The Hydraulic Ram 



157 



so thoroughly economical and. at the same 

 time, so efficient as the Hydraulic Ram. It 

 costs little, requires little, we might almost 

 say no supervision after being once set in 

 work, and altogether is such an admirable 

 contrivance, that we are surjorised to find that 

 it is not adopted in numerous districts where 

 the lack of water is complained of, and where 

 it could be so easily applied. We have met 

 with it in our rural districts now and then, 

 but not so frequently as we should like to 

 have seen it. It is more used abroad than 

 with us, and especially in America, the go- 

 a-head people of that countiy being keenly 

 alive to all modes of saving or rather dispens- 

 ing with human labour. The following dia- 

 gram will ex5)lain to our readers the mode of 



the ordinary condition of the ram at first start- 

 ing, the valve dd, which is supplied to the 

 upper part of the chamber bb, is open ; 

 through the opening then of this valve the 

 water which fills or nearly fills bb flows and 

 passes into the bed of the stream in which 

 the foundation cc of the ram is. As the water 

 flows through this, it increases in velocity till 

 it gains so much momentum as to close the 

 valve dd; the water, therefore, flows on to- 

 wards the end b, but is there arrested, and 

 the recoil, so to speak, while it tends still 

 further to close the valve dd, opens the valve 

 c, and admits the water into the air vessel^, 

 from which it is led to any required distance 

 or height by the pipe gg. The passing of a 

 portion of the water into the vessel ff, ex- 



operation of this admirably economical and 

 efficient apparatus. It is necessary to pre- 

 mise that it is essential that the stream upon 

 which it is placed must have a few feet of fall. 

 If the fall is natural the ram must be placed 

 at a low, if not the lowest, part that is within 

 the range of the stream. If there is no 

 natural fall, one can be easily made by form- 

 ing a simple weir, damming the stream across 

 at some convenient point of its length ; and 

 starting from the edge of this weir, forming 

 an incline in the bed of the stream below it, 

 gradually leading down to the point at which 

 the ram is placed, or the water from the weir 

 may be led to the ram by an inclined pipe. 

 Fig. I wll illustrate one form of the ram. The 

 water is led into the ram by the pipe aa, and 

 from thence delivered to the chamber bb. In 



hausting, as it does, the momentum of the 

 stream, the valve c closes, and the valve dd 

 opens, aflowing the water again to pass from 

 the ram, till it once more acquires such mo- 

 mentum as to close d, open e, and thus give a 

 second supply to the vessel^ We have thus 

 a succession of openings and shuttings of the 

 valve, and a constant supply of water through 

 the pipe gg — the great feature being that a 

 portion of the water which works the ram is 

 forced up, acting thus as its own lifter. Any 

 one will easily understand the force and pre- 

 cision with which the valves are worked if he 

 will allow the tap in a water-pipe supplied at 

 pressure to remain open for some time so as. 

 to allow the water to flow freely, and then 

 suddenly shut the tap : in the shock which 

 will be felt, given not only to the tap but ta 



