586 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



gradually augmented. The water now rises in this tube, dis- 

 charges through pipe h, boils up, &c., as in the case of C, and 

 eventually bursts into a beautiful geyser, throwing water 20ft. 

 to 40ft. high for a period of one or two hours, when it again 

 stops, as previously described in the case of C. Sometimes B 

 and C will play up simultaneously for a short time. B, how- 

 ever, eventually takes the lead ; C will then stop, the water 

 in its tube receding 5ft. to 6ft., the cooled water which runs 

 down the tube in considerable quantity being re-ejected by B. 

 I have noticed that the eruption of B is of longer or shorter 

 duration in proportion to the temperature of the water taken 

 in at C. 



While B and C are thus active a small stream of cooled water 

 constaiitly finds its way down the tube A, keeping it silent ; 

 but it can be made to play by the following arrangement of 

 valves : If A is required to play constantly, close the valve a 

 and open h and c, so as to allow a considerable quantity of the 

 cooled water ejected by B and C to find its way back down 

 these tubes. If intermittently, allow rather more water to flow 

 in the tubes B and C, and also a little in tube A : this will 

 cause A to stop occasionally for a few seconds or for a minute ; 

 but, owing to the quantity of water being, say, half what finds 

 its way down B or C, the heated water will still follow the 

 tube A, as it is the one offering least resistance, and every 

 now and then the accumulated or pent-up steam will eject 

 the water. If, now, the tube A is required to be iransformed 

 into a mere boiling-spring, close the valve a, and open the 

 valves h and c to allow as much of the cooled water to find its 

 way down B and C as they will take. This has the effect 

 of swamping the force ; the superheated steam seems to 

 be condensed by coming into contact with this large quantity 

 of cooled water, and the action almost disappears. 



If, on the contrary, B or C is required to play up separately 

 and constantly, it is only necessary to reverse the working of 

 the valves in a similar manner to what has been described to 

 make A play up. 



Further, the springs supplying the baths at the Palace 

 Hotel having become quiescent some tv/o or three years ago, I 

 advised Mr. McEae, the proprietor, to do certain works to 

 try and bring them into geyser-action : this proved entirely 

 successful, and the spring became a small active geyser, and 

 has remained so ever since, supplying his baths with plenty of 

 hot water. 



From the experience thus gained, I support the theory 

 that the geyser-tubes are connected with subterranean caverns 

 or chambers, and that heat or superheated steam penetrating 

 through fissures supplies the natural or motive force ; and I 

 conclude that the difference between the specific gravity of 



