USRE3119E - Improvement in preserving meats, fruit - Google Patents

Description

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

W. DAVIS.

Refrigerating Car.

Reissued Sept. 15. 1868.

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UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

ILLIAM, SAMUEL 11., AND DAVID w. DAVIS, onv DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNEES o WILIIIAM DAVIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN PRES-ERVIING MEATS, F u|T, &c.

Specification forming part of Lettere'Patent No. 78 932, daed J one 16, 1868; reissue No. 3. [19, dated September 15, 1868.

To all whom it may concern Be it known thatWM. DAVIS, of Detroit,

in the county'of Wayne and State of Michigan,did invent certain new and useful I mprovements in 'Apparatus for Preserving Meats, Fruits',,.&c., and obtained Letters Patent therefor, which patent was dated. J one 16, .1868, and we, WILLIAM DAVIS, SAMUEL H.

DAVIS, and DAVID W. DAVIS, of Detroit aforesaid, are the sole owners by assignment ot the entire interest and property in said patent; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full andexact description thereof, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, making part of'this specification,

and the letters of reference marked thereon."

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a railroad car containing our invention. Fig. 2 is a l0n-' g'itudinal section of same; Fig.3 is a crosssection of same. Fig. {is a cross-section of Fig. 5 is a vegetable substance for a in uch greater length of time than has heretofore been done, and prevent fora longer time decomposition or fermentation and it consists in a peculiarconstruction of the receiving-chamber, which may be a railroad-car, the hold of a vessel, a

box, chest, or room in a building, and having suspended within such chamber .an ice-re ceptacle for holding a freezing-mixture. and

'the necessary funnels, batches, and drain the-receptacle and the wallet chamber 0.

The air in this thin space is colder or at or lower temperature: than in any other portion of chamber 0; hence there is a currentor cirtrap;

In the drawingsw'e have rep'resented'the body of a railroad-car and abox constructed according to our invention; but it can be applied' to ships holds, chests, and rooms in buildings as well. The car'or box is constructed of three separate compartments, A B 0, 'one within the other, and arranged in such manner that there is an open space all around the innermost compartment 0, which (contains the articles or substance to be preserved as well as the compartment B. One or more of the spaces between the compartments I fill with. poor conductors 01 heat, such nsani'mal hair, dry shavings, or any'non-con ducting substance. Inside of the compartment 0 is the ice-receptacle D, which coning a space between it and the bottom of chamber 0 to the't-op of said chamber 0, and.

closed air; tight, except wherechimueys or funnels 'E extend'upward fromthe ice-receptacle D-throngh the roofs or lidsof the compartments A B U, and which serves to contain the freezing-mixture, which is filled in through the chimneys or funnels E. The ice-receptacle D is constructed with its sides slightly inclined or tapering from the-top to,

the bottom, so that the bottom is less in area than the top.

This construction-isl an essential feature to ,the complete and successful operation of the invention, for, as the ice contained in the receptacle-is continually melting, these inclined sides or walls afford the means ofkeeping the ice in close contact with all parts'of'thesides or walls, thus keeping a continuous and per.- feet cont'aet'as long; as the supply of ice .in the receptacle remains, which causes the moist- -ure inchamber 0130 be frozen upon theouter sides of the walls of receptacle 1), and by this construction and adaptation accomplish ing -a result neverbe'for obtained byother" arrangements or constructions The walls-oi said. ice-receptacle maybe perpendicular or 'equil'aterahbutwe prefer the'inclined sides as the best in effect;

By the arrangement of the ice-receptacle in and with relation to chamber 0, as shown, only a thin film of air lies between the top of culation of the ai'rirom the thin. space beof chamber 0 downward and under the re ceptacle into the space in chamber 0 between the ice-receptacle and the opposite-wall, until the whole, airin the chamber is at the same temperature. v v

We do not confine ourselves to any particular' freezing-mixture, as any known mixture in any knownproportions will'answer, and may be used according to varying circumstances.

The chimneys orfnnnels E are provided with covers or caps which close the receptacle hatchway mustbe used, for if D as nearly airtight as practicable, and in cars we have a part extending down through chimneys E just below the roof of compartment 0, so that any heat passing through the spaces between the compartments through which the chimneys pass cannot be communicated through the latter to the ice-receptacle I). In boxes these openings for the admis sion of ice are closed by lids and hingedfor convenience. The water or iluid which melts from the freezing-mixture is collected. at the lower part of the receptacle 1), which is provided with a goose-neck trap, F, or other equivalent device, through which the water can escape without any air being admitted into the ice-receptacle,suliicient air always being contained in the same to allow the water to flow from the receptacle. Access to the inside oi. the car or box is had throughhatch ways or doors in the roots of the compartnlents A B l, which are closed practically air-tight by hatches G, each separate compartment being provided with one; or one door serving to close all three hatchways, can be used, as seen in Fig. 2.

In smaller structures single covers may be used, as shown on Sheet 2, Figs. 4 and 5.

These hatches G-we prefer to construct with beveled edges to tit the beveled openings of the hatchways, as the openings can be closed more ill CtUtllly by this than by other constructions.

Doors may be placed in the sides of the car, and closed in the same manner as the hatchways in the root. Thus a car may be loaded at the starting-point with meals and fruits or other decomposable substance, and placed in chamber 0 surrounding the ice re ceptacle D through the side doors, which can be closed, as above described, but should not be opened during transit; and to discharge freight from chamber 0 at way-stations the the side doors were opened the cold air, which is heavier, would pass out, while the warm "air from the outside would at once till the car or box and afl'ect its contents; but when the hatchways in the roof are opened the cold and heavy air cannot rise out of the car or box, nor can the outer warmer alir descend into the car to displace the cold or heavier air, and thus part of the freight may be discharged from the car through thereof-doors as often as may be necessary with out danger of admitting outside air, thus efirectcaily confining the cold air in chamber U.

This construction is especially adapted to the holds of vessels, and by which means meats may for along time be preserved in. good 00' lition for healthy food, or tropical fruits may be perfectly preserved from the usual decay consequent from a long scavoyage, thereby making a great saving in the amount of sound fruit discharged at the end of the voyage, as well as preserving the whole fruit in a more healthy condition, and consequeutl y rendering it more valuable.

Another advantage this method of preserving has over all othersis, after meats, fruits, or other things have for a sufiicient length of time been in the receiving chamber, and much of the moisture contained therein expelled and frozen upon the outside of the walls of the ice-receptacle, such meats and fruits or other things can'be taken out, and the exposnre'to the commonatmosphere will not at once elt'ect such things as is ordinarily the case with such articles when taken from a cold chamber, for the reason that much of the moisture in such articles has been expelled, and decomposition will not take place without a sufficient amount of moisture present in such articles; hence the meat or fruit must absorb moisture from the air before decomposition takes place.

In case the temperature in the preservingchamber 0 is raised by any means a vessel may be placed under the ice-receptacle to catch the water that is made by the thaw ing of the ice upon the outside of the receptacle. j A

We do not confine ourselves to the exact construction of the car or box or other thing employed, as described, for other constructionsvvould answer the purpose and produce the same results; as, for instance, the outer walls may be made of solid wood, and thicker than has been shown; and other kinds of packing-such as wool or f'elt may be used, as such changes may be made without changing in any way the principle of our invention and its application to the uses and purposes intended.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The construction of a carbody, ships hold, room, box, or cheshprovided with cont partments A B U, ice-receptacle J), chimney E, and hatches Gr, when arranged and operating substantially as described, for the purposes set forth.

2. The goose-neck trap I or equivalent, in combination with receptacle 1) and compartments A B 0, when arranged substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

The receptacle Dfor the freezin g-mixtu re, so constructed and arranged as to be pendent from the inner upper wall of chamber 0, and

allowing a free circulation underneath the receptacle and on all sides, substantially'as described.

4. The construction and relative arrangement ot the ice-receptacle D with the chamber U, whereby the moisture in said chamber 0 is frozen to the walls of receptacle D, substantially in the manner and by the means described.

WILLIAM DAViS. SAMUEL H. DAVIS. DAVID W. DAVIS. Witnesses:

U. T. ALLEN, Janus Unites.

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