PUMPING WATER 



Second Paper 



'"THROUGHOUT a great part of the 

 * arid and semi-arid region there 

 are localities where water can be ob- 

 tained at a short distance from the sur- 

 face. The amount, although not large 

 in the aggregate when compared with 

 the quantity in some notable streams 

 or lake, is yet inexhaustible by the or- 

 dinary methods of pumping. If, there- 

 fore, this water which exists from 10 

 to 50 feet beneath the surface can be 

 cheaply raised, it will be practicable to 

 utilize it for agriculture tracts which 

 otherwise have little or no value. 



The irrigation of 20 acres in the 

 midst of a section or township of land 

 is, figuratively speaking, a mere drop 

 in the bucket ; but the reclamation of 

 this small area generally means the 

 utilization of adjoining lands. If, for 

 example, 20 acres of some forage crop 

 like alfalfa is made possible, this will 

 result in obtaining a considerable 

 amount of winter feed used in the sus- 

 tenance Of a herd which can be pas- 

 tured upon the surrounding dry land. 

 The successful cultivation of this 20 

 acres may thus directly or indirectly 

 support a family, and. with increased 

 experience and adaptation to the sur- 

 rounding conditions, the family may 

 in turn give place to a rural commu- 

 nity. Given the existence of sufficient 

 water underground to irrigate the 20 

 acres, the first question is that of ways 

 and means of bringing the water to the 

 surface. 



The force which is ever present, 

 making itself persistently felt through- 

 out the Great Plains region, is the 

 wind which blows almost continuouslv. 

 It carries the dust before it, cuts out 

 the traveled roads, carries away the 

 fine earth of the tilled fields, and builds 

 up a fine loess, almost everywhere to 

 be found. The wind, which has so 

 long been considered as an annoyance 

 and mischief-maker, has sufficient 

 strength to perform the work of bring- 

 ing: water to the surface, if onlv suit- 



able means of directing its energy can 

 be discovered. 



The windmill is the best-known 

 method of converting wind energy 

 into work. In one form or another it 

 has been used from times antedating 

 the dark a^es. In the twelfth century 

 windmills, built either by individuals 

 or by communities, were common. 

 Some of these mills were of enormous 

 size. In the German type the whole 

 building on which the windmill was 

 placed was constructed in such a man- 

 ner as tomturn on a post in order to 

 bring the sails into the wind. In the 

 Dutch form the building was fixed, 

 but the head of the mill could be 

 turned into the wind. The most nota- 

 be use of these early mills was in Hol- 

 land, where the land was drained by 

 pumping water from behind the dikes 

 into the sea. In 1391 the Bishop of 

 Utrecht, holding that the wind of the 

 whole province belonged exclusively 

 to him. gave to the Convent at Winds- 

 heim express permission to build a 

 windmill wherever it was thought 

 proper. In so doing he overruled a 

 neighboring lord, who declared that 

 the wind in the district belonged to 

 him. Three years later the city of 

 Haarlem obtained leave from Albert. 

 Count Palatine of the Rhine, to build 

 a windmill, using the wind of the 

 country. 



The huge, clumsy windmills of Eu- 

 ropean make, such as that erected at 

 Lawrence. Kan., shown in the accom- 

 panying plate, have within a few dec- 

 ades given place in this country to the 

 light, rapidly running forms. Thou- 

 sands of these have been made by va- 

 rious firms throughout the country. At 

 first wood was used almost exclusive- 

 ly, but this is being rapidly displaced 

 by metal, especially by thin steel plates 

 and forgings. Although millions of 

 dollars have been invested in the man- 

 ufacture and purchase of mills and 

 much attention has been given to the 



