De la Pirotechnia

BOOK ONE

...you will never extract anything. Beyond the aforementioned precepts, I tell you that you should use every diligence, organizing the shifts from six hours to six, or eight (according to the number of miners original: "cauatori"), always putting rested men into the work, so that you may arrive sooner at the designated goal. In this, it seems to me that much advantage and fruitful contentment consists for those who wish to possess the desired things; therefore, I exhort you to run toward them without restraint. AND BECAUSE many adaptations are required for such effects, which can only be spoken of in general (considering that the forms of the iron tools original: "ferramenti" must vary according to the locations and the nature of the mines, as there is a difference when having to excavate those found in marble original: "marmi", or in travertine original: "treuertini", in albazzani a type of whitish limestone or calcareous sandstone common in Tuscany, in colombino a hard, dove-grey limestone or sandstone, and similar stones). To excavate those found in crumbly and soft rocks, one needs vigorous and powerful instruments, such as large sledges original: "mazze", and iron hoes original: "zappe", and also long and thick bars for prying, large picks original: "zapponi", strong picks original: "picchi", pointed chisels original: "pontaroli" with handles and without, and similar tools made of fine steel and of strong temper, for digging and breaking stones. BUT of those that serve in other mines for digging softer stones, I will make no mention, because the common ones are sufficient, and necessity teaches what ought to be done (even though most are one-handed hammers a palm’s length long, and such pointed chisels, hoes, small picks, shovels, and the like). But of every sort (in the soft as well as in the hard), a great abundance is needed, because they ensure that the workers do not lose time, and they are of the greatest benefit to the owners. It is necessary, besides this, to have a supply of large baskets original: "corbe", small baskets, and sacks of rawhide, iron-bound carts original: "carreti ferrati" with wheels and without, to carry away the fragments from the excavation.

A woodcut illustration depicts the essential kit of a Renaissance miner. At the top are two large woven baskets for hauling ore. Below them is an array of hand tools including picks, shovels, and hammers, alongside a sturdy wooden wheelbarrow. On the left, a long timber is employed as a lever to move a heavy block of stone, demonstrating basic physics in the quarry. To the right, a mechanical device featuring a gear wheel and a hand crank is shown; this represents a winch or a primitive pump system used to manage depth and water.

Similarly, it is a necessity to have a quantity of oily liquids original: "liquori ontuosi" for burning, such as oils of olive, walnut, linseed, hemp, tree resins, or the melted fats of land animals or of fish, because without the light of fire one cannot work. Nor can such fire be kept alive if the mine does not have some air vent original: "spiracolo d'aria" by means of a wooden conduit original: "budello di legno" or other opening.