1the interior of the aoh itself is of the same
height as the walls.
A chimney
is built upon the arches and the walls, and is made of bricks joined
together with lime; it is thirty-six feet high and penetrates through the
roof. The interior wall is built against the rear arch and both the side
walls, from which it juts out a foot; it is three feet and the same number
of palms high, three palms thick, and is made of bricks joined together
with lute and smeared thickly with lute, sloping up to the height of
a foot above it. This wall is a kind of shield, for it protects the exterior
walls from the heat of the fire, which is apt to injure them; the latter can
not be easily re-made, while the former can be repaired with little work.
is built upon the arches and the walls, and is made of bricks joined
together with lime; it is thirty-six feet high and penetrates through the
roof. The interior wall is built against the rear arch and both the side
walls, from which it juts out a foot; it is three feet and the same number
of palms high, three palms thick, and is made of bricks joined together
with lute and smeared thickly with lute, sloping up to the height of
a foot above it. This wall is a kind of shield, for it protects the exterior
walls from the heat of the fire, which is apt to injure them; the latter can
not be easily re-made, while the former can be repaired with little work.
The hearth is made of lute, and is covered either with copper plates,
such as those of the furnaces in which silver is liquated from copper, although
they have no protuberances, or it may be covered with bricks, if the owners
are unwilling to incur the expense of copper plates. The wider part of the
hearth is made sloping in such a manner that the rear end reaches as high as
the five vent-holes, and the front end of the hearth is so low that the back
of the front arch is four feet, three palms and as many digits above it,
and the front five feet, three palms and as many digits. The hearth beyond
the furnaces is paved with bricks for a distance of six feet. Near the
furnace, against the fourth long wall, is a tank thirteen feet and a palm
long, four feet wide, and a foot and three palms deep. It is lined on all sides
with planks, lest the earth should fall into it; on one side the water flows
in through pipes, and on the other, if the plug be pulled out, it soaks into the
earth; into this tank of water are thrown the cakes of copper from which
the silver and lead have been separated. The fore part of the front furnace
arch should be partly closed with an iron door; the bottom of this door is
six feet and two digits wide; the upper part is somewhat rounded, and at
the highest point, which is in the middle, it is three feet and two palms high.
It is made of iron bars, with plates fastened to them with iron wire, there
being seven bars—three transverse and four upright—each of which is two
digits wide and half a digit thick. The lowest transverse bar is six feet and
two palms long; the middle one has the same length; the upper one is
curved and higher at the centre, and thus longer than the other two. The
upright bars are two feet distant from one another; both the outer ones are
two feet and as many palms high; but the centre ones are three feet and two
palms. They project from the upper curved transverse bar and have holes,
in which are inserted the hooks of small chains two feet long; the topmost
links of these chains are engaged in the ring of a third chain, which, when
extended, reaches to one end of a beam which is somewhat cut out. The chain
then turns around the beam, and again hanging down, the hook in the other end
is fastened in one of the links. This beam is eleven feet long, a palm and two
digits wide, a palm thick, and turns on an iron axle fixed in a near-by timber;
the rear end of the beam has an iron pin, which is three palms and a digit long,
and which penetrates through it where it lies under a timber, and projects
from it a palm and two digits on one side, and three digits on the other side.
At this point the pin is perforated, in order that a ring may be fixed in it
such as those of the furnaces in which silver is liquated from copper, although
they have no protuberances, or it may be covered with bricks, if the owners
are unwilling to incur the expense of copper plates. The wider part of the
hearth is made sloping in such a manner that the rear end reaches as high as
the five vent-holes, and the front end of the hearth is so low that the back
of the front arch is four feet, three palms and as many digits above it,
and the front five feet, three palms and as many digits. The hearth beyond
the furnaces is paved with bricks for a distance of six feet. Near the
furnace, against the fourth long wall, is a tank thirteen feet and a palm
long, four feet wide, and a foot and three palms deep. It is lined on all sides
with planks, lest the earth should fall into it; on one side the water flows
in through pipes, and on the other, if the plug be pulled out, it soaks into the
earth; into this tank of water are thrown the cakes of copper from which
the silver and lead have been separated. The fore part of the front furnace
arch should be partly closed with an iron door; the bottom of this door is
six feet and two digits wide; the upper part is somewhat rounded, and at
the highest point, which is in the middle, it is three feet and two palms high.
It is made of iron bars, with plates fastened to them with iron wire, there
being seven bars—three transverse and four upright—each of which is two
digits wide and half a digit thick. The lowest transverse bar is six feet and
two palms long; the middle one has the same length; the upper one is
curved and higher at the centre, and thus longer than the other two. The
upright bars are two feet distant from one another; both the outer ones are
two feet and as many palms high; but the centre ones are three feet and two
palms. They project from the upper curved transverse bar and have holes,
in which are inserted the hooks of small chains two feet long; the topmost
links of these chains are engaged in the ring of a third chain, which, when
extended, reaches to one end of a beam which is somewhat cut out. The chain
then turns around the beam, and again hanging down, the hook in the other end
is fastened in one of the links. This beam is eleven feet long, a palm and two
digits wide, a palm thick, and turns on an iron axle fixed in a near-by timber;
the rear end of the beam has an iron pin, which is three palms and a digit long,
and which penetrates through it where it lies under a timber, and projects
from it a palm and two digits on one side, and three digits on the other side.
At this point the pin is perforated, in order that a ring may be fixed in it