In the days before mechanical refrigeration became a household technology, ice companies delivered blocks of ice to homes and businesses. Placed in insulated “ice boxes”, the melting ice kept food cool.
Weight (pounds) |
Dimensions of freezing can (inches) |
Hours needed to freeze, at a brine temperature of 15°F |
---|---|---|
25 | 4×10×24 | 12 |
50 | 6×12×26 | 20 |
100 | 8×15×32 | 36 |
100 | 11×11×32 | 48 |
150 | 8×15×44 | 36 |
150 | 10×15×36 | 48 |
200 | 10×20×36 | 48 |
200 | 11×22×32 | 54 |
200 | 14×14×40 | 65 |
300 | 11×22×44 | 54 |
400 | 11×22×56 | 54 |
Above data from the Buffalo Refrigerating Machine Co., early 20ᵗʰ century.
From the Sears, Roebuck and Co. Catalog No. 111, 1902, page 575. Note the reference to “artificial ice,” that is, ice produced in an ice plant employing mechanical refrigeration, in contrast to ice cut from a pond in the winter.
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Copyright © 2002 Sizes, Inc. All rights reserved.
Last revised: 17 July 2002.