BKICK YARDS 



219 



A loam obtained near the yard is added to the clay to temper 

 it and also to help in producing a brick of good red color. Hema- 

 tite is also added to the clay while it is being pugged. The clay 

 and loam are fed between a pair of rolls to crush any stones 

 that may be present, and from these it passes to an inclined pug 

 mill, where the water and hematite are added. The 'wet mix- 

 ture goes through a second pair of rolls of smaller opening than 

 the first, and is then carried by endless belt to the molding 

 machine. A soft mud machine is used for molding the common 

 brick, and for the front brick and hollow brick an auger machine 

 is used. The molding sand is dried on brick floors 60 ^eet long, 

 under which there is a series of flues, the heat being obtained 

 from a coal fire at one end. Steam heated tunnels are used to 

 dry the bricks. This takes about 36 hours. Exhaust fans are 

 used to draw off the air. The burning, which takes seven to 

 eight days, is done in Wingard and similar types of kilns, hard 

 and soft coal being the fuel used Hollow brick are placed round 

 the sides of the kiln, and front brick in a rectangular mass in the 

 center. The black clay alone burns to a white brick. The pro- 

 duct is shipped to points on the Long Island Kailroad. 



The light color of the brick made from the black clay is due 

 to the absence of iron, and the black color of the clay is caused 

 by the organic matter. The following is an analysis of it : 



Silica 59 . 83 



Alumina 24.45 



Oxide of iron trace. 



Lime 0.23 



Magnesia 0.59 



Alkalies 8.75 



Organic matter 4 . 2S 



98.13 



Farmingdale, Suffolk Co. — There is only one yard in opera- 

 tion at this town, that of M. Meyers. The inactive one belongs to 

 Stewart. Meyers' yard lies about one mile north of the village, 

 along the southern edge of the moraine, on a branch track of the 

 railroad. The clay pit is some 300 feet from the yard, and sev- 

 eral feet lower in level. The clay is chiefly a reddish yellow 



