Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1899-07-28
FIRE BRICK.
Plant at Dickinson Promisesto Develop
a Great Industry.

The making of pressed and fire brick
at Dickinson promises to develop u
of the greatest industries of the state.
For many years the existence of yast
beds of valuable clay near Dickinson
has been known to a few scientific
people, and in 1893 q company Of New
York capitalists was organized for the
purpose of making fire and pressed
brick at that place. The company Sc
cured a large area of land, put in an
expensive plant, spending in all about
100000, and began operations. The
enterprise was-p failure. A costly
plant for the handling of material re-
quiring the most careful 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 Prof. Babcock,
in charge of the geological work of the
state university, made a careful analy-
sis Of the clays in the hills about Dick
inson. and found that the deposits
We're of the same geological formation
as those Of New Jersey, famous for it's
pottery and stone ware, and that there
were about ten well defined clays, two
OF which We're 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 SUBJ
mitted to the most rigid tests and
which he also exhibited at the worlds
fair. The tests were satisfactory and
the North Dakota exhibit ut the worlds
fair received very high praise from the
judges.
Professor Babcock then sought to
interest some n in the property with
a view to securing a valuable industry
for the state. The New York owners
of the property were seen, and were
~incredulous. They had tried and
failed, but they agreed that if Prof.
Babcock could produce from the Dick
1nson clay pressed brick equal to that
which he exhibited to them they would
take Il million brick at 500 per thou
sand. For five years Prof. Babcock
~endeavored to get some one Interested,
and in the meantime the plant was
going to ruin. \ year ago NJ. A. Bran
non, also of Grand Forks. and a men,
Der of the university faculty, who had
taken great interest in the development
of the Dickinson brick industry. uc-
ceeded in organizing Il company with
sufficient capital to purchase the works.
repair the plant, and opera
lions. New machinery was added.
and the Dickinson yards began to turn
out fire and pressed brick unsurpassed
in quality by any in the world. The
difference was simply that between un-
scientific and scientific work.
The two classes Of goods produced
are fire brick and pressed brick. The
former have successfully stood a test
of $500 degree fahrenheit. a tempera-
ture which can be withstood by only
one or two other bricks. and their .eX-
cellent quality has created for them a
demand I'LL over the northwest. and
this demand is steadily increasing.
Among the institutions which are or
will soon be using this brick are the
Observation-Disclosures cement works. the
Fast Grand Forks saw mill. East
Grand Forks waterworks and electric
light plant. university heating and
lighting plant. and the penitentiary
Irvine plant at Bismarck. Orders have
also been placed in Fargo, Winnipeg
and other northwestern cities. This
brick is practically non-fusible. and
will command n market in the big
smelling regions, on the railroads, and
wherever resistance to heat is a prime
essential. .
The pressed brick now turned out are
of four grades. ranging in price from
SIG to $3.50 per thousand. The United
States has set it's official seal of ap-
proval upon this brick by authorizing
its use in the construction of the new
military building at Bismarck. No
brick manufactured in the United
States is superior to it, and it has but
one OF two equals.
The company owns Il practically in
e%Xhaustible deposit Of different kinds
of clay in which are included the two
highest grade fire clay in the world.
1t has the only plant this side of st.
Louis which makes both fire and
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