Page:Willich, A. F. M. - The Domestic Encyclopædia (Vol. 4, 1802).djvu/320

290] WAS Description of a IVash'mg Machine lately invented in Germany, by M. M. Fischer and Kebzig. (Fig. 2, A), — a, is a seAion of the wasliing cylinder, with its Lidles, projecting 4 inches ; but of these ladles only 4 jut out inter- ually, as represented by the dotted lint' at b, b, h, b. c, the imn roller, which is on the outside, f?xed to the bottom of the C)'linder, by means of an i4on cross at d, d, d, d, with screws or nails : if rests on the beam e, so as to be upheld in the four cKcavated columns or posts f,f,f,f, by the lever g, and to be either raised or lowered, and afterwards secured by the pins h, /«, according to the greater or less depth of water. • i, the cistern, at the sides of which the four posts are firmly in- sferled, (Fig. 2, B.) A bird':<-eye view of the machine. The laths be- tween the ladles may be here dis- tinctly seen, together with the roller, c, c, as it rests on the beam or supporter e, c, c, e, and is secur- ed by a cap, K. " /, the boarded floor, above the cistern or reservoir of water, on which the person stands, wlven the cylinder is to be placed higher or lower. By meaiTs of this excellent con- trivance, M-e understand from the irtventors, by whom it was first used for cleansing the felts in an extensive paper-mill, that from 14 to 18 shirts may be completely washed within one hour : and that the friftion is far less than in per- forming that operation by the hand > while the tool water is not sQffered to flow back into the linen, but is continually rcnewttl. It' Xable-eloths, &c. happen to^be WAS greasy, they most be whiried round in the machine /or the space of from 20 to 30 minutes ; when it will be necessary to take them out; and, after rubbing them well with soap, to expose them again to the aftion o( the engine for half an hour, when they "will be found thoroughly cleaned. Fme linen may be inclosed in a bag, and WMshcd in a similar manner, so a3 to prevent it from being injured by friction. There ar^, howeer, two points which ought to be striAly attended to; namely, the agita- ' tion of the water should not be too violent i and a sufficient quantity of foul linen must be tlirown in at a time, in order to amount to such weight as will cause it to descend, after liaving been carried to the up- permost part of the cylinder. The only obstacle to the general intro- duction of this machine is, that It cannot be adopted in those situa- tions which are not provided witU a current or stream of water to work it; but, wherever a brook or rivulet occurs, such apparatus will be found highly serviceable in work-lwnses, great schools, prisons* and hospitals, not less than in pri- vate families ; as 200 shirts may be washed by one person in the spaoe of 12 hours, it may be ereCted in a mill-reach, so as to be set in motion by the immediate pressure of the water; or, by connecting its mechanism with the main cy- linder of the water- wlieel. WASP, or Fespa, L. a genus of inseCts comprising 139 species, three of which only arc natives of- Britain. 1. The Crabro. See Hornst, 2. The yiilgaris, or Commov Wasp, is from half to three quar- ters of an inch in length : it ii divided iato three classes ^ namely,,