The Iceman Cometh

By the 1800s the term "iceman" had entered our language. In 1855 a Boston family wanting ice delivered during the summer month of May-October could receive 15 pounds each day for $2 a month or $8 for the entire season.  By 1880 an ice company in Philadelphia employed 500 men.

Although the "icebox" grew rapidly, their were disadvantages.  It required frequent deliveries and it still left Americans at the mercy of the weather.  A particularly hard winter resulted in cheap ice, but a mild winter like 1890, reduced the ice crop and raised the cost of ice considerably.  The techniques of acquiring natural ice improved by 1883, cutting and packing the ice cost as little as 12 cents a ton.

Mechanical refrigeration was the answer, but it developed gradually with discoveries in Europe by chemists and physicists.  In America the first patent for mechanical  refrigeration was issued to a New Englander, Jacob Perkins, who was known for making steel plates for bank notes.  By 1839 Dr. John Gorrie, a Florida physician was using mechanical refrigeration to promote health, making patented improvements of his own. (his 1851 patented design on right), Gorrie was a leading citizen of Apalachicola where he was postmaster, city treasurer, and mayor.

Gorrie hoped to prevent malaria using cooled air.  He had noticed that the symptoms disappeared when the weather was cold and that people got malaria mainly at night.  He believed that by keeping the bedroom cold enough, he could purify them and prevent the disease.  Gorrie put a bowl of ice close to the ceiling below a hole where the air was drawn down at the chimney.  As the air came down the chimney, the malaria in it would decompose by passing over the ice.  An exhaust pipe near the floor helped to ventilate.  In this way only purified air would enter the bedroom.

Did Dr. Gorrie's primitive air conditioner work?  Next time...
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Today in Pioneer History: "On November 14, 1851, Herman Melville published Moby Dick , considered a great classic of American literature. It contains one of the most famous opening lines in fiction: 'Call me Ishmael'  Initially though, the book about Captain Ahab and his quest to catch a giant white whale was a flop.