214 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



correctly. Measurements in open water with a rule 

 would vary much more. 



The Riverside box is shown in figures 7 and 8. 

 It consists of a shallow box set over the end of the 

 delivery pipe line. The water enters through the bot- 

 tom of the box and is measured out through an adjust- 

 able cast-iron measuring plate in the end. The open- 

 ing in this plate is 5 inches high 

 and by moving the iron slide 

 gates it can be varied in width up 

 to 14 inches. With this gate, 

 however, there is no provision 

 for holding a constant head or 

 pressure above the opening. The 

 top of the plate is 4 inches above 

 the center of the opening. Thus 

 if the slides are set so as to hold 

 the water surface at the top of 

 this plate the discharge in inches 

 will equal the area of the open- 

 ing in square inches. The area 

 of the opening is the width in 

 inches multiplied by 5. Marks 

 one inch apart are 



Fig. 8 Photograph of Riverside measuring box. 



made on the plate 

 to assist in meas- 

 uring the width. 

 The method of 

 carrying the 

 measured water 

 away is not shown 

 on the drawing 

 but is shown in 

 the photograph. 

 The water is 

 usually dropped 

 into another pipe 

 system to be dis- 

 tributed for use. 

 Care should be 

 taken so to place 

 the outlet cham- 

 ber that water 

 passing through 

 the gate will al- 

 ways have a free 

 fall. 



The Riverside box is made 

 of concrete 4 inches thick and 

 contains 18.4 cubic feet of con- 

 crete. The concrete can be made 

 of 1 part cement, 3 parts sand, 

 and 4 parts of gravel not larger 

 than \y 2 inches in diameter. 

 This will require 3 sacks of ce- 

 ment for the box. The box 

 can be made with a cover as 

 shown in the drawing. The 

 plates containing the orifice can 

 be purchased already made. The 

 forms for making the concrete 

 walls are simple as there are no 

 curves and all sides are vertical. The cost of the plate 

 is $2.25, the concrete will cost from $3.50 to $5.00 for 

 material, forms, and labor, and the cover will cost 

 about $1.50 more. These boxes are made and installed 

 by the company for $10.00. 



In the tests of this device the average difference 



Fig. 9 Drawing of Foote inch box. 



Fig. 10 Photograph of Foote inch box 



between the number of inches actually received and 

 the area in square inches of the opening was about 2 

 per cent. Some of these tests gave more and some 

 less than the measured amounts. For all tests the 

 area in square inches of the opening averaged 1 per 

 cent greater than the inches actually received. The 

 tests show that where care is used to adjust the width 

 of the opening to the amount 

 running this box will measure 

 water very closely. 



While the Riverside box is 

 of the type used on underground 

 pipe systems, the measuring plate 

 used in it 'can be set in open 

 ditches if desired. The box is 

 sufficiently large so that the water 

 passes through it without much 

 agitation and can be brought to 

 the top of the opening plate quite 

 closely. There will generally be 

 some leakage around the slides 

 but these can be wedged tight if 

 necessary. The box shown will 

 measure amounts 

 up to 75 inches. 

 The Foote inch 

 box is shown in 

 figures 9 and 10. 

 It consists 'of a 

 box having two 

 principal parts, 

 the larger part be- 

 ing merely a sec- 

 tion of flume set 

 in the main chan- 

 nel of the supply 

 lateral and the 

 smaller a spill and 

 measuring cham- 

 ber. On one side 

 of this smaller 

 portion there is a 

 discharge opening 

 in which a slide 

 moves horizontal- 

 ly. The other 

 side of this side box or flume is 

 a spillway. Gates are arranged 

 as shown at the upper end so that 

 water can be 'turned into this 

 side box as desired. This is done 

 by putting in as many flash 

 boards across the supply lateral 

 as are needed to crowd the water 

 into the side box. The slide on the 

 miner's inch opening is then set 

 so that the water in this side box 

 stands level with the crest of the 

 spillway. The crest of this spill- 

 way is placed 4 inches above the 

 center of the opening is 4 inches 

 high. Thus when the water 

 stands level with the spillway the width of the open- 

 ing of the slide multiplied by four gives the number 

 of inches flowing. 



This box does not require much fall in the supply 

 lateral. The crest of the spillway should be set so 

 (Continued on page 223) 





