^•p <^ A- ,^- ^<t O"^ . s ,-iv ,<y •-^'' a\ v^^ % o\ X^' N .0 '^,- • V-' ESSENTIALS MECHANICAL REFRIGERATION is essential to the satisfactory operation of PACK- ING and COLD STORAGE PLANTS of any magnitude. AMMONIA type Refrigerating Machines are usually preferred and selected. AMMONIA, as the REFRIGERATING CHEMICAL is essential to the operation of such machines. The BEST AMMONIA is essential to the MOST ECONOMICAL and SUCCESSFUL OPERATION of such machines. "NATIONAL" ANHYDROUS for Com- pression; "PEERLESS" AQUA for Absorption machines, the oldest and most extensively used brands furnish the desirable essential of AM- MONIA QUALITY in the highest attained degree, and are uniformly reliable. QUICK SERVICE also comparable with high quality. The National AmmoniX Company PHILADELPHIA NEW YORK ST. LOUIS Factory _ Export House Factory and and Eastern Office Main Office WRITE EITHER OF OUR OFFICES FOR NEAREST STOCK LOCATION Packing House Machinery We manufacture a complete line of ma- chinery and appliances for Packing Houses, Abattoirs and Cold Storage Plants. Send for our catalogues listing the equip- ment in which you are interested. The titles are as follows : Abattoir Daughter and Packing House Machinery Lard, Olio and Cotton Oil Refining Ma- chinery Tank House, By -Products and Fertilizer Machinery Sausage Machinery Gold Storage Doors Refrigerating Machinery General Butcher Supply Catalogue No. 57 and several others The Brecht Company ESTABLISHED 1853 ST. LOUIS, MO., U. S. A. BRANCHES Hamburg New York Buenos Aires Packing House and Cold Storage Construction A GENERAL REFERENCE WORK ON THE PLANNING, CONSTRUCTION AND EQUIPMENT OF MODERN AMERICAN MEAT PACKING PLANTS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AND A COM- PLETE TREATISE ON THE DESIGN OF COLD STOR- AGE PLANTS, INCLUDING REFRIGERATION INSULATION AND COST DATA. FULLY ILLUSTRATED. BY H. PETER HENSCHIEN. ARCHITECT. PUBLISHERS NTCKERSON & COLLINS CO. ^0 ^^^ Copyright 1915 BY NICKERSON & COLLINS CO. jr-O^ 4^ rJt) Ice and Refrigeration JAN 21 1916 ©CI.A420443 PREFACE It has been the ami of the author m preparing this work, to present a complete treatise upon the subject, of practical value to those directly interested in the construc- tion and maintenance of packing plants and cold storage buildings. That there is a demand for such a work, has been evidenced to the author by numerous inquiries from archi- tects and owners, and also by the fact that there exists no similar work describing modern American methods and materials. The requirements of The Bureau of Animal Industry in Washington regarding the sanitary construction of packing plants, have been carefully considered by the author in presenting the illustrations and text pertaining thereto. The chapters on cold storage construction contain information which heretofore^ has only been available through a close study and investigation of existing build- ings or through scattered descriptions and discussions of this subject in current technical journals. In describing methods of construction, the author has drawn largely from his own observation and experience of what has been successfully tried and tested in actual practice, although much assistance has been obtained from prominent authorities in the various subjects mentioned in the work. A great deal of valuable information has also been derived from various books and publications to which reference has been made in the text. To all such the author gratefully acknowledges his indebtedness. 4 PREFACE In a book of this character, illustrations are worth many pages of writing and the drawings have been pre- pared by the author with that object in view. Lengthy explanations have been avoided for the reason that the work will only interest those who already are more or less familiar with the subject, either from a technical or oper- ating standpoint. To make the book convenient for practical use and ready reference, the various subjects have been para- graphed in bold face type and carefully cross-indexed. H. Peter Henschien. Chicago, 111., September 1, 1915. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I PACKING PLANTS Introduction. General Features and Requirements. Location. Ship- ping Facilities. Principal Requirements in Packing House Planning. Natural Light. Ventilation. Communication between Buildings. Column Spacing. Planning for Future Expansion. CHAPTER II PLANS AND DESCRIPTION OF A MODERN PACKING PLANT Capacity and Construction. Slaughter House. Pork Building. Beef Building. Manufacturing Building. Smoke Houses. Tank House. Fertilizer Building. Catch Basin. Boiler and Engine Room. Stock Yards. CHAPTER III PLANS AND DESCRIPTION FOR BEEF AND SHEEP KILLING PLANT Capacity 600 Cattle, 500 Sheep Daily. Description of Construction and Arrangement. Compound Lard Manufacturing. CHAPTER IV PLANS AND DESCRIPTION OF HOG KILLING PLANT Capacity and Construction. Slaughter House. Tank House. Fertilizer Building. Catch Basin. Boiler and Engine Room. Open Air Hanging Floor. Hog Cooler. Manufacturing Building. Smoke Houses. CHAPTER V PLANS AND DESCRIPTION OF A CHICAGO PACKING PLANT Capacity. Arrangement. Insurance and Cost. '~ CHAPTER VI KILLING FLOORS Cattle and Sheep Killing Floor. Detail of Cattle Killing Arrangement. Arrangement of Beef Offal Floor. Hog Killing Arrangement. Hog Cutting Room. 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER VII PACKING HOUSE COOLERS Principle of Construction. Pipe Loft over Beef Coolers. Pipe Loft over Hog Coolers. Detail of Refrigerating Loft for Spray System. Curtain System. CHAPTER VIII TANK HOUSES Plans. Sections. Details of Construction and Equipment. Catch Basin. CHAPTER IX SMOKE HOUSES. Plans. Sections. Details of Construction and Equipment. Capacity. CHAPTER X STOCK PENS Construction. Runways. Capacity. Cost. CHAPTER XI LUMBER IN PACKING HOUSE CONSTRUCTION. Uses of Lumber. Rot in Lumber. Lumber Suitable for Packing Houses. Advantages of Resinous Wood. Specifications for Structural Timber. Preservation of Wood by Chemical Treatment. CHAPTER XII SANITATION, PLUMBING AND DRAINAGE Government Requirements. Toilet Rooms. Dressing Rooms. Floor Drains. Catch Basins. CHAPTER XIII COMMERCIAL COLD STORAGE BUILDINGS Introduction. Advantage of Cold Storage. Location and Shipping Facilities. Constt-uction Features. Fireproof Construction. Mill Con- struction. Ordinary Construction. Walls. Use of Concrete in Cold Storage Construction. Insulation and Its Influence on the Construction. CHAPTER XIV EXAMPLES OF RECENT COLD STORAGE CONSTRUCTION Plans, Description and Cost of Three Modern, Fireproof Buildings. TABLE OF CONTENTS 7 CHAPTER XV INSULATION Introduction. Importance of Good Insulation. Durability. Sanitation. Fire Resistance. Structural Strength. Finish. Insulating Materials. Construction Details. Pipe Covering. Lumber in Insulation. Insu- lating Paper. Plastering on Insulation. CHAPTER XVI REFRIGERATION Introduction. Compression Machines. Absorption Machines. Refrig- eration in Packing Houses. Refrigerating Pipes in Packing House Coolers. Details of Supports for Refrigerating Pipes. Defrosting Refrigerating Pipes. CHAPTER XVII COLD STORAGE DOORS Construction of Cold Storage Doors. Hardware. Insulation of Doors. Installation of Doors. Door Sills. Doors with Overhead Track. How to Order Cold Storage Doors. Refrigerator Door Bolted to Fire Door. Home Made Refrigerator Door. CHAPTER XVIII COLD STORAGE WINDOWS Types of Windows. Stationary Window. Hinged Window. Freezer Window. Fireproof Cold Storage Window. CHAPTER XIX FLOORS Packing House Floors. Wood Floors. Caulked Wood Floors. Asphalt Floors. Concrete Floors Laid Over Wood Floors. Monolithic Concrete Floors. Waterproofing Concrete. Concrete Floor Finish. Floor Hard- eners. Brick Floors and Runways. i CHAPTER XX CONSTRUCTION DETAILS Floor Gutters. Gutters in Concrete Floor. Wood Gutters. Gutters in Cellar Floors. Inserts in Concrete Ceilings. Detail of Overhead Track Support. Detail of Support for Shafting. Detail of Awning over Loading Court. 8 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER XXI PAINTING Paints and Painting. Paints for Brick and Concrete Walls. Paints for Woodwork. Paint for Steel Work. Cold Water Paint. Whitewash. CHAPTER XXII INSURANCE AND FIRE PROTECTION Introduction. Area of Buildings. Fire Walls. Vestibules. Exposure. Outside Communication. Fire Doors. Fire Retarding Windows. Sky- lights. Recommendation Made by the Chicago Board of Fire Under- writers for the Construction of Packing Houses. CHAPTER XXIII ESTIMATES AND COST Preliminary Estimate. Prices. Installation of Equipment. Cost of Packing Plants. Cost of Cold Storage Buildings. Comparative Cost of Concrete and Mill Construction. CHAPTER XXIV MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION Floor Loads. Table of Minimum Live Loads for Packing House Floors. Minimum Live Loads for Cold Storage Floors. Cold Storage and Freezing Temperatures for Various Products. Cold Storage Rates. CHAPTER XXV GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS Pertinent Extracts from the Regulations Governing the Inspection of Meat Packing Houses by the United States Department of Agriculture. CHAPTER I PACKING PLANTS Introduction The great progress made in the packing industry dur- ing the past few years is particularly noticeable with re- gards to buildings and equipment. The improvements along these lines are most apparent and far in excess of the natural progress of evolution, which is always found in any form of industry. When the Federal Meat Inspection Law was passed in 1906, the packers were brought face to face with the fact that there was room for much improvement in their estab- lishments, and that the