Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-01-07
Former Prosperity Fol-
Ban gor Brick Makers.
Con siIuciIln Of A||egashBfanch
Will Revive Industry.
n,mand Is Good, Far Greater Than
G an Be Supplied.

Bangor, Me, Jan. 6.-W'ith the pro-
gress of industrial development in
EASTERN anu northern Maine and the
advent Of new railroad line through
the great wilderness Of northern Aroos-
took, Bangor is certain to be the GEN.
fer Of great activity in construction.
civ. the outlying districts or in the
newly opened wilderness region. This
will create a golden opportunity to re-
yiye the bricklaying industry here and
bring it to even greater proportions
than in The days when bricks We're
shipped by the million by vessel and
train to all parts of New England.
Veteran brickmakers are Of the opin-
ion that practically all Of the great
quantity of bricks which will soon be
needed in eastern and northern Maine
can and ought to be furnished by Ban
gor. Brewer and the immediate vicin-
ity In The extreme northern section
Of Maine there is very little clay for
the making of good red bricks. The
real brick clay belt runs along the riv-
or about 20 miles from the coast and is
found at its best in the city of Brewer
just across the PenobscOt from Ban
gor OF the clays that are suitable for
the manufacture of bricks there are
two important kinds, gray clay and the
blue clay The gray clay, when prop
erly handled. makes the finest quail
ty of red bricks. The blue clay makes
good bricks for many purposes, but
not for face brick in building cOnstruc-
ton. owing to the fact that something,
in the blue clay causes the bricks to
take on a cream or white color after
they have been exposed to the air for
time. Some Of the most VALUABLE.
gray clay deposits in the country ar"
now lying dormant in Penobscot vallry.
waiting for the revival Of the brick
making industry, q revival which is
| nos believed sure to come. Bangor
| could compete advantageously with
| Philadelphia in the making of face
bricks and for the purposes of con-
Nrlcton in Maine could deliver them
much more cheaply.
it is c0nscrvatively estimated that
during the first year after the new 14J-
mile railroad through the Allagash re-
gon is completed 20.G00OO0 brick VIII
be needed for the construction of build
ings, mills, dams. abutments. etc. The
natural place to look for these bricks
Would be the Penobscot valley. which
conveniently located and has both
NE clay deposits and the men who
Know how 20 make good bricks from
LIE clay and who know how to handle
me various strata of clay as found in
LIE natural deposits.
There is one obstacle to the speedy
revival of the industry which even the
NSl optimistic brickmakers admit.
iOWever, and that is the scarcity of
Apefrenced brickmakers and brick
%rners. During the depression in the
aaastry here few years ago most of
we old-timo brick men drifted away
u'her kilnS or into other kinds of
uS"eSS, and comparatively few new
mS nave been trained. But the neces-
MY 'or bricks in this section of New
~sIin1 and the existence of the val
~ON cay deposits will undoubtedly
''rlue even that obstacle. Many
III p.r 'S tii' IbiIlSoT N AiooStooh
auoaa have imported bricks from
'"ua Tor the past two years.
' Year the demand for bricks for
co. uuc'ion purposes in AroOstOok
alone was more than double the
~ The city of Brewer, which
,,. lars ago was so important a brick
"s center that its bricks were TAX
standard by the United States
~, .H'hent did not burn enough bricks
n... year In all its yards to supply the
ca el within a radius of 10 miles.
h,s, the Brewer plants were able
np tricks to Aroostook early in the
~" OF s6.25 per thousand, while lat
h... pficHs Of no better and perhaps
4, quality were imported into BAN
bma .or building purposes at $40 per