Improvements in Cold Storage Houses.
Year: 1890

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cold Storage Houses.
I, ALBERT WOODSON BLACK, of the City of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, in
the United States of America, Builder, do hereby declare the nature of this invention,
and in what manner the same is to he performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
drawings:-
My invention relates to certain improvements in the arrangement and construction
of cold storage houses or permanent refrigerators, and my invention consists in
features of novelty hereinafter fully described and pointed out in the claims.
Figure 1 is a vertical section illustrative of my invention.
Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line II-II, Figure 1.
In making my present invention I have had in mind or view the idea of making
such a structure in which the foul odours and lampness from the cellar and sides of
the hox, as well as the heated air in the walls, which may be due to outside influences,
are removed or carried off and not permitted to enter the storage chamber; also the
idea of making such a structure in which the supporting beams to the ice floor may be
put in position after all the other work on the walls, &c., has been finished; also the
idea of producing an iron floor in the ice chamber, which is constructed to drain the
melted ice to a delivery trough, and by means of which the ice box is made water
tight at bottom at a very small cost; also the idea of producing a ceiling or roof
to the ice box so inclined as to produce a circulation of air around and from the
ice box to, through, and from the storage room; and also the iden of producing
circular formed corners to the upper portion of the ceiling, which facilitates the
circulation, without the condensation of dampness at such points, and with these
objects in view I have produced the construction which I will now describe, having
reference to the drawings.
1 represents the outer walls of the structure, baving a roof or canopy 2. These
walls are constructed with passages or flues 3, through which the damp and foul air
from the cellar of the structure pass and escape through openings 4 at the upper
portion of the structure, as shown in Figure 1. These flues and passages also carry
off the heated air of the walls, which may be formed by, or due to, outside influence
or temperature of the atmosphere, and thus afford a protection in the way of excluding
warmth from the ice box and storage room. After the walls and canopy of the
structure are formed, I place within the lower portion of the walls, a framing 5,
consisting of suitable vertical and horizontal strips or beams, and upon this framing
the supporting beams 6 of the ice chamber are placed after the work on the outer
walls and canopy has been completed. By thus constructing the support for the ice
box, it is not in the way and does not interfere with the work on the walls and the
canopy, as the beams are not put in place until after such work has been completed.
7 represents the ice box, which rests on the beams 6. The floor of this box is lined
with galvanized iron strips 8, placed diagonally across the floor of the box, with the
lower edge of each strip lapped over the adjacent edge of the strip beneath, as shown
in Figure 1, and also by dotted lines in Figure 2. At the lower side of the inclined
floor of the ice box is located a trough 9, which carries the melted ice to a suitable
delivery spout, and through which it is transferred away from the box. By thus
constructing a floor it will be seen that the water will pass from one strip on to
another and there will be no tendency for it to leak through between the overlapping
edges of the strips, as there is a downward incline from each of the joints. A lining
thus formed is exceedingly cheap in structure and can be quickly applied.

page_text: The roof or top 10 of the ice box is made inclined, as shown in Figure 1, and at the
front of the ice box there are openings 11, through which the cold air may pass from
the ice box to the storage room 12. 18 represents a flue or chamber at the back, top,
and front of the ice chamber. The top 30 of the chamber 13, over the ico box, forms
the ceiling. The air circulates from the storage room up behind the ice box, thenco
over the ice box, and thenco down in front of the ice box into the storage room again.
The beams 6 of course are placed a short distance apart and the air circulates betwoon
them. As the air circulates around the ice box, it is chilled or cooled, and owing to
the inclination of the top of the box, a natural draft is created to produce the
circulation, as shown by the arrows. While this air, which is necessarily warmer than
the air within the ice box, will not enter the ice box, yet the surplus of air in the ice
box will escape through the openings 11 and pass into the storage room. The ceiling of
the housing is provided with rounded corners 14, which assist in the perfect
circulation of air from the storage room around the ice box and prevents the collection
of dampness and condensation of moisture at these points.
15 represents a chamber between the top of the ice box and canopy, into which a
person may step to place the ice into the box 7 through the door 16.
With a structure of this kind I produce a cold storage house wherein there is a
perfect circulation without ventilation and without the introduction of outside air, the
result heing a very great saving of ice and a more perfect refrigeration of the contents
of the storage room, and sweat in the ice lux or chamber is also avoided, because no
warm air comes in contact with the ceiling of the ice chumber. It will be seen that
all the roofs or tops are substantially parallel and inclined in but one direction, so that
there will be no counter currents around the ice box.
Having now partianlarly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declaro that what I
claim is :-
1. In a cold storage honse, the combination of the outer walls and canopy provided
with air passages and an inner ice box and storage room closed from communication
with the outside atmosphere, said ice box and storage chamber having parallel inclined
tops with a space between them, substantially ns set forth.
2. In a cold storage house, an ice box having an inclined floor provided with n
lining composed of overlapping diagonally arranged strips and a trough at the lower
side of suid floor, substantially as aid for the purpose set forth.
3. In a cold storage house, the combination of the outer walls and canopy, an ice
box and storage room located within the outer walls and canopy, said ice box having
n roof or top inclined in but one direction und forming an inclined air passage between
the top of the ice box and the canopy of the housing, substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
4. In a cold storage house, the combination of the outer walls and a canopy forming
EL housing, and an ice box and storage room located within the housing, the ceiling of
said housing having rounded corners 14, and both the ceiling of the housing and the
top of the ice box being inclined in but one and the same direction, substantially as and
for the purpose set forth.
5. In a coll storage house, the combination of the outer walls having air inlets at
bottom and top respectively. an inclined canopy or roof arranged on said walls, the
inner walls arranged at a distance from the outer walls and provided with a closed
bottom or floor and a closed top or roof inclinal in but one direction, forming an
inner room or chamber having no communication whatever with the space between
the inner and outer walls or with the external atmosphere, the independent framing 5
arranged wholly within the said inner chamber, the cross beams 6 resting upon and
supported solely by said framing, and an ice box supported on said framing in the
upper part of the inner chamber and laving its top inclined in a single direction and
the side openings 11, the inner upper corners of snid ice box and inner chamber being

page_text: rounded and said ice box being completely closed against communication with the said
inner chamber, save through the said side opening 11, substantially as and for the
purposes set forth.
Dated thin 9th day of Candamba 1800
ALBERT WOODSON BLACK.
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.