Demoine courier., 1855-07-05
A WRONG CALCULATION.

Mr.. Sparrowgrass, a city imam o
MEANS" having retired to the country to
live, relates his experience in rural life
in a pleasan, article in Putnam's Maya
zine. The following anecdo,e forcibly
illustrates Mr.. P.'s knowledge Of engin.
eering:
Our neighbor has been making an i'm
proyement in his house. lie has had q
Grain made in the kitchen, with q long
ear,hen pipe ending in a ccss-pool at the
end of his garden. The obj eel, Of j, is to
carry of the superfluous water from The
house. Ii was a great convenience he
said, "on wash days" One objection
might be urged, and that was, after every
heavy rain lie found a gully in his garden
path, ant several cart-ioads Of gravel in
his cess pool. Besides, the pipe was Of
an equal width, and one obstruction led
to another; sometimes j, was a silver
spoon. anda child's frock; sometimes it
was a scrubbing brush, a piece O. soap,
and a handkerchief. said that If he had
made a square wooden trough, gradual.
ly widening from end TO end, j. would
have cleared itself, and then l though, it
would be q good thing for me TO have
one myself. Then l had a cess pool
built al the bottom OF the wall, under the
bank, which is about one hundred and
fifty feet from the kitchen, and told my
carpenter 10 make a trough Of that length.
Carpenter asked me how big ! wanted
il. / told him about eight inches in dia-
meter at the end nearest 10 the house,
and then gradually widening all the way
for the whole length. As | said this my
carpenter smiled, and said he never heard
Of such a thing. told him no., tina. the
idea was an original n Of my own.--
He asked me how much ! would like to
have it widened. l thought for moment
and said "ahoui hall an inch to a foot"
He said very well. and the next week he
came with two horses ard an edlice in
his cart tina, looked like a truncated shot
over. | asked him what that was
He said i. was the big end Of my pipe.
When he laid it on the ground OH its
side | walked through il, and could not
touch the upper side with my hand
Then l asked the carpenter what he
meant by il. and he said it was made ac-
cording to directions. | said not a. all,
that ] told him TO increase the diameter at
the rate Of half an inch to the foot. and
he had made i. about a foo. 10 the foot,
as near as l could Judge.
"Sparrowgrass," said be. a little net
slod. .jest take yer pencil and put down
eight inches. Well. ,hat's the diameter
of the small end, l believe"
told the carpenter he was right so
far.
"Now for every foot there's an in.
crease Of half an inch in The width
that's according to directions too, amt
il!"
Yes"
"Well. then, put down ons hund.ad
and fifty half inches. how much does
tina. make altogether, in feet?"
sSix feet eleven inches"
"Now, jest take my rule and measure
the big end Of thai pipe"
"~Carpenter," said l, II see i. all: the
next time l build an aqueducs I viii be
more careful ia the figures"
"Spa,rowgrass,'' said he, pointing TO
he pipe. ..didn't sou tell me that was
an original idea OF your own!"
answered that l believed | did make
remark OF that kind.
SWELL" said he, with a sort Of muffled
laugh. ".ha.'s the first time ! ever see an
original idea come out a. the big end"