Changing the size of the water-wheel as the pressure
increased permitted the use of the same pattern of machinery at the
different shafts. The water was brought to the wheel by a discharge-pipe,
some nine feet long, having a vertical movement by ball-and-socket joint,
so that at pleasure, by dropping the pipe, the machinery could be run at
various speeds, or entirely stopped. At the end of this discharge-pipe
was a cast tapered nozzle, about 31/2 inches in diameter, in which was
inserted a ring of saw-plate steel having the desired diameter, and which
was held in place by an annular screw-cap. By changing the ring, which
only required a few moments' time, any desired amount of water, up to 3 or
4 cubic feet a second, could be discharged against the wheel. The
stop-gate was left wide open while the machinery was running. The pumping
was done by eighteen pumps, of Cornish pattern; the largest amount of
water pumped from any one shaft was something over 30 cubic feet a minute;
the power at hand, however, was ample to pump more than twice that
quantity. It was rather curious at, this shaft to see more water coming
from the pumps than was used on the wheel. The two diamond drills were
driven by a small hurdy-gurdy set on the rear of the drill carriage.
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