THE FRESH MEAT QUESTION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume VII, Issue 245, 8 March 1889, Page 3

THE FRESH MEAT QUESTION.

» A few issues ago we gave a description of Knott's dry pm« *ir system of refrigerating as applied rt© the patpnt railway car, and we than promised to explain how the system could be applied to buildings. The sample building which we shall take for our description is one thirty feet long and twenty three feet wide, inside measurements, and nineteen ieettotopof wall. The outside walls "will be of timber with an air space left in the centre, and against the inside wall will be laid a layei- of sawdust, kept in its place with a new wall or match lining, then sawuua.; then boards, then a space, uo'st boards and on the top of these about a doe foot layer of sawdust again. 'Che floor is recommended to be of solid concrete, but if that should be too expensive, the first layer must only | be concrete, the next sawdust, then heavy flooring. Runniug down, the centre of the building is a passage three feet wide on either side of which rise iron columns supporting a floor on either side, the ceiling of which will be eight feet from floor, and the upper part about fifteen inches higher, lhe floors ara sup- 1 ported by iron girders On these platforms and also along the passage it is proposed to store ice, find it is estimated that 120 tons c r m be thus stored. Under the platforms ;ue *he bars upon which the meat to be kept cool is hang. The manufacturers of tbe patent cars, anl the cold air machinery for these buildings are the Swansea wagon company Limited, and Mr Frederick Andrews of Shannon is their New Zealand corresp ondent. It is averred that tb c patent is successful in keeping in an unaltered state in any climate, perish" P.ole articles, for an indefinite period, Without freezing, thus saving the effect of breaking the cellular system in meat, which freezing aud thawing does. The ice would appear to be the main difficulty, bus Mr Andrews .expects to hear further from the manufacturers as to an ice making machine, to be worked in conjunction ■with these stores. The same principle of pumping dry pure air through < the buildings every three minutes and then purifying it through a charcoal filter, is used for these stores, as in the cart-, a very full description of which we have previ- r ously given.