He took an iron
tube and bent it in an angle of 110 deg., keeping one arm half the length
of the other. He filled the tube with water and placed the short arm in
the fire. For a moment the surface of the liquid remained quiet, and then
the pipe began to quiver; a slight overflow took place, without any sign
of ebullition, and then suddenly, with a throb, the whole column was
forced high into the air. With a tube, the long arm of which measured
two feet and the bore of which was three-eighths of an inch, he sent a
jet to the height of eighteen feet. Steam is generated in the short arm
and presses down the water, causing an overflow until the steam bubble
turns the angle, when it forces out the column in the long arm with
incredible violence."
Dr. Peal now goes on to say:
"Of the theories that we have just enumerated, perhaps no one is
adequate to explain all the phenomena of geyser action. Bunsen's theory
comes nearest to it, and in the simplest kinds of geysers is a
sufficient explanation. The variations and modifications in the geyser
tubes and subterranean water passages must undoubtedly be important
factors entering into any complete explanation of geyser action. Now, of
course, we can see what the conditions are at the surface, but in our
experiments we can penetrate to a very inconsiderable distance.
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