Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1885-05-07
A New Industry.

A New Industry.
There is low in process Of construc-
ton in Pullman City plant for the
manufacture of what Is called terra
Gotta lumber, although why the word
lumber is used in this connection is not
plain, neither the fact that it Is capable
of being eat with a saw nor the fact
that sawdust is an agent in its cOnstruc-
tion emitting it to such classification.
By one of those happy ideas which
seem more the result Of accident than
| design it occurred to the inventor that
common brick clay might be rendered
light. porous, elastic Ito q certain ex-
TENT and capable Of being worked with
cutting tools by mixing wet clay with
an equal bulk of sawdust. mOlding 1t in
to certain forms after the manner prac-
ticed in the manufacture of brick and
afterwards subjecting the mixture to q
sufficiently high temperature to entire
ly consume the sawdast. The final step
| in the process, that of baking the clay
| for the purpose Of hardening it and at
the same time consuming the sawdust.
| causes curious change in the cOndi-
tiOns of the original substance. The
| gaseous products of combustion evolved
| from the burning sawduSt produces an
effect on the clay very similar to that
produced in dough by the action of the
yeast; the gases expand the clay around
each particle of sawdust and finally force
| their way out of it, leaving it in pO-
rOus condition resembling more than
| anything else well raised and baked
bread, excepting that the pores or cells
| in the clay are more regular in size, the
| size Of these pores depending upon the
| size of the particles of sawdust. BY
varying the proportions of sawdust in
| the clay substance Of any degree of
pOrOsity or sOlidity may be obtained
| from substance almost as dense as
common brick to one as light as wood.
a. As originally made the mixture of clay
| and sawdust was nodded into long
blocks or logs and afterwards sawed and
| cut into the shapes desired. which was
| probably the reason for its being called
| lumber, but this crude method soon gave
| place to the better one Of melding the
| mixture at once into the desired form
thus avoiding an unnecessary amount
| OF work, or
The porous brick slab or tile, which
results from this process has desirable
qualities as material for building pur-
poses. As ordinarily made its weight IL
compared with common brick is as 8
| to 20, Ii is q non conductor of heat.
| Nails can be driven through it without
cracking it, and ii resists all changes of
| temperature without disintegration. In
| addition 70 these advantages its porous
surface and cellular structure enables
plaster or cement to adhere to its sur
| face with great tenacity without crack
| ing; a manifest advantage for either
outside or inside work. .tk
| BY the use of this material the iAte-
rior of dwellings may be rendered abso-
| iutely are proof at q very little addi-
tiOnal cost over the ordinary method of
construction. Slabs or planks of the
material can be nailed to the sides and
ceiling of room, furnishing an even
surface for the after application of plas-
ter, and the floor may il desired be COW
| cred with coat of asphalt on which
while hot, ornamental wood flooring
may be placed making one of the best
possible floors.
The low cost Of manufacture enables
| this substance to compete successfully
with common brick as material for
house building, and it seems capable OF
adapting itself to q great variety OF pur.
poses not here enumerated.
The clay which is used in the manu-
facture of this porous terra Gotta has
heretofore been refuse material not
available either for the manufacture of
fire or common bricks and is exceeding
ly abundant in many localities, and the
other material or agent (sawdust) used
| in the manufacture Is also q waste sub
stance; there is no reason therefore, why
it cannot be produced so cheaply as to
bring 1t into general use and thus form
the basis for large industry. We are
glad to note that it furnishes means Of
utilizing a waste product Of the lumber
business which has been nuisance to
the mill owner Northwestern Lumber.