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Artesian Wells.—E lectric Clock. 405 
The process employed by M. Kind is an improvement on the Chinese 
method of percussion. A cylindrical rod of wood, is made of sticks of 
young pines, ten meters in length, united by sockets of iron fitted with 
screws. The quantity of iron added to each piece is just that required 
to counterbalance the water. As water is encountered ata depth of 
or 30 meters, and it continues to fill the hole, it results that the 
shaft, which, whatever its length, is thus made to equal the water in 
weight, has relatively almost no weight, so that it is moved by a small 
force ; and being made of pieces of wood put end to end, its strength 
is very great. The extremity of this rod carries a grapple at bottom 
which opens as it descends, and then closes when it is raised by means 
of a parallelogram connected at its angles with two cords, which cords 
rests a drill weighing 1800 kilograms, quite similar in form to that used 
for pounding and drilling rocks, but armed below with seven teeth of 
cast steel twenty-five centimeters long, fitted to drive into the bed of 
rock and break or abrade it. The drill has a shank above by which it 
may be seized and lifted. 
The mode of operating is as follows:—With a steam-engine of 
twenty-four horse power, working a horizontal balance beam, the rod 
of wood is let down. The grapple at its bottom closes, seizing the 
handle of the drill; it then rises, lifting the drill toa height of some 
pa 
in less than a quarter of an hour. They are then refitted, and the 
drill is replaced by a bucket having a valve below which is opened _ 
closed also by the aid of the cords and the grapple; the bucket 
opens below, and being pushed by the piston, penetrates into the pasty 
mass and fills, after which the valve is closed, and the whole is drawn 
up, and the drill again sent down. . 
As it traverses different strata, specimens are taken, and thus a true 
geological section of the basin of Paris is obtained. steam engine 
of thirty horse power is sufficient for all the work, and the number of 
workmen required is only six, costing each day 49 francs. The teeth 
of the borer are rapidly worn in quartz; they lose nearly two centi- 
Fey in two hours work. The mean expense of boring is per meter 
39 “ 
if. 
Electric clock.—The city of Marseilles has undertaken to establish 
2 complete system of electric clocks. One hundred clocks will be set 
up by the Ist of May. The arrangements require the laying of 40,000 
meters of conducting wire. The clocks will be placed in the street gas 
lamps, so that the hour may be read at night as wellas by day. The 
_ Whole will cost only 22,000 francs, and the care and supply of them 
