Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-08-29

to drives back the waves OF Ine
ocean than the legions of Caesar.
Each generation progressed fur
ther and further seaward in the work
of reclamation. The son improved
on the methods praticed by the fa-
ther, and also built the dykes and
dams higher and stronger. After
while
THE WINDMILL CAME INTO USE,
and it enabled the inhabitants to
extend their embankments beyond
the point stripped by the ebb of the
tide, and not only fight the advance
of the waves, but follow them back
into the deep. This simple contli-
vance enabled the Dutchman ICON
struction for Deutscher) to eject the
water that soaked through his dyke,
and to free his meadow of other sur
plus water which came in from be-
hind or fell from the clouds. The
continual winds blowing from the
Atlantic furnished the power gratui-
tousiy to whirl the vanes and turn
the water-wheel attached to the
windmill. There has been little or
no improvement made on this ma
chine in Holland for 1900 years.
No other power is so simple, cheap,
or reliable. Without its applica-
ton. two thirds of Holland and one
fifth of Belgium would even now, in
the noon-day of steam power, of ne
cessitv have to be
YIELDED BACK To THE OCEAN,
because the cost of steam machi-
merry, fuel, repairs, and attendance,
could not be supported from the
profits of the land. There are said
to be $4,000 wind-mills in Holland
and Flemish Belgium, each doing
from six to ten horsepower, service,
according to the strength of the wind
and working twenty-four hours per
day, and every day in the month
during the rainy season, and when
the snow and ice are melting and
the streams are high. The annual
cost of the wind-mills, in Holland is
$4,OOO,OOO. Twenty times that sum
would not operate steam power suf-
ficient to do their work; for recol-
lect all the coal consumed i'll Hol-
land has to be imported from Eng
land or Belgium.
Go where you will, you are
NEVER OUT OF SIGHT
of wind-mills in motion. In the
suburbs of large cities, and at GER
tain points where the waters of the
bitches and canals are collected to
be thrown over the embamkments,
they are congregated like armies of
giants, and never cease swinging
their long huge arms. They are
constructed of much larger dimen-
sions than those seen i'll the United
States. The usual length Of the ex-
tended arms is about 80 feet, but
many of them are more than 12O
feet. But the wind-mills in Holland
are not exclusively employed in lift
ing water, but are used for every
purpose of the stationary steam-en-
gine. l observed a number of them
at Rotterdam, Antwerp, the Hague,
and here at Amsterdam, engaged in
running saw-mills, brick-makihg ma
chimes, or beating hemp. Those
used to lift water out of the bitches
into the canals and embarked rivers
have water-wheels instead of pumps
attached to them, as they are liable
TO get out of order, and are thought
to remove more water to given
power.
DITCHES
are run through all the fields in Hol-
land at a few rods apart, straight as
an arrow, and generally s to 10 feet
wide at the surface, and feet deep.
The water seems to stand every
where IN them at about l8 inches
from the surface. Experience shows
that at that depth the roots of grass,
grain, and root-crops, can reach the
moisture in the ground, and, at the
same time, the soil is not too wet; in
other words, heavier crops of all
kinds are produced with the water
standing in the bitches at Is inches
below the surface than ut any other
depth. The earth thrown out of
those bitches and the canals has rais
ed the natural surface of the country
from l to feet, which is that much
clear gain on the sea and rivers
against the dangers of inundation;
besides, it adds SO much to the depth
and strength of the soil. These
bitches answer the place of fences;
the cattle and horses, l am assured,
rarely ever attempt to cross them
/ often see horses and cattle pastur-
ing on those long, narrow strips OF
ground, separated by ditch which
one could jump over, from tempting
wheat, oats, rye, or clover, fields;
but not one of them ventured to
cross. 1 could not help thinking
that yankee" cattle or Southern
CRITTERS" would try the depth of
mud and water in the bitches for
the sake of a change of pasture,
while the horses of the same country
would make a flying leap across
them into those inviting oat-tields,
or 90 to the bottom of the bog in
the attempt.
THE NAyIGABLE CANALS
of Holland, with few exceptions, are
quite small, being only 20 to 80 feet
wide, and not generally containing
more than three feet of water. The
boats, or barges, which navigate
them, are quite small craft, their
burden not generally exceeding 10
to II tons, and multitude of them
range from to 10 tons. All OF them
are provided with .masts and sails,
and, unless the wind is ''dead ahead, +"
the sails are set. When the wind is
light or in the wrong direction, a
man tows the boat, if it belongs to
the smaller class, while his wife
steers. When he becomes tired, she
takes a little exercise on the tow
path. If the canal-boat is one OF lar
ger burden than 10 o, II tons the ser
vices of donkey or an old morse = q
COW. or an ok. are employed; ana, II