252 
Iron . 
spiration had now become so violent as to ooze through 
all parts of my waistcoat, breeches, and stockings. The 
workmen who carried the metal perspired in such a man- 
ner as to wet their large sacking trousers as if they had been 
soaked in water. The moisture ran in such torrents from 
their faces and arms, as to be distinctly heard hissing upon 
the heated moulds. Their step and arms were more agita- 
ted than I had ever before observed, and the sinews all 
over their bodies were uncommonly large, and felt inflated 
to a great degree. Two men performed the whole labour 
of pouring ; so that each of them in 32 minutes carried 
half a ton of metal in quantities, in hand-ladles, from forty 
to fifty pounds each time. The space gone through 
each time, the return with the empty ladle included, was 
nearly 120 feet, or fully equal, upon the whole travel, to 
half an English mile : the half of which space was travers- 
ed with a ladle, metal included, weighing 80 pounds. 
One of the men, immediately after this operation, emptied 
a pitcher of spring water at one draught which I estimated 
at five English pints. 
The phenomena of the 2d cast were not so marked. 
So much is the human body the child of habit, that I nei- 
ther felt the same extent of sensation, nor remarked it upon 
the workmen, although the thermometer maintained it- 
self for some minutes at 158°. In the afternoon the air 
began to circulate, and the temperature of the shop became 
much more moderate. The third cast, however, soon 
destroyed this pleasant change, and, before half done, the 
thermometer rose to 164°. Still the workmen seemed 
to suffer less than in the morning, except on the legs. 
Most of the ranges of large moulds were throwing off the 
caloric in ruelle undulations, and exhibiting symptoms of 
approaching redness. The smallness of the shop admit- 
ted only of 2 1-2 feet of passage betwixt range and range ; 
which made the temperature of this spot intolerable. 
