Show SUPERIOR AUTOMATIC WATER STAGE RECORDER contributed since the field work under the direction of the united states irrigation investigation began the use of water registers has grown in favor for many years inventors have striven to design an automatic regulating gate to furnish a ton constant stant discharge under a varying head this has never been accomplished some detail of the completed structure is always faulty and for some reason is put out of use and the ditch rider is again compelled to read the depth of water flowing over a weir or through a flume as often as his other duties permit the water register takes the place of the ditch rider and its work is more accurate and is continuous it also gives an impartial record if the user of the water and the party who furnishes the same are present when the register is installed and both are satis fled that the pen records the proper depth at that time the weeks record should be satisfactory to all concerned the water rig register lster used in this work can be kept locked and the records watched and the computations made by a disinterested party the depth of water flowing 0 over the weir or other measuring devices can be checked whenever there is any doubt as to the accuracy of the record the register sheets can be compared at the end of the irrigation season and the volume of water corresponding to the recorded depths can be found in a few minutes if the irrigation g season covers a period of four months there are only sixteen or seventeen register sheets to be considered it has bean found to be more satisfactory to the company disposing of the water as well as to the irrigator to be informed of the volume of water furnished rather than to contract for the delivery of a definite number of cubic feet per second for an indefinite period and for neither one to know whether or not the specified volume was being delivered when the volume of water is measured as above described the irrigator knows exactly what he be receives it is surprising how long irrigators have paid for water regardless gard less of whether they have received it A large majority are satisfied with crude measuring devices and until recently but little interest has been manifested towards keeping a continuous record of the volume of water supplied if a man buys any other kind of property both parties in the transaction desire to have it carefully measured the same men are willing to buy and sell bell water one of the most valuable commodities without knowing how much is br or may be delivered the water register has other important uses when placed at a gauging station on oil a river it furnishes a complete ord of the depth of water flowing there the reduction in the cost of recording inspru instruments i ments will enable irrigators and irrig irrigating irrigation atin g canal companies to employ them generally and bring about a better knowledge of the vol ume necessary for the growth of various crops the duties of the ditch rider or other person in charge of the regulation of head gates of laterals literals late rals are greatly reduced by the use of water registers if an irrigator raises the gates so that his supply of water is increased the register will indicate it and he must pay for this additional volume when he settles with the parties supplying the water if he finds that he does not need as much water or does not need the volume supplied for as long a period as estinia estimated ted he can decrease or entirely stop the flow of the water allotted to him and the register records this it will be only a few years before they will be generally employed on large canals and the laterals literals late rals diverting water from them when state supervision has deve developed lopea so that the rights of all are carefully guarded even the owners of small ditches will have to install weirs or measuring flumes blumes and water registers colorado has already made provisions for the use oi of registers by arri gators nearly all states where irrigation is of much importance require the installation of measuring boxes or weirs whenever the authorities deem it necessary however no attempts has yet been made to keep a continuous record of water flowing through the devices without a continuous record but little is known of the volume used and nothing is known of the time when fluctuations in discharge occur water can be stolen and canal companies can deprive the irrigator of his share of the water without any record having been made or without the party injured being notified when gauging stations on the natural streams are supplied with registers the available supply of water is always known and this can be distributed in the most economical way when accurate means of measuring water are employed by the irrigators J S J lallie of denver colo has invented an automatic water stage recorder in which the rise and fall of the water in the reservoir river canal or flume raises and lowers a float and counterpoise the float and counterpoise are connected by a substantial chain which passes over a perfectly cut sprocket wheel motion being imparted by the float and rises and falls with the changes of level in the river reservoir or canal A paper perfectly divided and ruled into rectangular spaces is securely fastened to the cylinders and the time divisions running parallel to the axis of the cylinder and the depth divisions at right angl angles es thereto the pen or pencil making the record is moved along the cylinder by the positive action of the sprocket chain connected to the float in which the movement from the float to the pencil point is positive at all times and under all conditions of water and weather the fluctuations in discharge creates a zigzag line and the mechanism is so constructed ted that the record can be extended over several revolutions of the cylinder if necessary and should the level of the water change this much and no confusion of the record will result |