670 NEW YOKK STATE MUSEUM 



Covered yards. These differ from the former simply in tlie 

 addition of a roof. This roof is in hinged sections, which on pleas- 

 ant days can be opened upward, allowing the sunlight to enter, and 

 closed to prevent washing of the brick in case of rain; but the bricks 

 do not dry so fast, and, therefore, more drying room is needed for 

 a yard of the same capacity. There is also the expense of erecting 

 the sectional covering. 



Pallet driers. By this method the bricks are dumped directly 

 on " pallets " as they come from the machine. These are; pieces 

 of board long enough to hold six bricks. The pallets are set on 

 rack or cribs till the bricks are sufficiently dry to. be set up in 

 the kiln. There are both advantages and disadvantages to this 

 method. As the bricks can not be spatted to keep them in proper 

 shape, they must be firm enough to retain this themselves, conse- 

 quently the clay must be molded stiffer, and to do this we must have 

 strong machinery. Furthermore, a molding sand must be used 

 which will allow the brick to slip readily from the mold, as it has 

 been forced in tighter than a brick which is to be dried on an open 

 yard. There is, of course, the expense of setting up the racks, but 

 on the other hand the capacity of the yard is increased, the brick, 

 though drying slower, are not subjected to a sudden drying, such 

 as the sun of a hot summer's day is apt to give, and, therefore, 

 perhaps warp or crack the brick. The brick are only subjected to 

 one handling between machine and kiln. Some manufacturers 

 say that it is cheaper to make bricks on a pallet yard. A machine 

 called a " pallet-squarer " has been invented by Mr Swain of the 

 Oroton brick co. which is said to take the place of the spatting tool. 

 Tunnel driers. With this method, green bricks are usually piled 

 on cars and are run into heated tunnels to dry. The tunnels are 

 about 100 feet long and constructed of either brick, iron or wood. 

 If soft mud bricks are dried in tunnels, the cars must have racks 

 on which to set the pallets bearing the bricks. Stiff mud bricks 

 can, however, be set on each other, setting the bricks of two succes- 

 sive courses at right angles to each other. Each car carries about 



