San Andreas independent., 1856-11-29
The sfphon Mystery.

Messrs. Editors: It is well known to
those conversant with mining operations,
that an immense amount of time and la
Dor is expended in the digging of tunnels
and bitches, for the purpose of drainage.
1t seems to me that much of this expense
might be avoided by the use of the siphon,
which consists simply of an air-tight tube,
having one endin the water to be removed,
and the discharging end below the surface
of the water
| am not aware of any material objec-
tion to the use of the siphon for this pur-
pose, except that, when the supply of
water is insufficient, it ceases to operate
but this could easily be obviated, by hav-
ing at the induction end of the siphon
float, connected by means of cord with
throttle valve at the end, SO as to regulate
the discharge of the water By this
means the suction of air, and the conse-
quent interruption of the action of the
siphon, might easily be avoided. As the
siphon depends for its operation upon the
pressure of the atmosphere, it will not raise
water over an elevation greater than about
thirty feet.
am not practical miner, nor have I
ever experimental with the siphon on so
extensive scale as would be required in
draining but theoretically, I can see no
reason why an arrangement, such as have
suggested, would not operate successfully,
and save vast amount of expense in
draining mining claims. j. A. B.
| Ero,, facts xx,b.ob bo,-o ao,,oo o.,~
knowledge, we are satisfied that great
good will soon be accomplished in this way
California Farmer.
We copy the following from the Sacra-
mento Union, and should like to hear the
opinion of some scientific gentleman on
this question. The discussion arose from
an article published in this paper desert
bing the Siphon Claim, one half mile
above San Andreas
"UsE OF THE SIPHoN IN MINING
Messrs. Editors:-In your paper of Tues
day, under the above caption, allusion is
made to a communication from Hiram
Platt, of Drytown, in which was contained
this inquiry: Why cannot water be
raised to an eqnal hight (sixty-seven feet,
pump?'
This inquiry was elected from Mr..
Platt by an extract in the Union from an
interior exchange paper, in which it was
stated that the water in a claim, sixty
seven feet deep, was being discharged by
a siphon. In reference to this statement,
Mr.. Platt says that it is 'saot so, or else
one of the fundamental laws of the science
of hydraulics, as attested by scientific men,
is thereby annuled- -abrogated."
Now, it is entirely contrary to common
sense to place the siphon on the same
footing with the common suctioa pump,
or to regard the operations of the one as
depending on the same natural law as the
other. The suction pump depends upon
atmospheric pressure; the siphon upon
cohesive attraction and gravitation If it
were possible or practicable to construct a
siphon fve hundred feet IN hight, then
fill it with water, and plunge one leg in
pool of water, at given leuel, and the
other leg in a pool of water bezoao the
given level, the water in the former pool,
would be raised or drawn up FIVE hundred
feet through the one leg, and descend 500
and odd feet through the other leg, until
the surface of both pools would become
level, or until the former would be drained
There is, therefore, no difficulty to be ap-
pretended by miners using the Siphon
in draining claims of any possible depth,
provided they can find place outside of
their claims low enough-that is, below
the level Of the water to be discharged, at
which to locate the discharging leg of the
siphon.
The principle upon which the siphon
acts is exceedingly simple. It is only
necessary to remember that the discharg-
ing leg must be lower than the receiving
leg. Gravitation pulls down the water in
the longest leg, because it is of greater
weight than that In the shortest No
matter how long or how short siphon
may be, if one leg is placed in water be-
low the level of the water in which the
other leg is placed, it is just as certain to
act as the earth is to revolve around the
sun.
The common pump is limited, in its
elevation of water, to certain hight be-
cause, as soon as water rises to the hight
of about thirty feet, it becomes equal in
weight to the atmosphere on the water
outside Of the barrel of the pump, which
is l43 pounds to the square inch. KY.
PEDESTRIAN MATcH.-It is said that
James Kennovan, the Californian Pedes-
trian, and Thomas Trainer, an English
pedestrian, have made wager to walk
with each other. He who walks the long,
est time IS to have $500 from the other,
and if Trainer wins, he is also to have
Kennovan's belt
r =