CISTERN, an artificial reservoir or receptacle for holding water, beer, or other liquor, as in doMestie uses, breweries, and distilleries.
Cisterns of earth must be lined with good cement, to make them retain the water, and the bottoms should be covered with sand to keep it sweet.
Water for the. use of a house, may be preserved in the cellar, where a cistern or cisterns may be constructed in the following manner: first lay a good bed of sound well-tempered clay, for a bottom, on which place a flooring of bricks, or impervious stones, cemented with plaster-of-paris, or terms mortar. The sides should then he built up, leaving a space between them and the walls of the house, which is afterwards to be filled up with clay, well rammed down; this will keep the water from oozing, and effectually preserve the founda tion of the house. As a substitute for plaster-of-paris, or ter•as-tnortar, a composition of slacked lime sifted, linseed Oil and tow or cotton, will be found very serviceable. A cistern of this kind, viz, of clay lined with bricks, will answer in any shady place, as well as in a cellar, provided it be kept covered. And though the cistern be not always full of water, the clay will not lose its requisite degree of nndsture.
When a cistern is to be made above ground, it may be constructed of planks. plain or straight jointed, put together with white lead, and pinned to bearers and uprights. If the cistern be large, suppose 10 feet in altitude. and 20 feet square, the planks may be 21-inch yellow deals, the joists and uprights may be. -1 inches thick, and 6 inches deep, placed about 2 fcet 6 inches distant from each other. There should be two pins at each intersection of a board and upright, or bearer ; every pin may be three-fourths of an inch thick, and wedged again with a small pin at the narrow end, to prevent the possibility of its drawing: the pins should all have a draught, to bring the joists as close as possible. This cistern,
placed upon a firm well-tempered bed of clay, should be surrounded with a stone or brick wall, at 8 or 12 inches distance, and the cavity filled in with clay, as above described. This will retain the water, and answer extremely well for the supply of a city or village.
If the cistern be to be raised on high, where walls cannot he constructed around, it may be made Of timber, in the foregoing manner, and lined with lead : but as this lining tends to contaminate the water, the casing of the exterior with stone or brick, with puddle between it. and the wooden cistern, should be adopted when practicable.
A cistern may be constructed for watering cattle, by exca vating the ground where there is a descent, and covering the bottom and sides with two coats of tough clay, each coat about six inches thick, well rammed ; the bottom being covered with flag-stones, the clay will remain moist, and free from cracks, though not covered with water. Hut this is trouble some; for, should the clay happen to crack in any part, it would be necessary to go over the work again.
In a chalky soil, a cistern may be formed by digging a IP de, and covering the bottom smoothly with chalk rubbish, which, when wetted by the rain, should be rammed well. Afterwards cattle may he turned in to tread it till quite firm, and then it will be impervious to the water.