Page 76 - Industries_of_San_Antonio

SAN ANTONIO-HER TRADE,
76
night is clear, the pans are covered at sunrise with a thin coat of ice,
which is collected in ice houses. About 1850, devices for producing ice by
evaporation or absorption came into notice, and since then there have been
many combinations of apparatus patented. Vapors have a greater capac-
ity for heat than particles in a solid or liquid form. In their formation,
consequently they abstract or absorb heat from surrounding bodies, pro-
ducing an amount of cold corresponding to the rapidity of the process.
Hence, liquids that are most readily volatilized are used in all these de-
vices for manufacturing ice—ammonia most frequently. Mr. J. B. La
Coste began the manufacture of ice in San Antonio in 1870, in a small
way. His equipment was small, using some small Carrier appliances, at
that time, in an unimproved shape. He carried on the business for years,
gradually extending his business and enlarging his facilities. In 1884, the
factory was materially enlarged, and new machinery introduced—the Lee
patent—which is an improvement on the Carrier machine, was adopted.
Mr. La Coste is the president of the present company, and Mr. Frank Sea-
mon, superintendent.
The factory, as at present equipped, is the largest, with one exception,
in the State of Texas. The building is a massive stone edifice, erected
specially for their purposes. It is 50 feet by 100 in size. The equipment
consists of two Lee machines, with all the necessary appliances, fixtures,
facilities, including two 70 horse-power boilers. The capacity of the factory
is about thirty tons daily, most of which, owing to the long established
reputation, is readily sold, their trade extending throughout the state.
The ancient Greeks and Romans boiled the water they wished to freeze,
the freedom from air, on the supposition of Sir John Leslie, who discover-
ed the process of artificial congealation in 1810, causing it to congeal more
rapidly, and it is more dense and freer from air bubbles. The San Antonio
Ice Factory, use nothing but boiled water in their process of manufacture,
and their ice is remarkable for its purity, density and freedom from air
bubbles and extraneous ingrediences. This enterprise richly deserves the
great success it has met with, and is an institution of which the city may
well be proud. Their policy is liberal and the manner in which they con-
duct their business, highly satisfactory to the trade and the public gener-
ally. The result of their enterprise has been the means of placing within
the reach of all classes, this great luxury of warm climates. The company
have three refrigiratory chambers, in which they use dry air, which, for
antiseptic properties, is far preferable to the moist air generally used for
preserving purposes. The chambers are 10 by 18 in size, each nine feet
high, solidly constructed with 15 inch walls and partitions, with air pass-
ages. The temperature of these chambers is kept at about thirty-eight
degrees. They preserve meats, etc., for butchers, and keeping them pure
and fresh for days. In the event 9f the formation of a refrigerating com-
pany for shipping meats, a valuable nucleus is in existence at the San An-
tonio Ice Company building.