GRAVESEND. 433 



of the broken pieces of chalk, again a thin stratum of 

 coal and so alternately until the goblet or beaker-shaped 

 kiln is full. The fire is lighted at the bottom, and spreads 

 itself more and more upwards according as the coal down 

 below becomes burnt up. [T. II. p. 83.J The chalk is 

 generally burned to lime, although it holds together in 

 the same bits as it was when it was put in. 



As the chalk becomes full-burnt, the pieces are taken 

 out down below, at the bottom of the kiln, through the 

 above described kiln-mouths, when the chalk which is 

 above, successively sinks down into its place. And that this 

 may proceed with more certainty, they have a long either 

 single or forked fire-poker, which they thrust here and 

 there down into the kiln from above, and stir about, when 

 the bits of chalk sink down all the faster. The bits of 

 chalk are shovelled out of the fire with the above described 

 broad shovel. The fuel they use for this purpose is only 

 and solely coal, except that when they first light up a kiln 

 they have at the bottom fagots to light up with, because 

 the coal will not otherwise so easily take fire. A little 

 way from the kiln lie large heaps of coals, but before 

 they are used they are broken with an iron hammer into 

 quite small pieces, little larger than the end of a little 

 finger. A great part is as small as dust. The carls give 

 as a reason that they burn better and more evenly in 

 consequence, and do not become caked because a thin 

 bed of such is sufficient to heat up and burn the stratum 

 of bits of chalk which lies upon or under it. As soon as 

 the carl has broken into very small pieces as much coal 

 as he considers to be sufficient for a certain number of bas- 

 kets, he takes some water in a bucket and throws it [T. II. 

 p. 84] thinly over the same fine-broken coal, partly by this 

 means to prevent them from being blown away by the 

 wind, since they are now in part like mould, partly also 

 because they will heat stronger when they come thus into 



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