The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-01-22

Mr. BelImau, of Cincinnati, and was
called the Cincinnati brick-yard. 1t was
run on quite an extensive scale for two or
three years, making the brick for the Deni-
son House. also, for the Washing ton street,
South-street and Kentucky avenue sewers.
About this time Fletcher 81 Thomas be-
gan making brick at the old tile yard, on
the Pendleton pike. The clay at this point
being about exhausted they moved ont to-
wards Brightwood in 1872. just beyond Ru-
raj street, establishing first-class yard of
six tables and in the course OF two years
built clamp kilns, burning almost entirely
with coal. In q short time they put up the
first Wingard patent kilDs ever built IN
this part of the country; these were after
wards adopted by Jesse Adams, and later
by Jos. Flack. who has run yard north
west of the olty for many years. using I'M
proved brick machinery and making over
four million O year.
Fletcher IL Thomas. in 1874. built the
first and only artificial dryer ever used In
or around this city. Here they made
brick winter and summer for many years.
their output being from four to four and q
half million a year. They made regular
Philadelphia pressed brick for many years,
sending to Philadelphia for the mOldlng
sand, which gave the cherry red color.
Brick machines of different kinds had been
tried by many brIck-makers after the
Lewis " Water experience. and invariably
with the same result. 1t was thought that
a machine that would work out clay snc-
cessfully could not be made, but Fletcher
d Thomas felt confident that it would
come sooner or later. and. as molders were
getting to be very dictatorial. they deter
mined to have machine. il such thing
was ever invented that would do the work.
and therefore Kept q constant outlook for
improvements in this line, and In 1873
party in OHIO struck the right principle,
and one was put on their yard and proved
to overcome the difficulties in all former
machines tried. Although crude in it's
makeup. the principle was right. and by
practical work on this yard Objectionable
points were discovered and remedied-the
machine had come to stay, and its success
was so great that Fletcher IL THONGS took
en- interest in the handling OF 1t the next
year. and have continued to II Ike brick
machinery ana brick makers supplies q
large branch of their business ever since.
This firm invented a number of valuable
appliances which have since been adopted
by nearly every brick-machine manufaot-
urer and brick-maker in the country.
Ray McDougal made the brick in 1869 for
the county poor-house on the ground
where located. John Wade Thompson. enc
of the Oldest contractors, put up the build
ing. Among early contractors of note wac
Robert Tay Tor, father of Judge Napoleon
Taylor. He came here in 1926, and lived
first in log cabin just south of Washing
ton street. east of Delaware. Judge Taylor
learned the brick-layers' trade when quite
young. and there are those among US to-
day who remember seeing Nap Taylor,
when only ten or twelve years old, on o
cold, frosty morning. trotting along alter
his father, with trowel under his arm and
hands in pockets. on his way TO work. and
they do say he could run q line and strike
Joint, or carry q corner with as much ex-
actness as he can to-day temper justice
without regard to politics or religion.
Among the early contractors was John
Wade Thompson, James Turner and others.
In the last ten years there have been
wonderful improvements in clay working
machinery, and yet certain parts of the
work of brick-maklng in the Olden times
will never be changed. Clay that is mixed
with water, tempered into u plastic condi-
ton, nodded, dried and shen we'll burned
is the only fire. proof and everlasting ma
terial we have. and the brick-maker will
everlastingly he with US.