BRICK YARDS 



205 



ing downward into blue and has a thickness of about five feet. 

 Only common brick are manufactured, and the consumption is 

 chiefly local. The burning is done with coal. 



Lancaster, Erie Co. There are two yards here, the Buffalo 

 Star Brick Co., near the Erie depot, and the Lancaster Brick Co. 

 about two miles farther out. In the former's bank the clay 

 is of a blue color below and weathered to red on top. Limestone 

 pebbles are common in the clay, and for the purpose of separat- 

 ing them, the clay is stored in sheds to dry during the winter and 

 passed through a barrel sieve before being used the following 

 spring and summer. Plows are used to mine the clay, and coke 

 and coal are used to burn the brick in stationary kilns with one 

 fire per arch. 



The bank of the Lancaster Brick Co. is similar to the one just 

 mentioned showing: 



8 feet red clay 

 1-2 feet blue clay 

 4 feet gray " 

 Eock 



Limestone pebbles are also present and the clay after drying is 

 screened. The bricks are burned in stationary kilns, coke being 

 used for the water smoking and coal for the subsequent firing. 



Buffalo, Erie Co. At East Buffalo is an extensive series of 

 flats underlain by red clay which varies in depth from six to 20 

 feet. The following firms situated chiefly on Clinton St. use the 

 clay for making brick: Chas. Berrick & Sons, Brush Bros., H. 

 Dietschler & Son, F. Haake, L. Kirkover, Schusler & Co., G. W. 

 Schmidt. Their combined production in 1892 was 65,000,000 

 brick. The clay is said to rest on the underlying rock. 



The following is an analysis of it : 



Silica 57.36 



Alumina 16.20 



Peroxide of iron 4.55 



Lime 5.34 



Magnesia 3.90 



Alkalies ^ 6.98 



94.33 



