The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1883-03-29
Terra Gotta Lumber.

Ouo Oh lIlc E1CSI dnu USE
full inventions made within the past few
years is the process of making terra
Gotta lumber The making of fire hard
ened clay materials. whether brick, tile,
or vessels of any kind, carries us back
to the dawn of history. While clay
beds are to be found in vast quantities
in almost all countries, the utilization
of the material so lavishly bestowed by
nature has been, for the most part, linn
tied to brick and pottery. 1t is only re-
Gently that the idea has been suggested
that material might be produced from
clay which would lack the brittleness of
the articles so long known. and possess
the exceptional and highly valuable
quality of admitting of being cut and
dressed" into irregular shapes with
edged tools.
Before our time anything constructed
OF clay had TO be given its finished form
while soft, and before the material had
.'set." Now we can make the material
in large blocks, and afterward cut and
shape it as we can lumber This pecu-
liarity, which is so valuable, is due to
the same character of internal structure
which wood possesses is, porous
ness. In proportion as wood is porous,
within limits, of course, it is most use
full for the vast varieties of building
purposes to which it is applied. And SO
by making terra Gotta porous we bring
it more within the category of wood sub
stances, and then properly name it
'Hterra Gotta lumber"
1t has similarities and dissimilarities
of the utmost importance in contrast
with wood and clay materials, and they
seem to supplement each other In
other words, terra Gotta lumber occu-
pies and intermediate position between
brick-like substances and lumber 1t is,
for instance, brittle and not tibrous. it
lacks strength to resist the transverse
strain which is possessed by wood,
quantity for quality; but it presents
greater resistance to superimposed
weight. 1t is fireproof, while wood is
not, and it can be dressed by the
plane and saw, which generally speak
ing, clayey substances cannot be. In
addition, it will receive and retain on
its surface plastering or other surfacing
without the application of lath. 1t must
be borne in mind that, being at once an
earthly substance and of open Or porous
structure, it possesses all the qualities
which appertain to those two character
istics in all substances; and it possesses
the advantage not belonging to. sub
stances not having these both.
As an article of commerce and use it
may be produced easily, the clay being
found at hand in almost any part of the
country. Hence its cheapness; hence
its universal utility. Compared with
other commodities it may be called
homemade, like those articles of uni
yersal use produced in the farm houses
everywhere. 1t may be applied to
domestic purposes on a small scale orto
the largest public structures. Its uses,
indeed, require no enumeration-thev
suggest themselves readily to the mind
Thus invention in the useful arts is
steadily bringing into utility the pro-
ducts of nature, which otherwise would
lie like worthless material on the sur
face of the earth. If clay were valuable
only for brick, piping, etc., but small
fraction OF the clay would be utilized;
but with this process very large per-
centage of it becomes Immediately use
full. In this material, what New jersey
alone produces may be taken as an ex-
ample.
The belt of country underlaid by these
olays extends entirely across the State.
and, as described by Prof. Cook, the
State Geologist, includes an area of $50
square miles; while the area within
which these deposits have been worked
up to the present time is only 68 square
miles, the actual openings of the clay
beds being only a fraction of this last
aera, so that, Notwithstanding the hun
dreds of thousands of tons that are an
nually produced, the industry itself may
still be regarded as in its infancy
Scientific Anae75cQn,