﻿788 
  NEW 
  YOEK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  New 
  York 
  fire 
  clays 
  

  

  Though 
  there 
  are 
  several 
  fire 
  brick 
  factories 
  in 
  the 
  state, 
  all 
  with 
  

   one 
  exception 
  obtain 
  their 
  clay 
  from 
  New 
  Jersey. 
  The 
  IsTew 
  Jer- 
  

   sey 
  fire 
  clays, 
  which 
  are 
  of 
  Cretaceous 
  age, 
  extend 
  in 
  a 
  belt 
  across 
  

   E'ew 
  Jersey 
  and 
  over 
  on 
  Staten 
  Island, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  at 
  the 
  latter 
  locality 
  

   that 
  the 
  refractory 
  clays 
  of 
  ISTew 
  York 
  state 
  occur. 
  The 
  fire 
  brick 
  

   factory 
  of 
  B. 
  Kreischer's 
  Sons 
  is 
  located 
  on 
  the 
  southwestern 
  shore 
  

   of 
  Sfbaten 
  Island 
  a,t 
  Kreischerville. 
  They 
  manufacture 
  fire 
  brick, 
  

   cupola 
  brick 
  and 
  gas 
  retorts. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  clay 
  used 
  is 
  obtained 
  

   from 
  Staten 
  Island, 
  and 
  the 
  rest 
  from 
  ISTew 
  Jersey. 
  Many 
  open- 
  

   ings 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Kreischerville. 
  The 
  deep- 
  

   est 
  one 
  made 
  was 
  opposite 
  Kjlmeyer's 
  hotel. 
  The 
  clay 
  from 
  it 
  was 
  

   used 
  for 
  fire 
  brick. 
  It 
  is 
  tough, 
  of 
  a 
  whitish 
  color 
  and 
  mottled 
  with 
  

   yellow, 
  but 
  its 
  thickness 
  is 
  not 
  very 
  great 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  15 
  or 
  20 
  feet 
  

   of 
  stripping. 
  This 
  pit 
  has 
  been 
  abandoned. 
  Southwest 
  of 
  it 
  is 
  

   another 
  pit, 
  but 
  in 
  this 
  the 
  clay, 
  as 
  first 
  exposed, 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  more 
  sandy 
  

   nature 
  and 
  overlain 
  by 
  about 
  4 
  feet 
  of 
  sand. 
  It 
  was 
  bluish 
  in 
  

   color 
  and 
  was 
  chiefly 
  used 
  for 
  mortar. 
  In 
  recent 
  years, 
  however, 
  

   this 
  bank 
  has 
  been 
  strongly 
  drawn 
  on 
  and 
  is 
  now 
  of 
  considerable 
  

   size 
  (pi. 
  105). 
  The 
  clay 
  consists 
  of 
  an 
  upper 
  4 
  feet 
  of 
  bluish 
  

   clay, 
  stained 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  with 
  iron, 
  while 
  under 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  less 
  sandy 
  

   variety. 
  Another 
  opening 
  was 
  made 
  near 
  the 
  shore 
  some 
  years 
  

   ago, 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  " 
  Wier 
  bank 
  '\ 
  The 
  material 
  obtained 
  from 
  it 
  

   was 
  a 
  stoneware 
  clay, 
  and 
  in 
  this 
  pit 
  the 
  clay 
  as 
  exposed 
  in 
  1892 
  was 
  

   10 
  feet 
  thick, 
  and 
  is 
  overlain 
  by 
  horizontally 
  stratified 
  fine 
  sand. 
  

   Since 
  then 
  the 
  bed 
  has 
  been 
  worked 
  out. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  189 
  Y 
  a 
  small 
  pit 
  was 
  opened 
  just 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  

   old 
  one 
  opposite 
  Kilmeyer's 
  hotel. 
  The 
  clay 
  found 
  in 
  this 
  opening 
  

   is 
  white 
  and 
  extremely 
  refractory. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  sandy 
  in 
  places, 
  so 
  

   that 
  two 
  grades 
  are 
  obtained 
  known 
  as 
  no. 
  1 
  white, 
  and 
  sandy 
  wliite. 
  

  

  The 
  white 
  clay 
  when 
  mixed 
  with 
  water 
  gave 
  a 
  moderately 
  plastic 
  

   and 
  somewhat 
  tough 
  mass. 
  38^ 
  of 
  water 
  was 
  necessary 
  to 
  temper 
  it. 
  

   The 
  air 
  shrinkage 
  was 
  10^; 
  the 
  air-dried 
  briquettes 
  had 
  an 
  avei^ 
  

  

  