694: NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



items of expense, viz, pumps to keep the water out of the pits, 

 and the maintenance of corduroy roads leading down into the pits. 

 The clay is dug at any convenient point within the excavation 

 and hauled in carts to the yard. About one quarter of a mile west 

 of the river, where the terrace is 40 to 50 feet high, clay is being 

 dug from the escarpment to supply the yards of J. D. Shankey, 

 Buckley & Carroll, Philip Goldrick, R. Malley, and J. Brennan. 

 Some of the yards situated on Minisceongo creek have to haul 

 their clay 400 to 500 yards. Where the clay is obtained from the 

 terrace escarpment there is in most cases a strippijig of from 6 

 to 10 feet of sand and gravel. This is screened and used for tem- 

 pering. The Excelsior company has tried to use clay dredged from 

 the river, but gave -it up after one season's trial for reasons un- 

 known. Most of the brickmakers at Haverstraw temper their clay 

 in soak pits and burn their bricks with wood. They all use open 

 yards for drying except the Diamond brick co. which has recently 

 put in a tunnel drier. The Excelsior company has a covered yard, 

 and Bennett, Kowan & Scott use pallet driers. At most of the 

 yards barges can be brought to within a few feet of the kilns, and 

 those yards not situated directly on the water put the barrows, 

 loaded with brick, on flat cars and run them down to the dock. 



Stonypointj Bockland co. This is practically a part of Haver- 

 straw. There are four yards here. They obtain their clay from, 

 one large shallow excavation on the west side of the West Shore 

 railroad track and 500 feet north of Stonypoint railroad station. 

 The clay has to be carted from 100 to 300 yards, and when the 

 excavation is widened there is a stripping of 3 to 6 feet of sand 

 and cobblestones. Corduroy roads have also to be used. The four 

 yards are situated along the water front. One of them, Riley & 

 Clark's, uses stationary kilns. Riley & Rose have a covered yard, 

 the other three firms dry their bricks on open yards. The clay 

 bank is owned by T. Tompkins & Son. 



