ELECTRICIANS MEET

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 54, 16 July 1947, Page 6

ELECTRICIANS MEET

WHAKATANE BRANCH “QUIZ” SESSION AND LECTURE At the monthly meeting of the Whakatane branch of the electricians institute Mr N. Mathews gave a well illustrated lecture on refrigeration, and Mr Hurndell a “Quiz” session. The lecturer traced the history df refrigeration and made some very surprising comments on a form of cooling water in Egypt in 2500 B.C. The water was placed in tall porous jars and placed outside in the cool of the evening. Evaporation took place 'and in so doing reduced the temperature of the water which was stored in cool" places for drinking during the heat of the day. India, Arabia and Jerusalem, Mr Mathews said used similar methods of cooling water to this day. A necessary condition to the cooling of water in this way was a very low air humidity. In the Roman Empire as well as in China, blocks of ice were cut from the frozen mountain sides and stored for further use.

In India, holes were dug in the ground in which were placed porous saucers. The saucers were filled with water, and, in the early morning hours small slabs of ice were collected .from the bottom of the saucers. The speaker mentioned that it took 500,000 saucers and 1000 men to make one ton of ice. This method was still being practised said Mr Mathews.

The first system of cooling in western civilisation was the ice box The first essential was that the ice should melt and so make the surrounding air give up some of its heat. The temperature of commercial ice was 25F, and the lowest freezing point of ice being 80F. . Mr Mathews spoke at some length on the modern household refrigerator with excellent drawings to support his lecture. At the conclusion of the lecture Mr 'Mathews was thanked by the chairman and accorded a vote of thanks by the members. Mr Hurndell, a very popular member of the institute, introduced a quiz session which proved very amusing and popular to all present. Each member was asked a question to which an answer was to be given in 10 seconds. Failing the correct answer any member could supply the correct answer, points being allotted for doing so. Mr Hurndell asked such questions as: What is a Cusee? When, did Henry Ford sell cars for £75 complete in the U.S.A.? What is a Speleologist? What was the Christian name of Diesel? How many wars have been fought since the Armistice 1918? If you were the last man in the world and someone spoke to you who would it be? * . The meeting concluded with a light supper.