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tion was one of the earliest branches to claim the attention of the engineer, and, it is now some twenty-seven years since Coleman with his cold-air machine fitted on board the S. S. Stratheven brought from Australia to this country some 34 TAE Mar se Review which must be observed both in handling and transport, and it is considerably to their credit that they are able success- fully to send us about one half of our total beef supply, the animals being most- ly killed in the abattoirs of Chicago and NIGERIAN FLOATING DOCK OF 2,700 TONS CAPACITY. VIEW OF DOCK AT SEA PRIOR TO COMMENCEMENT OF VOYAGE TO FORCADOS, WEST AFRICA. BUILT FOR ELDER, DEMP- STER & CO. BY SWAN, HUNTER & WIGHAM RICHARDSON, WALLSEND. tons weight of solidly frozen mutton and beef. - The business rapidly developed, and a large number of cold-air machines were fitted and successfully worked in the succeeding years. This type has been gen- erally superseded, though even at the present day it is in use for the carriage of frozen cargoes, mainly mutton, and for the preservation of ships' provisions. In the year 1887 an American en- gineer, Mr. J. K. Kilbourn, introduced the ammonia-compression machine, the first installation being fitted on board the Inman & International steamer City of Berlin, followed by a large number of North Atlantic steamers of the Inman, Cunard, Leyland, and other lines. These were all fitted for the carriage of chilled beef from America to this country, a duty for which the cold-air machines were not well suited. About the same time the Linde Co. commenced to fit similar type machines, and shortly afterward Messrs. J. & E. Hall introduced their patent carbonic an- hydride machine. By far the larger number of present day ship installations are either of the ammonia-compression or carbonic-anhydride type. It is a matter of some remark that, enormous as is the chilled meat trade, comparatively small attention has been given to it by makers of refrigerating ma- chinery. The American meat exporters 'have long recognized the extreme care Kansas City, and sent across the Amer- ican continent by rail in iced cars .to New York, Boston, etc., thence to be shipped to Liverpool and London. Until a few years ago it was thought impos- sible to carry chilled beef across the OFF-SHORE FLOATING DOCK AT SUNDERLAND CAPABLE OF LIFTING 3,500 TONS. 23 tropics. Many attempts had been made, but these, owing to a want of appreciation of the conditions necessary for success, proved failures. In 1899 the River Platte Fresh Meat Co. fitted a small installation of ammonia- compression machinery with brine piping on board the S. S. Zulieka, the insulated chamber being specially railed and fitted for chilled. beef. The work was carried out and arranged by the Liverpool Re- frigeration Co. The experiment was en- tirely successful, the meat arriving from South America in perfect condition sev- eral voyages in succession. Since then a large number of vessels have been fitted, with the result that the North Ameri- can monopoly is encountering serious op- position from a well-established and vig- ously-growing trade. It has been repeatedly stated that it is impossible to carry chilled meat for a longer period than 25 to 30 days, and that consequently we cannot hope to import it in any but a frozen condition from, Australia or New Zealand. I should like emphatically to combat such a statement. In the experience of the company with which I am connected our machines fitted on the slower boats trad- ing between South America and this country frequently have chilled meat on board for over 4o days. So far from not being able to import chilled- meat from Australia, I think, giving due ob- servance to the conditions essential» to success, there is little difficulty in doing so. I should hesitate to say that 100 days forms a limit beyond which chilled BUILT FOR MESSRS. S. P. AUSTIN & SON, LTD., BY SWAN, HUNTER & WIGHAM RICHARDSON, WALLSEND-ON-TYNE, \