Pile

3735

PiUotv

soldered into tin boxes which are filled with
pure olive oil. Concarneau in Brittany is
the chief center of this industry.

Pile Dwellings. The custom of living in
houses built upon a platform supported by
wooden piles is of great antiquity, and ob-
viously had its origin in the desire for se-
curity against wild beasts.

Piles, or Haemorrhoids, are chiefly due to
the presence of some obstruction to the portal
circulation.

Piles and Pile Driving. A load may be
supported on soft or treacherous ground by
driving down one or a number of long,
heavy stakes or round timbers, called piles.

Pile Foundation, before depositing con-
crete.

This makes a pile foundation, a device of
great antiquity (see PILE DWELLINGS). Piles
are used in the same way to-day, in very
great extent, affording the cheapest method
of securing a foundation where the soil will
not carry the load directly, or where it is not
convenient to spread the foundation suffi-
ciently. Timber piles are most used, but in
recent times iron, concrete, and reinforced
concrete have found application. In one
method, the concrete is rammed into the hole
by heavy drop hammers, tending to force the
concrete out into the soil and thus form an
enlarged bottom section. The Raymond pile
is formed within a thin steel shell left in the
hole after withdrawing the driving core. The
Simplex method employs a strong tubular
driving pile, through which the concrete is
later rammed down, the steel pile being grad-
ually pulled up. The steam-hammer pile-
driver is much used. This has what is in
effect a verticle steam-engine sliding in the
leads and set on the pile head. Its heavy pis-
ton strikes the pile a rapid succession of short
blows, which are more effective and less

destructive to the pile-head than the heavier
impacts of an ordinar}- driver hammer. Jet-
ting piles down is done by means of a water
pipe fastened along the side of the pile or
passing through the center (in concrete
piles), a stream of water under heavy pres-
sure being forced through the pipe so as to
scour away the earth from in front of the
pile point.

Pilgrim, one who makes a special journey
(thence called a 'pilgrimage') for the purpose
of visiting a shrine or other hallowed spot.
Pilgrimages are common (o most religions,
and many places are credited with special
sanctity. Thus, the mosque of the sacred city
of Mecca attracts devout Moslems from all
parts of Islam.

Pilgrim Fathers. In American history, the
name applied primarily to the 41 male pas-
sengers (exclusive of servants) on the May-
flower who landed at Plymouth, Mass., iť
1620, on Dec. n. The title is sometimes in-
accurately ipplied to all the early settlers of
Massachusetts who held similar religious
views.

Pilgrim Fathers, United Order of the.
A fraternal organization established in 1879
for the purpose of furnishing insurance.

Pillar, the pier on which the arches rest in
decorative architecture, although the Latin
mediaeval writers employed the word colum-
na. Sir Christopher Wren constantly uses
'pillar' in describing both Roman and Gothic
buildings.

Pillau, or Pillay, a Turkish dish of rice
with fowl or mutton, raisins, almonds, chil-
lies, and cardamons boiled or stewed to-
gether, and served up with sweet gravy and
fried onions.

Pilling, James Constantine (1846-95),
American ethnologist, born in Washington,
D. C. In 1891 he took charge of the ethno-
logical work at the Smithsonian Institution.
He published, among other v/orks, Languages
of the North American Indians (1885); Es-
kimo Language (1887); and Mexican Lan-
guage (1895).

Pillory. This was a frame erected in a pub-
lic place, with holes for the head nnd arms,
in which malefactors were exposed to the
public. The pillory was abolished by act of
Congress in 1839.

Pillow, Fort. A fortification in Tennessee,
40 m. n. of Memphis at the junction of Cool
creek and the Mississippi river. It was con-
structed by the Confederates under direction
of Gen Gideon J. Pillow in 1861-62, butj