WORKING CLAY 145 



be established, the next step is to strip a portion of the surface to 

 a sufficient depth to expose the clay. 



The amount of stripping to be done varies. On Long Island 

 it is sometimes as much as 20 or 30 feet. Along the Hudson 

 valley it varies from a foot or two of loam, or three or four feet 

 of sand up to 15 or 20 feet. In both these regions the sand can 

 be used for tempering, though the quantity stripped is far in 

 excess of the demand. At some points in the Hudson valley the 

 surface is covered with scrabby trees which are troublesome to 

 remove. In the northern and western portions of the state, 

 there is at most places only a foot or two of soil covering the clay. 



When a yard is first started, the stripping, whatever its charac- 

 ter, can be used for filling. 



JS'atural drainage is always an extremely desirable thing, for 

 having to keep the clay pit clear of water only adds to the cost 

 of production. ISTeighboring streams and springs are often a 

 constant source of annoyance, especially if the clay deposit is 

 situated in a valley. They are chiefly troublesome when the 

 sand bed, which often underlies the clay, is struck and allows 

 the water to run in and flood the workings. 



Working clay 



Having uncovered the clay several methods are employed to 

 work it. 



1. The clay is dug at any convenient spot in the bank, usually 

 at the base, working inward ; thus in the case of a high bank 

 eventually leaving quite a steep face. The bank is apt to slide 

 sooner or later and the men begin again at the base of the slip 

 and work inward. There is one disadvantage in this method 

 and that is that the several qualities of clay, if it be in strata, 

 become mixed, which is not desirable in all cases. It has, how- 

 ever, the advantage in the case of a bank of clay of making the 

 haulage all on one level. Of course, in this method, haulage by 

 cart is the most convenient. Costs 25-30c. per 1000 brick for 

 about 500 feet of lead. 



2. A second method, but one rarely used, is to loosen the clay 

 by means of plows and bring it to the yard by scraper, provided of 

 course the clay bank adjoins the yard. Very few yards employ this 

 method. It costs about 20c. per 1000 brick to plow the clay and 



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