Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1822-02-26

lands become more and more cultivated,
and fever vegetables allowed to fall to
the ground and purify.
Alter all that has been said on the
evils arising from mill dams, it may well
be doubted whether water mills are in
this country profitable either to their pro-
prietors or the community. They are
very expensive, and owing to the banks,
as well as the beds Of the streams being
very soft, it is extremely difficult to get
mill dams to stand firm. And when
these difficulties are overcome, good
head of water can hardly ever be obtain
ed. The slugeishness of the streams
again presents another difficulty. Not
allowing the water to pass off freely the
mills are easily affected by back water,
SO that they are often stopped from this
cause when the water is abandsn,, and in
dry weather they arc obliged to stop for
want of water.
| do not wish to be understood, from
the foregoing remarks, as believing that
danming up water courses is the prin-
cipal cause of our intermittent and re-
miitent fevers. There are other causes
besides this. But | was confined to the
pointing out of the effects Of these OBJ
structions on the health OF the ihhabitants.
We sec fevers prevail 10 situations re-
mote from any water courses, as oh our
large prairies. An inquiry into the
cause of these fevers would be very de-
sirable, but it would be foreign from the
present subject.
Having in the foregoing part Of thiS
essay endeavored to point out the i'm
policy Of damnling up water courses, for
the purpose CT creating water power for
the propulsion of machinery, l shall in
the next place endeavor to describe the
cheapest and most efficient mode of i'm
pelling machinery without water.
There are three principal kinds of
power that are applied to the propulsion
of mac hinery without water, viz: Steam,
Wind, and Animal Power; each of
which will DC examined in order. Steam,
although sn efficient power, is expensive
i'll its application, not only in the first cost
of the engine, but in the article of fuel,
which is great desideratum in this
country, For this reason it can never
be brought into general use in this state,
where SO great part Of the country is
entirely destitute Of fuel. In those parts
ofthe state where fuel is plenty, and par
>eicelasly in ,he vioiniiv NJ coal ~ .
steam power may hereafter be probably
used.--The great expense Of steam en-
gines will not allow OF this being applied
with profit TO small machinery, unless
several of them are moved by the same
engine. They are more probably APP
piled 10 machinery which requires great
power, as saw mills, -four mills, &c
But we want a power which may be,
with profit, applicd 10 the moving Of
small machinery, as cardlng machines.
lulling mills, and the like. From the
great Improvements, however, which
are constantly making in the construc-
ton Of The steam engine, we may indulge
the hope that it may become SO slmpli-
fed as to reduce, in a great measure, its
expense when it may be brought into
more general use. a great improve
,nent has been recently announced, by
which the power Of the engine is increas-
ed, and its expense very much reduced
In this improved plan the cylinder and
piston, the machinery for condensing
steam, and the fly wheels, are not used,
bnt the steam is applied Immediately to
the periphery Of a large driving wheel,
SO that the lever with which the moving
power ac,s is equal to the radius of the
driving wheel; aud this lever is not
shortened during the revolution Of the
wheel, as is the case when the cylinder
and piston are used. Should the engine
be PERFECTED on this principle, the use OF
it would become much more general
But as the steam engine now in use is
so expensive as to place it beyond the
reach Of most Of our citizens, / shall not
enter into description of its principles
Wind is the next power to be con
sidered. Wind may be very probably
used for impelling some kinds of ma
cllincry. In some parts Of the world il
is much used for pumping water, grind
ing corn, sc. For grinding corn il
might be used with profit in some parts
of this state, and it would be well ii wind
mills were introduced for that purpose.
They are cheap kind of mills, and
would answer we'll for small settlements.
But the motion producedapon machine
Try by wind is not eouable, and for that
reason couId nor he used for many kinds
OF machinery. It can never be used for
Touring grain, as it is absolutely neces-
sary that mills for that use should have
an eeuable motion. And for the same
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