The use of these is very great: for if a great water must be emptied,
you must either apply engines, cut the bank, or draw a sluice. As for
engines, they are too chargeable, and puzzling to fix; however, I may
propose to them that are lovers of art, some facile ways of lifting
great quantities of water. Then, if you cut the bank, the passage is
interrupted and made troublesome by the earth, and you shall scarce ram
it up so well again, but it will perpetually leak about the place where
the fissure was; but sluices vent the water certainly, though slowly,
without any labour, charge, or inconvenience.
_Of the Manner of working to raise a Pond-Head._
Now, as for the manner of raising this bank, which I think is the only
chargeable work you have, I shall give some light into the way of
working, so as to abridge the expence as much as may be. The advantage of
trades, is, that by continual experience, they find nearer ways of doing
things, spending fewer strokes, and less time, than others can. And in
the conduct of this work, there is much to be saved; every man’s reason
leads him to contrive compendiums of business, as I have done in the
disposition of my waters; which experience of mine may save others the
thought, as well as loss by making their own experiments.
When you have projected your work, for which the latter end of June,
or the beginning of May, is the best time, take the assistance of your
neighbours, and provide yourself with six tumbrels, four good horses, and
two stout labourers, besides the driver to each pair of tumbrels. I call
them pairs, because they work alternately with the same horses; so that
one is filling, while the other is moving, and your labourers, as well as
horses, are always at work.
The first work to be done, is, the taking up the first spit of earth
where the bank is to be, and from the pan of the pond, and to lay it by
for the uses I shall declare hereafter.
Then lay down your sluice, with trunks sufficient to convey the water
through the head or bank. This must be done at the deepest part of the
ground, which probably will fall in the center of the bank. This will
employ two pair of tumbrels and four labourers, for digging and fetching
of clay, besides four labourers to ram it, which must be, as was said,
very well done. And the carpenter, who beforehand hath fitted his work,
must attend also one whole day to help in the laying it down, and to see
it well rammed.
The next day’s work may be the employment of two pair of tumbrels in
fetching of clay, and four or five good labourers to ram the foundation
of the bed of clay. And I suppose this may rise a foot in one whole day’s
work, more or less, as the length of the head is. Clay riseth stiff, and
for that, if it riseth near, as in the pan of the pond, three labourers
to a pair of tumbrels, are requisite to dig and fill, otherwise the
horses will be idle, and want work as well as the rammers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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