Evening star., 1926-11-30
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

lated the one good of geometry. an alb
stract embodiment of pure inteiil-
gence. so 1t was" continues Plu-
tarch, that mechanics came to be
separated from geometry, and, repu'
dated and neglected by the philos-
ophers. took its place as military
art"
Archimedes, however, In writing to
King Hero, had stated that, given the
force, any weight might be moved,
land even boasted. we are told, that
If there was another earth, by going
into it he could remove this"
Archimedes showed them, too how
it might be done. when he moved a
great vessel In dry-dock by his own
strength. aided merely by rope and
pulley. The king then prevailed upon
the scientist to build him engines for
the defense Of the walls.
1.-THE apparatus was, In a most on
perfume time, ready at hand for the
gineer himself" Plutarch says, sue.
cinctly.
So when the Romans got their
massed attack under way, they were
met by huge stones, violently heaved
upon them.
Huge poles thrust out from the
walls over the ships, sunk some by
the great weights which they let down
from on high upon them: others they
lifted up into the air by an iron hand
or beak like cranes beak, and when
they had drawn them up by the
prov, and set them on end upon the
poop, they plunged them to the bot
tom Of the sea; or else the ships
drawn by engines within. and whirled
about, were dashed against steep
rocks.
"A ship" continues our author,
was frequently lifted up to a great
height in the air IA dreadful thing
to behold, and was rolled to and
fro, and kept swinging, until
the mariners were all thrown out,
when at length 1t was dashed against
the rocks or let fall"
When Marcellus drew up his bridge
Archimedes flung upon 1t a mighty
rocky mass, then second and third,
which broke the whole contraption to
pieces. Whereupon, Marcellus retired.
X 4 X X
When the Romans saw that Archi'
medes used long ropes to work his
engines they tried, to get close to
the walls, but the old fox of Syracuse
was too clever for them, for he had
engines swith short ropes, too.
What" exclaimed Marcellus; must
we give up fighting with this geometri'
cal Briareus who plays pitch and toss
| with our ships?" And by cunning he
in the end overcame him.
BY this time the Romans were so
| afraid that If they did but see DIT
of rope peep out from the walls. Plu.
| tarch tells us, they cried, There 1t
| Is again.
"Yet Archimedes possessed so high
a spirit, so profound soul and such
treasures Of scientific knowledge that,
though these inventions had now OBJ
| tained him the renOwn of more than
human sagacity, he vet would not
| deign to leave behind him anv COM
mentary or writing on such subjects
but, repudiating as sordid and ignoble
| the whole trade of engineering and
every sort of art that lends itself to
mere use and profit, he placed his
affection and ambition in those purer
speculations where there can be nc
reference to the vulgar needs OF n1e
studies, the superiority Of which TO a II
others is unquestioned, and In which
the only doubt can be whether the
beauty and grandeur of the subjects
examined, or the precision and co
gency of the methods and means OF
| proof, most deserve our admiration.
| Such a mighty man was Archlme
| des, who begged the soldiers not te
| slay him until he had finished the
| problem he was working out at the
| time. But they slew him.