The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1882-09-13
UP IN SOMERSET COUNTY.
NE.YFHSDALE COAL AND FIRE
BRICK WORKS.
A Progressive Village = Development
OF the Coal FieId-The Fire Brick
Works-Imprcvcm New Works,
&c, &c.
MEYERsDALE, Pa. Aug 81,

Railroad, Somerset county, is loca-
ted the neat little village OF Meyers
dale, containing population of
about 800. The town is pleasantly
located and contains fine residences,
business houses. hotels and church
es. The Methodist Episcopal, Lu-
theran, Episcopalian, German Re
form, Catholic, Dunkard and Prog
rssi9e Congregations, all have fine
church buildings. The hotels are
becoming quite Il resort for city peo-
pie during the heated term. Several
ladies from your city and Sewickley
are spending few weeks at the
Jones House.
Surrounding the village are finely
cultivated and well stocked farms,
many OF them owned by the Dunk
ard and Omish sects. Members of
the latter sect may often be seen on
the streets, the men with their brim-
med hats, Jean suits, put together re
gardless of fashion or style, and
hooked up with hooks and eyes
abandoning buttons-and the wom-
en- with their old fashioned suits
and scooped sun honnets These
people are all industrious and good
citizens. The Progressives are com
posed OF the younger members who
refuse TO follow the old customs and
odities in dress, &c
! Meyersdale is becoming quite 4
coal field. During the past year a
large amount of fine steam and
blacksmithing coal has been ship
ped over the Baltimore and Ohio
road from the fast-developins mines
ten in number-in this vicinity.
A new branch road from the main
line, running back seven miles to
Salisbury, has been completed, along
near which nearly all the openings
into the coal are made. The coal
vein averages about ten feet in the
hills and is reached by DRIFT open
ings, some of them by incline planes
up the hill. At the lower end of the
road, from six 70 six and half feet
only is mined leaving some on top
and some in the bottom, but further
up the road, nine feet is mined. The
miners receive fifty cents per toH for
run of mine coal, and have had very
steady work during the spring and
summer, but Just at the present time
some complaint is heard for want OF
cars. Ne also find here the head
quarters OF one Of the largest fire
brick manufacturing firms in the
country, or doubtless, in the world,
after their contemplated improve
ments are made, as will be noted be-
low.
! SAVAGE FIRE BRICK COMPANY.
This company has two large fire
brick works in operation night and
day, one at Keystone Junction, two
miles east Of Meyersdalc. and one at
Hindman, and are building another
large work at Williams station, four
miles west OF Hindman, where they
own large tracts of land, and are cp-
Grating one Of the largest and best
fire clay mines iii the country. The
company was organized with Mr..
J. s. Hoblitzeli. OF Meyersdale. Pres
idcnt, and ]. NJ. Porter, q New
Cumberland. W. Va. Secretary and
Treasurer. Nh. iAoblitzell, as gener-
al manGser u all the works, gives
them his personal attention, \ su
perior brick is made a. these works,
FeusTanteeing Ia them moie orders
than they can III. Their present
capacity is aboat S,0O0,CJO brick an
r',al!y, ana when the new work is
eoia pleted, they expect to make
from twelve to fifteen million brick
year,
The Keystone junction WORKS are
in charge OF Mr. Henyy Barton, form
erly Of your city. IN this factory all
the varieug sizes and shapes of fire
bri2s. used Ia the construction of
blast furnaces and steel works are
made Large "idrrs for the Edgar
/ Thompson e,ell work, have been
a!:ed here of numerous sizes and
odd shapes. There are about fifty
men and boys steadily employed.
They are shll behind with orders,
and viii rush the new works for
ward as rapidly as possible.
The Hindman factory u u charge
Of Mr.. d. J. HgEley. where forty
eight ;nrp an,s soys are EMPLOYED.
They also FUn double shifts and
make IL She neleaboEhood Of l20O0
bricks daily. The product here is
confined principally 10 square brick
and Saall shapes The brick in
both factories are hand mode.
The new works and the mines at
Williams station are in charge of J.
Noel The new factory win be 1870
feet long by 80 feet wide and 35 feet
higa. The very latest and most i'm
proved machinery will be placed in
it. 1t will have a capacity Of 21CC0
brick daily. When this is coIapieted
;his company viii nave tAs greatest
producing capacity Of any single
firm in the United States. or proba-
bly, IN ;he world. The clay used at
al .he works is taken from this sta
ton, and is second to none for max
ing fine quality OF fire brick. The
mine is reached by an incline plane
SEQ feet in length, and then entesed
by q drift opening into. ibS mount
am. The interior u She mine is
wonderful 70 behold. The clay vein
varies ~ thickness from six feet to
tweasy-six feet. Some of the head
ing have twentv-six feet of solid fire
ebay, covered by solid rock root.
The headings are driven fifteen eeet
wide, and the rooms turned Cd four
teen feet in width, and - some pla-
ces twenty to ;wsaiy-six feet high
and not 2 angie post in the mine.
TiroA faiis are laid throughout the
entire mine. Two qualities Of clay
are taken out, hard and soft clay,
which makes different grades OF
brick. Large balls are found thro'
the clay, weighing from one hundred
pounds TO ton, which analyzes
potash. lime and iron. it Is said
showing 40 per cent. Of iron. Where
these are found the clay near them
is said to he OF a very fine quality,