The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1877-07-06
Agricultural Department.
CONDUCTED DY ALBERT CHAPMAN.
THE WATER WE DRINK---III.
ny non. GEORGE crDDEs.

r
water, there Is simple and cheap rem
cdy, that Is applicable to the case OF
nearly every farmer, and Is the vcr,
latest refuge of the residents Of
cities--flltered ralnwatcr.
The purcst form OF natural water is
as 1t comes from the clouds, but this Is
not absolutely pure. The water that
first falls In tho shower washes impuri-
ties from the air, and thus it results
that after q long drought, the first of
the fall Of water Is inferior in purity to
that which comes after, not only for the
then covered with dust, and perhaps
perhaps some bodies of dead birds, that
will float Into the cutters and down tn
leaders to the cistern, unless arrested
by sleeves or other devices. Wire
sleeves are now made and much used in
spherical forms that are placed at the
upper ends of the leaders, which keep
out large substances, but do not ex-
clude dust and the finer matters that
lodge upon roofs-yet they are of i'm
portant advantage. Paint on roofs
should In all cases be composed of in
gradients that have no poison in them
Paint made of lead or zinc will finally
find It's way into the cistern to the inju-
ry of the water. 1t is one of the draw
backs upon city life, that the air
through which the water of the clouds
must pass is not SO free from the
smoke and other corrupting substances,
as Is the air of tho country-but no city
can do any better than to derive its
supply of water to be used for domes-
tic purposes from the rains-carc being
taken to filter the water properly, and
to store II where II is kept from enter
ing the cistern except through the lead
er.
Having during last summer con-
structed a cistern at my own home, that
think Is as good rs any one can be in
the present state of our knowledge,
will describe it: For convenience in
covering, the cistern is only six feet
wide on the inside, and is twelve feet
long, and seven deep, holding, in round
numbers four thousand gallons. The
walls are of stone laid in hydraulic c.
ment; the bottom about four inches
thick of concrete, which is nine parts of
gravel and sand to one of hydraulic
lime, just moistened and laid on the
earth In one mass, and pounded hard,
so as to compress the parts closely to-
gether. The lower course of stones of
the wall (the footing course) was thin
and projected four or six inches into
the cistern. This enabled us to Join
bottom and sides so as to have no crack.
The top Of the cistern consisted Of two
limestone flags, six inchos thick, that
covered the oistern and rested OH the
side and end walls all around, except
man-hole at one corner. Care was ta-
ken to have this top go surrounded by
stone-work laid on the walls and
against the edges Of the flags, and the
Joints between them were SO thorough
ly filed and covered with cement, that
certainly no insect or surface water can
find Its way into the cistern, except
through the leader from the roof.
Over the man-hole is placed q small
aag-stone, cemented tight around Its
edges; outside this flag the man-hole il
surrounded by brick wall, extending
twelve inches in height, and over al
another flag made air-tight on the brick
man-hole space of one foot in depth
Of air, that cannot change, thus exclld-
Ing all frost. Over the top covering of
the man-hole, is foot of earth, which
is covered with turf, and makes no
show of where the man-holc is; the re-
mainder Of the cistern being so covered
with earth that no frost can find its
way In.
In this cistern is constructed brick
shaft, two feet inside diameter, having
walls four inches thick, laid in hydraulic
cement, that extends from the top of
the concrete bottom, to the flags that
make the top covering of the cistern.
This brick cylinder has at the top an
air.hole under the flag covering, about
an inch In diameter, to allow air to pass
OF as the water filters through the
brick. The bricks used in constructing
this filter, were good weather bricks,
such as would be suitable for the top of
d chimney. The circular form given
the filter makes it strong to resist the
pressure of the water that In heavy
shower will come fast into the space ali
around, and perhaps rise to some
height above that inside the filter, to be
equalized as soon as enough can filter
through the bricks. The cistern pump
is connected with the inside of this fii-
ter by an Inch iron pipe that extends
through the wall into the cellar of the
house.
l did not invent this filter, but rather
doubted the probability of getting
enough water for family use through
four Inches of brick-but allowed the
mason to have his way, and have had
no trouble growing out of the difficulty
feared-and now we are using rain
water that comes off tin roof and
must pass through wall of brick four
Inches thick. For many years our rain
water has been filtered through three
feet Of gravel and sand, before 1t was
pumped from the cistern, and after that
passed through an ordinary charcoal
litter. such as are sold at every house.
furnishing store hereabouts. But /
now think that the brick filter Is all
that 10 really required; at any-rate, 1t is
much superior to any sand and gravel,
and takes up less room and does not
cost much. and can be put In any cis-
tern, when the water is out of 1t, in half
day by any good brick mason.
The overflow of the cister is a thing
Of importance. 1t must be from the
bottom of the cistern, to carry Off the
hlth that will come from the roof-and
merely avoid the necessity of frequent
wv VI tuC CiotcIIl. III my case
the leader that brought the water into
the cistern from the roof outered at one
cDd-and tho shape of the ground re-
9uired that the water will flow away
from the cistern when full, should 20
out at the other end. placed five-incb
horse shoe tile OH the concrete bottom,
beginning about three feet from the
place where the incoming water would
strike the MISUNDERSTANDING The tile 10
lhe other end Of the cistern, laying them
In cement and closing their joints with
the same. From the point where the
Tile reached the wall, made a brick
hue, four by six inches TO within two
inches Of the top of the wall over which
the surplus water is flow. From the
top OF the wall, cut down at that point
two inches, for the distance of one foot,
was made tile drain that has a sharp
descent, and terminates in q four-inch
galvanized Iron nina fhot hoo ~ tta H.,