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Proclaiming the Truth

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First and Last - The Truth

Chapter 2


efrigeration as an industrial practice wasalready established by 1885. In the UnitedStates, which was a recognized world

leader in refrigeration at this time, the main appli-cations were the production of ice and beer and coldfood storage. Australia and New Zealand were alsoindustry leaders. Their primary uses were mechani-cal refrigeration for food preservation, for shippingfrozen meats to other countries and for producingbeer.

By 1900, manufactured ice in the UnitedStates could be made for the same low cost as stor-ing natural lake ice, and it was not weather depen-dent. One contributing factor was due to pollutedlakes and rivers near metropolitan areas, ice har-vesters had to go further away to obtain their sup-plies, which increased their shipping costs andprovided ice manufacturers’ with claims that theirproduct was purer.

“Volumes were written by the two sides asbetween the merits of lake and machine-madeice....Much that was written was technically un-sound as reported from both sides,” wrote WillisR. Woolrich in 1969. Those who harvested andsold natural ice touted it as having a greater cool-ing capacity. Those who manufactured ice saidthere was no difference, except manufactured ice

“We have started on a mission similar to that which other great societiesin the engineering world are so ably accomplishing, and considering thatour particular scope of operation touches on almost every department ofhuman interest, our aims, if attained at all, must be reached by manful,honest effort. The Grail of the engineer must be first and last - The Truth.”

Ploughing and storing ice on the Hudson River above New York City in 1870s.

John E. Starr1904

was made from distilled water.For many years, there was an intense competi-

tion for the ice market. With the invention of elec-tric and gas household refrigerators, the marketchanged for household ice and the natural ice mar-ket virtually disappeared by 1950.

Air conditioning or comfort cooling, as it wasknown then, was not used in every day practice in1904. There were a few installations, however, whichwere used primarily to keep valuable records andmanuscripts.

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Many other uses of refrigeration that are con-sidered modern conveniences were also commonin 1904. These include artificial skating rinks, bak-ery and candy cooling, fur storage, cooling of drink-ing water and the use of refrigeration in the makingof camera film and ice cream.

Other industries that looked to refrigerating en-gineers to help make their businesses more cost ef-fective included texti les, tobacco, perfumeproduction, chemicals, and mining. Civil engineerssought the expertise of refrigerating engineers inthe building of shafts and tunnels.

Issues Leading to OrganizationIn the United States the only engineering or-

ganization suitable for engineers interested in re-frigeration was the American Society of MechanicalEngineers (ASME). Although some very outstand-ing papers had been presented at ASME meetingsfrom 1889 to 1892, by the turn of the century,ASME members interested in refrigeration “foundvery little on the programs bearing directly on theirprofessional work,” recalled Harry Sloan fromVilter Manufacturing Company. They “had beenin a huddle in a corner discussing their problems,but with a new society the whole program wouldbe of interest.”

Another factor that inspired the organizationof a society of refrigerating engineers was the for-mation of the American Ice Machine Builders As-sociation in 1903. The work of the American IceMachine Builders Association, whose memberswere primarily manufacturers, pointed out the ad-vantages of working together, cooperating withother organizations, and of sharing information.More than one-half of the men who would join therefrigerating engineer's society were also membersof this association.

In addition, technological advances and newapplications were prompting a need for fundamen-tal data on which to base standards within the re-frigeration industry. Some engineers felt that it wastime to form a scientific society to meet this need.

The Society OrganizesWilliam H. Ross, who was employed by Cold

Storage and Ice Trade Journal and was secretaryof the Eastern Ice Association, organized a meet-ing of thirty to forty refrigeration engineers on April2, 1904 at the ASME headquarters in New York Cityto discuss forming a new society. John E. Starrwas elected temporary chairman to run the meet-ing, and Mr. Ross acted as secretary.

Mr. Sloan re-calls the meeting:“He [Mr. Starr]opened the meetingwith a carefully pre-pared talk pointingout the needs ofsuch a society, andpredicting a rapidgrowth and securefuture for the refrig-erating industry.This coming fromthe leading consult-ing engineer, whohad engineered many large projects, such as coldstorage warehouses, distribution of refrigeration bypipe lines through city streets, etc., presented in avery earnest and convincing manner, resulted in car-rying the unanimous favorable action of the meet-ing. I do not remember a single dissenting voicewhen the subject was opened for discussion.”

Following the discussion, a committee was ap-pointed to draft a constitution and by-laws. Thecommittee consisted of L. Howard Jenks, chair-man; John E. Starr; W. Everett Parsons; JamesWills; Henry Torrance, Jr.; William H. Ross; andGeorge Richmond. Mr. Richmond died before thecommittee’s work was completed. E.L. Phillips tookhis place.

On Decem-ber 4 and 5, 1904,in New York City,these engineersmet again to adoptthe Constitutionand By-Laws andto elect officers,thus forming TheAmerican Societyof RefrigeratingEngineers – theonly engineeringsociety in theworld solely dedi-cated to promote

the arts and sciences connected with refrigerating en-gineering.

There were seventy-four charter members ofthis new society. The officers and directors electedat the meeting were:

William Ross

John E. Starr

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finance, publications and membership, and theCouncil voted to have the Society incorporated un-der the laws of the State of New York, which wasdone on August 30, 1905. In addition, the Councilvoted to locate the Society business offices at 258Broadway, New York City.

First Annual MeetingExactly one year after the December 1904 or-

ganizational meeting, the Society convened its FirstAnnual Meeting in the chambers of ASME in NewYork City on December 4 and 5, 1905. Eight pa-pers were presented and debated on such topics asplate and can systems for manufactured ice, pipeline refrigeration, and carbonic acid and refriger-ating machines.

To comply with thelaws in the State of NewYork, the date of the an-nual meeting was speci-fied in the Society’sConstitution and By-Laws. The foundingmembers specified thatthe date “shall be on theMonday before the firstTuesday in December”so the Society meetingwould be held as closeto the ASME meeting aspossible, thus allowingout-of-town members ofboth societies to conve-niently attend bothmeetings.

During his address, President Starr eloquentlydefined the Society’s guiding principles:

“To define our field in a word, I may say thatwe claim as our own all that relates to the produc-

President John E. StarrVice Presidents P. De C. Ball and H. B. Roelker

Treasurer Walter C. ReidDirectors W. Everett Parsons; Henry

Torrance, Jr.; E. L. Phillips;D. S. Jacobus; Howard Jenks;Louis Block; Edgar Penney;W. T. Robinson; andThomas Shipley

The business affairs of the Society were man-aged by a committee called the Council. It con-sisted of the Society’s president, two vicepresidents, treasurer and nineMembers or Associate members.The secretary was permitted totake part in the Council’s delib-erations but could not vote.

During the first meeting ofthe Council, held on January 14,1905 in New York City, WilliamH. Ross was appointed as sec-retary of the Society at a salaryof $25.00 per month, out ofwhich all office expenses wouldbe deducted. President Starr ap-pointed standing committees on

Characterized as the "dean ofrefrigerating," John Starr was themost respected refrigeratingengineer in the first half of the 20thcentury.

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A. E. MagherT. Shipley F. C. Spangler R. M. Atwater S. B. Carpenter

T. Vilter

E. Frick

J. L. Baker

J. S. Louis

L. Baron N. H. Hiller K. Vesterdahl

This photograph has long been identified as a view of the Society's first annual dinner at Luchow's Restaurant in New York. It is actually a view of a RefrigeratingMachinery Contractors Association dinner of about the same date (1905). Some of the men present, however, are the same refrigeration leaders who founded theAmerican Society of Refrigerating Engineers in 1904.

W. Shipley

W. H. Ross F. L. Fairbanks

B. Voss G.H. Wheeler

G. P. Richardson

T. Raubshaw

C. W. Vollman

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tion of temperatures, below the ordinary, for use-ful purposes....

“We have undertaken the responsibility ofspeaking with authority, of finding the truth, andproclaiming it, and a critical world will hold us toour task or pass us by as unworthy.

“Our forum, however, must be a forum for allthe membership, and its discussion for the good ofall. The truth is our aim and the seeking of it ourwork. Within our doors a perpetual truce shouldprevail, and the sword and buckle of everyday strifeis to be laid aside at the threshold.”

and expended $892.93, for a surplus of $602.17cash on hand.

MembershipThe Society’s Constitution and By-Laws es-

tablished three levels of membership: Member, Jun-ior and Associate. Each member paid an initiationfee of $5.00, and membership dues were set at$10.00 for Members and Associates and $5.00 forJunior members for the first six years of member-ship, after which their dues would be the same asMembers and Associates.

Each member received a membership certifi-cate and could purchase an emblem pin, with a dif-ferent color defining each level of membership --dark blue for Members, white for Associates andlight blue or turquoise for Junior members. Theemblem was the seal of the Society and measured5/8 inch in diameter.

Although the Society was organized as a na-tional institution, by 1906 it already had membersfrom Canada, England, India, the Argentine Repub-lic, Australia and New Zealand. Membership in1906 totalled 146.

Primary Issues and Early ActionsThe objective of the Society was to conduct

research, develop standards, hold technical meet-ings and present and publish technical articles injournals and handbooks. The founding members ofthe Society immediately went to work to meet theseobjectives and the greatest need of refrigeratingengineers: the search for fundamental data uponwhich more accurate data could be published andstandards developed.

In an effort to share information, the proceed-ings of the Society’s annual meeting were publishedand made available for sale each year in a boundbook, titled Transactions of The American Societyof Refrigerating Engineers. It was distributed toother technical publications that might find the tech-nical papers published therein of interest.

Early actions of the Society reflected the mem-bers’ earnest desire to meet the stated objectives oftheir society. During the First Annual Meeting, forexample, members unanimously passed a resolu-tion recommending that the U.S. Congress appro-priate sufficient funds so the U.S. Department ofAgriculture could equip and maintain a cold stor-age plant for the purpose of research. In addition,the Society responded to the issue of establishing astandard unit or “ton” of refrigeration by appoint-ing a committee of five to work with other engi-neering organizations.

The Society immediately began publishing the papers read at its meetingsin the Transactions of The American Society of Refrigerating Engineers.The Transactions also included minutes of Society meetings.

In echoing the theme of cooperation and ex-change of information that inspired the foundingmembers of the Society, President Starr said, “Incarrying out our work...there will be no feeling ofjealousy between ourselves and our brotherorganizations...whose field embraces our own, un-less it be that fair and honest emulation to be of useto the world.”

The financial report, given by Treasurer WalterC. Reid was very encouraging. The Society had re-ceived $1,495.10 in revenue during its first year

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Another example of an early action by mem-bers is that at the January 14, 1905 meeting of theCouncil, members voted to accept an invitationfrom Thomas Shipley, chairman of the York Manu-facturing Company of York, Pennsylvania, to visitthe company’s test plant to conduct tests on me-chanical refrigeration.

The actions taken during the Society’s firstmeetings, as well as the members’ dedication to thework of the Society, planted the seeds of researchand committee efforts that would provide signifi-cant results and benefits to the refrigerating indus-try for years to come.

1916 Beefsteak DinnerThe “old fashioned beefsteak dinner” in 1916 was held at Murray’s Restaurant on December 5.

In 1917, the Journal of The American Society of Refrigerating Engineers reported tests to determine the elastic deformation of balsa wood. They were part of a studyon the properties of balsa as an insulation material.

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The Japanese Society of Domestic andSanitary Engineers hosted RefrigeratingEngineers in 1930 during a visit to the WorldEngineering Congress.

A true to scale model of a cold storage plant with more than 2,000 individual castings was conceived by an ASRE committee and builtby Berthold Audsley in 1931. The model showed the insulation, refrigerating system, elevators, and power plant equipment. Themodel was loaned to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry.

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To record the progress of refrigerating engineering, the membersof ASRE sealed a time capsule on November 29, 1954 on theoccasion of the 50th Anniversary of the organization's founding.The capsule received its last paper from Society President A.J. Hess.A.C. Carlton (left) from The Franklin Institute, J.S. Burlew andpast ASRE President Edward Simons (right) observe.

Dr. Edgar Ross (left) and T.H. Silary ofthe Philadelphia Section emplace thetime capsule. The year of opening isset for 2004, the 100th Anniversary ofASRE's founding.

April 8, 1955, ASRE held dedication ceremonies at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia and formally transferred their timecapsule to the custodianship of The Institute. Edward Simons, chairman of the Fiftieth Anniversary Committee, delivered thededicatory statement: “The work here emplaced in record has been accomplished toward the betterment of mankind. Dedicationlies with the very doing. We here, and those for whom we stand, hold ourselves ready for the years to come and solemnlypledge ourselves to work truly and well that there may be those who shall give of themselves to the fullness of their talents inthe growing of this age.” Pictured left to right are Leon Buehler, Jr.; A.J. Hess; H.F. Spoehrer; J.F. Stone; C.S. Leopold; R.C.Jordan; R.C. Cross; M.C. Turpin; Edward Simons and Edward Simons, Jr.

In 1959, three bronzeplaques were completedhonoring pioneers in thefield of refrigeration andrefrigerating equipment.The two men individuallyhonored are John Gorrieand Alexander Twining.The third plaque listed12 additional Americanpioneers. The plaques nowhang at the InternationalHeadquarters of ASHRAEin Atlanta.

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