 The first attempt to ship refrigerated meat from Australasia was made when the "Northam" sailed from Australia to England in 1876; however the refrigeration machinery broke down en route and so the cargo was lost.Later that year chilled beef was sent from the United States to England (a shorter journey, at cooler, higher latitudes) and, although spoilage was high, this voyage provided some encouragement to Australian and New Zealand promoters of refrigeration.During 1877 the steamers "Le Frigorifique" and "Paraguay" carried frozen mutton from Argentina to France, proving the concept, if not the economic case, for longer-distance refrigerated shipping.