Archimedes Texts

80
and clos'd it speedily as before; and then
waiting till the Fire seem'd totally ex
tinct without medling with the Pump, we
found that from the time the Vessel was
clos'd till that no Fire at all could be per
ceiv'd there had passed about four mi
nutes: Whereby it seem'd to appear that
the drawing away of the ambient Air
made the Fire go out sooner then other
wise it would have done; though that part
of the Air that we drew out left the more
room for the stifling steams of the Coals
to be received into.

Lastly, Having taken out the Wier
and put other Coals into it, we did, in the
same Room where the Engine stood, let it
hang quietly by a string in the open Air,
to try how long the Fire would last with
out agitation when no Air was kept from
it. And we found that the Fire began to
go out first at the top and out-sides of the
Coals; but inwards and near the bottom
the Fire continu'd visible for above half
an hour, a great part of the Coals, espe
cially those next the bottom, being burnt
to ashes before the Fire went out.

We caus'd likewise a piece of Iron to
be forg'd, of the bigness of a middle siz'd
Char-coal, and having made it red hot