Fire-places and Kitchen Utensils. 229 



be made to run almost any length of time : a whole day 

 for instance, or even longer; and, if it should be neces- 

 sary, the weight may be at a considerable distance from 

 the kitchen. It may indifferently be raised up into the 

 air, descend into a well, or may be made to descend 

 along an inclined plane ; and but little ingenuity will 

 be required to contrive and dispose of the machinery 

 in such a manner as to keep it out of the way, and, if it 

 should be required, completely out of sight; and, with 

 regard to the winding up of such a jack as I here 

 recommend (that is, to go a whole day), it may easily 

 be done by any servant of the house in less than five 

 minutes. 



Incomparably less labour will be required to wind 

 up the weight of a common jack than to bring coals to 

 feed the fire that is requisite to make a smoke -jack go. 



I know that it is said in favour of smoke-jacks, that 

 all the fire that is required to make them perform would 

 be necessary in the kitchen for other purposes, and 

 consequently that they occasion no additional expense 

 of fuel ; but that this statement is very far indeed from 

 being accurate will be evident to any person who will 

 take the trouble to examine the matter with care. That 

 the sails of a smoke-jack will turn round with the 

 application of a very small force, when the pivots on 

 which its axle-tree rests are well constructed, and when 

 its motion is not impeded by any load, is very true ; 

 but it requires a very different degree of force to move 

 it when it is obliged to carry round one, or perhaps 

 two or three, loaded spits. Even the heat given off to 

 the air by the kitchen range in cooking, after the fire 

 is gone out, will sometimes keep up the motion of the 

 sails of the smoke-jack for many hours. But what a 



