The French engineer Charles Tellier's ship Le Frigorifique sailed from Rouen on 19 September 1876 and reached Buenos Aires on 25 December, with some meat from France in her hold. Dark spots were reported on part of that meat and its flavour was found unpleasant; turf loaded as ballast was blamed.
The return cargo was hard to assemble. The ship reached Rouen on 14 August 1877 after a voyage of 104 days, with some of the meat 110 days in store; Le Rappel wrote that part of it did not arrive in good condition and had to be carefully selected. The plant kept meat cold for over a hundred days, yet ballast, the assembling of the cargo and the sorting on arrival decided the outcome as well.
| Voyage | Recorded result |
|---|---|
| Le Frigorifique, 1876-77, Rouen - Buenos Aires - Rouen | Part of the meat spotted on the way out, part spoiled after 104 days on the return |
| Dunedin, 1882, Port Chalmers - London (Bell-Coleman) | Meat arrived in first-class condition; on the way the cold-air ducts blocked with ice and the captain chipped it away by hand |
Today the same links show up at the dock, the staging area and the transfer point; an investment in a refrigerated vehicle drops to the level of the weakest link at a goods-in door that stands open for half an hour. An insulated container and eutectic plates close such gaps without a socket or an engine.