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April 1940. " 'Mormon refrigerator' used by caretaker at Tonto National Monument, Gila County, Arizona. Water placed in tin container on top drips over the burlap and rapid evaporation in the atmosphere produces the cooling effect." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.
I see this principle used in large scale in industrial greenhouses here in Florida - they'll make one wall out of absorbent material and put drip sprinklers all along the top. Fans and vents keep the cool air moving through the greenhouse. It's fascinating to see.
In the summer months, she would hang burlap over the curtain rods and place a pan of water on the window sill with the bottom of the burlap curtain in the water with the window open. A poor man's air-conditioner.
Nearby child produces "the cooling effect" in a different way.
The Coolgardie Safe.
Works on the same principle as the desert water bag, another simple and effective invention employing evaporative cooling. Desert water bags, of course, being made by such companies as Ames Harris Neville, and probably dime a dozen in desert climes during the '40s.
[Also the same principle as the "swamp cooler." - Dave]
As mentioned: "Saturate Before Using."
How appropriate!
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