ARTIFICIAL ICE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 200, 15 August 1876, Page 4

ARTIFICIAL ICE.

(From a Boston paper.)

Tbe manufacture of ice is rapidly becoming an important business in New Orleans, where there is more of the article used than in any other city in the world. The largest manufactory for making ice in existence is now nearly completed in tbat city. It required to build it over 1,400,000 bricks; the walls are 115 by 150 feet, and over 50 feet high, and three feet five inches thick.

The walls are studded with exterior and interior buttresses at every fifteen feet, which project about one brick both inside and out. The wall is iv three parts, connected at regular intervals — the inner being the thickest, with a space of nine inches between that and the next. This space is filled with sawdust a, fast as the wall goes up. Between the middle and the outer portion of the wall there is a space of five inches, with air-boles at the bottom and top for ventilation; this is the air space.

Pudlocks of scantling are set through the inner and middle walls, and project fifteen inches into the interior, and stud it thickly. To these are to be fastened a strong board lining, and the space between this and tbe interior brick wall is also to be filled with sawdußt. The roof is closed in in the tightest manner, and then there will be a snug little ice-box 115 x 150 x 50, and one partition, with but one door and no window. The ice-room is 115 x 150, having space for the manufactory of 1200 tons and stowing at one time. The room contains over 5000 thtee-inch iron tubes, 36 feet high, placed upright in pairs five feet apart, and each pair connected at top and bottom, the connecting pipes ranging diagonally across the bight lines of the walls. Tha room is divided into two sets of tubes. Only one set of 252 will be put in operation thiß season; these will make 80 tons a day. The ammonia which is so largely used in the manufacture is brought from New York in vessels in the shape of liquid or aqua ammonia, containing over 20 per cent of ammonia,

The ammonia is vaporised by steam aud forced into tbe tubes, At the top of tbe tubes all over the building are pipes finely perforated, into which water is forced by intermittent strokes of the pump, so as to throw out all over the top of the pipes, on their outside, a fine spray; this spray comes in contact with tbe tubes containing the flow of ammoniac.l gas at a temperature below zero; tbe spray, which is the extreme of water agitated, is quickly congealed, and slowly runs down the tubes in a coating of ice, which gradually thickens until columns of icelike particles are formed, 36ft long and 2^ ft thick. These are then sawpd up aud down and driven off rapidly from the tubes. It is so arranged that one or more tubes may be worked at will. When it is desired to take the ice off tbe tubes the gaseous ammonia is drawn off, aod either steam or liquid ammonia which is made by condensation under great pressure, thua generating heatconsequently thawing the ice around tha tube. Owing to tbe nature of water to purify itself while freezing, tbe ice thus made is perfectly clear, though made of muddy water.