|
|
|
It
was at Versailles that water distribution on a large scale first used
cast-iron pipes More than 40 kilometres of it were laid. The first pipe in cast-iron was laid in 1668 to bring water from the Bièvre to the Thétis grotto. The cast-iron pipes at Versailles had crude flanges whose bolt-holes had been cast, because drilling and turning those thick cast-iron flanges which were sometimes made of white iron, would have been expensive or even impossible at that time. The lead joints had a diamond-shaped straight section and were more or less crushed by the tightening of the bolts. Under these conditions it was very difficult to obtain a water-tight fit at high pressure. The Water and Fountain Museum has obtained one of these pipes and you will see it during your visit.
|
