62 
D R A I 
the draw with which the drain was filled, an arch of fuf- 
ficient ftrength to fupport the incumbent weight of the 
foil, and the cafual traffic of the field. In twelve or 
eighteen months, it may be obferved, that the firaw, be¬ 
ing of one uniform fubftance, is all rotted and carried 
away, leaving a clear pipe through the land in every 
drain, for the w ater to run off. But the lateft and befl 
improvement in filling hollow drains with firaw, is that 
of twilling the firaw into a rope, defcribed as follows : 
“The common pradlice of filling drains is-to tread in 
loofe draw ; but Mr. Bedwell has invented a method of 
winding it into a hard rope, as large as a man’s arm, 
which he forces to the bottom of the drains, and finds 
from experience, copied fuccefsfully by his neighbours, 
to convey the water off more readily, and to have much 
longer duration; at the fame time the quantity of firaw 
confumed is not increafed, and the operation of filling ac¬ 
celerated. After the cattle have picked it over, he finds 
the firaw tougher, and in better order to twift, than when 
quite dry and frelh.” The machine for twilling the firaw 
is upon the fame principle with that ufed by the rope- 
makers. This.invention of twilling the firaw into ropes, 
has fuggefled a very excellent method of forming drains 
in ftiff adhefive lands, without any other material. The 
method is, firfi to open the drains with the duke of 
Bridgewater’s plough : then, with the draining fpade 
open a triangular pipe or fough in the ground below. 
This is to be laid with three large firaw ropes, one at 
bottom, and two over, placed longitudinally ; then clay, 
trampled in upon thefe ropes, completes the drain. See 
a feflion of if in the engraving, at fig. 7. 
With refpeft to the common implements ufed in drain¬ 
ing, they are fo fimple and fo well known, that it is need- 
lefs to deferibe them ; but thole of more modern inven¬ 
tion, as now ufed in Mr. Elkington’s pradlice, it will be 
extremely neceffary to explain. Thefe are alfo very few, 
and very fimple, confiding only of a large ftrong fteel 
chifel ; a fliarp-pointed punch ; a perpendicular borer or 
auger, lengthened by rods; and an horizontal auger, in 
many cafes, is an indifpenfable afiiftant to the other. 
The perpendicular augur or borer, ufed in modern drain¬ 
ing, is nearly fimilar to that made ufe of in fearching for 
coal or other minerals. This inftrument is from two and 
a half to three and a half inches in diameter ; the hollow 
part of it one foot four inches in length, and conftrudfed 
nearly in the fhape of the wimble ufed by carpenters; 
only in this the Tides of the Ihell come clofer to one ano¬ 
ther. The rods are made in feparate pieces, of four feet 
long each, and ferew into one another, to any afiignable 
length, or as the depth of the hole requires. The fize 
above the auger is about an inch fquare, unlefs at the 
joints, where, for the fake of ftrength, they are a quarter 
of an inch more. The chifel and punch are alfo made 
to ferew into the fame rods, and are deftined to cut their 
way through hard gravel, or metallic fubftances, to acce¬ 
lerate and prepare the paffage of the auger, which could 
not otherwife perforate"fuch hard bodies. The punch is 
often ufed when the auger is not applied, to prick or open 
the fand or gravel, and give a more ready iffue to the 
water. The chifel is an inch and a half or two inches 
wide, and made very lharp. There is a fhitting handle 
of wood adapted to the auger, and fattened with two iron 
wedges, for the purpofe of turning round the reds in bor¬ 
ing, and alfo iron keys for ferewing and unferewing the 
rods, and for affifting the handle when the foil is very 
ftiff, and requires more than two men to turn it. The 
manner of uling it is thus : in working it, two or three 
men are neceffary. Two ftand_above, on each fide of the 
drain, who turn it round by means of the wooden handle; 
and when the auger is full, they draw it out, and the man 
in the bottom of the drain clears out the earth, afiifis in 
pulling it out, and direding it into the hole again, and 
can alio afiift in turning with the iron handle or key, when 
She depth and length of the rods require additional force 
N I N G. 
to perform the operation. The workmen fhould be cau¬ 
tious, in boring, not to go deeper at a time, without 
drawing, than the exad length of the Ihell, otherwife 
the earth, clay, or fand, through which it is boring, after 
'the Ihell is full, makes it very difficult to pull out. Flat 
boards, with a hole cut through, and laid over the drain, 
in time of boring, are very ufeful for direding the rods 
in going down perpendicularly, for keeping them Heady 
in boring, and for the men to (land upon when performing 
the operation. A hollow fpade, made of oak timber, 
and fcooped out in the middle, is uled in foft peat foils, 
being light and eafy, to throw the mould out of the 
trench. They are made of iron, in the fame ffiape alfo, 
for throwing out clay or tough foil. A crook-handled 
fpade or Iliovel, having the edges turned up, is well 
adapted for fmoothing the bottom of the drain before 
laying the fough, and with which the workmen have lefs 
occafion to ftoop. As the molt ufual opening of the fough 
is fix inches fquare, a piece-of wood of that fize, and one 
yard in length, is very ufeful for laying in the bottom of 
the drain, and building the ftones on each fide of it, and 
which can be fnifted forward as the workman proceeds in 
forming the drain. The moll material of thefe imple¬ 
ments are delineated in the engraving, viz. fig. 8, the 
chifel; 9, the punch ; 10, a four-feet length of the auger 
rod, made to ferew on; it, the auger, for boring per¬ 
pendicularly from the bottom of the drains; 12, the 
wooden handle and wedges ; 13, the iron key. Fig. 14, 
is the horizontal auger, a very ingenious inftrument, lately 
invented by Mr. Ffaford, of Hathern, in I.eicefterlhire. 
The advantages cf it are in many cafes conliderable, by 
faving the expence of digging or cutting, and performing 
the work in a fhorter time. Where a drain or water-courfe 
is intended to pafs under a, bank, road, wall, or rivulet, 
it may be ufed to advantage in excavating a fufficient 
paffage for the water, without opening a trench. In lay¬ 
ing leaden pipes'for the conveyance of water, it is alfo 
extremely ufeful, by making a hole in which the pipe 
may be laid, without opening a trench on purpofe. For 
tapping fprings, or finding water at the bottom of a hill, 
eitherfor thefupply of ahoufe, or for draining the ground, 
it may be ufed with fuccefs, as the water of the fpring 
will flow more eafily, and in greater abundance, through 
a horizontal perforation, than through a perpendicular 
outlet. The manner of ufing it is thus : fuppofe a lake 
or pond, furrounded with high banks, is to be emptied ; 
if the ground declines lower on the oppofite fide, find the 
level of the botom of the water, and trace that level to 
the face of the bank where the perforation is to be made. 
There fmooth the furface of the ground, fo as to place 
the frame nearly level, with the auger pointing a little 
upwards. It requires two men to turn the handles at top, 
in order to work it. When the auger Ihell is full, the 
rods are drawn back by reverfing the lower handle ; and 
rodsareadded at the joint, whenever the diftance requires. 
In boring through a bank of the hardeft clay, two men 
will work through from thirty to forty feet in a day, pro¬ 
vided there be no interruption from hard ftones, which 
will require a chifel to be fixed on in place cf the Ihell, 
and longer time to work through. The parts of this 
machine, as delineated on the plate, are as follow : AA, 
frame groved within, eight feet ten inches. BB, ends of 
the frame, two feet ten inches, through which the ferew 
and augur pafs. CC, bottom of the carriage to which 
the uprights are fixed. DDDD, upright ftandards, four 
feet high. E, fpindle, two feet ten inches long. F, Up¬ 
per cog wheel with ten teeth. G, lo wer cog wheel with 
twenty-four teeth. H, main wheel with thirty-two teeth. 
I, the main ferew, fix feet three inches. K, the auger, 
fix feet long, and three inches and a half in diameter. 
L, winch and roller for reverfing the rods. M, two con- 
tright or fide wheels, with twenty-four cogs each, upon 
which the two handles are fixed. N, joint for lengthen¬ 
ing the rods. 
We 
