﻿CLAYS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  

  

  689 
  

  

  Many 
  attempts 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  utilize 
  the 
  vast 
  deposits 
  ol* 
  

   clay 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  Hudson 
  valley 
  for 
  other 
  purposes 
  than 
  common 
  

   brick, 
  but 
  thus 
  far 
  ouly 
  cases 
  of 
  failure 
  are 
  recorded. 
  Two 
  

   other 
  uses 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  clay 
  is 
  adapted, 
  are 
  as 
  a 
  natural 
  glaze 
  for 
  

   pottery 
  (see 
  " 
  Pottery 
  manufacture 
  "), 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  manufacture 
  of 
  

   Portland 
  cement. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  curious 
  fact 
  that, 
  though 
  the 
  Hudson 
  valley 
  is 
  the 
  seat 
  

   of 
  such 
  an 
  enormous 
  industry, 
  nevertheless 
  the 
  methods 
  employed, 
  

   and 
  machinery 
  used 
  are 
  anything 
  but 
  modem. 
  This 
  is 
  partly 
  due 
  

   to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  clay 
  does 
  not 
  stand 
  treaJtment 
  by 
  other 
  methods. 
  

   Stiff 
  mud 
  machines 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  barred 
  out 
  completely 
  by 
  the 
  nature 
  

   of 
  the 
  material, 
  but 
  why 
  the 
  old, 
  out-of-date 
  scove-kilns 
  still 
  hold 
  

   their 
  own. 
  is 
  a 
  matter 
  which 
  is 
  hard 
  to 
  explain. 
  

  

  Detailed 
  account 
  of 
  Hudson 
  river 
  yards^ 
  

   Croton 
  Landing^ 
  Westchester 
  co. 
  There 
  are 
  three 
  yards, 
  all 
  

   situated 
  on 
  Croton 
  point 
  and 
  having 
  a 
  yearly 
  capacity 
  of 
  61,000,000 
  

   brick. 
  The 
  yards 
  of 
  the 
  Anchor 
  brick 
  co. 
  are 
  located 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  

   the 
  point, 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  station 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  rail- 
  

   road 
  track. 
  One 
  yard 
  is 
  situated 
  a 
  few 
  feet 
  above 
  river 
  level, 
  the 
  

   other 
  90 
  feet 
  above 
  it 
  on 
  a 
  delta 
  terrace. 
  The 
  clay 
  deposit 
  adjoins 
  

   this 
  yard. 
  It 
  is 
  basin-shaped, 
  and 
  varies 
  in 
  depth 
  from 
  40 
  to 
  70 
  

   feet. 
  The 
  clay 
  is 
  mostly 
  blue, 
  and 
  is 
  underlain 
  by 
  hard 
  pan, 
  the 
  

   pebbles 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  cemented 
  by 
  clay 
  stained 
  with 
  limonite. 
  The 
  

   present 
  excavation 
  is 
  about 
  40 
  feet 
  deep 
  and 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  it 
  is 
  40 
  

   feet 
  above 
  mean 
  tide. 
  Borings 
  show 
  an 
  additional 
  depth 
  of 
  35 
  feet 
  

   in 
  the 
  center. 
  The 
  stripping 
  amounts 
  to 
  about 
  10 
  feet 
  of 
  loamy 
  

   clay 
  and 
  sand, 
  and 
  streaks 
  of 
  gravel 
  are 
  not 
  uncommon 
  in 
  the 
  clay. 
  

   The 
  deposit 
  is 
  worked 
  in 
  benches 
  having 
  a 
  long 
  working 
  face, 
  

   and 
  these 
  benches 
  converge 
  to 
  one 
  point 
  at 
  the 
  eastern 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  

   pit, 
  from 
  which 
  a 
  single 
  track 
  is 
  laid 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  tempering 
  machine. 
  

  

  1 
  The 
  detailed 
  field 
  work 
  on 
  these 
  clays 
  was 
  done 
  in 
  1891 
  and 
  1892, 
  and, 
  

   while 
  the 
  yards 
  have 
  in 
  some 
  instances 
  changed 
  hands 
  since 
  then, 
  still 
  it 
  was 
  

   thought 
  better 
  to 
  leave 
  the 
  names 
  in 
  use 
  at 
  the 
  earlier 
  period 
  mentioned. 
  

  

  