CLAYS OF NEW YOEK YOT 



Alfred Hunter's yard is situated on Van Woert street near 

 Pearl. The clay is blue with yellow on top. About 40 feet of 

 clay is at present exposed. There are only a few inches of soil to 

 be stripj)ed. The bottom has not yet been reached. Ring pits and 

 soft mud machines are used and the bricks are dried in the sun. 

 Burning is done in scove-kilns. Albany and vicinity consume most 

 of the product. 



The brick yard of A. Poutre is on Van Woert street between 

 Lark and Knox. The clay is blue in color and about 25 feet 

 thick. It is overlain by a loose soil; the bottom has not yet been 

 reached. Soft mud machines operated by steam power are used; 

 the bricks are dried on open yards and burned in scovei-kilns. 

 Albany consumes most of the product. 



Rensselaer, Kensselaer eo. Mrs. T. Rigney's yard is at East 

 Greenbush on the east side of the Boston and Albany railroad. 

 The clay, which is blue and yellow, has a thickness of about 90 feet. 

 Loam overlies the clay ; the bottom has not yet been reached. The 

 machinery is run by horse power. Rensselaer and I^ew York city 

 are the chief markets for the product. 



Troy, Rensselaer co. Alexander Ferguson's brick yard is situ- 

 ated on Hoosick above 1st street. The clay bank is about 40 feet 

 high and runs in an east and west direction ; it is deeply incised at 

 either end by two streams. The clay, as is common to these Hudson 

 estuary deposits, is stratified, yellow in the upper portion and blue 

 clay in the lower. The blue contains some quicksand. A stronger 

 and better colored brick is made from the tough upper clay, but 

 it shrinks considerably in burning. On the other hand the blue 

 clay makes a smoother but not as strong brick, but one of more even 

 shape. Underlying the clay is slate rock, which has been used for 

 building purposes. 



J. B. Roberts's bank is about 20 feet in thickness. The clay, 

 which is mostly yellow, is covered with a foot of loam and under- 

 lain by gravel. Capacity, 2,000,000. 



