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Tlic Country Gcntlcmaiis Magazine 



the pipe connected with it, he will readily un- 

 derstand the power which works the valves of 

 the hydraulic ram. 



The supply of water thus gained at a point 

 below the steading should be stored up in a 

 tank or large cistern, which should be placed 

 either on the roof of the steading or upon 

 columns ; the object in either case being to 

 have a source of supply at pressure, which is 

 necessary where a machine is to be worked 

 by which to get power. It is obviously ex- 

 ceedingly useful for many other purposes, as, 

 for instance, supplying the cattle courts, feed- 

 ing byres, cooking apparatus, steam-boiler, or 

 for washing the floors and windows, or for 

 extinguishing fires. On the construction of 

 pressure supply tanks and their appliances Ave 

 may have a "Note" hereafter to give. 



2. THE TURBINE. 



The supply of water being obtained either 

 by pressure from a tank or by a natural fall 

 in the stream, the next point to consider is 

 the best means by which power can be ob- 

 tained from this supply. Now, on this point 

 there can be no hesitation in awarding to the 

 Turbine, of all the forms of water-power 

 mechanism, the great merit of efficiency in 

 action, inexpensiveness of original cost, and 

 ease in maintaining in working order. The 

 principle of operation of the modern turbine 

 is exemplified in the well-known Barker's 



Fig 2. 



Centrifugal Mill, an illustration of which finds 

 a place in all elementary books of Natural 

 Philosophy, and which, in fact may be called 

 the original type of the turbine. A simple 

 diagram and a word or two of description 

 will make its operation and that of the turbine 

 easily understood. 4 Let a, fig. 2, be a vertical 



tube, running on and supported by a pivot on 

 the step b, and supplied at its lower end with 

 a horizontal pipe cc, forming equal lengths 

 or arms on each side ; the ends of these are 

 closed, but a hole is cut in the sides of the 

 pipe near the ends, but in opposite sides of 

 the arm, so that while the water supplied by 





Fig. 3- 

 the pipe ^ to the vertical pipe a is projected 

 with force from one side a, fig. 3, it is pro- 

 jected from the other side h in an opposite 

 direction, as shewn by the arrows. The 

 result of this is that the arms revolve rapidly, 

 and with a force in proportion to the height 

 of the column of water of supply, and to the 

 area of the apertures a b in the arms in fig 3. 

 A modern modification of this, which may be 

 called a re-action wheel, was introduced with 

 great success by Mr Whitelaw in 1845, and 

 is still used. In this the arms were curved, 



^,1 



Fig- 



as in fig. 4, a simple arrangement of valves 

 actuated by springs regulating the flow of 

 water through the nozzles a and b, and, by 

 consequence, the velocity and power given 

 out by the machine. In the turbine the mere 

 arms disappear, or rather they are multiplied, 

 and appear as chambers in a flat or disc 

 wheel, as simply illustrated by the diagram in 

 fig. 5. Let a a in this represent a circular 



