A GOLD SUBJECT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXV, Issue 15, 18 January 1894, Page 5

A GOLD SUBJECT.

NEW REFRIGERATING APPLIANCES

OrR London correspondent, writing under date December Sth, says:—A large" meat) freezing machine on Hall's patent) carbonic anhydrido system was tried at Dartford on Monday week lust. Thia machine, which is capable of freezing 1,500 sheep per'day and will keep a more containing 30,000 frozen carcases at the proper temperature, has been budt to the order of the Canterbury Frozen Meat and Dairy Produce Company of New Zealand, and will take the place of the cumpany's cold air refrigerating machine. Jt is paid to be capable of doing a larger amount of work than any one single machine in existence. It will bo erected in conjunction with flail's patent brine wall system by which they claim that the carcases ara much more rapidly and effectually frozen than by the old system, and the machine itself ellects an economy of SO per cent, in the coal consumption. The machine ia in duplicate throughout to ensure safety. This is the third large installation that Halla have supplied for New Zealand since their first) machine on this system was introduced into the colony last year. And besides, they have sent out a large number of smaller refrigerating machines for dairy and other purposes. In fact, tho demand for these machines is now so great that tho firm have recently found iD neceaaary to considerably enlarge their works in order to keep pace with it. The s.s. Perthshire, which recently started from the Tyne on her maiden voyage, is fitted up with refrigerating machinery on tho Linde system. She has two independent machines contained on one bed plate which forms the casing ot the ammonia condenser. Tho ammonia compressors are compound, and so are the steam cylinders which exhaust their steam into an independent surface-condenser. The refrigerator consists of a series 01 direct expansion coils in two act?, placed on toe deck above the insulated holds. Air is caused to travel over the cold surfaces of these coils by means of fans, and the air thus cooled is then passed into the holds by means of trunks in the usual way, the comparatively warm air being drawn back from tho holds to the coils and again cooled. The rofrigerating machinery was thoroughly tested whilst the vessel still lay in tho Tyne, and it worked without the slightest hitch. In the course of a vory few hours the mean temperature of the holds was reduced to about 4 degrees above zero, Fahr., with only one machine working. On the voyage round to Plymouth, a further test was made, when the holds wero easily reduced to a mean of a little below zero. Those convoreant with the subject of refrigerating machinery, were greatly pleased with tho. results obtained during these trials. The Buteshire, which is now in process of completion, will bo fitted with similar refrigerating machinery, plus any improvemements the Linde Company may evolve before her installation is taken in hand. Both vessels will have a capacity of 2,500 tons in the refrigerated and cool space.