930 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



condeusing-vessel, but as no loss except of space can accrue from hav- 

 ing the vessels much larger than is by calculation necessary, it wUl 

 be well to make them of ample capacity and surface." 



Mr. Ilarrison aimed at establishiug a broad claim which he stated as 

 follows: "Having- thus described the nature of my invention, and the 

 manner of performing the same, I would liave it understood that I do 

 not confine myself to the arrangement of apparatus described, but what 

 I claim is, the use of volatile liquids (including water), evaporated in 

 vacuo, and reduced to the liquid form in a separate vessel by pressure, 

 for the xiroduction of cold, and in the manufactiu^e of ice and generally 

 in all processes where refrigeration is requisite or desirable." 



In the month of September, 1857, Mr. Harrison applied for a second 

 patent m which he gave a description of the tinned copper ice-moulds 

 which were used until superseded by Teller's metal plates, and he recom- 

 mends a great number of moulds to give ample conducting surface, be- 

 cause ice is a bad conductor of heat, and in i^roportion to the slowness 

 of conduction must the cooling smface be increased. He goes on to say 

 at the end of his i^atent that "having described thenatiu'e of my inven- 

 tion and the manner of performiug it, I now proceed to ascertain the 

 points in which it differs from the more general description of the power 

 of refrigeration, by the continual evaporation and condensation of vola- 

 tile liquids in vacuo given in the specification of my patent, ISTo. 747, 

 185G. I have herein described two new refrigerating- vessels, viz, a tubu- 

 lar boiler, and a series of vertical plates separated by wires, and two new 

 forms of condensers, ^^z, a coil of tubes connected with a central cylin- 

 drical vessel, and a vertical tubular condenser combined with a similar 

 cylindrical vessel." 



" I am aware that the employment of saline solutions for carrymg frigo- 

 rific power has been frequently proposed, but the economical use which 

 I make of this agent is not so much for the mere transmission as for the 

 dilfusion of this power over a large surface, the necessity for which I 

 have ascertained by original exi)eriments on the conducting power of 

 ice." 



" My invention, as now perfected, consists in the combination of a 

 refrigerating process by the contmued and self-regulated circulation of 

 a stream of ether, or other volatile liquid, with the continued stream of 

 uncongealable liquid, conveying and dilfusiug the frigorific effect over 

 large surfaces, and in rendering the process subservient to the manufac- 

 ture of ice on an economical scale, to cooling worts, &c., to regulating 

 the temperature of apartments, and generally to any i^rocess in which a 

 temperature below that of the season or climate is required." 



Harrison's ether- machine, constructed with great precision and good 

 workmanship by the late Mr. Daniel Siebe,proA'ed at once the best prac- 

 tical machine for making ice, and the first one was taken to Melbourne, 

 where it was recently, if it be not still, at work. This form of machine 

 has been well made by Messrs. Siddely & Mackay, of Liveriwolj and 



