The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1892-05-05
BUFFERS BRICK YARD.
MAGNIFICENTLY ARRANGED PLANT
WITH THE LATEST IMPROVEMENTS.
Capacity of 100000 Per Day-A Business
Which Extends all Over the State and is
an Enterprise of Which Austin
Feels Proud-Lately Remodeled.

Every person has at some time or
other seen brick yards of different
sizes and kinds, but it is safe to say
that few have been improved with the
thought that they were Of much mag
nitude, or run with any attempt at
order or neatness. This impression is,
in most cases the correct one, as the
majority of yards are run on a small
scale, and, to all outward appearance,
with but little system. The Butler
brick yards are q marked exception.
There one is impressed Immediately
with the greatness of the concern, the
perfect order in which the business is
conducted and the neat and system
etic appearance, which is so pleasing
to the oye.
Mr.. Butler, who is known to his
many friends throughout the state as
the King of Brick Men, last week in
vited STATESMAN reporter to ride
with him out to his plant. AS the
scribe was feeling little cross
grained, and knowing Mr.. Buffers
happy faculty of casting sunshine
around all with whom he comes in
contact, making them forget that
they ever had a sorrow, he accepted
the invitation without any prelimi-
naries or hesitation. The yards are
located on the south side of the river,
lust west of the International and
Great Northern railroad. AS we
crossed the bridge and turned to the
right on the Barton Springs road, the
reporters attention was called to
eighty-six acres fronting on the river.
"This,n said Mr.. Butler, sis piece
of property bought a few years ago
and have since had all the timber cut
and hauled off, and you can see by
the number of stumps that the
growth was very thick. 1t was i'm
possible to see the city from this road
before I had the trees cut down."
There are number of small houses
on this land, occupied by the families
of most of the men who work in and
around the yards, which are located
at the west end of this property and
occupying ten acres.
The scribe was first shown the de-
partment in which the clay and wa
ter are mixed and put into shape by
powerful presses, which are all run
by steam. Only one of the machines
was at work, but its capacity is 10000
bricks per day. He informed the re-
porter that when all were running
they could turn out 100000 bricks per
day. We next visited the drying
sheds. Here everything was in per-
feet order, plank walks extending
through the center of them all. These
sheds were nearly all filled with
green brick, ready tor the
furnace. The reporter was
then shown five large furnaces.
They are built with all the latest inn
provements, lined throughout with
fire brick and cost over $4,000 each.
They are without doubt the best
built furnaces in the state. Their ca
pacity is 100000 apiece. A substan-
tial shed and roof has been fixed over
each one, protecting them at all times
from storms. A pile of brick which
looked large enough to the reporter to
build block of ten-story buildings
was next visited, and as the scribe
wondered why there were so many on
hand Mr.. Butler said: "Why this is
nothing. 1 have let my stock run low
because there is not very much build
ing going on now. 1 ship brick all
over the state, and any of the manu-
facturers in Dallas, Fort Worth, Gal
weston and the other cities will tell
you that l am their hardest COMPETE
tor. Hardly a day passes that L do
not ship a few carloads. To keep
Austin supplied for the past year has
been no small task. 1 have nearly
1000, 900 brick on hand, including
green and burnt" The reporter cast
his critical eye over the bricks and no
longer doubted that they were used
in preference to others, as they were
the finest he had ever seen, with a
perfect finish and of the right degree
of hardness. You could examine
each separately and fail to find the
slightest difference. This is due to
the superior quality of clay as well as
the latest facilities for manufacturing
The Butler yards are working over
forty men at present, this being the
smallest force at work for some time.
They are all high priced men and
very fine mechanics who know every
detail OF their business.
The yards are supplied with their
own waterworks system, a railroad
running out to the clay beds, and in
every respect are the most convenient
and practically arranged in the south.
1t is an enterprise Austin as well as
Mr.. Butler can feel proud of.
Mr.. Butler came to Austin in 1874
and has been in the brick business
ever since. He is practical man
and is as familiar with every piece of
machinery and detail of his business
as though he spent eight hours day
working in the yards. His thorough
knowledge, together with his energy
and enterprise, have been the means
of building up a business which
reaches out all over the state. He has
made proposition to the Hlterna-
tional and Great Northern railroad
company to donate a certain amount
of his land for stock yards, providing
they will run a switch to his yards.
The proposition will in all probability
be accepted, and with the saving in
expense this switch will be TO him he
will be enabled to sell his brick much |
cheaper than heretofore.
Mr.. Butler is one of Austin's most
progressive citizens, always ready to