Chapter III
The Manner of fixing the engine for water-mills, palaces, and gentlemen seats anddraining fence, and supplying houses with water in general.


  1. For mills. The engine must be made proportioned according to the quantity of water todrive the mill you would make use of. Now suppose you would make a mill on a plain place,where will have only a pond, and a small spring of water no bigger than a quill then you mustbuild your millhouse thirty six foot high, in which you may make fort of which house without,may be placed your Water-wheel of thirty four foot diameter. For the height of either house orwheel, I would confine no more then what is common enough. Under the wheel I would have apond, and on the top of the house a cistern of wood, lined with lead. The engine may be fixed inan corner of the mill-mouse, 20, 21, 22 feet or more from the level of the pond: There twoboilers must be fixed, as shown you in the draught for fixing the engine; and round each of themit is convenient to have a Hoop of Iron, with straps coming from them . Your clicks and pipes inthe front being supported and strengthen them.


  2. For palaces or the nobility or gentlemen's houses, you may fix the engine in any remoteor cut room, whose floor is not above twenty foot from the level of your water, and you maycontinue your force pipe to the top of your house, with a convenient cistern to hold your water. Into which lay the pipes which may convey the water as you want it, either for pleasure orcommon occasions. This way of cisterns on the top of your houses or palaces, would be ofsingular use in case of fire, as is said before as for in every stair case a pipe may go down thecorner, or behind the wainscot, so as to be no blemish even to the finest of stair cases. At everyfloor there may be a turn cock with a screw, at the utmost end, have like wise a small leatherpipe, kept well oiled, in a cup-board or cavity in your wall, which may not be seen, but on theopening some part of the wainscot; or such other contrivance as the ingenious builder shall thinkfit to make use of. This pipe of leather


    Must be long enough to reach from the landing place or stair head, in all rooms dependingthereon. One end of this pipe has a screw to fit the cock in the other pipe; and at the other end apipe like the nose of a pair of bellows. So that wherever, those under a bed, or the remotest partof any room in the house, the fire breaks out, or is discovered, any servant having screwed thepipe to the cock, stops the nozzle with his thumbs, where till he comes to the fire, immediatelyextinguishes it , being liable to be instantly used I think a house, palace, etc. that has thisinvention, may be said to be morally out of danger of being destroyed , or so far injured asWhitehall and Kensington have been within a few years. This command of water must beallowed to be of vast advantage to any house whatsoever. Where brewing, washing, etc. is used,The copper standing high, may be filled as easy as if it stood low, by which means, the hot liquormay be contrived to go to all your coolers, and other vessels, either by a cyphon, stop-cock, etc.Without the hand-labor of pumping or bailing with buckets. But more conveniences then we canat present foresee, will be discovered in the use of this engine, for palaces, houses, etc.


  3. For fence, and the like, it is convenient that these engines be made very large: For at allsmall heights, a small quantity of fire will deliver prodigious quantities of water. For suppose weforce but thirty foot, and suck twenty foot, if the boiler does but fill the vessels called receivers,with steam strong enough to counterpoise or exceed the force of the atmosphere, or spring of thecommon air , it will discharge them at so small a height as thirty foot force, in a very little time: and the steam having very little force or spring in one of the vessels, while the other isdischarged. Now inasmuch as the fire being more or less adds nothing to the suction, I thinksuch lists, being seldom above thirty six foot, under six foot, all the directions farther needful forfixing the engine for this use, is in all lifts under twenty four foot, to place your water into aconvenient trough or lander, to be carried off at the most proper place for its discharge. If it beany height above twenty four foot you have nothing to do but to continue the length of yourforce-pipe to the height required. It ought to have a shed or covering round it, and to be placed atthe lowest place of your Fein or Bog, as other engines designed for that purpose commonly are.


    As for fixing the engine in ships when they may be thought probably useful, when theymay be thought probably useful, I question not but we may find convenience enough for fixingthem.


    In mines and coal-pits the manner of fixing the engines is this, this your pit being funk,and a sump or proper well or bottom cistern, made to receive the water coming from the severalfeeders or springs. Supposing an engine carrying 31/4 inch bore, is to be fixed to deliver waterabout seventy foot high, constant running a full bore; in your shaft or pit, which, together withyour shaft or pit is nine foot out of one side, and five out of another perpendicular nine foot,making a small floor or platform of boards over that part of the shaft which goes down to yoursump or bottom cistern, so you have a complete room big enough for your engine, where ten ortwelve people may stand on occasion. This floor may be about eighteen, nineteen, or twenty footfrom the water at the lowest you ever will draw the water into the sump or bottom cistern. Ifyour ground be loose, 'tis convenient to line this room with brick; if rock , it may support it itself. But in this the miners judgement must direct him. That the engine will stand best in the side ofthe pit, where most is digged away, you may fee in the second figure of the engine, being fixedwith cramps of iron, wood, or such material as are convenient , to the side of the pit or shaft, soas to make it stand as firm as the very shaft it self. Your furnace must be so contrived, that yourflame take a turn or two round each of the boilers, which any bricklayer, used to furnaces, cando; it being contiguous to the wall of the furnaces, and the boilers, round them both like a screw orworm; which being contagious to the wall of the furnaces, and the boilers, makes it as it were aworm funnel round them both; from whence you may continue your chimney to the top of yourwork, which you fasten to the corners as you please, either with iron or wood, or both accordingto the nature of the ground. And wherever you make a sudden bent or hook near a right angle inthe chimney, have a loose brick or stone, to take out the soot, if any should settle in long workingit may do.


continue to next page

>continue to next page

>continue to next page

>continue to next page