MANUFACTURE AND PROPERTIES OF LIME-SAND BRICKS. 141 



With these estimates may be compared the following data on costs 

 of production, gathered from various sources: 



The Huennekes Company, in advertising their system of lime-sand 

 brick manufacture, state that an output of 20,000 brick per day of 

 twenty-four hours will require 



1 engineer 



Labor: -( 1 fireman 

 8 laborers 

 3 tons coal 



Material : - 1\ tons lime 

 50 tons sand 



At a small plant using another system recently visited by the writer, 

 six men operated the mill, exclusive of superintendence. They were 

 distributed as follows : two digging and handling sand, one at the mixer, 

 two at the press, and one at the engine. A 30-H.P. engine sufficed to- 

 run two pan-mixers, two screw-mixers, one elevator, and one brick- 

 press, and gave a product of 10,000 brick per day of twenty-four hours. 

 Sand-beds occur near the plant, but lime is expensive, being bought in 

 the hydrate form and carried by rail for over 400 miles. Coal is also 

 expensive. Neither labor nor machinery is particularly efficient, and 

 repairs and supplies must therefore be allowed for at rather a high figure. 

 The finished brick are not of very good grade, but can be sold in absence 

 of competition from a really good clay brick at $8.00 to $9.00 per 

 thousand. 



The following is probably a fair estimate of the cost of manu- 

 facturing lime-sand brick at this plant: 



Lime, \\ tons at $8.00 per ton $12.00 



Coal, \\ tons at $4.25 per ton 6.38 



Labor, 6 men 8 . 75 



Superintendence and office expenses 10 . 00 



Repairs, supplies, etc 2 .00 



Interest, depreciation, etc 6 .00 



Cost per 10,000 brick $45.13 



Cost per thousand 4 . 51 



At a recent convention * of sand-lime brick manufacturers, several 

 partial estimates of cost of manufacture were submitted. One esti- 

 mate put the total cost of manufacture at $5.00 per thousand brick, 

 allowing for coal at $4.25 per ton, lime at 80 cents per barrel, and sand 

 at 60 cents per yard. Another placed the total cost at $3.60 per thou- 

 sand, with slack coal at $1.45 per ton and lime at 40 cents per barrel. 



* Proceedings of the 1st Annual Convention, National Assoc. Mfrs. Sand-Lime 

 Products, reported in the "Clay Worker", vol. 42, pp. 582-591. Dec. 1904. 



