WINDERMERE 



6311 



WINDOW 



tal bars that arc mounted on a vertical 

 The lower end of the axis is attached to a sys- 

 tem of clockwork which registers the number 

 of revolutions per minute, and from this the 

 velocity of the current is determined. Ane- 

 mometers are in use in all Weather Bureau 

 stations. The pressure of the wind depends 

 upon the velocity of the current and the den- 

 sity of the atmosphere. Since the density is 

 constantly varying, no exact rule for the com- 

 putation of pressure is available. C.H.H. 



Consult Abbe's Mechanics of the Earth's At- 

 mosphere. 



Related Subjects. The following articles 

 should be read in connection with this subject : 



Barometer 



Calms, Regions of 



Chinook 



Climate 



Cloud 



Cyclone 



Desert 



Doldrums 



Dune 



Erosion, subhead 



Atmosphere 

 Hurricane 

 Isobars 

 Khamsin 



Land and Sea Breezes 



Meteorology 



Monsoon 



Norther 



Prevailing Westerlies 



Rain 



Simoom 



Sirocco 



Storms 



Tornado 



Trade Winds 



Typhoon 



Weather Bureau 



Whirlwind 



WINDERMERE , win ' dcr meer, England's 

 largest lake, a beautiful stretch of water in the 

 northwestern part of the country, in the coun- 

 ties of Lancashire and Westmoreland. Winder- 

 mere lies in a district whose beauty of scenery 

 inspired the poets Wordsworth, Southey and 

 Coleridge. The lake has an area of about five 

 square miles. Its depth varies from thirty to 

 more than 200 feet, and the greatest width is 

 one mile. The Leven River flows from Win- 

 dermere into Morecambe Bay. The shore line 

 of the lake is steep and rugged, and it contains 

 several picturesque islands. 



WINDHOVER, unid'huver. See KESTREL. 



WIND 'LASS, a machine for lifting weights 

 by the application of a relatively small power. 

 The ordinary windlass, such as one sees in wells, 

 is a wooden drum on which a rope or chain is 

 wound by handspikes or a winch attached to 

 tin- end. A bucket, fastened to the end of the 

 chain, is brought up by turning the rope over 

 the cylinder. The windlass is really a variety 

 of the wheel and axle, which, again, is a modi- 

 fication of the lever. The ease with which a 

 heavy stone, which cannot be lifted by hand, 

 may be pried up with a lever has been ob- 

 served by almost every one. For an explana- 

 tion of how this principle applies to the wind- 

 lass, sir \\rn.i.L \.ND AXI.I;. uhcn illu>t rat ions 



will be found. The lifting power of a windlass 

 may be considerably increased by connecting 

 the drum and the winch by means of cog 

 wheels, the larger wheel being on the drum. 



WINDMILL, a device which utilizes the 

 force of wind for carrying on various operations 

 requiring only moderate power. Windmills are 

 commonly used on farms to pump water and to 

 run feed cutters and churns. The mill in gen- 

 eral favor consists of a wheel formed of a 

 number of inclined slats of wood or metal. 

 which rotates on a horizontal axis. The I 

 are so arranged that the wind strikes them on 

 the slant as it blows between them, thus forc- 

 ing them along and making the wheel revolve. 

 A vane is attached to the opposite side of the 

 frame, as a result of which the wheel always 

 faces the wind. By means of suitable gearing 

 the speed of the device can be regulated. The 

 structure is mounted on a conical or pyramidal 

 tower twenty or more feet in height, to get the 

 full force of the wind. Some mills develop as 

 high as four horse power, though a much lower 

 power than this is ample for most farm opera- 

 tions. The type of windmill described is pic- 

 tured on page 6222. 



The mill described has largely superseded 

 the old-fashioned Dutch windmill, whir.. 

 equipped with a power wheel having four radial 

 arms covered with canvas (see page 4125). The 

 tower usually rests on wheels, and is turned 

 around when it is necessary to set the sails to- 

 ward the wind. For many years Mishawaka, 

 Ind., was the chief center of windmill manu- 

 facture in the United States, but the industry 

 is now more widely distributed. 



WINDOW, win' d oh, an opening in solid 

 walls of a building for admission of light and 

 air. Modem windows are for the most part 

 openings in vertical walls, with a .framework 

 containing glass so arnmged that it may be 

 opened and shut at will. The windows of tin- 

 ancient dwellings of Greece and Rome were 

 merely openings in the wall, screened with 

 curtains. Many houses in tropical countries 

 are still built in this same way. The use of 

 glass in windows in England was heavily taxed 

 in the seventeenth century, and as windows 

 had then assumed great at 1 impor- 



tance this led to the custom of painting imita- 

 tion windows on the outside walls of houses 

 to produce an imposing appearance. The first 

 year the window tax was levied the returns 

 amounted to over $5,000,000, and the tax was 

 not repealed until 1851, at which turn the reve- 

 nue was nearly $10,000,000 annual: 



