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NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



at an expense of $30,000, reclaiming thereby 12 acres of clay- 

 land from the river. This last mentioned bed of clay is underlain 

 by till and modified drift, from which tempering sand is obtained. 

 The clay within this enclosure has been excavated to a depth of 20 

 feet below mean tide. In the pits of the Excelsior Brick Co. they 

 have reached a depth of 35 feet below river level ; in Donnelly & 

 Son's pit, 45 feet, and west of Washburn's yard, 40 feet. A pipe 

 well was sunk from mean tide level 100 feet through blue clay, in 

 the Excelsior Co.'s clay, and at this depth struck bed rock or a 

 large bowlder. 



The clay in these pits is rather sandy on top, but is said to im- 

 prove with the depth. It is mostly blue. Streaks of quicksand 

 are always liable to be encountered. In those pits situated along 

 the river and to the rear of the yards, there is no expense of strip- 

 ping unless the excavation is widened, but there are two impor- 

 tant items of expense, viz. : pumps to keep the water out of the pits, 

 and the maintenance of corduroy roads lead in gd own into the pits. 

 The clay is dug at any convenient point within the excavation 

 and hauled in carts to the yard. About one quarter mile west of 

 the river, where the terrace is 40 to 50 feet high, clay is being 

 dug from the escarpment to supply the yards of J. D. Shankey, 

 Buckley & Carroll, Phil. Goldrick, R. Malley, and J. Brennan. 

 Some of the yards situated on Minisceongo Creek have to haul 

 their clay 400 to 500 yards. Where the clay is obtained from the 

 terrace escarpment there is in most cases a stripping of from six 

 to 10 feet of sand and gravel. This is screened and used for tem- 

 pering. The Excelsior Co. has tried to use clay dredged from 

 the river, but gave it up after one season's trial for reasons un- 

 known. Most of the brickmakers at Haverstraw temper their clay 

 in soak pits and burn their bricks with wood. They all use open 

 yards for drying except the Diamond Brick Co. which has re- 

 cently put in a tunnel drier. The Excelsior Co. have a covered 

 yard and Bennett, Rowan & Scott used pallet dryers. At most 

 of the yards the barges can be brought to within a few feet of the 

 kilns, and those yards not situated directly on the water, put the 

 barrows loaded with brick on flat cars and run them down to the 

 dock. 



