REPORT OF THE REFRIGERATING WORKS, MELBOURNE.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3600, 25 January 1883, Page 4

REPORT OF THE REFRIGERATING WORKS, MELBOURNE.

" These works are situate about four miles from Melbourne, on the banks of the Saltwater river. The building, which is of two flats, is composed entirely of wood. Tho killing sheds and yards, also of wood, are situate at the rear of the main works about forty yards, and the nature of the ground is such, that the mutton when killed is conveyed by trucks running on a slight decline from the killing sheds to the top flat or cooling- chamber of the freezing works. The boiler house, of brick, is situate a small distance from the main building. The freezing works contain three apartments, with the engine room. Tho top flat, one apartment called the cooling chamber, is 25ft by 50ft, inside walls Bft high, with joists at intervals, provided with hooks, for hanging the carcases. Through tlus chamber the cool air escaping from the freezing chamber and store room passes, so as to partially prepare the sheep, and keep them at an even temperature before entering the freezing chamber. Tho freezing chamber and store room are situate on tho ground flat, immediately underneath tho cooling chamber, the former being 20ft by 25ft, and the latter 25ft by 30ft. " The walls of the freezing chambcrare Gfthigh, andjoists with hooks for hanging the mutton arc fixed at intervals through the chamber. The walls of the store room are Sf thigh. The outside walls arc of timber and lined ; then a space of 12in well packed with sawdust and tan. The floor is a good bed of concrete cemented, then a space of four inches well packed with sawdust covered with T. and G. flooring. The show pit is situate between the enjrine-room and freezing chamber, is 4ft wide, Bft long, and 6ft deep, constructed of wood, lined and packed with sawdust. The engine-room adjoins the freezing chamber, is built of wood, with iron roof, and is 27ft by 50ft. In this room there arc two machines—one built by Messrs Robinson Bros., of Melbourne, at a cost of £3000 ; the other, a much smallei machine, imported by the Company from England at a cost of £1200. These two machines working together, which they were when we visited the works, produce freezing power sufficient to freeze 400 sheep every 24 hours. The steam is supplied from tw boilers in the usual way. The killing sheds, Avhich ai-o situate on an elevation at the rear of tbe main Inuldhig, arc built of wood, with concrete floor, with ordinary killing pens and outside yards on side of the building. Each killing pen, of which there arc six, is 13ft by lift. The hanging space on the other side of the building is tfOft by 70ft, with line of rails up the centre, and joists at intervals with hooks in the usual way. Several small paddocks adjoin the yards for receiving. The present cost oi killing, freezing, wages, coal, packing, wrappers, stowing on board lighters and conveying to ship's side is _d per lb. The lighters, which load alongside the works, take 8 hours to convoy the mutton to ship, and are not specially fitted for this Avork. AVhen we visited tho works, which were in full swing, a splendid lot of half-bred wethers were being killed, averaging 051bs, but it was mentioned to us that smaller and lighter sheep wore more suitable. The sheep were carefully killed and dressed (kidneys taken out), no slaughterman being allowed to kill more than 50 each day. Tlie total cost of these works, buildings and plant, has been about £0500, the buildings costing- about £1800 and the plant about £4700. Tlie Company are at present erecting new works, built of stone: and brick, near AVilliamstown, and alongside tho railway line, and near the wharf. This, ol course, will considerably diminish the present cost of conveying to ship. There are also railway trucks being specially prepared, lined with sawdust, for conveying mutton from the works to ship. Messrs Robinson Bros., the principal machinemakers m Melbourne, Avould supply a machine capable of* freezing 300 sheep every _4 hours, at a cost of say £1200, exclusive of price of boiler required, which would be about another £200. This machine would be very similar to one they built and fitted on board the Protos, and Avhich avus found to Avork very Avell on the passage."