The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1893-10-28
a. Great Invention.

Mr. J. B. G. Donate, of Opelousas,
La, Is the Inventor of one of the most
wonderful discoveries of this century
He calls it the greatest irrigating ap-
paratus of the age. From what we
can learn Of the invention, it is more
than that. 1t will revolutiOniZe the
present method of raising water by
means of pumps, and as soon as Mr.
Donates patent is introduced it must
necessarily take the place of nearly all
pumping apparatus. 1t is just the
thing for supplying cities and towns
with water at minimum cost after the
plant has been constructed, and we
see no reason why Alexandria should
net now have system of waterworks
and the city construct and own the
plant.
We can not describe the invention,
but will say that Mr.. Donate has dis
covered how to utilize the pressure of
the atmosphere to lift water to any
height, and has come nearer to getting
perpetual motion than any reasonable
person ever thought possible. Mr.. D.
informed Town Talk that wind mill,
10 feet in diameter, running only one
half an hour in the twenty -four, is all
the power needed to raise a stream of
water, as much as four or five inches in
diameter, to a height of $50 feet or
more, and keep it going through the
pipes at the rate of thirty miles an
hour during the entire "a hours The
windmill power is used to create a
vacuum in an enclosed steel chamber,
by pumping the air out of the chamber,
and the water is raised, as we under
stand IT, by the atmospheric air seek
ing the exhausted air chamber. The
atmospheric air is received in the pipe
near the place from which the water is
taken in the pipe, and in some manner
we cannot understand, has power to
lift an immense weight of water, and
make it fly through the pipes at "a
rapid rate.
After once started it is automatic,
aud needs no attention. No steam or
other power is needed. Nature furnish
es everything wind to run the
Windmill and the atmosphere does the
balance.
If the city authorities of Alexandria
are able to have stand-pipe ere,' I'D,
Mr.. Donate informed us that he would
fit his apparatus to keep it full of
water, at very little expense to the city,
as he is anxious to have it in use in a
public place as soon as possible. With
a stand pipe, so to 100 feet in height,
and let it be kept full of water with
Mr.. DonatO's patent, it would cost
nothing to keep it going, and the city
could make a profit on the investment
by selling the water to citizens. The
pressure of water from a stand pipe 80
feet in height would send it through
pipes to every part of the city, and by
attaching hose to fire plugs the water
could be thrown over any house in
town in case of fire.
We forgot to say, in the proper place,
that Mr.. Donate informed US that with
his invention, (strange to say), it can
lift water better in or 6 inch pipe
than when inch pipe is used. The
larger the diameter of the water pipe,
the better it works
Mr.. Donate only received his patent
from the United States Oh the 5th of
October, 1893. He has applied for
patents in England, France, Germany,
and other foreign countries. He had
bis apparatus on exhibit in this city
several days last week and a great
many witnessed it at work .-Alexan-
dria Town Talk,