If several kinds of wine be poured into a vessel by its mouth, any one of them may be drawn out through the same pipe: so that, if several persons have poured in the several wines, each one may receive his own according to the proportion poured in by him.
Let A B C D (fig 32), be
an air-tight vessel, the neck of which is closed by a partition, E F;
and let the whole vessel be divided into as many compartments as we
intend there shall be different kinds of wine. Suppose, for instance,
that G H, K L, are the partitions, making three compartments, M, N, and
X, into which the wine will he poured.In the partition E F pierce small
holes, one in each compartment, 0, P, R; and from these holes let small
tubes, P S, 0 T, R U, communicating with the vessel, extend up into the
neck. Perforate the partition E F, near each tube, with fine sieve-like
holes, through which the liquid will pass into the compartments. When
it is desired to pour in each kind of wine, place the fingers on S, T,
and U, and pour in the wine through the neck Q; it will not pass into
either of the compartments as the air contained in them has no outlet.
But, if we set free one of the vents S, T, or U, the air contained in
the corresponding compartment will pass out through the passage as the
wine falls into the compartment. Then, placing the finger again on this
vent, set another free in like manner, and pour in another kind of wine:
and so in order with the rest, as many as there may be both of
compartments and kinds of wine. We may procure each wine, in its due
quantity, through the same pipe in the following manner. In the base of
the vessel A B C D let there be tubes leading from each compartment, W Y
from M, Z A' from N, and B' C' from X: the extremities of these tubes Y,
A' and C', must communicate with another tube Y A' C', into which
another tube, E' F', is tightly fitted, closed at the interior extremity
F', and having holes pierced in it opposite to Y, A, and C' so that, as
the tube E' F' revolves, when the holes pierced in it coincide
consecutively with the holes Y, A', and C', they may admit the wine
contained in each chamber and send it forth through the outer mouth of
the tube E' F'. To the tube E' F' attach an iron rod, G' H'; to this,
at the extremity U', solder a mass of lead, K', and at G' an iron pin,
L' M', to the middle of which is fastened a cup, L, with the concavity
upwards: let the interior of this be a hollow truncated cone of which M'
is the larger circle and N' the less, and through this the pin L' M' is
to pass. Take several balls of lead, varying in weight, and equal in
number to the compartments M, N, X; and if we place the least of the
balls in the Clip M' N', it will descend by its weight until it touches
the hollow surface of the truncated cone, causing the tube E' F' to
revolve until the hole in it coincides with Y and admits the wine in the
compartment M, which will flow as long as the ball remains in the cup,
unless it be entirely exhausted: when we remove the ball the weight K'
will turn back and close the orifice Y, and the discharge will cease.
Again, insert another of the balls, and the cup will descend lower and
turn the tube E' F' further round until the hole in it reaches the hole
A', and then the wine in N will flow: as before when the ball is removed
the weight K' will run down and close the orifice A', and the wine will
cease to flow. If another ball still heavier be placed in the cup, the
tube E' F' will be turned still further round, so that the wine in the
compartment X will flow. It is necessary however that the least of the
balls when placed in the cup should preponderate over the weight K', or,
in other words, be able to cause E' F' to revolve; for then the other
balls will preponderate and move E' F'.