Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1877-09-18
A Visit to tho Brick-Yard-Thc
Newly Patented Mud-Whcci
in Operation.

~ VASlO W buO DTlCk- Hru-ThC
Newly Patented Mud-WhccI
in Operation.
DR.. Suliins, last Saturday afternoon,
drove his beautiful pair of blacks to
the Ner0s office, and after inducing
the editor thereof to occupy one of it's
seats, drove to the Courier Office and
roped IN Mr.. Slack. Thus seated be-
tween two editors he drove to VIM.
II. Smiths Backyard, that we might
witness the working Of the new mud.
kDeader, invented by him, and owned
by Messrs. Sullins, Smith g. Mullin-
nix. It's advantages are numerous
over the old mud mill. All the
throwing of the dirt up into the mill
Is avoided, in this case the mortar-bed
being dug in the ground aud the loose
earth dumped into 1t by hand-carts..-
The amount of labor is both reduced
and better regulated. The work of
kneading can be continued until the
quality of the mortar gives satisfac-
ton. In the old mill it must be taken
just as il comes from the mill. The
new wheel will, by the use of one
horse, knead enough mortar in one
day tor $4,000 brick. The old mill
yielded only enough for 5000. The
mechanism 10 exceedingly simple. A
circular mortar. bed "a feet In diameter,
is sunk, leaving a good tow-path on its
periphery for the horse, which is
hitched to q Is foot shaft pivoted on
an upright post in the center of the
mortar bed. The pivot, after passing
through the end of the beam, extends
some IL inches higher. and to the top
of it is fastened q rope which extends
along the shaft, and is by peculiar
device fastened to the hub of the NOR
tar-wheel. This mortar wheel works
on the shaft, is six feet in diameter,
and its circumference consists of two
| iron-tires, some inches apart. The
| spokes are few in nu u Der, but very
broad, so as to support the separate
tires. Suppose this wheel pushed out
on the shaft TO the outer edge of the
mortar ted and then started around
next the circular tow-path. 1t is evi :
dent that the rope which connects the
hub with@the center pivot will grow
shorter each revolution as the rope is
wrapped around the pivot. This brings
the wheel nearer the center each
revolution, so as to work the mortar
equally everywhere, A groove is cut
along the top of the entire shaft. A
bit of iron that just fills it is passed
along this groove through the hub of
the wheel and bent upward at the out
err end of the hub, while the rope from
the center pivot is secured to the 9TH
er. This prevents the rope from twist
Ing around the shaft as we'll as around
the pivot. This far we have the
wheel working regularly from the
periphery of the mortar bed to its CEN
ter. How shall we have 1t to work
back again? Simply slip the rope
loose from the hub, and the wheel
works itself back at about the proper
speed. How is this? Because the
| front edge of the wheel is farther from
the center pivot than is the hub, rep
resenting, as 1t does, the extremity of
the hypothenuse, and the hub the ex-
tremity of the perpendicular. or
course, the mortar will constantly
press the front edge of the wheel out
wardly, and just so il works in prac-
tice, provided the face of the wheel be
"a plane. The whole machine Is sim
pie, rapid, and works admirably in
practice.
These gentlemen wish to sell county
rights, and will. we think, find ready
sale. The machine is destined to very
extensive use.