The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1888-10-04
THE CLAY PIPE.
Moulding an Humble Adjunct Of
the Smokers Outfit.
Three Kinds of Clay Enter Into
Its Composition.

Nearly all tho clay used in the manu-
facture of clay pipes is obtained at
Woodbridge and Amboy, N. J. There
there are immense beds and mines,
some open and others reached only by
deep shafts. where clay is mined iU the
Same manner as coal. Thrco kinds4oi
clay arc mixed together to give the res
quired properties. Oao kind whom
mined is nearly as black as coal. This
has very fine grain and gives tho pipe
the smooth finish. Another kind has
an altogether different appearance in
the rough state. 1t il quito white and
resembles piece OF cheese. This kind
furnishes tho tenacity. Without this
second kind the other two would not
bo able to hold together, but would
crumbio as they dried. Tho third kind
is brown when damp, and stands the
burning process well.
These three kinds of clay, without
any one of which the composition would
be incomplete, are tho only ingredients
OF clay pipe. Clay is brought to this
city, says the Syracu'e Herald, by the
canal boat and stored away in the cell
lar In preparing the clay for the work
shop it is first put into huge vat to
soak. About equal parts of the three
kinds are used. This is allowed to
stand from twelve to twenty hours, ac-
cording to tho length of time the clay
has been exposed to tho cir and
hardened. When it has been soaked
enough it is shovellcd into huge pug
mill. The pugmill looks like an old
fashioned churn. A horse is hitchod
to the end of a bar, while the other end
is set into pivot in tho centre of
huge upright cylinder. To tho pivot,
which revolvcs as tho horse is driven
around in circle, is attached twelve
heavy knives about three inches broad.
These knives are slightly turned up,
and, as they pass around through the
mass, mix the different kinds of clay
and force it down and out four by six
inch hole at the bottom. The clay ooz.
ing from tho bottom is cut, into huge
bricks called "babbitts," fnd stored
away until wanted.
Great care must be taken not to let
these babbitts dry too much, or they
will have to be soaked and ground over
again. Tic babbitts or bricks of the
prepared clay, which look like black
loaves Of bread, are taken to the mould
ing room and thcro soaked again to
bring it back to tho proper moulding
temper Then comes tho part of the
labor that would delight a child. A
workman takes knife and cuts the
babbitts into pieces about an inch
square and six or eight inches long.
These he works and rolls them on a
board with hi, hands, and ending up
with dexterous clip turns out roll of
soft, pliable clay with knob at one
end like pipe bowl. These rolls arc
laid out on rack and partly dried
again. They are again soaked and
passed to the moulding machines. The
moulder holds medium sized piece of
wire in his right hand, and sticking the
point into tho small end of the roll,
with his left he works the clay on tho
wire, after the manner OF drawing on a
glove. The roll with tho wire still
sticking out the smaller end Is put into
an iron mould of the requi: ed shape
and the two sides Of the mould snapped
together.
z The mould is then put into tho ma.
chine with the top of the knob, which
will soon be the bowl. up. A lever is
pulled down, and tho smooth, round
end Of an iron rod forced into tho mass,
forming tho bowl. As the lever il let
60 OF, it flies up of its own weight and
spring knife passes across the large
END of the mould, cutting off the waste
clay that remains on the top of tho
bowl. The mould is opened immedi-
atcly, the wire drawn out and tho pipe
placed on rack to dry. These half
flashed pipes are allowed to stand jusS
long enough to dry the oil with which
the mould is fabricated, and arc then
passed to girl who trims off the seams
whero the two halves of the mould
come together. The soft, damp pipes
are then allowed to dry thoroughly.
The burning kiln is about 8 feet in
diameter and 10 feet high and built OF
fire brick. The pipes arc carefully
packed in heavy earthen sagcrs about
10 inches in diameter and 10 or 12
inches deep. and thcs, sagers are piled
up in tiers with hot tir fues between
each tier About 325 gross of pipes
are burned at time. The burning
process requires white heat and it
must be maintained from 10 to IA hours.
About 36 hours are required to cool tho
furnace. Alter the pipe has become
thoroughly cool, the small end is
dipped into solution. the composition
OF which is secret, TO glaze tho mouth
piece, otherwise, until the pip, had been
used some time, tho lips would stick to
1t unpleasaatly. The pipes arc packed
in one, two and three gross box.s with
shaving5 to prevent breakace, and
shipped to til, wholesaler. There are
about $50 different styles of pip $ and,
as a rule. 10 diff rent kinds ara packed
in box
Three OF the admirers Of a pretty
Burlington girl called on her the same
evening, and as she an wered the bell