The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1878-07-04
wIndmf lis on The r RIM.

Hon. Lewis F. Allen writes to the
Country Gentleman a very interesting
account of'tbe use of windmills on Grand
Island fer the purpose of raising water
for farm purposes. After describing the
topography of the island, Mr.. Allen says
of windmills:
These have been so perfected within
the past few years, and of various kinds,
that it is not worth while to specify any
one as superior to another. They are
made all over our northern and western
states, widely advertised in the papers,
and each one who has them can best
judge of their working qualities. only
name them in a general way, and speak
alone of my own trial of one of them.
"Although accommodated by access
to the river with water for all my house
hold buildings, as we'll as stock purposes
at tho barns and stables, my convenience
for all were not satisfactory. So, two
years ago, sunk three different wells
one at the main barn where the prin-
ciPal stock is kept, another at the farm
house convenient to the horse-barn, and
still another at dwelling half q mile
from the latter, all near the river shore.
The wells were severally fifty-two feet
at the farm barn, forty-two at the farm
house, and twenty feet at the dwelling
! above, all yielding pure good water.
touching only the surface of the
rock at the bottom, where an album
dance of water was found. l should
also add that a foot or two from
The sur'a of the ground hard red clay
was penetrated until within foot or two
of the rock, when layer of gravel and
sand was reached, and on the surface OF
! the rock a stream of water flowed which
formed the supply. All these wells were
| bored and socket pipe tiles inserted as
| above stated, and into each one was in
serted a good iron pump, with about one
and quarter inches delivery, producing
q sufficient stream to fill q common
bucket in a minutes operation. fought
to say that in each ons of the wells the
water has a standing level within ter
feet OF the surface. So the wells
stood, and now stand, sufficient for al
practical use.
d" But finding too much hard labor
necessary to pump water for forty Of
fifty head of cattle and horses at tn,
main farm barn, last fall had erected
one OF the Slower" windmills over the
pump in the barnyard. It is 40 feet
high, with a revolver II feet in diam
eter, costing about $3.50 complete and il
working order. The revolvers are usu
ally only 10 feet in diameter for faTn
use, but wishing to be perfectly sure il
its supply of water, | chose the larg
size, aud at some $25 more expense thai
the other. 1t has thus far worked to
charm, pumping all that the stock hav,
needed, and working but a few hours
more or less, as the wind may serve, dur
ing the day. A tank or trough 16 fee
long, Is inches wide at the bottom, ant
hariDg two inches wider at the top, an,
Is inches deep, securely tongue-grove'
and iron bolted, placed near the pump
where the cattle can drink at will, make
all that accommodation complete, ant
infinitely better than to drive them t
the river sixty rods away, particularly il
winter, when the shores are frozen 9TH
river never freezes only along the shore
a few rods Out), aud ice has TO be Gu
away for access to the water. lind it
grand economy, both in the expense c
labor, aud convenience and comfort t
the cattle.
Although have made a long stor
of it, I wished to place this well-diggine
pump and Windmill matter plainly be
fore my agricultural friends, far an
near, to show how readily and cheapl
their wants may be supplied when dss
titute of springs and running streams
and how much better they are than tn
dirty pools so much in use in prairie an
other level regions, which are used fo
J stock-water purposes. There are no.
five Wind-mills in use on Grand islanC
! each with ten-foOt revOlvers except m
= own, and l presume $500 would not bu
] either one of them of their owners
they could not be replaced, and I thin
that within the next two years sewers
more windmills will be erected there"