Challenges in Meat Preservation

meat that the undertaking will result disastrously. § Why? Beeause the humid air will not allow the salt to ab- stract the liquids from the meat, which are the causes of decomposition, if allowed to remain with the solid particles when exposed to a warm and moist atmosphere, and in all the methods invented for ewing meats with the use of ice, the presence of too much dampness in the atmosphere has been the only difficulty to contend against. I obtain the warm meat from the hog as soon after killed as possible, and spread the pieces over my floor or hang them up exposed to this dry cold atmosphere over night, and in the morning I place them in salt, and so on from day to day. If I wish fo cure in sugar pickle, I allow the meat to be in dry salt from three to five days (overhauling it once in the mean time) I then have the casks arranged along the sides of the apartments, and place the meat into the pickle and cure as in winter. The evaporation aids in cooling the pickle, otherwise the temperature of the pickle will be greater than its temperature if covered. Me. 1. Tie, 2. LZ To enable others skilled in the art to make and use fe @ ‘provement in its application to pork houses, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation by refering to the above cuts, and the letters of reference marked thereon. Fic. 1, represents a longitudinal sectional elevation through the pork house showing openings that permit the air to come from the ice. Fic. 2 represents a transverse sectional elevation of the curing apartment, and ventilating flue furnished with valves for retaining or permitting the air to escape as m: ay be re- quired. The structure in the present drawing represents a pork house with an ice cellar by its side, and the house is also furnished with a cellar B, (or, if desired, two cellars ean be made) in which the meats or other provisions may be cured or packed, and which is made about twenty fect deep more or less, as the demand may require. ‘The ice cellar A is of corresponding depth. The two cellars are connected to- gether by openings k. k. furnished with doorways e. e. which can be closed or opened at pleasure. The ice in the cellar is filled up some four or six feet above the surfice of the ground, and at all times is kept above the openings k. k, in the partition wall, so that the warm atmosphere will not find its way into the curing cellar B, and thereby at all times secure a cold current of air from the surfiee of ice into the curing room or cellar B, by having the air to pass down over the ice, and become cold, depositing its moisture upon its cold surface, and then pass into the curing room B, suffi- ciently cold and dry. But in consequence ofan introduction of warm meats the air in’the cellar B again becomes partially moist and warmer. Thisair is then conducted off through the the ventilating flue, f, £,, which is provided with valves, either to retain it or allow it to escape out at the roof of the build- ing or into either of the rooms R & S above the cellar B. 2 10 When it is desired to free the cellar B of this moist and warm air all of the valves g. h. i. & j. are closed in the side of the ventilating flue as represented in Fig. 2, which permits the air to escape as indicated by the darts marked through the ventilating flue and out at its top, and when the air which rises from the cellar B is wanted in the rooms R & Sabove it, all the valves are opened, which causes the air to pass through each room to escape through the top of the ventilator; o. & d. represent steps for descending into the curing room and ascending to the upper story. n. & n. are doorways at the top of the steps, and made to fit tight in order to retain and exclude the air as may be re- quired. ¢, c, represent hatchways, through the two floors for the purpose of elevating and lowering provisions. w. is an opening in the roof over the ice cellar to admit the atmosphere as the spears indicate, which passes down over the surfice of the ice, and thereby made cold, depositing its moisture upon it, then passing ous at the openings k. k. into the curing room B, and then thoroughly filling and circulating through all parts of the room, and as it becomes moistened and warmed it passes out of the apartment through the ventilator f. {as represented by the darts marked therein to denote the course of the air. The ad- vantage of placing the ice house adjoining the pork house is to allow the ice dealer the use of it free during the sea- son provided he agrees to keep sufficient ice on hand at all times above the openings k.k. In this case the pork packer need not own the ice, but receive the benefit of its proximity, thus doing away witha great expense in summer curing. During the last summer in my establishment, a current of cold dry air was kept up from the ice throughout the season and the extra meltings calculated at the then, high il market price, amounted to not exceeding ¢hirly dollars. Establishments built after the old plan, with the ice at the top or sides, can be easily altered at a very little expense. Drawings and directions showing the mechanical structure of such a change can be had by application to the patentee. MEAT, PROVISION, AND FRUIT PRESERVER. In making the application of my process to the Preser- ver, the ice is placed at the top of the chamber, or at the side if desired, but I have found it more convenient t> have it placed above. A register is counter sunk in the top of the lid of each Preserver, also, an oblong opening is made at the side of the ice chamber leading into a flue, which extends down to the bottom of the preserving apartment, and at the top of the opposite side from this flue another register is placed to allow the expanded atmosphere to es- cape—this register is covered on the inside with fine wire gauze, soas to prevent the admission of flies, or other in- sects. We therefore have the air passing in at the top, and when it comes in contact with the ice, it contracts, and be- 12 comes more dense,—passing over the ice, deposits its mois- ture upon it, and flows down into the preserving apart- ment through the flue leading from the ice chamber; as this dry air absorbs a greater portion of the moisture with which it comes in contact, it passes out through the side register into the external atmosphere. The insiae of the preserving apartment is at all times perfectly dry and cool, and every description of provisions can be kept free from mould, must, or smell, almost any length of time. Such articles as fresh butter, milk, beef= steak, melons, cucumbers, onions, &c., will not contract smell from each other, and the instant any smell or flavor is emitted from any vegetable, it is carried out by the con- tinued current of air before any time is given for impreg- nation. It is the first Preserver ever invented, free from moisture. Tousekeepers will at once appreciate the difference be- tween this and the old description of Refrigerator or ice chest. My plan melts ess ice then in the ordinary ice chest, where vegetables come in contact with the ice—and after the Prezerver is sufliciently cooled—five pounds of ice will keep it as cold as twenty pounds. The meltings of the ice is carried off from the water cell between the floor of the chamber and the bottom of the ice, by a pipe, to which is attached a cock to turn on cr off at will. The ice chamber should be lined with a water tight pan of zine or galvanized iron—with this exception, metal lining is entirely dispensed with, and well seasoned ash wood is used instead. To enable others to make and use my Preseryer, I pro- ceed to describe its construction, as in Fires. 1, 2 and 3. Fig. 1, represents a longitudinal sectional elevation of the 13 Fio. 1. Preserver, show- ing the manner of admitting the air into the ice chamber, — over and around the surface of ice, thence through an opening, and descending thro’ a flue into the lower part of the Preserver up through the shelves, and out at the sides as denoted by the spears. Fig. 2, represents a transverse sectional elevation of the same, and Fig. 3, a horizontal sectional view showing the top of one of the shelves. a. is a chamber at the top of the preserver for containing ice, and air is admitted at the opening g. which should be provided with’a suitable register for regulating the quantity. The air passes over and around the surface of the ice (as represented in the ice chamber) becomes cold and passes into the opening, ec. and descends the flue d.d. and from thence into the preserving chamber through the opening f. and up through the open made shelyes BB and out at the opening h. (which is also provided with a register;) ¢. ¢. are spaces left in the walls of the Preserver for insulators. i.is the inner door to the Preserver, which can be divided into smaller doors if desired, and j. the outer i4 door; k is a pipe for drawing off the water melted from the ice. Dimensions. No.1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, Inches High. 28 43 46 46 Long. 36 23 31 37 Wide. 24 21 24 25 ice at the side. ice at the top with water cooler. do do do do do do do do do do Direcr:ons.—Place the ice in the ice chamber in close proximity to the perforated openings through which the atmosphere passes into the flue. Ifa continual current of air is desired the registers must always remain open; in this case the preserving chamber will be free from mus¢, mould, moisture, or offensive smell. To PREVENT CONTAMINATION.— Vegetables or other articles emiting a smell, should be placed next towards the register 16 through which the air passes out into the external atmos- Phere; and milk and butter should be placed near where the cold air flows into the preserving chamber. ; Care should be taken to draw off the waste water, other- wise it may overflow and ran down into the preserving chamber. PRESERVATION OF FRUITS. My plan for the preservation of fruits in warm or moist climates, is one long desired by fruiterers, particularly in the southern States. My idea is, to construct buildings similar to my Pork house, entirely above the ground, with the ice at the side, ends or in the center, with fruit rooms adjoining, in and through which, the dry eold current of air is passed, then out at the top as in Fig. 1 and 2 of Pork house. Ihave not the least doubt that all kinds of fresh and preserved fruits can be kept during the summer free from decay and fer- mentation, in this dry and pure atmosphere, where the tem- perature is not over 48°. It is very seldom that the tem- perature will ever become warmer than this degree, if my plans are carried out correctly. I propose to construct a large establishment adjoining anice house, and divide it into small apartments surround- ing a large store room, through which is carried this cur- rent of dry cold air, in the manner already described; and in this room, fruit merchants could store their oranges, lemons, raisins, &c , throughout the summer—thus presery- ing their fruit from the ravages of a moist and warm atmos- phere. The small apartments to be each supplied with a lock and key, and rented out to the Pork and Beef butch- ers standing in the market, who could thus preserve their fresh meats left over from morning to morning. 16 Tf any ice dealer would construct an establishment on this plan, they would find it to be of considerable pecu- niary advantage. I believe that ripe strawberries, and other fruit can be purchased in New Orleans, or other southern ports, placed in one of my preservers, and shipped to the nortuern cities, coming out as fresh and as sound as when placed therein. COLD STRAINED OIL. Oil merchants have made many attempts to chill their oil during the summer so as to produce a cold strained article, which always commands a higher price than the summer strained. Some lard oil manufacturers have out- layed thousands of dollars in building ice houses and filling them with ice for this purpose, but they have ascertained that it is necessary to have a dry cold atmosphere so as to make their project successful. Moisture produces rancid- ity and mould, and the air being impregnated with such impurities, the oil partakes of the smell, and of course proves disastrous. In my plan these difficulties are obvi- ated, and the oil can be chilled, imparting a flavor as sweet and pure as in the cold winter season. “CORPSE PRESERVERS.” Although many plans have been in use for the preser- vation of dead bodies by undertakers, yet all are objection- able, and revolting to the feelings particularly when the V7 body is placed in contact with ice, or even placed in any apartment where cold is produced by conduction. My plan is to construct a proper shaped chamber to hold a suflicient quantity of ice for the purpose, placed either at the top or ends of a case formed of thick plate glass, or entirely of wood, made air tight with the exception of the registers. ‘The cold dry atmosphere is produced in the Same manner as before described, thus preserving the corpse much better and longer than in any other plan. This plan will require but half of the quantity of ice usually con- sumed for this purpose ; and the Preserver’ will be of light construction, and can be removed from place to place by the undertaker without much difficulty. VENTILATION OF BUILDINGS, PUBLIC HALLS, ETC. Much has been said and many plans have been brought into requisition for the purpose of ventilating assembly rooms during the summer season. Immense sums have been ap- propriated by the general government for the proper venti- lation of the capital at Washington, but none of the plans have proved successful. I have no hesitation in saying that I can (with my application of producing a dry atmosphere), ventilate any public hall or assembly room during an ex- ternal temperature of 95°, and produce a pure refreshing atmosphere free from any dampness flowing through the apartment at a temperature of 60° to 70°, if required, at a cost but trifling in comparison to the result obtained. And in fact there seems to be no end to the uses my invention can be applied to. 18 Ixrrinerment.—Notice is hereby given to all parties in- fringing on this patent, that prosecution will be commenced immediately, and the law carried out to its fullest extent. For particulars concerning the purchase of Rights for States, Counties and Cities, application can be made at my office, where the process can be seen in full operation. Address JOHN C. SCHOOLEY Cincinnati, 0.