PublicSeverance t1_isnlhg7 wrote
Reply to comment by TocTheEternal in TIL that before the invention of regfrigeration in 1851, ice had to be imported to Australia from Boston, Massachusetts. The ice blocks travelled through the tropics inside ships insulated with timber, straw, peat, and sawdust by stumcm
The cost of ice was roughly equivalent to the cost of cotton, even at the furthest destination (east USA -> Australia).
The journey was 110-120 days, the boats carried 400 tons and the goods sold for not really all that much profit.
The chilled apples on the boats sold for more than the ice.
The ice was a convenient partner because it was also used as ballast.
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