From the coolers, the wort is conducted by pipes 6, Fig. 3, proceeding from each, and uniting before they enter AIM, the squares, or gyle tuns, in which the liquor is first put to ferment. From these the beer is convey ed by pipes into a back at 7, Fig. 3, from which the cleansing pump 1, Fig. 2, draws and throws it up into a vessel 8, Fig. 2 and 3, called the cleansing batch. It afterwards goes from this to the working tuns at 9, Fig. 2, and 3, beneath the coolers ; and, to conclude that ope ration, it is conveyed by pipes 10, Fig. 3, laid beneath each double row of tuns, with branches which connect them all. One cock fills each double row. The yeast, produced from every four tuns, runs down a wooden pipe into a large cistern 11, (Fig. 3,) where it is clrawn off and sent away. The same pipes 10, which fill the rounds, communicate, by other branches, with the start ing pump ,n, Fig. 2. This pump throws up the beer into the starting batch 18, from which a pipe proceeds to the large store vats 0, 0, Fig. 1 and 3, situated in the other wing of the building. These are immense tuns in which it is kept till wanted for sale, and whence it is drawn off by means of a leather pipe or hose, that con ducts it, as at P, Fig. 3, into the small buts, in it is sent away from the brewery.
The store vats are arranged in one of the wings of the building, as represented in Fig. 1 ; and over them is the loft 1, Fig. 3. for storing the hops. The space allowed for these in the plan, Fig. t. is much less than it ought to be, in proportion to the size of the vessels on the which is the name given to that part of the bre.% cry con taining the mash tuns and coppers. The same may be said of the malt stores situated at S in the plan. This, however, is of little importance, as the spaces alluded to vary in different establish news. Some of the largest of the store vats are 40 feet in diameter, and contain 5000 barrels, and the spaces round these arc filled up by others of smaller dimensions. They are all suppoi ted upon iron pillars, so as to admit small casks to be stowed beneath them, as shewn in Fig. 3. This arrangement allows easy access to the bottom of the vats for repairs. The pipe which brings beer into the storehouse. is con ducted along over the vats, as shewn by the dark line in the plan, and screw vessels proceed from it at proper i points, to which hose can be joined to fill any individual vat. The malt binns arc also set on iron columns, to ad mit casks beneath, and to prevent, as much as possible, the entrance of vermin. The squares are supported in the same manner, to form coal vaults ; and the coppers are built upon arches, which are used to increase the coal cellars,—a provision very necessary in such a work, where the daily consumption of coals, for the two cop pers and the engine, amounts to near nine chaldrons, of 36 bushels each.
In the two elevations of the brewery, it should be ob served, that the different vessels cannot be shewn in their relative positions, otherwise they would fall behind each other. The mash tuns, for example, would in reality come before the mill and pumps, and the engine behind both of these. From this cause, the length of the pipes and shafts appear much greater in the elevation than they really are.
The reader will now be able to form some idea of the great extent of a brewery, and the excellent provisions which are made for diminishing the labour in every de partment, in which the steam engine is the chief agent. The establishment delineated in Plate LXXVII, is not on the very largest scale ; several works have three cop pers, and all their attendant utensils ; and sonic of them, as Messrs Meux's and Whitbread's have four coppers.
The extent of the brewing trade will be seen from the following account of the quantity of porter brewed by the 13 principal houses in London, during the last five years: The water used in most of these works, at least in seven of them which we have visited, is pumped from wells: and there is no foundation for the received opi nion, that the superiority of London porter arises from the Thames water. This water was indeed used by all of them some years ago, before the discovery of the ex cellent and inexhaustible spring, which is to be found beneath any part of London. This city is situated upon a stratum of clay from 150 to 200 feet in thickness, lying upon a stratum of chalk, with the intervention of some sand. The rain falling upon the extensive range of hills which the chalk stratum forms, (by running up gradu ally for 20 or 30 miles,) is received into the fissures of the chalk, which are always full, up to the level of the clay strata. The water thus poured up flows over at the lowest points of the clay, (covering this immense subterranean reservoir,) forming the rivers Lea, Coln, and New River, which run upon the surface of the clay, into the Thames. Now, by sinking a well 150 or 200 feet deep, and piercing the whole thickness of the clay, the same water may be obtained by perpendicular as cent, which was conducted by the New River at such an immense expense near 30 miles upon the surface. The instant that the clay is pierced, the water rushes up so iolently as to fill the whole depth of the well in a few - minutes, and sometimes runs over a great quantity. The sand between the clay and the chalk is forced into the well with the water, so as nearly to fill it up, and then it obstructs the free passage of the water. This is reme died by driving down a copper pipe before the clay is quite dug through, and boring out the strata within the pipe. By this means the end of the pipe can be got down some small distance into the sand. When the borer is removed from this pipe, the water blows up the sand as before in great quantities through the pipe ; but its upper end being many feet above the bottom of the well, affords room round it for lodging this sand, with out choking the well ; and when the well becomes fill ed, and runs over quietly, the sand does not rise, be cause the great pressure of water is relieved ; but if, (as frequently happens,) the demand for water from the well is greater than the pipe can supply, without sink ing the water in the well, the sand will come up. This happened a few years ago as Messrs Meux's well, which was often sunk 100 feet by the continued pumping of the engine ; and then the pumps drew up such a quan tity of sand as to fill the liquor-back and condensing cis tern of the engine half full in a few days.