Machines for raising water, with a man-driven treadwheel
Pumps, a chain of clack-valves and a weight-driven fountain; a note on jointing ladders
The sheet gathers several 'methods of drawing water.' A great spoked wheel, driven by a man walking inside it, is claimed to raise water from a well to the top of a bell-tower; below it a chain pump carries a set of four clack-valves ('animelle'). To the left a vessel is made to throw water upward for an hour by a reservoir pressed down by a lead weight, and at the lower left is a study for jointing extension ladders. A large ink blot obscures part of the centre.
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Man-powered treadwheel pump
A man walking inside the great wheel drives the machine: Leonardo claims it would have the force to raise the water of a well up to the summit of a bell-tower, following the devices shown here. It is the sheet's principal water-raising engine.
Methods of drawing water
Two of the machines are labelled simply 'method of drawing water,' the large-wheeled engine and a second apparatus at the left. They are schemes for lifting water from a well.
Chain of four clack-valves
Lower on the sheet a note reads 'four clack-valves,' beside a chain-of-cups pump whose valves ('animelle') lift the water in stages.
Jointing extension ladders
At the upper right a note gives a 'method of jointing ladders'; the jointed, sectioned ladder itself is drawn at the lower left.
Weight-driven fountain vessel
To the left of the fountain a note describes a vessel that throws water upward for the space of an hour, driven by a reservoir of water pressed down by a lead weight.