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Art. LX.—On an Adaptation of Water Power.
[Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, August 20, 1870.]
As lately I was anxious to ascertain if I could command a sufficient water power for working flax, and finding that, in the opinion of competent persons, the supply of water in the proposed locality was insufficient, it struck me that if advantage should be taken of the wind power to be obtained in pumping up water, day and night, on Sundays and holidays, into a reservoir sufficiently elevated, an auxiliary head of water might be obtained sufficient for the power required. I mentioned this idea to persons skilled in machinery, but did not receive encouragement. It was, therefore, with some satisfaction that I found the following information on the subject in the May number of the Country Gentleman's Magazine for the present year.
“In a recent article we gave a few remarks upon water power, with special reference to the turbine, an appliance which would, in many instances, be specially useful on a farm where no great extent of power is generally required. Thus, in many farms a power equal to that of two horses, or even less, would be of great use in cutting straw, grinding meal, pulping roots, and the like. Now, a very small and cheap turbine would give out this amount of power. Of course, a supply of water with some height of fall is necessary, but where the fall is not attainable by the natural position of the ground upon which the farm is built, it might be worth while to consider a mode of working very frequently adopted in America. This method consists in erecting a windmill, which is so arranged as to be self-acting, always turning to the direction of the wind, and thus ready to act at all times when the wind blows
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with force sufficient to overcome the work to be done. To the shaft of the mill a force-pump is connected, and this pumps up the water to a reservoir placed at a certain altitude. A supply of water at pressure is thus obtained, which is found very useful on the farm for various purposes; and, having a certain head upon it, it is invaluable for the extinction of fires. Now, if this arrangement was in use, the water thus under pressure might be arranged to be sufficient to work a small turbine, or a small water pressure engine. The power thus obtained, would be obtained at a comparatively small cost; there is no expense in keeping it up, as in the case of a steam engine; the only expense would be in keeping the apparatus in repair, which would not be much, as at the slow speed with which the work would be done there would be comparatively little wear and tear. True, the power of the windmill would be intermittent, in calm days not working at all; but by storing up the water, which it would pump up in an elevated reservoir, the power would be available at any time, through the intervention of the turbine.”
I think the above extract is likely to give New Zealand settlers a valuable hint as to a mode of supplementing a limited water power without the necessity of going to the expense of purchasing a steam engine, and afterwards maintaining it, at a great annual charge for fuel and management.
It may be said, why not apply the wind power direct? The reply is obvious. The wind power is not a steady power, and for working flax, machinery driven by it might be standing still for days together, with the “hands” engaged standing idly by.
In the depressed state of the flax industry, it is desirable that we should study every economy in the production of the fibre.