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A nut for the Philosophers
Queries and lgeplies, on the Rise of V~raler.
417
be a correspondi~ diminution, in flits pressure; but, there will also be a greatly increased load, from the a~ount of pump rod;i and~ al~o, an increased number of valves, to ol)en, and to become deranged. We &d not, however, set out to disc'Uss the merit ~)f ~his kin~t of pump, or of any ether, btlt to furnish some hydraulical didactics. Something niav, undoubtedly, be aceomiilished, in the improvement of pumps; "but~ we are ifist as well orevared to credit theae~ counts of'the'discovery of p~rpetual motion, "as those which a r e s o frequent/y_given, of hydraulic_ machines, enabling two or threi~niett,. . to perform as much work. as double that number, by the machinery now kno~vn. It is, certainly, not possible to procure, with the same power, one-third more water than we now c~fi, with our best'pump~'; Nearly, or quite, all that is to be hoped for, is to tesseri friction; to remove obstructions to the fi'ee passage of tile water, through :the~ valves, and to cause them to open and close, without loss of time i or of" water. With regard to the action of the atmosphere, we will merely re, mark, that we sometimes, and, indeed, generally, construct out"pumps so as to bring it into operation; but," such is the nature of the a]d which we derive from it, that, fbr every pound of water wkieh it fbrces, up by its. pres,~ure,, we must fi)rce a I)0uud of air, to the same height; and, ff we choose to lengthen our pump rod, so as to allow l!~e piston to be below the. surface of the w,/(er in the well, we may dismiss the atmosphere fi-om our service ; and, were it not for the neccs.~ity ef breathing whilst we are pumpinz, we should not, by so o. . . . . dom~, lessen the tacdlty wtth winch water would be obtained. •
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<2
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(~ueries and t~e2lies, res2Jeeting the Rise ~f Water, in certain situslions. Tier. subjoined queries and replies, appeared in the National Gazette, of this city, a few weeks since, and perhaps our readers may not think them unworthy of preservation, i.n cur pages. W h o cracked the nuts, is a question which we might answer, but this is a point of little importance, provided fhey be-well cracked; and fhat riley are so, is the opini'on ok' some~ who are able to judge in such ltlCe
CaSeS.
EZ~I'roR.
dl Nut for the Philosophers. The water, in the lower part of the city of New Brunswick, is what is commonly called brackish water3 it is unpleasant to the taste, and, in the opinion of some~ injurious to health. This has induced a few gentlemen in that part of" the city, to seek for a more pure supply, by tile modern practice efborin~for water. They selected their spet, perforated the earth, to~t}'le depth of two hundred and twenty feet, and then inserted, in tile perforation, a tube of one hundred feet in length, reaching down to a body of solid rock, called the red shell rvek. The upper end of the tube is inVoL. li¢-.~No. 6.--I)r:e~M1~E~, 18~7.~55
4.'18
Q~mriesantl R¢~lies~ on lhe Rise of Water.
elosed in a wooden pent-stock, fi'om which there issues a continual stream of water, of (I should think, without having measured it) frora half a gallon to a gallon, by the mimate. The tide regularly ebbs and flows, in the Raritan, and rises at tt~is, place, about six thet, a~d t e sur kt e of the g,'ouml, where the perforation is made, is elevated about eight feet above the high water mark. l,t this situation, the stream issuing from the pent-stock, corresponds cxaetl ~, and continuall , with the risinz anti fallinz of the tide, in the R~qtan. XVhen they tide is at ebb7 the stream is small; when it rises, the stream intreases~ and, when it is high, the ~tream is at its greatest ttow, varying, as about one to three~ at the different states of the tide. blow, the rising of the waterr in the tube, is, itself, a phenomenon, lint easily explained, upon the known principles of hydraulics. Can it col{ae from the river, when the point of discharge is from eight to fourteen feet above the surface of the water, in the river? And, if i t shoulA be atteml)ted to account for it, by supposing that it is conducted from higher grounds, by dipping strata of rock, or clay, or other substance impervious to water, and that, when such strata are perforated, at any given depth, the water pent u~p between them~ ,viii rise as high as its surface, in that confined state; does not this exclude the possibility of its having any communication with the river, or being in any way affected by it ? The {act is, as above stated. Can it be accounted for, upon any settled p:,inciple of philosophy ? If water can be had by bori]lg, in all situations, it is one of the greatest discoveries in modern times; and, if it has a tide in the bowels of the earth, it presents a pheno-. raenon~ unknown to philosophers~ both of aaci6nt and modern times. X.
5'oJ'l-Shelled dbnonds. "vVithou~ claimb~g lhe character of a lJhilosol~her, excepting in the original acceptation of the te~:)n, I will attempt to crack the nut hehl out t9 the fi'aternity, in the Gazette of the l~2th instant, in the article headed ./1 B~ttfor the Philosophers. The theory, o,', rather, the assumption, that water may be ob-. ialned, a~d made to flow above the surface, in all situations, is, I presnme, intended to be sustained by the facts adduced by X. respecting the flow of water, through a tube, elevated eight feet above *.he Raritan, at grunswi.ck, in New Jersey; much stronger facts than those stated, will, however, be necessary, before the received theory will t'equire additional support. We are told, that ti~e rising of the water in the tube, is a phenoIrtenon not easily explained, u port the known principles of hydraulics; I think differently, and, at all. events, do not expect to obtahl a clear explai~ation upon unknown principles. That the water maybe con(lucted from a higher situation, under ff dipping strata of l'oek~ or of tiny," api)ears to be admitted~, as, also, that, under such a state of ~.~ing~, by peril)rating the ¢onfini~g stratum, a flow of water would be obtained~ bub in the case in question~ we are told, that" the flo~v
417
be a correspondi~ diminution, in flits pressure; but, there will also be a greatly increased load, from the a~ount of pump rod;i and~ al~o, an increased number of valves, to ol)en, and to become deranged. We &d not, however, set out to disc'Uss the merit ~)f ~his kin~t of pump, or of any ether, btlt to furnish some hydraulical didactics. Something niav, undoubtedly, be aceomiilished, in the improvement of pumps; "but~ we are ifist as well orevared to credit theae~ counts of'the'discovery of p~rpetual motion, "as those which a r e s o frequent/y_given, of hydraulic_ machines, enabling two or threi~niett,. . to perform as much work. as double that number, by the machinery now kno~vn. It is, certainly, not possible to procure, with the same power, one-third more water than we now c~fi, with our best'pump~'; Nearly, or quite, all that is to be hoped for, is to tesseri friction; to remove obstructions to the fi'ee passage of tile water, through :the~ valves, and to cause them to open and close, without loss of time i or of" water. With regard to the action of the atmosphere, we will merely re, mark, that we sometimes, and, indeed, generally, construct out"pumps so as to bring it into operation; but," such is the nature of the a]d which we derive from it, that, fbr every pound of water wkieh it fbrces, up by its. pres,~ure,, we must fi)rce a I)0uud of air, to the same height; and, ff we choose to lengthen our pump rod, so as to allow l!~e piston to be below the. surface of the w,/(er in the well, we may dismiss the atmosphere fi-om our service ; and, were it not for the neccs.~ity ef breathing whilst we are pumpinz, we should not, by so o. . . . . dom~, lessen the tacdlty wtth winch water would be obtained. •
-
<2
.
(~ueries and t~e2lies, res2Jeeting the Rise ~f Water, in certain situslions. Tier. subjoined queries and replies, appeared in the National Gazette, of this city, a few weeks since, and perhaps our readers may not think them unworthy of preservation, i.n cur pages. W h o cracked the nuts, is a question which we might answer, but this is a point of little importance, provided fhey be-well cracked; and fhat riley are so, is the opini'on ok' some~ who are able to judge in such ltlCe
CaSeS.
EZ~I'roR.
dl Nut for the Philosophers. The water, in the lower part of the city of New Brunswick, is what is commonly called brackish water3 it is unpleasant to the taste, and, in the opinion of some~ injurious to health. This has induced a few gentlemen in that part of" the city, to seek for a more pure supply, by tile modern practice efborin~for water. They selected their spet, perforated the earth, to~t}'le depth of two hundred and twenty feet, and then inserted, in tile perforation, a tube of one hundred feet in length, reaching down to a body of solid rock, called the red shell rvek. The upper end of the tube is inVoL. li¢-.~No. 6.--I)r:e~M1~E~, 18~7.~55
4.'18
Q~mriesantl R¢~lies~ on lhe Rise of Water.
elosed in a wooden pent-stock, fi'om which there issues a continual stream of water, of (I should think, without having measured it) frora half a gallon to a gallon, by the mimate. The tide regularly ebbs and flows, in the Raritan, and rises at tt~is, place, about six thet, a~d t e sur kt e of the g,'ouml, where the perforation is made, is elevated about eight feet above the high water mark. l,t this situation, the stream issuing from the pent-stock, corresponds cxaetl ~, and continuall , with the risinz anti fallinz of the tide, in the R~qtan. XVhen they tide is at ebb7 the stream is small; when it rises, the stream intreases~ and, when it is high, the ~tream is at its greatest ttow, varying, as about one to three~ at the different states of the tide. blow, the rising of the waterr in the tube, is, itself, a phenomenon, lint easily explained, upon the known principles of hydraulics. Can it col{ae from the river, when the point of discharge is from eight to fourteen feet above the surface of the water, in the river? And, if i t shoulA be atteml)ted to account for it, by supposing that it is conducted from higher grounds, by dipping strata of rock, or clay, or other substance impervious to water, and that, when such strata are perforated, at any given depth, the water pent u~p between them~ ,viii rise as high as its surface, in that confined state; does not this exclude the possibility of its having any communication with the river, or being in any way affected by it ? The {act is, as above stated. Can it be accounted for, upon any settled p:,inciple of philosophy ? If water can be had by bori]lg, in all situations, it is one of the greatest discoveries in modern times; and, if it has a tide in the bowels of the earth, it presents a pheno-. raenon~ unknown to philosophers~ both of aaci6nt and modern times. X.
5'oJ'l-Shelled dbnonds. "vVithou~ claimb~g lhe character of a lJhilosol~her, excepting in the original acceptation of the te~:)n, I will attempt to crack the nut hehl out t9 the fi'aternity, in the Gazette of the l~2th instant, in the article headed ./1 B~ttfor the Philosophers. The theory, o,', rather, the assumption, that water may be ob-. ialned, a~d made to flow above the surface, in all situations, is, I presnme, intended to be sustained by the facts adduced by X. respecting the flow of water, through a tube, elevated eight feet above *.he Raritan, at grunswi.ck, in New Jersey; much stronger facts than those stated, will, however, be necessary, before the received theory will t'equire additional support. We are told, that ti~e rising of the water in the tube, is a phenoIrtenon not easily explained, u port the known principles of hydraulics; I think differently, and, at all. events, do not expect to obtahl a clear explai~ation upon unknown principles. That the water maybe con(lucted from a higher situation, under ff dipping strata of l'oek~ or of tiny," api)ears to be admitted~, as, also, that, under such a state of ~.~ing~, by peril)rating the ¢onfini~g stratum, a flow of water would be obtained~ bub in the case in question~ we are told, that" the flo~v