Memoir of a mechanic Being a sketch of the life of Timothy Claxton . he plane. The joineruses a saw in a frame, somewhat like thoseused by the wood-sawyers in Boston. The masons build their walls very stages are ascended by inoJined ^anes,instead of ladders, so broad that one mightdrive a carriage up them with ease. Themortar is carried by two men on a kind ofhand-barrow. They walk up these gentle 48 MEMOIR OF A MECHANIC. slopes very leisurely. The bricks are carriedby one man. He takes a piece of board twofeet long, Avith four projecting pins or arms,two of which rest on his shoul
Memoir of a mechanic Being a sketch of the life of Timothy Claxton . he plane. The joineruses a saw in a frame, somewhat like thoseused by the wood-sawyers in Boston. The masons build their walls very stages are ascended by inoJined ^anes,instead of ladders, so broad that one mightdrive a carriage up them with ease. Themortar is carried by two men on a kind ofhand-barrow. They walk up these gentle 48 MEMOIR OF A MECHANIC. slopes very leisurely. The bricks are carriedby one man. He takes a piece of board twofeet long, Avith four projecting pins or arms,two of which rest on his shoulders, while theboard hangs down his back; the other twopins being for the bricks to rest upon. Inthis way, he carries about sixteen bricks at atime. Lord Bacon observes, that when we travelinto foreign countries, we should not adoptevery new thing we see, but now and thenprick in a flower. Following his advice, Iwill here describe three things which appearto be useful, and peculiar to this place. Atleast, I have not seen them anywhere else. Fig. 1. Fig. 2. Fig. Fig. 1 represents a contrivance for shuttingdoors. The power is applied in the same wayas in our modern iron printing presses. Thereis a pin at each end of the apparatus. One pinis fitted to and turns in a socket attached to the THE ARTS IN RUSSIA. , 49 frame, and the other is fitted to a similar onein the door. In opening the door, the pins arebrought nearer together, and the weight in thecentre is raised. The door is shut by thisweight straightening the bars, and spreadingthe pins farther apart. Some of these articlesare made of iron, and are black ; others are ofbrass, and kept bright. They are extensivelyused. Fig. 2 is a cistern for water, with a valve inthe bottom, which is much used for washingthe face and hands. By raising the valve, thewater is let down in small quantities, and as itis used, passes off by means of a sink placedunderneath. The advantages of this methodare, that persons do not wash in the same
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