METHOD OF EXTINGUISHING FIRE. ]07 



that the truth of his account was doubted. In order to clear 

 away all doubt on that head, I fubjoin the following liberal 

 tranflation of the verbal procefs of the experiment which Von 

 Zach had drawn up, and inferted in the above-mentioned pe- 

 riodical paper : 



Do&or Van Marum * being at Gotha, in the courfe of a lite- Verbal procefs of 

 rary journey, which he was making in Germany in 1798, the met hodof ex- 

 (Juke of Gotha, well known as an amateur of the phyfical and tinguiihmg fire, 

 mathematical fciences, fignified his defire to fee, on a large 

 fcale, that experiment of extinguishing fires, the effect of 

 which M. Van Marum had (hewn him, in extinguishing a 

 pitched calk, fet on fire, with a fmall ladle of water. He 

 caufed a building to be constructed under M. Van Marum's di- 

 rection, in the duchefs's garden, of equal dimenfions in all re- 

 fpects with that ufed for the fame experiment at Harlaem, 

 which was of 24- feet long, 20 feet wide, and 14 feet high. It 

 had two doors on the north-eaft fide, and two window-like 

 openings on the north-weft fide ; the top was left entirely open 

 to give the flames a free vent ; the infide of this receptacle 

 was plaflered with pitch, and afterwards covered with ftraw 

 matts, on which melted pitch had been poured. To the bot- 

 tom of thefe matts, cotton wicks, foaked in fpirits of turpen- 

 tine, were fufpended, that fo the building might be every 

 where on fire at the fame time. In this ftate the fire, excited by 

 the wind, was foon fo violent, that the flames, with thick 

 clouds of fmoke, were carried feveral feet above the opening 

 of the roof, and fo fiercely, that the fpectators afiembled about 

 the building quickly drew back ; many were of opinion that 

 it would not be poffible to extinguifli it, but that the building 

 muft be reduced to afhes. When the ftraw mats were entirely 

 confumed, the interior wood work of the building was foon on 

 fire in every part. The raoft unfavourable circumftances at- 

 tended this experiment ; for the wind drove the flames directly 

 through the two doors on the north-eaft fide, by which it had 

 been intended to introduce the ftreams of water to extinguifli 

 them : but notwithstanding this, M. Van Marum placed a 

 fmall portable pump (or engine) before the door in that part of 

 the north-eaft fide of the building neareft to the fouth»eaft-fide ; 



* The remainder of this memoir being the words of the report, 

 it has not been marked as a quotation, ---N, 



without 



