Connecticut western news., 1880-07-28
The Adam Brick Yards.
AN IMPORTANT AND INTERESTING LOCAL
 INDUSTRY.

AHAA ASNAA INDUSTRY.
 The manufacture of red brick at the Adam brick yards just east of this place, is an in. dustry to which very little public attention is given, and we doubt not there are those in
 the town who are not aware of the fact that brick are being manufactured in their midst
 Nevertheless the industry fourishes, and is at present giving steady employment to from 10 to l5 men, and producing brick of a su- perior quality at lively rate.
 These brick yards and buildings were erected by MT. Charles s. Adam in 1875, the necessary machinery was put in. the mould ing machine being manipulated by hand, and about 125, ,0OO brick were manufactured the first year. In 1876, MT. A c. Woodward of Sharon the present owner, formed @ co-part- nership with MT. Adam, which lasted until 1871, when Mr. Woodward purchased Mr. Adams interest in the concern, and has car- ried on the business ever since, having in- creased the capacity by the introduction of improved machinery, proportionately increas. ing the product.
 The process of brick making is probably not familiar to some of our readers, and therefore we will attempt to give brief des crption, from which perhaps an idea may be had, of the amount of labor and time required for the transformation ot dead, dumpy clay from it's chaotic shapelessness into the shape. ly and durable blocks from which the most elegant and costly edhees are constructed, and from which safety from the fiereest of clements is practically insured. Phe com. ponent parts entering into the manufacture of the common red brick are clay and sand which are found in inexhaustable quantities in convenient contiguity to these works. These are mixed, two-thirds clay to one-third sand, in circular pit about 30 feet ip dlam- eter, by horse power, by means of long sweep, extending from the centre of the pit over the outer edge. to which is attached a large wheel movable the entire length of the sweep which traverses the pit from circum- ference to centre, thoroughly mixing the en- tlF0 LuaSS CO Luo pEOpeT COusiSGouCy, WILL water The pit will hold sufficient quantity of this clay to make 25,oOO brick, but the amount usually tempered is about 12,O0O. A small amount of coal dust is usually put in to facilitate the burning. After being thorough ly mixed, the clay is taken from the pit in wheelbarrows and shoyeled into the mould. ing machine, which is also run by horse power In this machine the clay is pressed into the moulds, which are first sanded to prevent the sticky substance from adhering, with moulding sand of reddish color, which, in part gives the red color to the brick, the burning also contributing to the color. The moulds are taken from the machine, the tops squared of with a straight, edge stick, and they are placed on trucks, built for the pur- pose and wheeled onto large, square plat form capable Of holding about 25,OOO brick on the flat side. This platform is foored with clay, and is perfectly level and hard, hand scraper being run over 1t before each deposit of green brick The moulds are taken from the trucks and dumped squarely down, leav. ing the brick in tiers. Here they remain to be dried by the sun until hard enough to ad- init of handling, the length of time required on the weather. In good drying weather one day is sufficient After being deposited on the platform, they are "spatted"