206 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Pebbles of limestone are scattered through it in places 

 and at a few spots several feet of yellow sand, suit- 

 able for molding or tempering, covers the clay. Below 

 the limit of weathering the cla}'^ is blue and does not give 

 as nice a colored brick as the red. The addition of tempering 

 sand is not considered necessary. Soak pits and soft mud 

 machines are used. All the yards dry their brick on pallets 

 and burn them in stationary kilns, using coal fuel. One fire is 

 made to burn one, two or three arches, according to the con- 

 struction of the kiln. The burning takes nine days. Buffalo 

 and its vicinity consume a large portion of the product. 



Situated at the north end of Buffalo are the works of the 

 Adams Brick & Terra Cotta Co. They have but recently 

 commenced operations, and their chief product is brick and 

 drain tile. The clay deposit is of the same general character 

 as that of East Buffalo, having two to six feet of red clay on 

 top, and below this blue, to a depth of 25 to 40 feet. Much 

 of the blue can be used for coarser grades of pottery. A s >ft 

 mud machine is used for common bricks, and a plunger stiff mud 

 machine for tile and front brick. 



They also have a dry press machine for making front brick. 

 A. Steadman disintegrator is used in connection with this latter. 

 The common brick are dried on pallets, the front brick in 

 chambers. Burning is done in down-draft kilns and scove kilns. 

 The latter are 40 by 15 feet, a smaller size than is customary. 

 Five to six days is required for burning. This is a comparatively 

 short period, and is partly due to size of kiln and partly to 

 earthing. Parting sand from the iron foundry is used for 

 molding. 



Jewettville, Erie Co. Brush & Smith have recently started a 

 brick yard at this locality. It is situate<i along the B. R. & P. 

 R. R. track, about a quarter mile northwest of the station. 

 The material used is Hamilton shale. It is of a grayish color 

 and is easily worked. An opening has been made next to the 

 yard and at the same level. A black, gritty shale crops out 

 farther up on the hill, but this has not yet been used. The shale 

 is loaded on cars and run into the machine shed, where it is 



