History of Sanitation

Synopsis of Chapter. Introduction of Pumping Machinery into Water- works Practice—The Archimedes Screw—Use of Pumps in Hanover, Germany- First London Pump on London Bridge—Savery and Newcomen’s Pumping Engine —The Hydraulic Ram—Pumping Engines Erected for the Philadelphia Waterworks —Pipes for Distributing Water—Hydrants and Valves for Wooden Pipes—Data regarding the Use of Wooden Pipes—Modern Pumping Engines. WATER wheels for raising water were in use at such an early period that the exact date of their inven- tion will never be known. The earliest known or approximate date for the invention of a water-raising ma- chine extends back to about 215 years before the birth of Christ, when Archimedes, the Greek mathematician, who was killed at the taking of Syracuse by the Romans, invented the Archimedes screw. This apparatus, un- like pumps of later date, was operated indepen- dently of the atmospheric pressure, and by using a number of the screws in series, water could be raised to any desired height. The Archimedes screw was not adapted for rais- ing large quantities of water, however, so that Greek and Roman cities never were supplied with Savery’s Engine 77