Water Supply: the Present Practice of Sinking and Boring Wells: With Geological Considerations and Examples of Wells ExecutedSpon, Ernest
Science
Water Supply: the Present Practice of Sinking and Boring Wells: With Geological Considerations and Examples of Wells Executed
Spon, Ernest
Boring; Water-supply; Wells
The monkey is raised by two men pulling the ropes at the same angle.
They should stand exactly opposite each other, and work together
steadily, so as to keep the tube perfectly vertical, and prevent it from
swaying about while being driven. If the tube shows an inclination to
slope towards one side, a rope should be fastened to its top and kept
taut on the opposite side, so as gradually to bring the tube back to the
vertical. When the men have raised the monkey to within a few inches of
the pulleys, they lift their hands suddenly, thus slackening the ropes
and allowing the monkey to descend with its full weight on to the clamp.
The monkey is steadied by a third man, who also assists to force it down
at each descent. This man, likewise, from time to time, with a pair of
gas-tongs, turns the tube round in the ground, which assists the process
of driving, particularly when the point comes in contact with stones.
Particular attention must be paid to the clamp, to see that it does not
move on the tube; the bolts must be tightened up at the first appearance
of any slipping.
When the clamp has been driven down to the ground, the monkey is raised
off it, the screws of the clamp are slackened, and the clamp is again
screwed to the tube, about 18 inches or 2 feet from the ground. After
this, the monkey is lowered on to it, and the pulleys are then raised
until they are again 6 or 7 feet from the ground.
The driving is continued until but 5 or 6 inches of the well tube remain
above the ground, when the clamp, monkey, and pulleys are removed, and
an additional length of tube screwed on to that in the ground. This is
done by first screwing a collar on to the tube in the ground, and then
screwing the next length of tube into the collar, till it buts against
the lower tube; a little white-lead must be placed on the threads of the
collar before the ends of the tubes are screwed into it.
The driving can thus be continued until the well has obtained the
desired depth. Soon after another length has been added, the upper
length should be turned round a little with the gas-tongs, to tighten
the joints, which have a tendency to become loose from the jarring of
the monkey. Care must be taken, after getting into a water-bearing
stratum, not to drive through it, owing to anxiety to get a large
supply. From time to time, and always before screwing on an additional
length of tube, the well should be sounded, by means of a small lead
attached to a line, to ascertain the depth of water, if any, and
character of the earth which has penetrated through the holes perforated
in the lower part of the well tube. As soon as it appears that the well
has been driven deep enough, the pump is screwed on to the top and the
water drawn up. It usually happens that the water is at first thick, and
comes in but small quantities; but after pumping for some little time,
as the chamber round the bottom of the well becomes enlarged, the
quantity increases and the water becomes clearer.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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