Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-12-11
AMERICAN SOLVES GREAT
PUMPING PROBLEM
Daily Letter by Frederic j. Haskin

be built on a scale sufficiently large
to furnish the water supply for a
large city.
First Use of Water for Power
Obviously the first use of water for
mechanical purposes involved lead-
ing the water from a stream or other
source for use at another place. One
of the primitive devices for raising
| water from a stream was the norla,
which consisted Of a large upright
framework like a wheel, placed so
that the flow of the current turned 1T
on it's axis. TO the periphery OF the
wheel were attached hinged buckets,
which were often earthen Jars tied
on the frame, and which were partly
filled as they dipped in the stream
and upon being carried to the top
were emptied by'a tripping device
into a trough which led the a
away ON tine higher level.
Later Archimedes developed his
screw, which consisted Of a coil OF
pipe about a cylinder, set a consider
able angle from the vertical. To run
| this a water wheel or turbine was
necessary. Theoretically water could
be raised to any height in this man
ner, but practically it required too
much power, the gearing or wheels
complicated the work, and there
were other objections. The hydrau-
lie ram was more efficient and more
practical and the principle has been
widely applied.
Still another automatic machine is
the windmill, but it is complicated
and more or less unwieldy. How
ever, the great objection to it is that
it operates only when the wind
blows, and the wind has a way of
icing contrary. 1t bloweth nc. only
where it listeth, as the Bible says,
Tut when, and experience has DEM
| oustrated that the windmill pump
does not work, often when water is
7 eeded most. Me-. Aliens invention,
it is claimed, meets and overcomes
the objections to all these devices.
The hydrautomat is described as
literally a r~eciprocating engine in
which the power of water and air al
ternately develop the power. 1t does
rot work by shock or impetus as in
the case of the water ram. 1t does
rot require the machinery necessary
to operate the Archimedian screw.
| Once installed it requires no atten-
ton to keep 1t working smoothly. In
other words, the initial cost of build
ing and installing the device is the
only expense involved"
Not Turbine In Any Sense
Tho hydraCtomat is not a turbine
in any sense However, when
water has been raised by it to a de-
sired height, the water may be per-
mitted to fall and operate 4 turbine
or similar mechanism, thus develop
ing power which can be utilized as
desired to run machinery directly or
to be converted with electric energy
But it is not intended to do the
work Of a turbine. Great water
falls such as Niagara Or Zambesi ex-
ert tremendous power which may be
utilized to operate turbines and de.
velop great sources of energy. The
1 bydrautomat develops energy from
streams which flow slowly and the
II power of which heretofore has moi
been utilized.
Simplicity is its first characteristic
The principle involved is that o.
water flowing through a pipe into g
metal cylinder. Now as the water
enters the cylinder 1t naturally forces
out the air, which escapes through &
pipe opening from the top and lead,
:ng 20 another cylinder, which is fill.
ed with water. AS the air enters the
second cylinder the water which II
contains is forced out through a pipe
' u a tutEu CJilt0Ct PioSSu ct q iiSA
er level. Thus the pressure of the
water flowing into the first cylinder
is utilized to force the water from
the level of the second to the third
The action is purely automatic. the
compressed air acting as a piston.
Technical details are given as tt
the actual operation of the hydrau.
tomat that are of interest chiefly tt
the scientifically inclined. To the
average person, the interesting points
are tha- once it IS started it will rur
automatically for years. that it works
with little or no strain on the pipes
and thar It is fool proof.
II is interesting to know what tn
inventor himself thinks of his de
vice. Mr.. Allen says that a hydrau
tomat measuring two feet in diane
ter and fifteen feet in height will
pump something like 1000 gallon
Of water every day, and that thi
mechanism would serve to puml
water to the highest stories of Ney
York skysc-apers quickly and cheap
ly. Present pumps are expensive
and must be run by coal or gasolin
and help must be employed to oper
ate them. A hydrautomat woui
keep a continuous stream of waite
l passing from the ground to tn
U hishest story