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Anthropology

hlthe2b

(107,635 posts)

3. I'd bet few understand how packing in sawdust allowed them to ship "as far away as Jamaica"

Reply to dem in texas (Reply #1)

Fri Dec 28, 2018, 07:05 AM

Dec 2018

I was interested in how ice boxes-- pre-refrigeratiion-- worked, how ice was shipped and maintained, and actually researched this as a child.

Air trapped between the particles of sawdust kept the warm, outside air from melting the ice. ... And the more tightly the blocks were stacked, the harder it was for warm air to penetrate the stack and melt the ice. Basic physical properties, but not necessarily so obvious...

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Giant "Ice House" discovered under the streets of Marylebone [View all] Judi Lynn Dec 2018 OP

Ice was a major product in 19th Century America dem in texas Dec 2018 #1

I'd bet few understand how packing in sawdust allowed them to ship "as far away as Jamaica" hlthe2b Dec 2018 #3

Well, not actually frozen solid... LakeSuperiorView Jan 2019 #5

A piece of history increasingly lost for most recent generations, who seemingly believe hlthe2b Dec 2018 #2

refrigerators could be dangerous in the early years. ice boxes stayed around. i pansypoo53219 Dec 2018 #4