and the fastening
therefore of the ducking forms no obstruction to the forcing in of the doors and
hatch covers. In order to facilitate the supply of ice and distribution of the same
properly; the ice receptacle is separated into compartments, as shown in Figure 3,
and connected together by short pipes b, each compartment having its own
hatch Cover T. Z is the ventilator, below it is formed an enclosed trough 1
extending the entire length of the car, and by a series of short pipes 2 opening into
the interior of the car. By this connection the noxious vapors have free escape at
all points and the ventilation is therefore perfect.
The door V, as shown in Figure 1, and at one side of the car in Figure 4 (the
other side having the door removed), is preferably in two parts, as shown in
Figure 4, and is bolted when shut by the sliding bolts 3 attached on each side of a
fulcrum 4 to a lever 5, which opens and closes them, the lever being hinged at 6 so
that the hole 7 of its outer half can, when the bolts are shot out, be folded over the
staple 8, and a padlock secured to the staple to secure the whole.
These improvements are of course equally applicable to stationary refrigerating
houses as to cars.
Having now described and particularly set forth the nature of the said Invention,
and the manner of carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that
what I claim is,
J.
First. The ice receptacle B, having a bottom shaped to discharge condensed vapor,
an elevated ice carrying platform E, and an elevated overflow pipe G, substantially
as and for the purpose specified.
Second. In combination with the ice receptacle B the supporting truss I, J, K,
constructed substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Third: In combination with the door or hatch covers of the car, having recesses or
grooves around the edges thereof, the felt covering X, and linen or duck covering Y,
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Fourth. In combination with the ventilator Z, the trough 1, and series of pipes 2,
as and for the purpose specified.
Fifth: The bolt 3, operating lever 5, and staple 8, connected and operating, sub-
stantially as and for the purpose specified.
Sixth. The non-conducting partition P, P', of felt and paper, as and for the
purpose specified.
Seventh. A refrigerator having an elevated ice receptacle whose bottom is curved
or inclined downwards so as to concentrate for discharge any condensed vapors
collected upon it.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Morgan-Brown, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
WILLIAM MORGAN-BROWN: (L.S.)