December 13, 1^94] 



NATURE 



U7 



This has only been partially accomplished in " Water- 

 works Engineering," for, owing to the small number of 

 chapters, such dissimilar subjects as the available rain- 

 fall and the gauging of the flow of streams have been put 

 in the same chapter, near the beginning of the book, 

 with water-meters, which latter subject should pro- 

 perly have been dealt with at the end, in connection 

 with consumption and waste. Moreover, impound- 

 ing reservoirs and dams are grouped with service 

 reservoirs, tanks, and house cisterns ; whilst the 

 filtration, purification, and softening of water, are con- 

 sidered before the preliminar)- process of conveyance 

 from the source of supply by aqueducts and conduits. 

 Though the grouping of dissimilar subjects has been 

 avoided in " The Water-Supply of Towns " by the 

 multiplication of chapters, the natural sequence of pro- 

 cesses has not been always maintained ; for the chapters 

 on pumping machinery, and the flow of water in conduits 

 and open channels, follow after the chapters on purifi- 

 cation ; whereas the flow of water is intimately connected 

 with the conveyance of the supply from impounding 

 reservoirs; and purification and softening are mote needed 

 for waters pumped out of rivers, or from wells, than 

 for waters impounded in a reservoir in a mountainous un- 

 inhabited district. In this book, however, the descriptions 

 of water-meters are given in the chapter on the prevention 

 of waste of water, to which subject they properly belong ; 

 and cisterns are referred to in this connection, as well as 

 in relation to distribution. 



The most notable difference between these two books 

 consists in the use made of mathematical calculations 

 and formulx. Prof. Burton rarely introduces any 

 formulae, contenting himself, in the case of high masonry 

 dams, with diagrams of the theoretical profiles proposed 

 by Prof Rankine and Mr. Wergmann, in addition to the 

 actual sections of the Vyrnwy dam in Wales, and the 

 Tytam dam at Hong Kong ; whilst he refers his readers 

 to Fanning's " Treatise on Hydraulics and Water-works 

 Engineering " for formula; relating to the flow of water. 

 A less cursory treatment of these important subjects, in 

 relation to water-supply, might reasonably be expected in 

 a book which is stated, on its title-page, to be "a practical 

 treatise for the use of engineers and students of en- 

 gineering " ; but perhaps Prof. Burton exercised a wise 

 discretion in this matter, for in the calculation of the 

 cross-section of a stream, on page 28, he falls into an 

 obvious error in including the depths at both extremities 

 to obtain the average depth. The authors of "Water- 

 works Engineering," on the contrary, incline towards the 

 other extreme, and devote more attention to mathematical 

 solutions than to practical considerations. Some amount 

 of mathematical tre.itment is unquestionably expedient 

 in dealing with the flow of water and the design of 

 masonry dams ; and formula; based upon experience, 

 together with diagrams, furnish almost indispensable 

 aids in the consideration of these matters, and for their 

 practical application. It is, however, an undue extension 

 of the province of mathematics, in such a treatise, to use 

 them to prove that impalpably fine matter in suspension 

 in water would never fully settle (pp. 266-7), which is a 

 subject for physical experiment ; and the result would 

 vary with the nature of the material and its specific 

 gravity. Moreover, considering the uncertainties that 

 NO. 131 I, VOL. 51] 



exist as to the precise distribution of the pressures over 

 the masonry of a reservoir dam, it appears somewhat 

 superfluous to devote over two pages in calculations 

 proving that wind pressure against the outer face of a 

 masonry dam has only a very slight influence in modi- 

 fying the position of the line of resultant pressures, with 

 the reservoir empty, under the e.xceptional conditions of 

 a high wind blowing up the valley, and the reservoir 

 being empty. The somewhat free use of mathematical 

 processes, and the occasional introduction of the integral 

 calculus, will unfortunately be liable to deter persons, who 

 have not received a regular mathematical training, from 

 consulting " Water-works Engineering " ; though the 

 greater part of the book deals clearly and concisely with 

 the practical matters and works relating to this branch of 

 engineering. More frequent references to executed works, 

 by way of illustration, would have added interest to the 

 book, and would have served to exhibit the methods of 

 application of general principles, and their results ; but 

 the authors explain in their preface, that they considered 

 descriptions of works outside the scope of their book. 

 Owing doubtless to their having lived in cities supplied 

 from wells and impounding reservoirs, they condemn the 

 quality of river waters in stronger terms than the inhabi- 

 tants of London, deriving a large proportion of their 

 supply from the Thames, would be prepared to admit as 

 correct. They say : " The quality of river- water is seldom 

 unexceptionable, and is frequently bad. . . . Rivers are 

 generally charged with impurities of vegetable, animal, 

 and mineral origin, to such an extent as to render them 

 frequently a most desirable source of water for irrigation 

 purposes, but not for domestic supply.'' .\fter this it is 

 only a slight consolation to be told that, " still, by certain 

 processes, even the most unpromising river-water is often 

 rendered generally serviceable," especially as, shortly 

 after, they quote the statement of the Rivers Pollution 

 Commission of 1S68, that "there is no river in the 

 United Kingdom long enough to effect the destruction 

 by oxidation of sewage put into it at its source," and 

 add, in conclusion, that " the result of the aeration pro- 

 duced by even the Falls of Niagara is so insignificant as 

 to be insensible so far as regards any purifying eft'ect 

 upon the water." 



As the author of "The Water Supply of Towns'' is 

 Professor of Sanitary Engineering in the University of 

 Tokyo, he has naturally inserted some matters relating 

 more particularly to Japan, such as, for instance, certain 

 special provisions for the extinction of fires which are 

 very common in Japan, owing to the light construction 

 of the houses, and more especially the probable eflects 

 of earthquakes on water-works, and the precautions to 

 be taken against them. Most, however, of these special 

 matters have been relegated to foot-notes and an 

 appendix ; whilst some particulars of general interest 

 relating to the Tokyo water-works are given in the text. 



Both books contain a fairly complete exposition of the 

 principles relating to the water supply of towns, and a 

 general description of the construction of water-works ; 

 and they should both prove valuable to the engineer and 

 the student, in relation to this special branch of engineer- 

 ing. Whilst, however, the engineering student, who has 

 had the advantage of a mathematical and scientific 

 training, will doubtless prefer the more scientific metho 



