The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-07-13
LESSONS IN HYDRAULICS.
Trsaseaaeus Power OF Water Under
High Vertical Pressure.

Irsascaaous Power OF Water Under
High Vertical Pressure.
Justice Field, of the Supreme Court,
nj dinner party at Washington aston
IEsSe5 the distinguished guests present,
4mcj'kIing the President, the Chief JUS
Naice, and Speaker Reed, by statements he
gna5a, based on his California experience,
a1f fine power of water in motion, as il
Illustrated by hydraulic mining Justice
FieS, giving ex-senator Fair, of Nevada,
.slg authority, stated that under vertical
presgyne Of 100 or 200 feet, the force of
Shs stream is sometimes so great as to
kTEi ;a,a.ay or held boulders weighing a
thousand pounds; and that it would be
Ro0 more possible to cut through such
asUsaln with crowbar or an axe, where
n isseed from the nozzle, than to sever
eight inches of solid iron with a penknife.
1he distinguished guests were incredu-
bey&, sDd Justice Field promised to col
fSfrct evidence in support of his statements
that would satisfy the doubters. He has
sdone so, and the New York Sun has had
&ae opportunity OF collating some of the
wonders of practical hydraulics gathered
by Justice Field. We think they will
sastanish the general reader who has paid
Aitile attention to this branch of me-
a.hanics.
f5z- Louis Glass, for 16 years the super
ratendent of the Spring Valley mine, as
Eures Justice Field that he has seen an
a1aah stream, under 81 feet of vertical
TsTesgire, move in a sluggish way 2 ton
boulder at distance of 20 feet from the
nn2zle; and that the same stream Strill-
lng .. rock Of 800 pounds would throw it
As a man would throw 20 pound weight.
Ne man that ever lived, n" adds Mr..
Loyis Glass, could strike bar through
SiDe Of these streams within 20 feet of
discharge; and human being struck by
Ss'gah u stream would be killed-pounded
INTO a shapeless mass" Mr.. Augustus
-S- Eswie, Of San Francisco, the author
asf a standard book on hydraulic mining,
ESTIMATES that the stream from 6 inch
Eatzais, under $50 feet vertical pressure,
delivers blow of 58S,735 foot pounds
sssary second, equivalent to 1910 horse
PSs7ss- 1T is absolutely impossible,
says MIR. Bowie, TO cut such a stream
with an axe or to make an impression on
II with any other implement. Mr..
H9wle adds that, although never to his
knowledge has man been struck by
'srhch a stream as it comes from the pipe,
ssreral accidents have occurred where
rnineHs were killed by very much smaller
stgeanls at distances of $50 or 200 feet
from the nozzle. After elaborate series
OF computations, Professor Samuel B.
eanisty, of the University of California
-ax eminent authority ON mining and
sH eSallurgy, reports to Justice Field
that
III nozzle of from six to nine inches
SaGaEoeter werespecially arranged to throw
. sETe2m vertically upward against {
IsasSsrical boulder of quartz weighing
,05s pounds, the vertical head being any
NShere from 100 to 500 feet, the boulder
lasoGm be forced up until the diminished
Scrsi@city of the stream established al
ls4x&EbriHm of pressure. There would b.
u pohnt at which tie upward pressure o.
Iglhc stream would exactly balance tn,
tEyayity pressure of the boulder. holdin!
II. isBa bali ton rock, there suspended
Siagruefice, Of course. the boulder coul
Dct be balanced accurately upon the aKi
81 I'm stream, but would fall to one sid
Is Ma ,a,her. But if large conical has
G'et of iron bars were arranged about thu
rsaE2le so as to catch the boulder when
e.tpEGY,sa )uld he DETECTED from thesIean
ssAGret0In it to the nozzle, the / ,000pound
Gz5puartz would be kept in play ike
xsHlTFA 1cNntain. AS to cutting thes
streams, Professor Christy says that h
as,s 'Stten tried TO drive a crOwbar int
&>Ns %! g}seri. The stream felt as solid a
- tar 0f iron, and, although ne could fee
tSszg5pb of the crowbar enter the waite
2Slr perhaps half an inch, the bar wa
thYSvE0 forward with such force that
wa2 alhnOst impossible to retain it in til
srSHsp. An axe swung by the most power
{Il auan alive could not penetrate til
ssSE,&sIs yst it might be cut by the tinge
NoI % child, if the child were seated on
trall'xay grain moving parallel with til
Es1EE.Fn in the same direction and wit
lai,f SIsrrs velocity. That velocity woui
ss considerably more than a mile
IyaiArIe."