Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1873-02-12
MATERIAL INTERESTS.
The Fire Brick Works Of Woodland.

the street now known 10 our citlzens
as Prcsquse was the loncliest por-
tion of the dismal old track across the
Aleghenies TO Erie ;--or Presque Isle,
in Lake Erie-wben the first screw
factory in the United States was built
In the almost uninhabited wilderness,
on the bank of the Moshannon, near
what is now the foot of North Front
street, aud furnished with machinery
brought across the Atlantic; when a
few German emigrants settled the lit
tie clearing in the midst of the Allie
ghenian forest, that is now Phillips
burg--drawn hither by the persuasions
of Henry and John Phillips, of Eng.
land-who thought that every acre OF
that forest represented great future
wealth, and that the timber which
then made bowling wilderness would
one day create three towns near the
head waters of the West Branch OF
the Susquhanna and cities near its
confluence ?
And later still, when logs cut upon
the Susquehanna and its tributaries
were floating down TO enrich mill
owners down the river, who thought
that railroad would ever be laid
IN the mountain side, and that
before the pineries were exhausted a
thousand miners picks would be tun-
nelling in the bowels of the earth for
the less exhaustable black diamonds
And when, o. er the railway that
winds and twists its tortuous way up
the rugged mountain, daily passed
hundreds of cars laden with blumi.
nous coal, who thought that before the
mining for coal should be fairly de.
veloped the earth would again be
mined for another production no less
useful, that production which is just
beginning to be put 10 uses variou'
and extended, the silicious 6re-clay I
And who now realizes tho impor
, tance which this branch OF industry il
, destined to reach, or tho magnitude o
the wealth 10 bo developed which
now lies hidden in veins of fire clay
that line our hill sidesy Or who be
lieves that the veins Of iron orc, know
TO exist, will ever become source o
prodnction equal to either OF the othe
earth giftsY
b Enterprise is the toucbstonc Of tn
n present property, and while II exists
4 the lumber may float away, the forest
!, may dwindle, but the coal and th
; clay-and who shall say the iron vii
:, not-will be an ever increasing sourc
:, of material wealth, even to the son
,e of the generation which shall com
a after the present.
- OF the manufactures which wor
=. ur the lumber we have often spokeI
= of the colieries we have described on
!. Of the largest, and now we propose
or give space 10 a mention of that otb'
4, factor of our material intercsts-fl
brick works. Ter miles from Philip
70 burg, on the Tyrone & Clearield RAJ
: road, is the little hamlet of Woodlan
a. appropriately named. Alter ie
:; minutes ride in one Of the coaches
ad "Billy" Irwin's train, we alighted
90 the unpretentious depot, over the do
= of which is painted in the inevitab
4, black shaded with yellow the nam
I, "W oodland.' 1t was meridian, al
u after savory dinner at tho boardil
l.. house, with which wo were accom-
l. dated, through the kind offices of y
-, l.. G. Kessler, with Mr.. c. b. Bog
as our escort, VIC set out to visit
% Fire Brick Works Of the
:. WOODLAND FIRE BRICK COMPANY,
i, distant from the depot tbrce-fourt
=; ofa mile. The works comprise a lar
nm frame building with floor so f
,od square, paved with tiles made FRI
~ fire.clay and heated by fues runnl
~. underneath, the caloric being suppl
~ from the furnace, which is kept bu
90, ing day and night; an engine hou
"a and mill house, each 80 feet square
hi. One hundred yards above the woi
~ is the draft, from which the cl
r ia mined. The clay us it comes ir'
.am tho minos LOOKS Ike rusty siatc
hin shale, though little more irregu
as in formation. The process of min
tor is precisely similar to that of min
sad coal, where it has to be blasted.
,;lv the clay diggcrs are covered W
rhs white dust, while the diggers OF c
20 are smirched with black. The ella.
,r.. simply broken into small pieces "
. in a large sledge, just as it comes to
o,s mill house from the vein, and th
rho are shoveled into stout iron
A. about six feet in circumference,
clv which travel two heavy iron whc
her in appearance not unlike mill sto'
in the whole weighing twelve ton
loss and these ponderous wheels, as
nm, pan revolves under them, crush
this ninly clay to powder A strean
oi,v hot water from tho boiler aids in
IN operation of reducing the mineral
this ddy.looking paste. AT the pro
"a Is stage it is scooped out OF tho pan, W
,ing out any stacking of the motion, u
mod a sort OF platform or table, at wi
stands man who dextcrously plur
his hands into tho dust, made for
mas purpose from broken bricks from