Vjt Jin artificial cverjlevjing Well. 



fand From liardening. What rendered this operation the more difcouragmg was, that 

 frequently after having drawn out 6 or y feet of fand in the courfe of the day, upon found- 

 ing the next morning the fand was found lowered only one foot in the well, fo that more 

 fand miift have come in again. This, however, did not prevent me from proceeding in the 

 fame manner during feveral days, tho-ugh with little or no appearance of any advantage 

 arifing from the great exertions we were making. After perfevering however for fome 

 confiderable time, we perceived that the water rofe a little nearer the fuiface, and I bo"an 

 to entertain fome hopes, that it might perhaps rife high enough to come above the level of 

 the ground ; but when the water had rifen a few fcst higher in the well fome difficulties 

 Occurred, occafioned by accidental circumftances, which very much delayed the progrefs of 

 <he work; and it remained for a confiderable time very uncertain whether the water would 

 run over the top of the well or not, 



Thefe difficulties being at length furmounted, we continued during feveral days the pro- 

 cefs before mentioned of drawing out the fand and water alternately ; and I had the fatif— 

 fa£lion of feeing the water rife higher and higher, until at laft it ran over the top of the well into' 

 a temporary channel that conveyed it into the road. I then flattered myfelf, that every 

 tlifficulty was overcome ; but a few days afterwards, I difcovered, that the upper part of the 

 well had not been properly conftru6ted, and it became heceflary to take down about ten 

 feet of brick work. The water, which was now a continued ftream, rendered this extremely 

 difficult to execute. I began by conflruiSting a wooden cylinder 12 feet long, which was 

 let down into the well, and fufpended to a ftrong wooden ftage above, upon which I had 

 fixed two very large pumps of fufficient power to take oft' all the water that the fpring 

 could furnifh at 1 1 feet below the furface. The ftage and cylinder were fo contrived as to 

 prevent the pnflibility of any thing falling into the well 5 and I contrived a gage by which 

 the men upon the ftage could always afcertain to the greatefl exadnefs the height of the 

 water within the cylinder. This precaution was efTcntially necefl'ary, in order to keep the 

 water a foot below the work which was doing on the outfide of the cylinder to prevent the 

 new work from being wetted too foon. After every thing was prepared,, we were employ- 

 ed eight days in taking down 10 feet of the wall of the well, remedying the defe<^s, and build- 

 ing it up again ; during which time ten men were employed, five relieving the other five, 

 and the two pumps were kept conftantly at work during one hundred and ninetj'-two hours. 

 By the affiftance of the gage, the water was never fufil'red to rife upon the new work until 

 it was made fit to receive it. When the cylinder was taken out, the water again ran over 

 into the temporary channel that conveyed it into the road. 



The top of the well was afterwards raifed 18 inches, and conftrufled in fuch a manner as 

 to be able to convey the water five different ways at pleafure, with the power of being able 

 to fet any of thefe pipes dry at will, in order to repair them whenever occafi^r. fliould re- 

 quire. The water being now entirely at command, I again refolved upon taking out more 

 •fand, in order to try what additional quantity of water could be obtained thereby. I cannot 

 exadly afcertain the quantity of fand taken out, but the increafe of water obtained was very 

 great; as inftead of the well difcharging thirty gallons of water in a minute, the water was 

 now increafed to forty-flx gallons in the fame time. 



If you think. Sir, that the above account of an overflowing well, the joint producEtion of 

 nature and art, is deferving your attention, 1 feel myfelf much gratified in the pleafure I have 



in 



