The Dickinson press., 1902-08-30
Brick Industry.
The Putting in Of Six New Kilns at q Cost
Of I 5000, ETC., Will Enable the
Company to Operate the
Plant all Winter.
Al Increasing Demand.

Brick Placed in Successful Competition
With St. Louis Fire Brick.
Few people of Dickinson are probably
aware of the fact that they are living
within a mile of the largest and finest
pressed brick plant in the Northwest
making a high grade of fire brick and
fire shape work. 1t is a reality neverthe-
less, and there is nc question but what
the Dickinson Fire and Pressed Brick
Co. will become very famous for their
clay products within a very short time
and the plant become greatly enlarged.
The company owns the clay beds, ap-
pare ntly in~exhaustable, which, according
to government tests, are as fine as any
beds operated in the United States.
The possibilities of the beds were re-
allied in a measure, it is likely, by Prof.
M. A. Brannon and Mr.. w. P. Brannon
when they took hold of the business here
three years ago; but it has taken time to
teach the people who are in the market
for clay products that here is a good
place fo buy.
The company was recently re-organ-
lied and Banker D. H. Beecher, of the
First National of Grand Forks, is o
president. w. S. Russell, a civil engi-
neer and architect by profession, is the
$ secretary, and is giving his entire time
to the work at the plant. Mr.. Brannon
continues as general manager, and the
new directory includes prominent local
business men like Walton & Davis and
others. Among the larger Improvements
which the company has under way for
this fall is a down draft kiln, $50 feet
long, having six compartments, at an ex-
pense Of about $4,000. This will enable
the company to run their grinding and
pressing machinery on full time, where
as, at the present time, they can run
only one third of the time, and the
plant can also be operated during the
winter. The demand for such brick as
are being manufactured at this plant, is
en- and cannot be supplied, not.
withs landing that the business has been
increased fully 100 per cent this season
1t is indeed interesting to visit the
plant and see what is being done. This
week a large order of fire thing for coke
ovens at Horr, Mont, is being filled. At
ter the thing has been moulded it has to
be air dried, then it goes into the kiln,
where it is first water smoked and then
it is subjected to the tremendous heat Of
5000 degrees, twice the intensity of heat
used in baking the average brick. The
Minnesota Clay Co., located at Coon
creek, 20 miles from Minneapolis, is
having a 65,ooo-order of fire brick filled
at these works.. The order includes
quite a lot of specials, known to the
trade as "bull heads" "skew backs" etc.
all of which command a high price.
Two years ago the company furnished
rear arch tiles for boiler settings for the
asylum at jamestown and this year an
other order has been placed, which indi
Gates that the material has stood the test
and proves sati sfactory.
Some of the new work taken up in the
past year is the manufacture of vel
curbing brick. The brick are made es
pecially for wells and are coming into
demand, not only in town, but with the
stockmen as we'll. The company is also
manufacturing a splendid filter brick
which has the appearance Of sandstone
A product of mantle brick, resembling
Italian marble, is finding much favor ii
Fargo end Grand Forks, where Sc vera
orders have been filled. An order TO
rock-faced brick was filled this month
for a bank and store building at E'more
: The brick are chiseled to resemble rocl
on the face edge and then have to b.
ground down by hand. These bricl
cost l6Hc. each, and are very beautiful
In ornamental work the company is als'
I making a reputation, and is at the pres
, ent time turning out some beautiful
, work for the new Masonic temple il
Grand Forks and the new city hall a
= Billings, Mont.
The Dickinson Fire and Pressed Bricl
e Co. is loading an average of two carload
S per day for shipment, and the output o
e fire and facing brick for this season viii
be about 100000, and another year tn
G company will be in a position to manu-
l. ~facture many times this number.
e, The company has all the machiner
necessary tor the manufacture OF brio
by the sand mould process, but, owing t
the. scarcity Of help and the limited xii
lacilifiaa Ho4l:arA Ia. L. Al