. De re metallica. Metallurgy; Mineral industries. 278 BOOK VIII. into the water, but into the ground, there is created a sulphurous or a bituminous substance resembling foinpholyx'', and so light that it can be blown away with a breath. Some employ a vaulted furnace, open at the front and divided into two chambers. A wall built in the middle of the furnace divides the lower chamber into two equal parts, in which are set pots containing water, as above described. The upper chamber is again divided into three parts, the middle one of which is always open, for in it the wood is placed, and it is
. De re metallica. Metallurgy; Mineral industries. 278 BOOK VIII. into the water, but into the ground, there is created a sulphurous or a bituminous substance resembling foinpholyx'', and so light that it can be blown away with a breath. Some employ a vaulted furnace, open at the front and divided into two chambers. A wall built in the middle of the furnace divides the lower chamber into two equal parts, in which are set pots containing water, as above described. The upper chamber is again divided into three parts, the middle one of which is always open, for in it the wood is placed, and it is not broader than the middle wall, of which it forms the topmost portion. The other two compartments have iron doors which are closed, and which, together with the roof, keep in the heat when the wood is lighted. In these upper compartments are iron bars which take the place of a floor, and on these are arranged pots without bottoms, having in place of a bottom, a grating made of iron wire, fixed to each, through the openings of which the sulphurous or bituminous vapours roasted from the ore run into the lower pots. Each of the upper pots holds a hundred. A—Heap of cupriferous stones. B—Kindled heap. C—Stones being taken to THE beds of faggots. 'Bearing in mind that bituminous cadmia contained arsenical-cobalt minerals, this substance " resembling pompholyx" would probably be arsenic oxide. In De Natiira Fossilium (p. 368), Agricola discusses the pompholyx from cadmia at length and pronounces it to be of remarkably " corrosive " quality. (See also note on p. 112.). Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Agricola, Georg, 1494-1555; Hoover, Herbert, 1874-1964. New York, Dover Publications
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