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kvliole of the bore is produced by tlie hormg machine : 

 in others, Uie Gist is made, hollow in first, and the 

 oorer is only used to give uniformity and finish to the 

 inside of the tube. In boring cannon, the tool, as 

 shown in plate IX, is at rest while tin- minion re- 

 volves. By this arrangement the lx>re is formed with 

 more accuracy tlian by the old method of putting the 

 lx>rer in motion. The tool is kept pressed ip;iinst 

 the cannon by a regular force. Cylinders of steam- 

 engines are cast hollow, and afterwards bored ; but, 

 in this case, the borer revolves, and the cylinder 

 remains at rest. In either case, the axis of Uie borer 

 and that of the cylindrical material should coincide; 

 for otherwise, if the l>orer revolve, it will perforate 

 obliquely ; if the material revolve, the perforation 

 will he conical. lu some of the more recent cylinder- 

 boring machines, the cylinder is kept perpendicular 

 to the horizon, which seems to ensure more accuracy 

 Uian by the ordinary method. The instruments used 

 are gimlets, augers, centrebits, drills, &c. Drills are 

 made, to turn rapidly, either in one direction by means 

 of a lathe-wheel and pulley, or alternately in oppo- 

 site directions by a spiral cord, which coUs and un- 

 coils itself successively upon the drill, and is aided 

 by a weight or fly. 



Boring for Water. The practice of boring for wa- 

 ter, and tin- frequent success thai has lately attended 

 the operation, in producing a great supply without 

 the actual sinking of a well, render the subject one 

 of great importance : we conceive, therefore, tliat 

 our readers will be gratified with the following de- 

 scription of the process. The situation of the intended 

 well l>eing determined on, a circular hole is generally 

 dug in the ground, about six or eight feet deep, and 

 five or six teet wide. In the centre of this hole the 

 boring is carried on by two workmen, assisted by a 

 labourer above. The handle, having a female screw 

 in the bottom of its iron shank, a wooden bar, or rail 

 passing through the socket of the shank, and a ring 

 at top, is the general agent to which all khe boring 

 implements are to be attached. A chisel is first em- 

 ployed, and connected to this handle by its screw at 

 top. If the ground is tolerably soft, the weight of' 

 the two workmen bearing upon the cross bar, and 

 occasionally forcing it round, will soon cause the 

 chisel to penetrate ; but if the ground is hard or 

 strong, the workmen strike the chisel down with re- 

 peated blows, so as to peck their way, often changing 

 their situation by walking round, which breaks the 

 stones, or other hard substances, that may happen to 

 obstruct its progress. The labour is very considera- 

 bly reduced by means of an elastic wooden pole, 

 placed horizontally over the well, from which a chain 

 is brought down and attached to the ring of the 

 handle. This pole is usually made fast at one end as 

 a fulcrum, by being set into a heap of heavy loose 

 stones : at the other end the labourer gives it a slight 

 up and down vibrating motion, corresponding to the 

 beating motion of the workmen below, by which 

 means the elasticity of the pole, in rising, lifts the 

 handle and pecker, and thereby very considerably 

 diminishes the labour of the workmen. When the 

 hole has been thus opened by a chisel, as far as its 

 length will permit, the chisel is withdrawn, and a 

 sort of cylindrical auger attached to the handle, for 

 the purpose of drawing up the dirt or broken stones 

 which have been disturbed by the chisel. The auger 

 being introduced into the hole, and turned round 

 by the workmen, the dirt or broken stohes will pass 

 through the aperture at bottom, and fill the cylinder, 

 which is then drawn up, and discharged at the top of 

 the auger, the valve preventing its escape at bottom. 

 In order fo penetrate .deeper into the ground, an iron 

 rod is now to be attached to the chisel by screwing 

 < to its upper end, and the rod is also fastened to 



the handle In sen-wing into its socket. The chisel 

 having thus become leQgtbmed, l>y the addition of 

 the rod, it is again introduced into the hole, and the* 

 operation of pecking or forcing it down, is carried on 

 by the workmen as before. When the ground lias 

 been thus perforated, as far as the chisel and its mil 

 will reach, they must be withdrawn, in order again to 

 introduce the auger, to collect and bring up the rub- 

 l>iv|i, which is done by attaching it to the iron rod, in 

 place of the chisel. Thus, as the hole becomes 

 deepened, other lengths of iron rods are added, by 

 connecting them together. The necessity of frequent- 

 ly withdrawing the rods from the hole, in order lo 

 collect the mud, stones, or rubbish, and the great 

 friction produced by the rubbing of the tools against 

 ils sides, ns well as the lengths of the rods augmented 

 in the progress of the operation, sometimes to the ex- 

 tent of several hundred feet, render it extremely in- 

 convenient, if not impossible, to raise them by hand. 

 A tripedal standard is therefore generally constructed, 

 by three scaffolding poles tied together, over the hole, 

 from the centre of which a wheel and axle, or a pair 

 of pulley blocks, are suspended, for the purpose of 

 hauling up the rods, and from which hangs the fork. 

 This fork is to be brought down under the shoulder, 

 near the top of each rod, and made fast to it by pass- 

 ing a pin through two little holes in the claws. The 

 rods are thus drawn up, about seven feet at a time, 

 which is the usual distance between each joint ; and 

 at every haul a fork is laid horizontally over the hole, 

 with the shoulders of the lower rod resting between 

 its claws ; by which means the rods are "prevented 

 from sinking down into the bore again, while the 

 upper length is unscrewed and removed. In attach- 

 ing and detaching these lengths of rod, a wrench is 

 employed, by which they are turned round, and 

 the screws forced up to their firm bearing. The 

 boring is sometimes performed, for the first sixty or 

 a hundred feet, by a chisel of two and a half inches 

 wide, and cleared out by a gouge of two and a quar- 

 ter diameter, and then the hole is widened by a tool. 

 This is merely a chisel, four inches wide, but with a 

 guide put on at its lower part, for the purpose of 

 keeping it in a perpendicular direction ; the lower 

 part is not intended to peck, but to pass down the 

 hole previously made, while the sides of the chisel 

 operate in enlarging the hole to four inches. The 

 process, however, is generally performed at one opera- 

 tion, by a chisel of four inches wide, and a gouge ot 

 three inches and three quarters. It is obvious, that 

 placing and displacing the lt\igths of rod, which is 

 done every time that the auger is required to be in- 

 troduced or withdrawn, must, of itself, be extremely 

 troublesome, independent of the labour of boring ; 

 but yet the operation proceeds, when no unpropitious 

 circumstances attend it, with a facility almost incredi- 

 ble. Sometimes, however, rocks intercept the way, 

 which require great labour to penetrate ; but this is 

 always effected by pecking, which slowly pulverizes 

 the stone. The most unpleasant circumstance atten- 

 dant upon this business, is the occasional breaking of 

 a rod into the hole, which sometimes creates a delay 

 of many days, and an incalculable labour in drawing 

 up the lower portion. When the water is obtained in 

 such quantities and of such quality as may be requir- 

 ed, the hole is dressed or finished by passing down it 

 the diamond chisel : this is to make the sides smootii, 

 previous to putting in the pipe. This chisel is at- 

 tached to rods and to the handle, as before described ; 

 and, in its descent, the workmen continually walk 

 round, by which the whole is made smooth and 

 cylindrical. In the progress of the boring, frequent 

 veins of water are passed through ; but, as these are, 

 small streams, and perhaps impregnated wifh mineral 

 substances, the operation is carried on until an aper- 



