The Dickinson press., 1899-07-29
The Manufacture of Fire and
Pressed Brick at Dick
inson, N. D.
STRUGGLE NECESSARY
10 Get the Development Of North Dsketa
v ctsys Started, ut the ladsstsy Is New
o. Its Feet-tts Product Unsurpassed
Ia the World.

establishment and development of the
brick industry at Dickinson IS a matter of
so much importance to the state that a
summary of its history is believed to be
For many years the existence of vast
beds of valuable clay near Dickinson has
been known to a few scientific people.
and in 1893 a company of New York cap
~italists was organized for the purpose Of
making fire and pressed brick at that
place. The company secured a large
area of land, put in an expensive plant
and began operations. The various clay
deposits which the company controlled,
together with the expensive plant. was
valued at 100000. The enterprise was
a failure. A costly plant for the hand
ling of material requiring the most care.
full and scientific treatment was placed in
the hands Of men who in a short time
proved their utter incapacity, and also
succeeded in creating the impression
that the poor quality of the goods turned
out was due to the unsuitable character
of the raw material, and the Dickinson
plant was abandoned.
In the spring OF 1893 Prot. Babcock, in
charge of the geological work at the State
University, made a careful analysis of
the clays in the hills about Dickinson,
and found that the deposits were Of the
same geological formation as those Of
New Jersey, famous for its pottery and
stone ware. and that there we're about
ten we'll defined clays. two of which were
excellent fire clays and all suitable for an
extremely high grade of work. From
these clays he made pottery, stone ware,
sewer pipe, fire brick, and various other
kinds Of ware which he sent east and had
submitted to the most rigid tests and
whichhhb. also exhibited at the Worlds
E&ntDe tests we're satisfactory and
Hh{sG1hDakota exhibit at the Worlds
E4ADeAt3d very high praise from til
16@sss.
$fcf. Babcock then sought to int rest
iS6me n in the property with a view Il
securing a valuable industry for the state
The New York owners of the property
were seen, and we're incredulous. They
had tried and failed, but they agreed
that if Prof. Babcock could produce from
the Dickinson clay pressed brick equa
to that which he exhibited to them they
would take a million brick at $50 pc,
thousand. For five years Prof. Babcoch
endeavored to get some one interested
and in the meantime the plant was goinl
to ruin. A year ago M. A. Brannon, ais
of this city, and a member of the uni
versity faculty. who had taken great in
terest in the development of the Dick
inson brick industry, succeeded in or
gaining a company with sufficient cap
ital to purchase the works, repair tn
plant, and resume operations. Nes
machinery was added, and the Dickinso
yards began to turn out fire and presse'
brick unsurpassed in quality by any i
the world. The difference was simpl
that between unscientifc and scientific
work.
The two classes of goods produced ar
fire brick and pressed brick. The form
er have successfully stood a test of $50
degrees fahrenheit, a temperature whic
can be withstood by only one OF tw
other bricks, and their excellent qualit.
has created for them a demand all owe
the northwest, and this demand is stead
lily increasing. Among the institution
which are or will soon be using this brio
are the Merriield-B abcock cement work
the East Grand Forks saw mill, Ea.
Grand Forks waterworks and electri
light plant, university heating and ligh'
ing plant, and the p%enitentiary twin
plant at Bismarck. Orders have ais
been placed in Fargo. Winnipeg an
other northwestern cities. This brio
is practically non-fusible, and will CON
mand a market in the big smelling r.
gions, on the railroads, and wherever re
sistance to heat is a prime essential.
The pressed brick now turned out ar
of four grades, ranging in price from 81
to $50 per thousand. The United State
has set its official seal Of approval upo
this brick BY authorizing its use in ID
construction of the new military building
at Bismarck. No brick manufactured /
the United States is superior to it, and
, has but one or two equals.
;, The company owns a practically il
exhaustible deposit of different kinds {
clays in which are included the two high
est grade fire clays in the world. 1t ha
the only plant this side of St. LOU
which makes both fire and pressed bricl
and its goods rank with those of the f;
nous Savage plant in Pennsylvania. !
owns a coal mine from which it draws il
own fuel and it Is able, by the use {
scientific methods to obtain az good r.
; suits, ton for ton, from this coal as frol
: the best bituminous coal. The sales Til
. year average sI.oooa week of fire brio
. dAOASS duo suS O0sPoe VI FASSoSO OAASA
about half a million a month. tn
government contract at Bismarck will r,
: quire about two and a half million
Great improvements have been made |
!. the plant, among other things being th
. construction of up and down draft kiln
warranted to turn out o5 per cent
: uniform grade brick.-Grand Forks H.
! One of the radical changes which chal
!, acterizes the present management il th
employment of the most skiilfui me
obtainable in handling the complex clay
and operating the machinery. MI. Wn
u. Simms, who is the expert engaged j
constructing the kilns and manufacture
Q the various wares, is the best known big
: grade fire and fine pressed brick make
in the country. His previous experienc
= = with several of the largest brick man.
. facturers in the east, south and west er
ables him to produce wares at this fac