The Story of Refrigeration. 131 



lieat developed by force, although it is said that the first hint regard- 

 ing the liquefaction of air came from Jacob Perkins, an American 

 engineer, to whom must, be accorded the credit of inventing the 

 first really practical ice machine, which was patented in 1834, 

 ether being the refrigerant employed. The evaporator containing 

 the ether was enclosed in a system of pipes through which brine was 

 circulated, the temperature of which was reduced to 5 degrees Fahr. 

 To make ice, vessels holding water were placed in the brine, which 

 was kept circulating in the pipes, establishing the cycle upon which 

 the principle of most modern refrigerating machines is founded. 

 This patent was substantially improved on by Dr. James Harrison, 

 of Geelong, in 1856. Just about this period many patents for ice- 

 making machines were registered in the United States, but only those 

 of Professor Twining and Dr. John Corry were of any value. In 

 addition to making ice, the latter was designed for use in the cooling 

 of sick rooms as an alleviating agent in the treatment of fevers, etc. 

 Whilst Dr. Corry was devoting his whole energies to the problem, the 

 practical solution of which he probably even then recognised as a 

 benefit to mankind, Dr. Harrison was hard at work improving Perkins' 

 apparatus at Geelong. After many experiments and delays Dr. Harrison 

 ordered two machines in August, 1850, from the engineering firm of 

 P. N. Russell & Co., Sydney, and in the following year the brewing 

 firm of Glasgow and Thunder of Bendigo installed a refrigerator of 

 the Harrison type. This was the world's pioneer of such machines, as 

 well as the first mechanica] refrigerator used in Victoria. All previous 

 efforts had been concentrated on the making of ice, but up to this 

 time none of the discoveries appear to have been applied to commercial 

 manufactures. Harrison then commenced to experiment in the re- 

 fi-igeration of meats, and he forwarded a large quantity on the sailing 

 vessel Norfold from Melbourne to London. Naturally he did not 

 think of putting a machine on board the ship for use on the voyage. 

 A quantity of artificially made ice was carried to keep the meat safely, 

 but the supply gave out before the journey was completed, and the 

 cargo went bad and had to be thrown overboard. The value of his 

 labours is now generally recognised. Although his discovery paved 

 the way for the now large export trade in perishable products, like 

 many other enthusiastic inventors, his reward was financial ruin, and he 

 died in his cottage at Point Henry, near Geelong, on September 3rd, 

 1893, nearly ten years ago. The use of compressed air, anhydrous 

 sulphurous oxide, anhydrous ammonia and carbonic anhydride, on 

 account of their great suitability have since been adopted as refriger- 

 ating agents, and are applied by mechanical means similar to the 

 sulphuric ether machine designed by Harrison. This alteration was 

 rendered the more necessary on account of the dangerous nature of ether. 

 Mr. Quarrill of Geelong recently informed me that an explosion took 

 place once when the doctor was woiking his machine, and instead of 

 being alarmed, he was found covered with dust and bleeding, looking 

 for the cause of the explosion. Amorfgst the many inventors who have 

 since contributed towards the perfection of refrigerating apparatus, 

 the names of Carre, Linde, Pictet, Selfe, Bell-Coleman, Haslam, 



