﻿CLAYS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  659 
  

  

  age 
  of 
  tlie 
  brick. 
  Coal 
  dust 
  is 
  also 
  added 
  by 
  some 
  manufacturers; 
  

   the 
  advantage 
  derived 
  by 
  its 
  use 
  will 
  be 
  mentioned 
  under 
  the 
  head 
  

   of 
  burning. 
  

  

  When 
  soak 
  pits 
  are 
  used, 
  two 
  men 
  dig 
  the 
  clay 
  in 
  the 
  afternoon 
  

   at 
  the 
  bank, 
  while 
  a 
  third 
  man 
  levels 
  off 
  the 
  material 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  dumped 
  

   into 
  the 
  pit 
  and 
  also 
  adds 
  the 
  requisite 
  amount 
  of 
  water. 
  He 
  is 
  

   called 
  the 
  temperer. 
  In 
  the 
  morning 
  the 
  two 
  diggers 
  of 
  the 
  previous 
  

   afternoon 
  shovel 
  the 
  clay 
  from 
  the 
  soak 
  pit 
  into 
  the 
  machine. 
  

  

  In 
  many 
  large 
  brickyards 
  separate 
  gangs 
  of 
  men 
  do 
  the 
  pit 
  

   shoveling 
  and 
  digging 
  of 
  the 
  clay. 
  

  

  Ring 
  pits. 
  These 
  temper 
  the 
  clay 
  more 
  thoroughly 
  than 
  soak 
  

   pits, 
  but 
  are 
  not 
  so 
  extensively 
  used, 
  possibly 
  because 
  it 
  costs 
  a 
  

   trifle 
  more 
  to 
  operate 
  them. 
  A 
  ring 
  pit, 
  as 
  its 
  name 
  implies, 
  is 
  cir- 
  

   cular, 
  25 
  to 
  30 
  feet 
  in 
  diameter, 
  3 
  feet 
  deep 
  and 
  lined 
  with 
  boards 
  

   or 
  brick. 
  In 
  this 
  there 
  revolves 
  an 
  iron 
  wheel, 
  6 
  feet 
  in 
  diameter 
  

   and 
  so 
  geared 
  that 
  it 
  travels 
  from 
  the 
  center 
  to 
  the 
  circumference 
  

   of 
  the 
  pit 
  and 
  then 
  toward 
  the 
  center 
  again. 
  In 
  this 
  manner 
  the 
  

   clay 
  is 
  thoroughly 
  broken 
  up 
  and 
  mixed 
  mth 
  the 
  sand 
  and 
  coal 
  

   dust, 
  if 
  the 
  latter 
  be 
  added. 
  The 
  pitful 
  is 
  tempered 
  in 
  about 
  six 
  

   hours; 
  a 
  pit 
  holds 
  sufficient 
  for 
  about 
  30,000 
  brick. 
  The 
  temper- 
  

   ing 
  is 
  usually 
  done 
  in 
  the 
  afternoon 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  have 
  the 
  material 
  

   ready 
  for 
  the 
  next 
  morning. 
  When 
  the 
  tempering 
  is 
  finished, 
  a 
  

   board 
  is 
  attached 
  by 
  ropes 
  to 
  the 
  wheel 
  and 
  dragged 
  round 
  the 
  pit 
  

   a 
  few 
  times 
  to 
  smooth 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  clay; 
  a 
  thin 
  crust 
  forms 
  

   on 
  the 
  surface 
  and 
  prevents 
  the 
  moisture 
  in 
  the 
  underlying 
  material 
  

   from 
  evaporating. 
  

  

  The 
  working 
  of 
  ring 
  pits 
  is 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  soak 
  pits, 
  the 
  only 
  

   difference 
  being 
  that 
  the 
  temperer 
  previously 
  mentioned 
  is 
  gen- 
  

   erally 
  employed 
  in 
  the 
  morning 
  to 
  wheel 
  the 
  clay 
  from 
  the 
  ring 
  pit 
  

   to 
  the 
  molding 
  machine. 
  

  

  As 
  a 
  rule 
  there 
  are 
  two 
  ring 
  pits 
  to 
  a 
  machine, 
  so 
  that 
  while 
  the 
  

   clay 
  is 
  being 
  shoveled 
  from 
  one 
  pit 
  to 
  the 
  machine, 
  the 
  other 
  ] 
  it 
  i? 
  

   tempering 
  clay 
  for 
  the 
  next 
  day, 
  or 
  two 
  pits 
  and 
  two 
  machines 
  a:e 
  

  

  