186 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



Commnication to the Virginia State Agricultural Society. 



TIDE GATE. 



[The following is the description of a Tidegate, submitted to the committee of awards on that 

 subject, at the Society's third annual exhibition, on which was awarded the premium of twenty 

 dollars.] 



DESCRIPTION 



In the drawing, (b. b. b. b.) represents 

 the embankment, which excludes the tide 

 or other back-water, (a.) is the trunk, pro- 

 jecting several feet on the outside of the 

 embankment, and closed by a sliding gate, 

 (c.) is a box attached to the gate, designed 

 to be filled with rocks, so as to regulate its 

 weight and make it sink more readily into 

 the water, (e.) is a horizontal beam, freely 

 vibrating upon the top of the post (d.) by 

 the pivot (h.), and is connected at one ex- 

 tremity, to the shaft of the gate, and at 

 the other extremity, to a float (f.) of light 

 wood. The weight of the float should be 

 considerably greater than that of the gate, 

 so as to overbalance the gate, and make it 

 ascend as the float descends. The float is 

 kept in its place by smoothe stakes (g. g. g.) 

 driven into the ground around it, with suffi- 

 cient play so as to allow it to move up and 

 down readily when moved by the tides or 

 back water. 



The " modus operandi" of the apparatus 

 will be seen at a glance. The float being 

 suspended at the lowest convenient point, 

 and immediately at the edge of the stream, 

 will rise with the tide or freshet, and the 

 gate, thus gradually losing its counterpoise, 

 will begin to descend by reason of its own 

 weight, and the weight of the box of stones 



OF TIDEGATE. 



attached to it. The improvement in this 

 tidegate consists in a long smooth shaft at- 

 tached to the gate, and a horizontal cross 

 bar, just above the gate, through wlhich bar 

 the shaft works, thus giving steadiness to 

 the gate and causing it to descend with pre- 

 cision. In the original, exhibited last year, 

 the gate would lean to one side or the other 

 and its lower corners would thus wedge 

 against the sides of the trunk, thus inter- 

 rupting its free descent. But the improve- 

 ment entirely obviates this defect, for the 

 cross bar and shaft will always keep the gate 

 perpendicular, and necessarily make its 

 motion smooth and regular. 



The recommendations of this tidegate, 

 are its cheapness, its simplicity of construc- 

 tion, its long lasting, and the ease with 

 which it is kept in repair. There is only 

 one moveable joint (h.) and this is above the 

 reach of the salt water which would soon 

 render useless all working joints with which 

 it came into contact. This improved gate 

 is believed to be much superior to the ori- 

 ginal, and to be fully adapted to all the pur- 

 poses for which it was designed, and in.this 

 belief, is most respectfully submitted to the 

 committee of award by their humble ser- 

 vant, the designer, James T. Redd. 



Henrico County, October 25, 1855. 



