﻿CLAYS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  

  

  691 
  

  

  bricks 
  at 
  a 
  time 
  and 
  by 
  moving 
  the 
  handles 
  the 
  plates 
  press 
  against 
  

   the 
  brick, 
  squaring 
  the 
  comers. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  a 
  boj 
  can 
  square 
  a 
  pitful 
  

   of 
  brick 
  (35,000) 
  in 
  a 
  day. 
  The 
  molding 
  machines 
  have 
  an 
  endless 
  

   <;hain 
  with 
  buckets 
  attached 
  to 
  them 
  for 
  feeding 
  the 
  sand. 
  This 
  

   leaves 
  only 
  the 
  clay 
  to 
  be 
  shoveled 
  into 
  the 
  machine, 
  and 
  the 
  feed- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  uniformly 
  and 
  continuously 
  gives 
  a 
  more 
  evenly 
  

   tempered 
  mixture. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  this 
  case 
  that 
  no 
  soak 
  pit 
  or 
  

   ring 
  pit 
  is 
  used 
  — 
  the 
  molding 
  machine 
  does 
  all 
  the 
  mixing. 
  The 
  

   m.olding 
  sand 
  is 
  dried 
  by 
  spreading 
  it 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  kiln 
  floor, 
  it 
  being 
  

   thought 
  that 
  it 
  dries 
  quicker 
  this 
  way 
  than 
  if 
  it 
  were 
  banked 
  up 
  

   against 
  the 
  kiln, 
  as 
  is 
  conmionly 
  done. 
  

  

  The 
  W. 
  A. 
  Underbill 
  brick 
  yards 
  are 
  situated 
  midway 
  between 
  

   the 
  base 
  and 
  end 
  of 
  Croton 
  point. 
  There 
  are 
  two 
  yards, 
  both 
  

   covered. 
  The 
  brick 
  made 
  at 
  this 
  yard 
  are 
  sold 
  mostly 
  for 
  fronts, 
  

   selling 
  for 
  $14 
  a 
  thousand. 
  The 
  clay 
  bank 
  lies 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  

   yards; 
  it 
  has 
  a 
  hight 
  of 
  40' 
  feet 
  above 
  mean 
  tide 
  and 
  extends 
  15 
  

   feet 
  below 
  it. 
  At 
  the 
  last-mentioned 
  depth 
  the 
  blue 
  clay 
  stops 
  and 
  

   is 
  followed 
  by 
  2 
  feet 
  of 
  yellow 
  clay, 
  several 
  inches 
  of 
  quicksand, 
  

   through 
  which 
  spring 
  water 
  enters, 
  and 
  finally 
  hardpan. 
  There 
  is 
  

   a 
  stripping 
  of 
  fine 
  sand, 
  which 
  varies 
  from 
  10 
  to 
  20 
  feet 
  in 
  thick- 
  

   ness. 
  Some 
  portions 
  of 
  this 
  sand 
  are 
  found 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  better 
  brick 
  

   when 
  mixed 
  with 
  the 
  clay 
  than 
  others. 
  The 
  clay 
  is 
  mined 
  in 
  

   benches, 
  and 
  narrow 
  tracks 
  are 
  laid 
  along 
  the 
  working 
  face. 
  Side 
  

   dump 
  cars 
  are 
  used 
  to 
  haul 
  the 
  clay, 
  being 
  run 
  in 
  trains 
  of 
  three, 
  

   drawn 
  by 
  four 
  mules. 
  The 
  tracks 
  are 
  laid 
  around 
  the 
  ring 
  pits, 
  so 
  

   that 
  the 
  clay 
  may 
  be 
  easily 
  discharged 
  into 
  them. 
  

  

  Crugers, 
  Montrose 
  and 
  Verplanch, 
  Westchester 
  co. 
  These 
  three 
  

   localities 
  lie 
  so 
  connected 
  and 
  their 
  clay 
  banks 
  are 
  so 
  similar 
  that 
  

   they 
  are 
  best 
  described 
  together. 
  The 
  clay 
  is 
  extremely 
  variable 
  

   in 
  depth, 
  which 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  great 
  irregularity 
  of 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  

   underlying 
  rocks; 
  it 
  is 
  both 
  blue 
  and 
  yellow. 
  'No 
  special 
  method 
  

   is 
  used 
  in 
  mining 
  the 
  clay, 
  it 
  being 
  dug 
  at 
  any 
  convenient 
  spot 
  till 
  

   the 
  underlying 
  rock 
  is 
  reached 
  and 
  then 
  the 
  bank 
  is 
  attacked 
  at 
  

   another 
  point. 
  At 
  Montrose 
  and 
  Crugers 
  the 
  clay 
  is 
  overlain 
  in 
  

  

  