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HISTORY OF ENGINEERING.

CiiAr. III.

On the other side of Ortygia is the lesser port, called formerly the Portus Marmoreus,in consequence of its being paved with marble. One of the most memorable events inhistory is the taking of Syracuse by Marcellus, a little more than two hundred years beforeChrist: in its defence was employed Archimedes , the greatest engineer among the ancients,who was singularly skilled, according to Livy, in the science of astronomy and geometry ;and also eminent for his invention and construction of warlike engines, by means of which,with very slight exertions, he could baffle an enemy.

When Marcellus marched against Syracuse, Appius Claudius commanded the landforces, and himself the fleet, which consisted of sixty galleys of five banks of oars, full of allsorts of arms and massive weapons. The consul Appius stationed his army round theScythian portico, from whence the wall was continued along the shore to the mole of theharbour : he employed a great number of artificers for five days to prepare everythingnecessary for the siege; but, according to Polybius, he had not calculated upon the greatskill that would be opposed to him, nor had he considered that the mind of a single manon some occasions was far superior to the force of many hands. Syracuse was a place ofgreat strength ; the wall that encompassed it was built upon lofty hills, whose tops, hangingover the plain, rendered all approach from without difficult. Towards the sea such aquantity of instruments for defence had been contrived by Archimedes , that the besiegerswere baffled on all sides. Appius , however, with his blinds and scaling-ladders, advancedtowards that part of the wall which was joined to the hexapylum, on the eastern side ofthe city, and at the same time Marcellus directed his course towards Achridina, with hisfleet filled with soldiers armed with bowstrings and javelins, in order to drive the enemyfrom the walls.

There were eight other vessels, from one side of which the benches of the rowers hadbeen removed, from the right side of some, and the left of the others. These vessels werejoined in pairs and rowed by oars on opposite sides, and in them were placed machinescalled sambucea or sackbuts. These machines contained a ladder about 4 feet in breadth,and of a height equal to the walls against which they were to be raised. On either sidewas formed a high breastwork or tower. The ladder was laid at length upon the sides inwhich the two vessels were joined, but extending far beyond the prows, and at the top ofthe masts pulleys were fixed with ropes. At the proper time ropes were attached to thetop of the machines, and while some, standing on the stern of the vessels, drew the ladderup by the pulleys, others at the prow at the same time assisted in raising it with levers.The vessels being then rowed near the shore, they endeavoured to fix the machines againstthe walls. At the top of the ladder was a small stage, guarded on three sides by blinds,and containing four men, who, engaging with those upon the walls, were to endeavour tomake fast the machine, and when fixed, these men, being raised above the top of the wall,threw down the blinds on either side, and advanced to attack the battlements and towers.The rest at the same time ascended the ladder without any fear that it should fall, because itwas strongly fastened with ropes to the two vessels.

This machine was called a sackbut, because it resembled that instrument when it wasraised.

Archimedes was prepared to meet the attack made by the Romans, and while thevessels were at a distance, he employed against them catapultas and balistze of enormoussize, worked by powerful springs, which discharged darts and stones, throwing them intogreat disorder. When the darts passed beyond them, and the vessels came nearer, he usedoth^r machines proportioned to the distance. Thus repulsed, Marcellus gave over till thenight arrived; but when the vessels again approached, they were exposed to new dangerfrom another invention of Archimedes . lie had made openings in many parts of the wall,equal in height to the stature of a man, and a palm in breadth, and having stationed archerson the inside, and small scorpions, he discharged such a multitude of arrows through theholes, as to disable the soldiers on board.

When they again attempted to raise the sackbuts, there suddenly appeared above thewalls other machines which he had caused to be raised along the whole length on theinside, and which were concealed from view: these stretched their long beaks far beyondthe battlements, and many carried masses of lead, and stones of ten talents in weight.When the vessels approached, the beaks were turned by means of ropes and pulleys, andthen let fall their stones on the sackbuts and vessels below, and all attending them werethus thrown into the greatest danger. The combatants upon the prows of the vessels wereall forced to retire from the discharge of the darts through the openings in the wall, or fromthe large stones thrown down upon them.

One of the inventions of Archimedes on this occasion was a large iron hand, hanging bya chain from the beak of a machine, which was thus applied : —the beak was guided likethe gib of a crane, over the prow of a vessel, and then the hand or grapple was let fall,which attached itself to the prow ; the opposite end of the gib was pulled down on theinside of the wall, and acting then on the principle of a lever, raised the vessel on its stern,when the chain was suddenly loosened by means of the pulleys, and the vessels were some