Cork insulation; a complete illustrated textbook on cork insulation ...

CORK INSULATION
Part IV—The Insulation of Household Refriger-
ators, Ice Cream Cabinets and Soda Fountains.
CHAPTER XV.
HISTORY OF REFRIGERATION EMPLOYED TO
PRESERVE FOODSTUFFS.
146.—Early Uses of Refrigeration.—Preservation of food
through the use of snow and ice undoubtedly was practised
several centuries before the Christian era in those climates
and regions where the preservation of the snow and ice in
turn during the short summer season was accomplished by
Nature through natural storage in caves. During the long
winters, large quantities of snow and ice accumulated in sheltered
spots and never entirely melted away during the warmer
season of the year that followed. Such crevices and caves
afforded natural cold storages, for fish and meat, and there is
every reason to believe that they were so employed. Later,
perhaps as early as 1000 B. C, snow was artificially stored
in caves, and used for cooling and preserving. At any rate,
Simonides, the early Greek poet, who lived about 500 B. C,
when made angry by observing other guests at the board
treated to snow poured into their liquor, while he sipped
warm wine, enscribed the ode that concludes "for no one will
commend the man who gives hot water to a friend." It is
also known that Alexander the Great, King of Macedon (336-
323 B. C.) had trenches dug and filled with snow to cool
hundreds of kegs of wine to be given to his soldiers on the
eve of battle, and Nero, Roman Emperor (37-68 A. D.), had
his wines cooled by snow brought down from the mountains
by slaves. It may therefore be assumed that by the first
century the luxury of drinking cooled liquors was enjoyed
rather generally by kings and emperors and their friends.
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