FURNACE. 143 
Atmc as it would be, were the velTel a perfect cylinder, 
twenty feet high, -UKi three feet in diameter throughout, 
and tilled with water; and this predure is exerted, not 
only ill a downward direction upon the bottom of tlic vef- 
fcl, but, by the peculiar property of fluids, is alfo exerted 
with the fame power at equal depths, upwards, laterally, 
and in all directions. It is of no confequence whether the 
tube be perpendicular or inclined ; the prelfure being aU 
ways in proportion to the abfolute height of the fluid, 
and the bafe againfl which it prefTes, whatever the form 
of the velTel or tube may be. This altonilhing property 
of fluid bodies is cal led i\\e hydrollatic paradox \ and, though 
long known to feientifle men, has hitherto been thought 
incapable of being applied to machinery with mechanical 
advantage. But, having difeovered a method of bringing 
it into eft'eCf, it is in the application thereof, under an in¬ 
definite variety of forms, that the principle of my inven¬ 
tion confifts. 
“ Suppofe a ftream of water to run from the fide ofa hill, 
or other elevated fituation, into a tube communicating 
with the top and bottom of a cylinder, fuppofe three feet 
in diameter, in whicli is a moveable pifton, water-tight, 
with a rod working through a ftuffing-box, alfo water¬ 
tight. If, by means of a cock or valve, the communica¬ 
tion be opened for the water to pafs into the cylinder be¬ 
low the pifton, while the communication with the part 
above the pifton is cut oft' by another cock or valve, th.e 
water will force the pifton up; and, by Ihutting the cock 
or valve below, and opening that above, the pifton will 
be forced down again. Whenever the pifton defeends, 
the water below it pafl'es off" through a pipe at the bottom 
of tlie cylinder; and, wlien the pifton afeends, the water 
above it paftes oft' through a pipe at the top of the cylin¬ 
der, the cocks or valves of vyhich pipes are p'revioufly 
opened for that purpofe. And thus the pifton is worked 
alternately upward and downward, with a power equal to 
5368 lb. if the water in the tube be ten feet high ; with a 
power equal to 10737 lb. if it be twenty feet high; with 
a power equal to 214751b. if it be forty feet high ; andj 
with a power equal to 536S9lb. if it be one hundred feet 
liigh; the power increafing in arithmetical proportion, 
according to the altitude of the water in the tube ; and 
in geometrical proportion, according to the diameter or 
furface of the bafe againft which the water prefl'es. On 
this principle, the pifton-rod, by being connected in the 
ufual way with machinery of any kind, will aC't upon it 
with great advantage; being applicable to blaft furnaces, 
to mills of every defeription, to cranes for raifing and 
lowering goods, &c. to pumps, prefTes, and all other 
machinery where power is required. 
“ The above defeription is given on a fuppofition that 
the water, which works the pifton of the cylinder, runs 
away either wholly or partially in wafte. But the follow¬ 
ing defeription fhews how the fame water may be returned 
back, fo as to work the machine over and over again, 
and, confequently, how the principle of this invention 
may be applied in all fituations, even where there is no 
natural fall of water. In addition to the before-men¬ 
tioned cylinder, let there be provided a fecond cylin¬ 
der, fuppofe four feet in diameter, with a pifton, water¬ 
tight, the rod of which communicates motion' to any 
other machinery: upon this pifton let there be placed 
weights equal to 20282 lb. The pifton being down, w'ith 
this great weight upon it, is railed in the following man¬ 
ner. At the bottom of this fecond cylinder a tube is in¬ 
fected, the lower part of which may be of iron, or other 
Itrong materials, and the reft of leather, for the conveni¬ 
ence of bending. The upper end of this tube terminates 
in a large cup or refervoir, capable of holding as much 
water as will fill the cylinder at the bottom of the tube; 
and the cup, fo fitted to the end of the tube, is placed at 
the top of a wheel, which we will fuppofe to be twenty 
feet or more above the cylinder, and of a diameter fufii- 
cient to anfwer the under-mentioned purpofe. Pour wa¬ 
ter into the cup, and it will defeend through the tube 
into the cylinder below tiie pifton, which will be immedi¬ 
ately forced up, fay two, three, or more feet, together 
with the weight of 202821b. upon it. The pifton being 
elevated, the cylinder is now full of water, as is the tube 
up to the bottom of the cup, which itielf is empty. Iri 
order to difcliarge the water from this fecond cylinder, 
and permit the pifton to be again deprefl'ed, the wheel, 
by a conneiSiing rod, or other medium pafling between it 
and the pifton of the firft cylinder while at work, is caufed 
to make half a revolution; by which motion, the empty 
cup, together with the upper end of the tube, is lowered 
to the bottom of the wheel ; and, confequently, tf.e prel¬ 
fure of the water, againft the under part of the pifton of 
the fecond cylinder, is fo far taken off, that the great 
weight of 202S2lb. upon the pifton, prefTes it downv.'ard, 
and urges the water out of the cylinder, threugh the tube 
into the cup; which cup is again elevated to its former 
pofition by another half revolution of the wlieel, eifected 
as before by the pifton-rod of the firft cylinder; and loon, 
alternately, without any lofs of water in the fecond cy¬ 
linder. The wafte water from the firft cylinder may run 
into a refervoir, and be railed thence to its former fitua¬ 
tion, by the aiftion of the pifton in the fecond cylinder, 
working a pump or other engine, befides having fufficient 
power to drive other machinery. The elev.ition and de- 
preliion of the cup and upper end of the tube may alfo be 
effedted in a variety of other ways, as by a man or a horfe 
working it ; but the method here deferibed is fufficient 
to explain this part of the principle of my invention, 
which confifts in applying and taking oft', in certain re¬ 
quired proportions, the prelTure of water in the cylinder, 
by alternately elevating and deprefting the upper end of 
the tube, on the altitude of which fall of water depends 
the momentum of the power produced. Or, the fame 
eft'eft may be produced by fubftituting a lieavy roiling 
weight, fuppofe of nine tons, inftead of the fecond cylinder 
with its apparatus: this weight, by means of the pifton 
rod of the firft cylinder, is to be made to roll wiihinftde 
the arch of a large wheel, like that of a crane, backwards 
and forwards, over the centre of a balance, the frame¬ 
work of which is fo contrived as to keep the rolling 
weight always on the fame level, while the balance moves 
freely up and down. 
“ In theabove deferiptions, no allowance is made forrhe 
fri6fion of the piftons in the two cylinders, as is ufual in 
other machines ; for, having invented a method of work¬ 
ing the piftons without any fridftion at all, I apply the 
power thereby faved to tlte a6tual working of the machi¬ 
nery itfelf; and, therefore, the laid meihod of working 
witliout fridtion is confidered as a part of my invention, 
and is deferibed as follows. Let the pifton be fitted to 
the cylinder, but neither air nor water tight, fo that it 
may Hide up and down without any fridlion. Tlie upper 
and under part of tl'.e pifton mull be lined with leather, 
or any other fubltance that is water-tight; which leather, 
or other fubftaiice, muft be continued from the pifton, 
when elevated, down to th.e bottom of the cylinder, and, 
when deprelTed, to the top of the cylinder, in the form 
of a bag on each fide of the pifton: the extreme ends of 
botli bags muft be well faftened to the cylinder, leaving 
the Tides loofe, and free to fall in folds, during tlie afcciit 
and defeent-of the pifton. Now, when tiie water i uihes 
into either end of the cylinder, it entersthe cavity of one 
of thefe bags, and, preliing againft the pifton, endeavours 
indeed to force the bag through the infenfible fpace be¬ 
tween the edge of the pifton and the cylinder; but, it 
being impoffible for the bag to pafs that way, without 
being doubled and alfo incloling a portion of the water,' 
and the pifton being fitted to the cylinder fo clofely as 
not to admit even the fubltance of th.e bag fingly, much 
lels doubly and with a portion of water incloled, tlie con¬ 
fequence is, that the pifton rifes and falls without any 
fritlion at all; and yet the water is prevented from pal- 
fing between the pifton and cylinder. Thus, the power 
vvhich is u.'ually loft by tbe frictioa of the pifton, is here 
I completely 
