The Sun.
London, England, 1836-10-05 00:00:00

WATER TANKS•

As the success of the machinery for draining the m' nos
in this county sometimes deprives both men and cattle 0;
that supply of good water which contributes to health aric!
comfort, it was suggested at the late meeting of the Royal
Cornwall Polytechnic Society, that this might be
reme-
died by tanks similar to nine which had proved eminently
useful during the late three dry summers on the Suss"
property of Davies Gilbert, Esq., the President of this Scr
re
ciety. As these tanks are cheaply and easily constructed
and not liable to decay like wooden vessels, and as
its
ia
enough falls on every house in England for the use
waterd
of
inhabitants, no family would be deficient in good soft
who made a tank to retain it ; and such tanks being pave
over, take up no room.
The tanks at East Bourn vary in size ; one Ove less than.lies
seven feet deep and wide has served two labourers' :fami
for three years, whilst most of the springs in the neighhorir•
hood were dry.
A tank twelve feet by seven is sufficient to supplY
water a large family and six horses ; this was surrounid decd
only four and half inch brick work resting solid against
the sides, in consequence of being smaller at the bottom
than higher up ; and the dome is constructed on the
Egyptian plan, by projecting horizontally each row of mg:
terials one-third of their length beyond those below, ana
filling up the back with earth as it proceeded, to balance
the weight of this projecting masonry.
At the East Bourn workhouse for 14 parishes a tank
re
has been made, 23 feet deep by 11 wide, of the roughest or
terials, being only flint stones, and though they require mo
mortar than if they had been regularly shaped, only
bushels of lime were allowed, including two coats of plaister,
and the workmanship is executed like field walls at 108'
per 100 square feet, the only essential being that No clay
be used (which worms bore through) and that the lime or
Parker's cement be good. * * * * *
Upwards of 20 labourers' gardens have been watered by
the rain which formerly injured the public road, and Was
therefore turned into a sink well, which sink well was en-
larged and surrounded by nine inch masonry, and the water
is drawn up by a cast-iron curb. This water was used in
planting potatoes, and occasioned good crops in 1835, when
setts not watered failed. And should the profitable made
of stall feeding now practised at Armagh be happily ex-
tended to Cornwall, and fatting oxen be kept in pairs n?*
tied up under shelter, it will be found that preserving in
tanks the water which falls on the barns and stalls will amply
supply them, whilst it saves the rain washing away the
strength of the manure when straw is spread in the open

yard. Ponds have been made with equal success, dug four 11.0 a
half feet only below the surface, what is excavated betng
added to the sides, and covered about one foot thick like
a road with Peebles and good lime mortar. Such pods
are becoming general on the dry soil of the South Downs
for the use of the large flocks of sheep—and had such ponds
been made in Romney Marsh, &c. during the late dr/
years, the sheep would not have died in such numbers as
materially raised the price of meat in London.—Fahnoutk
Packet.