1892. | NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 47 
ing of more importance each year. There are about three hun- 
dred and fifty yards which manufacture building brick alone, 
giving an annual production of about 1,300,000,000 brick. The 
income from this branch of the clay industry alone amounts to 
about $8,500,000 annually. 
In most cases the yards are situated so as to afford the great- 
est ease and facility of working. Along the Hudson River the 
clay is rarely hauled over 300 feet, and this on a down grade; 
the barges for transporting the brick can be brought to within 
a few feet of the kiln. All the Hudson River yards mold their 
brick by the soft-mud process; indeed, this is the one commonly 
used in most parts of the State. ; 
The Hudson River yards send their product chiefly to New 
York City. The yards in the north and west portion of the 
State are usually situated on some line of railroad, and their 
product is chiefly locally used. In many of these we find the 
artificial drying of the brick to be the favorite method. They 
use in most cases stationary kilns. 
The re-pressed brick made at Newfield are found to stand one 
of the highest pressures on record, viz., crushing at 240,000 
pounds. The Syracuse paving brick will stand even more, 
These were tested on edge. 
In the western portion of the State many drain-tile are made. 
Sewer-pipe are manufactured at several localities, the native 
clay being mixed with a certain proportion of Jersey fire-clay, 
Roofing-tile, terra cotta and paving-brick are among the clay 
products of the State. 
Shale is another substance which has come into use within the 
last few years for the making of brick. In this State the Ham- 
ilton, Chemung and Salina are being employed. 
The shale is pulerized first in a dry-pan to a very fine powder 
and then ground with water, and in this state is plastic and can 
be molded into brick, ete. It very often gives better results 
than the clays. 
Future experiments will no doubt show the availability of 
shales of other formations than those now used for the manufac- 
ture of clay-products, , 
Certain it is that we have in this State an abundant supply of 
clay and a still more abundant store of shales. 
The Astronomical Section having organized with Pror, Ress 
in the chair, Dr. M, I. Pupry read a paper entitled : 
