Popular Science Monthly 



A Water- Barrel Elevator 

 in a Well 



AN' engineer in 

 southern Cali- 

 lornia has tigured out 

 the bimplc but useful ^m«» 

 device of a water- 

 barrel elevator, on 

 which he rides to and innw his 

 work in a well 210 ft. from the 

 surface. Two men formerly on 

 the job lost their lives riding 

 down in a large bucket lowered 

 by a windlass. The water- 

 barrel elevator was constructed 

 in the following manner. Heavy 

 iron bands were put around the 

 barrel, and a bail with a 

 swivel to engage a wire cable 

 that runs through a pulley 

 above was fastened on. 



The top of the barrel has an 

 opening through which it is 

 filled, and a faucet near the 

 bottom allows for drainage. 

 On the other end of the cable 

 hangs a counterweight that, 

 taken with the weight of the 

 cable, almost balances the 

 weight of the barrel and the 

 engineer. A little water is 

 taken on for ballast as he 

 starts slowly downward. In 

 descending, it is necessary to 

 have the faucet turned on 

 enough to allow for the increas- 

 ing weight of the cable as it 

 passes over the pulley to the 

 side on which the descent is 

 being made. 



After reaching the landing, 

 the engineer fastens the barrel 

 to a hook. When he wishes to 

 return he lets the water out 

 and rises to the top. 



This well is 300 ft. deep. The 

 shaft measuring 6 by 8 ft., 

 extends down 210 ft. to a 

 landing, where an engine and 

 motor are placed. The engine 

 was originally used for power to 

 run a centrifugal pump, but 

 since a high-power line has 

 been installed it has been found 

 cheaper to place a loo-H.P. 

 motor, making Q50 revolutions 

 per minute, directly on the 

 shaft of the pump, which hangs 

 suspended 50 ft. beneath the 



11- 



li'- 



m 



On one end of the cable 

 hangs a counterweight 

 which almost balances 

 the weight of the water- 

 barrel carrying the en- 

 gineer. An engine and 

 motor are installed at 

 the bottom of the shaft 



923 



surface of the water. It has 



three steps or vanes, and raises 

 no in. of water through 

 a 6-in. discharge-pipe 

 into a tank on the 

 surface. 



Secret of Success in 

 Filing Cross- Cut Saws 



TU keep the cutting-teeth 

 e\en and the points keen 

 and smooth as a razor-edge is 

 the main point in filing cross- 

 cut saws. A rough-edged point 

 is almost sure to break oft in 

 hard-grained wood, gnarls or 

 knots. If saw-teeth points will 

 stand the first two hours' work 

 after filing, then they are worn 

 smooth by the action on the 

 wood and will not be likely to 

 break at all. 



The rakers must be swaged 

 and adjusted so as to plough 

 out all wood cut by cutting- 

 teeth in strips or shavings from 

 J^ to 4 in. long although in 

 green hardwoods, spruce and 

 cedar the shavings will be much 

 longer. Spruce sha\ings have 

 been found to be 11 to 14 in. 

 long. The idea is to eliminate 

 all fine sawdust, if possible. 

 Fine sawdust is a sure sign of 

 a slow-cutting saw and a poor 

 filer. Otten the saw is blamed 

 when the filer and sometimes 

 the operator is at fault. A filer 

 should be able to put a fine 

 cutting point on any saw that 

 has good material in it. 



A saw that is so glossy and 

 hard that it will not swage 

 should have the temper drawn 

 with a pair of thick, red-hot 

 tongs. If possible all raker- 

 teeth should be softer than the 

 cutting-teeth. They will give 

 better satisfaction and will be 

 easier on the file ; for a file will 

 cut nicely on the bevel-stroke 

 used on a cutting-tooth long 

 after it has ceased to be of use 

 on the hard horizontal stroke 

 required in sharpening a raker, 

 which must ha\c a perfectly 

 square chisel cutting-bit so as 

 to plough out the sawdust. 



