Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 20.djvu/427

* WATEETOWN. 35T WATER WHEEL. Paul and the Cliicago and Northwest oin rail roads. Watertown is the seat of Northwestern University (Lutheran), opened in ISfii), and of Sacred Heart College (Roman Catholic), estab- lished in 1872. Other prominent features in- eliiilo the city hall, tlic hijjh school buildiiij.', and the Public Library. The city is the centre of a rich dairy farming section, and manufactures apiary supplies, beer, malt, crackers, confection- ery, cheese, lumber products, gas fixtures, flour, and cigars. Under the charter of 1894 the gov- ernment is vested in a mayor, chosen annually, and a unicameral council. The water-works are owned and operated liy the municipality. Water- town was settled in 18.30 bj' a eomjiany from Watertown. N. Y., and was incorporated as a village in 1849. It received a eitv charter in 185.S. Population, in 1890, 87.5.5; in 1900, 84.37. WATER VALLEY. One of the county-scats of Yalobuslia County, Miss., 72 miles south by east of Memphis, Tenn., on the Illinois Central Ilailroad (Jlap: Jlississippi, F 2). It derives considerable conunercial importance from its situation in a district extensively engaged in lumbering and cotton-growing, and has railroad repair and construction shops, cotton mills, and broom manufactories. The water-works and the electric light plant are the property of the muni- cipality. Population, in 1890, 2832; in 1900, 3813. WATERVILLE, wa'tcr-vil. A city in Ken- neliec County, ilaine, 81 miles north by east of Portland, on the Kennebec River, and on the Maine Central Railroad (Map: Maine, D 6). It is the seat of Colby College (q.v. ) and of Coburn Classical Institute. The Public Library occupies a handsome building, the gift of Andrew Car- negie. Waterville is engaged to a considerable extent in manufacturing, the most important products being cotton and woolen goods, and furniture. There are also railroad shops, iron works, tanneries, carriage and cigar factories, etc. In Winslow. on the opposite bank of the Kennebec, are large paper and pulp mills. The government is vested in a mayor, chosen an- nually, and a bicameral council. Formerly a part of Winslow, Waterville was settled in 1704 and Avas first incorporated in 1802. Its present charter dates from 1888. Population, in 1890, 7107: in 1900, 9477. WATERVLIET, wa'ter-vlet'. A city in Al- banv County, X. Y.. on the Hudson River, op- posite Troy, with which it has bridge connec- tion, and on the Delaware and Hudson Railroad (Map: New York, G 3). It is also near the termini of the Erie and the Champlain canals. The most interesting feature is the United States Government Arsenal, occupying a large tract of land along the river front. The plant was es- tablished in 1807 and includes extensive foun- dries and sliops for the manufacture of giuis and other war material. Iron and lumlier prod- ucts, belts, and woolen goods are also manufac- tured in the city. The electric light plant is owned by the municipality. Watervliet was formed from the village of West Troy, and re- ceived a city charter in 1897. Population, in 1900, 14.321'. WATER WHEEL. A wheel for utilizing the ■weight of falling water to perform mechanical work. (See Water Power.) The term water wheel is properly applied to all h.ydraulic motors that rotate, but it has come to be re- stricted to wheels which act mainly by the weight of water that the,v receive on their cir- cumferential parts only, which turn on horizon- tal shafts, an<l which move with a low velocity and a velocity that has no relation to the head of water under whiidi the wheel works. In all these respects water wheels as the term is used here dillcr from turliines (q.v.). Water wdieels are designated as overshot or breast wheels ac- cording as they receive the water at or near the to]), belov,' the centre, or below the top and above the centre. The overshot u-hcel has a series of buckets arranged on its circumference so that, as the wheel rotates forward, in the direction of the hands of a clock, the buckets on the descending side have their top upwaril. The water is led OA-ERSHOT WHEEL. to the wheel b.y a trough or flume which dis- charges at the top of the wheel just forward of a vertical through its axis. This water fills the buckets and its weight causes the wheel to ro- tate forward. Each bucket is filled as it comes luider the discharge from the flume, and each is emptied as the rotation brings it near the bot- tom. The object of this is to have the weight of each bucketful of water act throughout the en- tire vertical distance of the fall." The earlier forms of overshot water wheels were built of '■"y/yg: tJNDEBSHOT WULEli. wood and were enormously massive and clumsy- looking structures. At a later period iron was substituted for wood, with material gain in lightness and appearance. Overshot wheels were often of enormous size, one of the largest being 72 lo feet in diameter, located at Saxey, on the Isle of Man. An yndershot wheel has instead of buckets a seiies of vanes or paddles on its circumference,