The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1870-04-12
Richmond Palladium!
Richmond. April II, 20.


a distinguished physician, who has
long and carefully tested the subject,
writes thus:
Hard water for cooking is bad
Many vegetables are Mt arly spoiled by
being cooked in it; and it is difficult 10
get a good infusion Of tea or coffee. The
water used in the city of London re-
ouires full onc-forth more of tea or
coffee to obtain an infusion OF equal
strength than thft obtained in soft wa
ter, while the flavor is dccldcdiy IN
ferior.
The superior cleansing properties OF
rain water are acknowledged by every
house-keeper who has ever been obiig
ed to do . large washing.
difficult to obtain good water from wells.
The water may be tainted with lime, or
alum, or salts, or sulphur. Or again, it
may be necessary to dig wells SO deep
that they are very expensive, costing
very often from one to five hundred
dollars.
In any locality, however, good and
useful cisters may be made at cost OF
twenty to fifty dollars; which will give
full supply of soft, pure water.
Some 400 hog sheads Of water fell upon
tie roof Of 80 by 40 foot house or
barn, this being equal to %, 900 pailsful
NJ least Allowing four pailfuls day
TO each animal, this quantity will afford
drink for twenty head of cattle daily
the year round
A hogshead contains about eight and
half cubic or solid feet. cistein
two feet two inches square, and of the
same depth, will hold one nogshead;
enc twice that size and depth will hold
eight hogsheads; one eight feet each
way will hold sixty two hogsheads, and
one ten feet each way will hold one hun
bred and twenty hogsheads. A round
eistern, four feet in diameter and six
feet deep, will hold forty six hogsheads
Of water; one of the same diameter, and
nine feet deep will hold abont fifty-five
hopsheads one twelve feet de p, same
diameter, about ninety three hogsheads
Generally speaking. the best place for
q cistern in dwelling-housc Is in the
cellar and one of brick is preferable,
if YOUR cistern is above the ground.
Good hard bricks should be used. and
veil laid in good cement Mixtures OF
anc-forth cement to three Iourths sand
will som times make better mortar than
other qualities of cement with equal
best to be governed by the workin g
of The material when mixed. II should
be tcnacioas, slip readily from the
trowel, and harden quickly. To make
GOOD cement mortar, the sand and
cement should he thoroughly mixed
before any water is applied. ard used
IS soon as pra :,icable after it is wet
1t is better to have the lower half OF
the cistern walls eight inches in thick
ness; when half way 20 the required
heichth, the inner course may be drop
ped.
The entire inside should he we'll plas
tered with cement, put on in two coats,
one Immediately after the other, and
each as thin as possible. Where botl
coats exceed three-eights of an inch in
thickness, they are liable to crack.
The last and most practical part Of
the work is to lay the bottom 1t is
abso!utely necessary that this should be
n. on firm foundation, where it can moi
POSSIBLY sag. If the bottom lowers the
least partic llar, the cistern is worthless
and nine times out of ten can not be
repaired.
| have known as many as six success
sive bottoms put in q single cistern
sill the cisteIn continued to leak, fol
when filed to Il certain heighth, tho
weight Of the water caused the bottom
10 give downward. This will, perhaps
account for the mysterious leakage In
The cisterns Of some of our readers.
In case Of any cracks in he inside
plasteling it is best TO apply, with 6
common whitew ash brush thick vast
nj cement and sand. Cemeht-worl
should rot lie exposed to the frost til
IL is thoroughly hardened, as freezing
causes the inside plastering to peel ct
in flakes.
Ii is not advisable to let in water fol
some time after the completion Of thu
work from four to six weeks IS gener-
ally long enough to wait
In Massachusetts cisterns are Otter
dug in the ground, like wells. The ce-
nent is directly laid upon the eartl
,,t the sides and bottom ; brick bottom
is sometimes put ia
4 few courses, six or eight, OF bricl
should be laid in cement AROUND the up
per edge, to hold up the loose earth
and prevent any possible action Of fros
These are cheaper than brick cisterns
take up less room and are az good
the ground is tough and clayey.
Nearly every builder has his pet opia
ions about fil,ering cisterns. The sim
plcst and one the hest ways is t
build q brick parlition-wall, same heigh
rs lie outside walls, across the clstern
about two feet from one end.