1845.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



337 



the latter do not possess sudicient knowledge on the subject. Undertook 

 to scour the Victoria Channel. Liverpool, but immediately after resigned a 

 lucrative appointment, owing to the vexatious dinicullics that arose. Con- 

 siders that in the Lune, where the tide rises 18 feet, d>kes or walls would 

 be necessary to direct the current. The upper surface of dykes shoul.l 

 come 3 feet above high water level. In case the dykes on the Clyde were 

 pulled down to make way for half-tide dykes, it would confine the stream 

 to steam navigation, as it would not be safe for sailing vessels. Is of 

 opinion that banks in the estuary of the Clyde require all the tidal ualer, 

 but that within the river dykes should be raised above high-water level. 

 The last half of the tide-scour is necessary to keep the channel deep, also 

 as great a flow of the tide upwards as can be got for the sake of the oulcr 

 baifka. Considers that the descending tidal water would not have the 

 elll'ct of keeping the channel clear within the river. For improving the 

 port of Lancaster, recommends abandoning the Lune to its present course 

 in Mo, and by establishing a harbour at Ponllon, to enable a ship to ap- 

 proach within 3 miles of Lancaster at low water. Should an embankment 

 be run across Morecambe liay, would recommend that the sea reach of the 

 Lune oier Sunderland and Cockram Sands be assisted by more buoys, and 

 the interior of the estuary straightened to define the outfall of the river. 

 V.irious plans for embanking Morecamhe Kay have been suggested. Con- 

 siders the line from I'oulton to I'oint Comfort feasible and advantageous, 

 lu slopping present dangerous indraught into the 15ay. Does not consider 

 such an embankment would be mischievous. Depth of water at embank- 

 ment would vary between 41 and 9 feet. States his opinion as to the plie- 

 uomenon of the Lune Deep, where the depth jumps from 3 toli4lcet; 

 thinks that the mouth of JMorecambe Bay, now 8 miles across, was origi- 

 nally only IJ miles. Lune Deep was then the outlet of all the rivers, but 

 thatit is now tilling up, as the bay widens, as may be judged by the sub- 

 marine spits which all point at it. An embankment of pile-framing and 

 rubblc-slone might be built from I'oulton, across the bay, sudicieut to re- 

 sist the action of the sea, and to carry a railway. Is of opinion that the 

 embankment would uol destroy the entrances of the harbours of Lune, 

 Wyre, and Piel. 



Surveyed the estuary of the Duddon water, on the coast of Lancashire. 

 A solid embankment across it, would slop vessels that riow go to Hrougliton 

 ijuarries ; but is of opinion that it would be more beneficial than otherwise, 

 as the estuary presents no refuge capacity. At the proposed line, 3 miles 

 below the Burlington slate quarry, there is 20 feet depth in the channel at 

 high-water ordinary spring tides ; vessels drawing G feet reach 4J miles 

 higher ; open punts go up to Duddon Bridge, and the tide flows | uf a 

 uiile above. liale of tide at proposed place of embankment, 3 knots on the 

 flood and 3.J on the ebb, which would be stopped by Ihe embankment. 

 Considers that it would cause slight privation of water-carriage to the 

 surrounding country; a railroad is iu progress of formation from Kirby 

 Pool to Piel Harbour. This estuary is the outlet for the waters of the 

 Duddon and Kirby Pool, but is not aware of any trallic upon them. Dud- 

 don estuary drains the lakes, Kirby Pool, Simpson's Beck, and Salthouse 

 Pool. And the embankment would entirely destroy its navigation. Would 

 exclude about 1300 millions cubic feet of water on every tide. In order to 

 dispose of Ihe waters above the proposed embankment, either sluice gales 

 or a new channel must be made. The seaward side would no longer be 

 navigable. Consideis that the railway might be carried out by a circuit 

 of eight miles, and so avoid the embankment, and all interference wiili na- 

 vigation. IJeconiniends the crossing to be by an embankment with arches. 

 Depth of sand is nine feet, then clay ; piles and rubble-stone wall (orMi Ihe 

 embankment. Contemplates shutting out entirely the flow of the lide, 

 both here and in iMoreiambe Bay. Considers that owing to the long Hat 

 of two miles, extending olT shore, it is impossible, either by dredging, 

 buoys, or beacons, to maintain a channel so as to make the Duddon even a 

 limited refuge harbour. Embankment at Salthouse Pool was made in 

 1830, to redeem 260 acres of marsh, over which the sea ranged two feet at 

 high-water springs, thereby excluding T J millions of cubic feet of water. 

 There are several other embankmenls. A railway might be carried along 

 shore to the southward of Jlillom Hill. Numerous objections to construc- 

 ting a railway from PouUoii to Cowper Point, to Chapel Island, and thence 

 to the mainland on the north-easteru side of Morecambe Bay. It would 

 shut up ten rivers or streams. With the exception of the proposed pier at 

 Poulton Ring, considers an embankment across Morecambe Bay of public 

 advantage. Is of opinion that the shutting out of so large a body of water 

 would silt up the dillerent channels in the bay ; yet would not be injurious 

 to the early tide ports, the Lune, W'yre, and Piel, but destroy all above, 

 with the proposed port at Poulton Ring. Observed several encioachmenis 

 on the banks of the Duddon and Morecambe Bay. All ebbing waters do 

 not scour a bar, some deposit on it, and increase it. All ebbing waters do 

 keeping open a channel, but as that is kept open the bar works out seaward, 

 rendering the entrance like that of Liverpool. Where a bar has extended 

 to the limit of the velocity of the ebb tide, it will go on accumulating, and 

 is hopeless ; if it lie within the range of a rapid ebb stream, artificial means 

 may be useful. Extent of bar depends not so much on depth of water as 

 on reaching the fair channel stream, the W'yre for instance; the Duddon 

 sands wdl project till they reach the fair set of tide in the Irish Channel. 

 An estuary that presents the form of a prostrate cone, with its base out- 

 wards, is hopeless. All esluaries do not present the same features ; dis- 

 tinction drawn between the Dee and the Mersey. If the Burbo and ICast 

 Hoyle Bank between the Mersey and Dee did not exist, the channels of 

 Ihe river would not be kept open. To improve the Lune sea reacli it would 

 be necessary to embank Sunderland Point both iu its river uud sea face. 



An embankment across Morecambe Bay would have a beneficial efl^ect ou 

 Ihe sands at nioulli of Lune, by diminishing the scour of the bay, and con- 

 sccjiienl deposit of sand. If Cartinell Wharf were walled up, the same 

 ellect would be produced on the channels of the Kent and Leven as on the 

 Lune. Lune Deep was the original outfall of all the waters of the Lune 

 and Morecambe Bay. Conjectures why it has not been Oiled up by the 

 sands. In case Morecambe Bay be cut oil' by an embankment, the sands 

 would immediately break in, and the Lune Deep very slowly 011 up. 



THE WATER WORKS AT EXETER. 



A great and manifest improvement in the supply of water to the city of 

 Exeter is alforded by the water company, a joint-stock corporation, formed 

 under Act of Parliament in 1833 ; from a large reservoir made by Ibein 

 under the direction of the late William Anderson, Esq., C.E., it may be 

 said that an unlimited supply of this most necessary article of life is af- 

 forded. This reservoir, which occupies a spot to the north of the city 

 known by the name of Dane's Castle Field, is now 200 feet squ-ire and 

 17 feet deep, and is supplied with the water of the river Exe, taken from a 

 mill leaf, two miles from the city, and above the junction of the Creedy ; 

 it is, therefore, in great measure free from any adventitious impurities. 

 The qualities and chemical cumpositioa of this water have already been 

 given. 



Engine Power, 



The first erected engine is worked by a breast-wheel of 23 h.p , with 48 

 buckets, 13 of which are equal to one stroke of the pump; it has three 

 pninps, each of which gives 18 strokes to a minute. The water thus de- 

 livered in this space of time at the reservoir is 37 cubic feet or 438 gallons. 

 The reservoir is lliO feet above high-water mark, but the water could be 

 raised by the stand-pipe, which was 150 feet above the level of the river 

 at Pynes Weir, to the further height of 180 feet. On ordinary occasions, 

 however, the number of strokes in a minute at which these pumps are 

 worked is 1 1 each, to force the water into the reservoir, and 10 to Ihe 

 higher level of the stand-pipe. It was early found, notwithstanding the 

 great extent of the supply thus afforded, that it was inadequate to the wants 

 of the inhabitants ; therefore, iu 1841, a new wheel and pumps were added, 

 the reservoir was enlarged to its present capacity, acd llie stand-pipe con- 

 siderably elevated. The new wheel is of 17 h. p., and has 40 buckets, of 

 which 11 are equal to one stroke of the pumps. The new pumps are three 

 in number, and each gives 14 strokes in a minute at its usual work. The 

 height of the stand-pipe is now 13^ feet above the level of Ihe water in the 

 reservoir, and its valve is weighted to raise the water 50 feet. The higher 

 pressures are supplied independently of Ihe reservoir. The advantage de- 

 rived from these additions and improvements will be fully appreciated when 

 it is staled that, ou a trial being made by working the new and old pumps 

 together, the water flowing through the safety valve of the stand-pipe and 

 falling into Ihe reservoir, each set of pumps making 11 strokes per minute, 

 Ihe quantity of water delivered into Ihe reservoir by gauge was 23,748 

 gallons in one hour; on another trial, the water being delivered to the 

 lower level of the reservoir, the new pumps making 17 strokes to the 

 minute, and Ihe old 1 1 J, Ihe quantity of water forced in was 33,122 gal- 

 lons in one hour; so that the higher level of the stand-pipe decreases the 

 power of the pump by about one-third. By experiments made in dill'erent 

 places, it was shown that water could be delivered from Ihe pipes 30 feet 

 above the highest levels of Ihe city. One cause of failure in the old pumps, 

 and which liad not been foreseen, was excessive floods " tailing" Ihe wheel, 

 to such an extent as to cause material obstruction. By an experiment on 

 the new and old wheels, during some high floods, it was found that while 

 the old wheel was two feet in tail water, and the pumps making but 10 

 slrokes per minute, the new wheel had only six inches in tail water, and 

 the pnniiis were making 21 slrokes per minute; so that the new wheel 

 will be only ufl'ected by severe floods, and then but for a few hours. 



Quuntidj Supplied, 

 The quantity of water now supplied to the inhabitants of Exeter and its 

 vicinity is (j'JiU hogsheads daily, (about twelve gallons per head of the 

 population.) the cost of which lo Ihe consumers, according to the amount 

 of rents paid, is little more than one farthing per hogshead, and at this 

 trifling price it is supplied lo many bouses at a considerable elevation. The 

 waste consequent upon this vast consumplion is of the greatest service ia 

 preserving the health of the city, by cleansing and washing out the sewers, 

 itc. The mode in which Ihe water is distritjuted over the city is through 

 iron pipes, and from them by leaden supply pipes into cisterns furnished 

 with ball cocks. In some particular cases the cisterns are supplied di- 

 rectly from Ihe mains. Of the 5122 houses of which Exeter is composed 

 the water is supplied lo 3400 ; the number of customers, however, is about 

 2(J00, the deficiency of 80U beiug made up of tenements closely packed 

 together, which are supplied, never from the stand-pipe, but from one com- 

 mon cistern, usually at the landlord's expense, who is charged by the com- 

 pany at the rate of from 2s. to 4s. per annum for each family. This supply 

 is so easy and so generally furnished, that it is only iu a few cases Ihe 

 people have recourse to pumps or draw-wells, and in still larer instances 

 do they beg of distant renters. That this supply is duly appreciated may 

 be learned from the fact that 98 families out of every lUO who consume 



