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ficer under the denomination of fufflator, or Jire-llotvtr. 

 The Roman mint-men were diftinguifhed by the appella- 

 tion of blowers of gold, filver, and brafs, icc.Jlatores aur'i, 

 argenti. 



Blower, among dealers in horfes, a term ufed for 

 fuch horfes as wheeze much, without wanting wind. See 

 Wheezing. 



BLOWING, in Medicine. One method of adminiftering 

 medicines is by inflation, or blowing them into the part 

 by a tube : thus it is they fometimcs convey powders into 

 the eye, and fometimes up the nofe, for the cure of a 

 polypus. 



Blowing, exfufflatio, was alfo a ceremony in the ancient 

 adminiftration of baptifm, whereby the catechumen, upon 

 rehearfingthe renunciation, blew three blafts with his mouth, 

 to fignify that he rejefkcd or call the devil abfolutely off. 



Something like this is rtill retained in the Ruffian church. 

 In the facramentary of St. Gregory, the pricft who admini- 

 fters baptifm, is enjoined to blow thrice on the child's face, 

 making the fign of the crofs with his hand, and pro- 

 nouncing the words exi ab eo Satan. Juftin Martyr, Ter- 

 tullian, St. Cyril, and St. Auguftin fpeak of this ceremony 

 as ufed in their times. 



Blowing of af-re-arm, is when the touch-hole is run or 

 gulled, and become wide, fo that the powder will flame 

 out. 



Blowing is alfo ufed in fpeaking of the natural motion 

 or courfe of the wind. 



In the Sea- Language, the wind is faid to llo-w home, or 

 blotu through, when it does not ceafe, or grow lefs, till it 

 comes pad the place where the fpeaker is. To bloiju through 

 is fometimes alfo ufed to denote, that the wind will be fo 

 great as to blow afunder the fails. When a wind increafes 

 fo much that they cannot bear any top-fails, they fay, they 

 were blown into their courfes, i. e. they could only have out 

 the fails fo called. To exprefs an extraordinary great wind, 

 they fometimes fay, it will blow the fail out of the bolt- 

 ropes. 



Blowing is alfo ufed in fpeaking of the force and cffcA 

 of kindled gunpowder on bodies which happen to be over 

 it. In this fcnfe we fay to blow up a houfc. Engineers at 

 fieges make mines wherewith to blow up walls, ballions, and 

 other defences. Powder-mills are apt to blow up by the 

 iron gudgeons growing hot, and fetting fire to the powder 

 duil flying about. 



Blowing, among Gardeners, denotes the aftion of flow- 

 ers whereby they open and difplay their leaves. In which 

 fenfe, blowing amounts to much the fame with flowering 

 and bloflbming. 



Blowing of Glass, one of the methods of form- 

 ing the divers kinds of works in the glafs manufafture. It is 

 performed by dipping the end of an iron ponteglio, or blow- 

 pipe, in the melted glafs, and blowing througli it with the 

 mouth, according to the circumftances of the glafs to be 

 blown. 



Blowing of tin, a term ufed by the Cornifh miners for 

 the fufion or reduftion of tin-ore to the metallic ftate, after 

 having been roafted to get rid of the fulphur and arf-nic. 



Blowing Machine, is ufed in metallurgical cperations on 

 a great fcale, for the purpofe of exciting combufl:ion in 

 . furnaces appropriated for the fmelting and reducing of 

 ores. 



The hiftory and improvement of machinery of this nature 

 have kept pace with the other branches of our national nia- 

 nufafture, and, in many inilances, may be juftly faid to 

 have gone beyond them. 



In the fmelting of lead and tin ores, the fize and powers 



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of the blowing machine have been lefs a fubjc^ of alteratios 

 and improvement, than thofe ufed at furnaces and worki 

 where iron ore is fmclted. 



The natural fufibility and eafy volatilization of the former 

 metals, in temperatures beyond a bright red heat, have pre- 

 fcribed the fize of the furnace, the meafure of the blali, 

 and the nature of the fuel. 



In the manufafture of copper, air-furnaces are generally 

 ufed, except where precipitated oxyd of copper is revived in 

 fmall blaft-furnaces, refembling thofe called cupolas, ufed 

 at iron foundenes. 



The conllruftion of a lead fmelting machine, or what is 

 commonly called a " Lead Mill," is extremely fimple. A 

 water wheel is erefted in the middle of a fquare building. 

 To the flraft of this wheel are attached four fmall wheels of 

 cad iron, about i8 inches diameter. Four pairs of bellows, 

 two pairs on each fide of the fliaft, are placed at equal 

 diltance?, and fupported upon a ftrong framing of wood. As 

 the water wheel (haft revolves, the fmall wheels are carried 

 round, and alternately, or two and two together, deprefs 

 the extremity of a lever attached by an iron chain to an 

 equipoifed beam. The defcent of this lever elevates the op. 

 pofite end of the beam, to which is alfo attached, by means 

 of another iron chain, the upper or moveable furface of the 

 bellows. The blaft produced in this way is in general foft, 

 much inferior in point of either quantity or dcnfity to what 

 is found neceflary at iron furnaces. The bellows in common 

 meafure lo feet in length, and 5 or 6 feet acrofs the breach, 

 moving about 30 fl:rokes per minute. 



In the manufafturc of iron it has always been, particu- 

 larly fince the introduftion of pit coal, the unceafing objeft 

 of the iron-maker to improve his blowing apparatus ; for 

 uniformly he has found, that in proportion as he can raifc 

 air, and make it enter the furnace, fo will his weekly quan- 

 tity of metal be increafed. 



In the early hiftoi-y of this intcrefting manufaclure, when 

 charcoal of wood was the matter of fuel made ufe of, the 

 affinities betwixt the latter and the ore were eftabliihed with 

 more facility. Small furnaces, called bloomeries, were fuf- 

 ficieatly large, and deemed of profitable capacity, if they 

 produced a bloom or two of iron per day, of yo to 1-olLs. 

 each. 



Hand bellows, and what were called fuel blafts, were fuf- 

 ficiently large for the minor operations. After the general 

 introdutlion of the refinery furnaces, and the divifion of the 

 manufacture into the making of pig iron, and the refining 

 of this into bar or malleable iron, the advantages of a 

 powerful blaft were immediately perceived. Water wheels, 

 working two pairs or more of leather bellows, were found to 

 produce powerful effefts, and, in confequence, almoft every 

 fitiiation that prefented a command of materials and a 

 waterfall, became the fcite of an iron-mill. 



The fimple mode of blowing furnaces by means of a 

 trompe, was at the fame time introduced ; but in general it 

 was found, that m.uch greater advantage could be derived 

 from the defcent of water upon a wheel, either as to dei.fity 

 or quantity, than by means of the bell conftrufted trompe. 



The ufe of water wheels and leather bellows continued , 

 general throughout the iron bufinefs, until the principles 

 and mechanifm of the fl.eam engine were eftabliflied upon 

 unerring grounds. This wonderuil invention was foon ap- 

 plied with the happieft efl'ett in many fituations rich with 

 mineral treafures, but to which nature had denied the ad- 

 vantage of water fufficient to turn machinery. Cylinders, 

 compolcd of wood, firmly jointed and hooped, v.'cre firft 

 introduced as a fubftitute for leather bellows : thefe were 

 foon after replaced by bored cylinders of call iron ; and 



Yiith 



