A—SMALL BATEA. B—ROPE. C—LARGE BATEA.
their necks. Pliny8 is our authority that among the ancients everything
which was mined was carried out on men's shoulders, but in truth this
method of carrying forth burdens is onerous, since it causes great fatigue
to a great number of men, and involves a large expenditure for labour; for
this reason it has been rejected and abandoned in our day. The length of
the larger batea is as much as three feet, the width up to a foot and a palm.
In these bateas the metallic earth is washed for the purpose of testing it.
their necks. Pliny8 is our authority that among the ancients everything
which was mined was carried out on men's shoulders, but in truth this
method of carrying forth burdens is onerous, since it causes great fatigue
to a great number of men, and involves a large expenditure for labour; for
this reason it has been rejected and abandoned in our day. The length of
the larger batea is as much as three feet, the width up to a foot and a palm.
In these bateas the metallic earth is washed for the purpose of testing it.
Water-vessels differ both in the use to which they are put and in the
material of which they are made; some draw the water from the shafts and
pour it into other things, as dippers; while some of the vessels filled with
water are drawn out by machines, as buckets and bags; some are made of
wood, as the dippers and buckets, and others of hides, as the bags. The
water-buckets, just like the buckets which are filled with dry material, are of
two kinds, the smaller and the larger, but these are unlike the other buckets at
the top, as in this case they are narrower, in order that the water may not be
spilled by being bumped against the timbers when they are being drawn out
of the shafts, especially those considerably inclined. The water is poured
into these buckets by dippers, which are small wooden buckets, but unlike the
water-buckets, they are neither narrow at the top nor bound with iron hoops,
but with hazel,—because there is no necessity for either. The smaller buckets
are drawn up by machines turned by men, the larger ones by those turned by
horses.
material of which they are made; some draw the water from the shafts and
pour it into other things, as dippers; while some of the vessels filled with
water are drawn out by machines, as buckets and bags; some are made of
wood, as the dippers and buckets, and others of hides, as the bags. The
water-buckets, just like the buckets which are filled with dry material, are of
two kinds, the smaller and the larger, but these are unlike the other buckets at
the top, as in this case they are narrower, in order that the water may not be
spilled by being bumped against the timbers when they are being drawn out
of the shafts, especially those considerably inclined. The water is poured
into these buckets by dippers, which are small wooden buckets, but unlike the
water-buckets, they are neither narrow at the top nor bound with iron hoops,
but with hazel,—because there is no necessity for either. The smaller buckets
are drawn up by machines turned by men, the larger ones by those turned by
horses.