State Agricultural Society. 289 



POTTEBY AND STONEWABE. 



Statement op N. Clark & Co., of Sacramento. 



Sacramento, October 28, 1871. 



To the Committee on Gold Medals: 



Being exhibitors in the late State Fair, we herewith present our claims 

 to the gold medal to be awarded in the fourth department. By refer- 

 ence to our entry you will see our exhibit consisted of pottery of various 

 kinds — stoneware, firebrick, flooring tile, sewer pipe, and drain tile. 

 But few are aware of the difficulties that potteries have had to labor 

 under on this coast, as wages and material have been high, and our 

 losses in not being acquainted with the nature of our clays have been 

 much greater than in countries where potteries have been long estab- 

 lished. In old established potteries the present workmen have the 

 benefit and knowledge of perhaps several generations. Not so wdth us. 

 We must be tried in the furnace; and you will readily understand the 

 nature of the furnace when we state to you that we have had fourteen 

 potteries to fail in this State. Having large experience in different 

 States and on different clays we did not for a moment believe the diffi- 

 culties would be so great or lasting. Eight years ago we purchased our 

 present works; we expected to lose fifteen per cent in burning, which is 

 five per cent above the rate of old established potteries; this would leave 

 us a margin for profit at the prices of goods. After four years of toil we 

 find ourselves several thousand dollars worse off than when we began; 

 instead of fifteen per cent we have been losing forty to sixty per cent, 

 with a poor quality of goods. Our friends tried to induce us to abandon 

 the business, as they had failed in the same undertaking; they offered 

 us funds to engage in other business, but not to invest in pottery. 

 Having no stockholders to tax we concluded to tax brains and muscle 

 a little further, and never was the saying more true than " perseverance 

 brings its reward." We are now manufacturing at as small loss, or per- 

 haps smaller, than any other factory of the kind in the United States, 

 while the quality of our goods, in the line of stoneware and sewer pipe, 

 is equal to the best. 



Our experiments in firebrick warrant us in saying that we have the 

 material, when properly combined, to make firebrick equal to any 

 imported. 



We have the past season been experimenting with underground irriga- 

 tion by means of earthen pipe laid under the ground, which promises to 

 be of vast benefit to our State, -while it can be used to advantage in any 

 soil. It seems peculiarly adapted to adobe or clay soils that derive but 

 little benefit from top irrigation on account of the surface baking. 



The manufacture of terra cotta seems to offer inducements to capi- 

 talists. I believe that one hundred thousand dollars could be profitably 

 employed in its manufacture on this coast. Our climate is well adapted 

 to its varied uses; our wet and dry seasons operate against wood for 

 architectural decorations, while iron is too heavy and costly. Experi- 

 ments could be made at small cost; we have plenty of room and our 

 furnaces would answer for experiments. We tender the use of them 

 without cost to parties that wish to experiment in this line. 



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