Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-12-11

Washington, D. C.,\Dec. S.-Raising
water from one level TO a higher level
at the minimum cost and greatest
efficiency has been a problem. of the
ages. Now 1t is said that 1t has been
solved by an invention shortly to ,,bo
tested in Warrington,
Thomas Gaskell Allen. an Ameri-
cans by birth and a graduate Of an
American university. II the. inventor.
Mr.. Allen Is now q British subjest-and
lives In London where he IL the head
of a firm of engineers but II his in
vention. which he calls the hydrau-
tomat-the water self-raiser-provea
to be all that ia claimed for 1t. Eng
land will not be permitted to claim
entire credit for him and his accom-.
plshment.
Sir Oliver Lodge has investigated
technical report In which he ranks
the device as one of the greatest in-
v%entions the world has ever: known
and express his amusement that it
was not hit upon centuries ago.
When the news of the marvelafirst
reached this country, official represent
tatives in London were Instructed to
look into it, and upon the reports
made to Washington the bureau of
weights and measures proceeded ia
build a working model here: Mr.,
Allen recently conferred with govern
mont officials and will return in "A
short time when the tests are to be
made. Meanwhile another expert
New York office building and is said
to be operating successfully.
ArieflF described, the hydrautomat
is aRdevice that raises water to any
desired height automatically, the wa
ter itself furnishing the power. Once
Installed it will %continuS to function
steadily without interruption and
without any attention until 1t wear
out. That sounds like perpetual mo-
ton. a problem that has never been
solved although inventors have work
ed at It for centuries with 70 little
success that whenever >6ne comes for;
ward With the claim that at Last hs
has made the great discovery he'll
hooby- hatch. hut the Internationally
perpetual motion, 1t Is satd,in SO fas
as 1t will continue to operatg al lonR
as the flow of water continues and
the machine holds together.
Moreover, It will work efficiently
when the flow of water is SO slight
that It could not ba utilized in. AMI
other way. Also 1t ma be con:
structed on a small scale adaptable
to the requirements OF a farther who
would useit on small creek TO raiss
water for Mitigating sahnd e
Idexelop snpwar to- rum his; r61chinarJ
and lighting plant. or 1t may be bull
onIa scale sufficiently largeSto furnish
First Use of water Tor sFosser. ;
4 Obviously the first be OF Wata TO,
mechanical purposes lnyolvedeleadlnl
the water from. q stream or othc,
1source for use atsanothers place. Ons
4ofJ the primitive Devices TOR fraisinf
water from, a stream was the nor!a
framework like a wheel,Ns placed q
that the flow OF the current turpedsl
on its axis. To the periphery 81 8tis
wheel were attached hinged buckets
which were often earthenz Jars stiedSlCr
the frame, and which were 4parti,
filled. az they dipped In the Sstreati
and UPON, bsing. carried to the til
were amptied by a tripping device al,
ITO q trough which led the water sawal
on the higher level,
Later ArehaMedes sdeyalcped Mi
screw, which consisted Of coil "a,
pipe about.a cycHndsrs set a conasd,
necessary. Theoretically Water coult
be raised to any heiekt In this-ihan,
ner, 4. but practically. ats required tSl
much power, the GearIng on WkVS h
compiicatedl the work, and therGSwar,
tother objections. The hydrauid, Iran
Twas more efficient and more practica3
land the principle has bean widely m,
blied. &