The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1886-05-14
A CEMENT CIsrERN.
How to Make a Cistern Easily and
Cheaply.

the Toronto Globe, should be made as
deep and as narrow as convenience in
digging and finishing will allow. A
diameter of six feet with depth of ten
or twelve feet, makes good-sized els
tern. A deep cistern will keep the wa
ter cool in summer and warm i'm winter,
and oe safer from frost. The bottom of
the cistern should, for strength and for
convenience in cleaning, be conceived
in shape.
The bottom should have about three
good coats of cement. which may be
put on either before or after the cistern
Is calked. In some soils the sides of the
cistern are pfastered upon the earth. In
many soils wall of stone is often
needed. For any soil prefer concrete
| wall about three inches thick for Il COM
mon-sized cistern. Let the cistern be
accurately shaped with a diameter of,
say, six feet six inches. A curb with
diameter of six feet can be carefully set
within the cistern as dug. Coarse con-
crete moitar can thus, by the aid of q
scoop-shovel, be dropped in to fill the
space between the curb and the wall of
earth. After this concrete wall rises to
within eight inches of the proposed sur
face it must be allowed to harden some
what, when the inside curbing must be
torn to pieces, and removed. In this
neighborhood two segments of two feet
in height are use. They can be readily
removed, and can be used for many els
terms. After the curb is removed the
sides should be smoothly plastered with
finer cement mortar. A person ac-
customed to the use of plasterer's
trowel can do this part of the work to
the best advantage. The first of the
work can be done by any reasonably
handy person. For the top and bottom
OF the cistern q common three-cornered
trowel answers very well.
The sides of the cstern having been
firmly built by any method, the top is
the next thing to be considered AL
though we refer to the round form, the
following method can be used with
square or oblong cisterns: The first
thing is to secure cover of loose boards
which shall be about three inches below
the upper rim of the side walls. A pot
cover that drops for an inch or two will
give the idea. This cover should lay
upon two or three strong scantling,
which in turn are supported by strong
upright posts resting upon the bottom
of the cistern. Some rounding off of
the corner boards to fit the edge of the
cistern will be needed. Any crevices
can be covered with rags, cabbage
leaves, or something of that kind. Up
on this ''pot-cover" platform, which
must be very firm and strong, we next
proceed to build an even dome of fine,
damp sand, tramped down hard. If
sand is scarce, keep it for the top out
side surface. Upon the top of the dome
place q circle not less than eighteen by
twenty.four inches, and, say, eighteen
inches deep. OF course, the top of the
dome is cut down some in order to
bring the lower edge of the curb in con-
tact with the earth at all points. The
dome should in siX-feet cistern rise with
regular arch about eighteen inches to
the box OF curb
Now the dome should be nicely
smoothed with trowel, because this
surface will mold the under surface of
the cistern top. Next heavy coat of
fine cement mortar should be rapidly
spread over the whole top of the dome
outside of the box. When this has set a
second coat of perhaps coarser mortar
may be put on This should be repeat
ed until the cover of n siX-feet cistern is
four or five inches thick. The top coat
should be made quite smooth to carry
off all surface leakage at once. When
this concrete arch is completed its bot
tom edge will rest upon the top of the
cistern rim as well us against the inside
of each rim. This rim is, of course,
firmly supported'by the earth to the
outside of it. A common dinner-pail
firmly imbedded in the earth, with its
convex cover soldercd TO the pail and
with square cup on the cover will give
us good idea of the cistern. If the
pail has concave bottom from the in
side the similarity would be greater.
When the top of the cstcrn is firmly set,
the dirt that is beneath it is thrown out
by raising the crib opening. The
boards, scantling, and posts are next
taken out, and under the surface of the
cover is swept clean. The bottom OF
the oistern is next cleaned and cement
ed if not previously done. We now
have a cistern entirely of concrete.
When the concrete top is completed |
would advise everyone TO place second
curb outside of the first, and say three
inches larger upon all sides, and ill
this with concrete. BY this means,
when the inside curb rots, another can
be dropped into its place quite easily.
The outside curb can be taken away be-
fore the cistern receives its cover of
earth. A concrete tube to receive the
rain-conductor can be easily construct
ed, and should not be forgotten. pre-
suppose that the reader is familiar with
water-lime or hydraulic cement. As q
matter of course, n strong cistern entire
ly of hydraulic concrete will require n
good supply of watcr-lme and sand. A
cistern such as have described will re-
quire twenty to twenty-five bushels of
the water-lime.