The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-08-08
THE MAKING OF BRICK
By Fredric !. Haskin.
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 The National Architectural Ezposi- tion to be held the middle of next month at Madison Square Garden, New York, offers exceptional advantages lo clay workers, and since 1t is the nrst of its kind in this country, tt IS saIe to prophecy that brick-makers will not be slow to take advantage of 1t. where 300 years ago brick was brought over as ballast in tobacco ships to bullo Virginia and Carolina homes, or was imported by New England at great expense, the brick industry is now one of the greatest in the United States. The reports of the United States eco logical Survey show that only three other mineral products-pig iron, cop- per and ,bituminous coal-exceed m value the output of the clay beds or this country. Of the clay products brick, tiles and pottery, the common brick leads with an annual output on the market of 10000. 900, 900.
 The value of this produce amounts to over S60. 900, 900 year, and the prices vary from st.5o per 1000. New York's price this summer for brick to the $S0 per thousand that Santa Rosa firm Is paying for white enameled brick being made at the Telsa. Cal, yards. In recent years the demand for brick has been greater than that for any other building material. To supply this 50.000 workmen are employed in the various plants scattered throughout ey- cry State of the Union, sending out as many as 50.oeo brick per day from some yards. The fire loss fin the United States last year was $i00, 900, 900 more than the amount spent on new con- struction. The average loss per capita is $230 in the United States against 33 cents in Europe. Last year fifty i've of the leading cities of this coun- try suffered by fire a loss amounting to $5so, 100000 and this the manufac- turers of brick believe would have been reduced to a very low figure If brick had been used as construction and the houses properly built.
 Prompted thereto by the great ire losses and by the modern tendency to- ward sky-scTapers, the United States Government recently made thorough test of building materials to determine just which would best stand the heat of a great fire. The engineer In charge of the structural material laborato- ries of the Geological Survey made the tests in Chicago. All structural mate rials used in moaern buildings were made each into the form of sliding panel, and these formed the walls of a great furnaces. Air blasts forced gas flames against these panels until temperature of 1.700 degrees F. was secured, and 1t was kept at this point for two hours or more. Water was then turned on it with a pressure of fifty pounds to the square inch and the results of the experiment care- fully noted. None of the panels pass ed unscathed. but hydraulic brick stood the test best of all. Natures own building materials fared more sadly than the manufactured ones, sandstone crumbling hopelessly away under the ordeal Fifty per cent of the new brick split up From SO to 70 per cent. of the old brick were not damaged, TO per cent. of all brick remained un- crushed.
 Aside from the fact that the Govern ment is necessarily interested in pro- tecting the 12,000.000 or more buildings that harbor it's citizens and their prop erty, it has many valuable ones of It's own to care for. It owns buildings valued at $500, 900 900 and Is spending s2O, ,O00, 900 year on new ones. Nat urally 1t wishes fire resisting materials for 1t carries no fire Insurance The Government owns the one absolutely nreproof building of all the millions in this country. This is the Pension Off, nce in Washington a gigantic red brick building, the largest of this ma- teriaI in the world It is not notable for It's beauty and it Is said that when General Sherman saw 1t and was told that 1t was absolutely hreproof. he pur- posely misunderstood the prideful inn- port of the words and sadly murmured 'sWhat a pity!" Despite the annual alarming fire loss, last years building figures show that 6l per cent of the houses put up were still of wooden construction. Despite its returned prosperity the nation Is not yet quite able to afford all-brick or stone houses for it's people as the average brick Ia at a little $9, 900 and the average wooden house only a fourth as much. The panic of last fall left its impress on the build ing statistics, for all the leading cities fell off in this respect, except San Fran cisco, whose operations increased 162 per cent. in a commendable effort to recover from her great catastrophe.
 The brick industry received a great impetus in California just after the San Francisco fire, and soft-mud brick yards sprang up like mushrooms in the territory contiguous to the city. It was believed that there would be a local demand for all the output. and last year 100, ,000, 900 brick were made. These plants almost demoralized trade for awhile, and when it was found that San Francisco had not yet learned her lesson and had begun to put up many wooden buildings, half the brick remained unsold and half the plants could now close without damage to the market. One thing tho San Fran cisco yards had not figured on was the use of so many of the old brick in the new construction.
 The brick manufacturer usually ca- ters to local trade, but after a Govern ment test that declared a certain Penn sylvania brick of superior grade. sev- aral car loads have been sent out across the continent to the Mare Island Navy Nauy XorL'a dacreasa of nearly 27 per cent in building operations in the year past had its telling effect on the great number of brick yards that lie near the Hudson. Many sold at cost, and even below cost, where a steady rate of $6 per thousand had usually obtained.
 On the other hand, Denver almost suffered a brick famine early this sum mer, having cleared up every brick in her yards, while builders clamored for more. In Seattle the yards have run at their full limit for the past year. The lowest priced brick market in the Middle and Southern States is Nash vile, where a million dollar business Is done and where a thousand laborers are kept at steady employment. One of the largest single orders ever given for brick is that being filled by Pittsburg concern for the construction work on the Carnegie Technical School -2,500. .00O waterproof brick that will fill 257 cars when ready for delivery.
 For twenty-five years brick has stood well in the lead as a good paving ma terial, and in the Middle West and all other States pot close to stone or gravel supplies. 1t will ever remain popular. An investigation of paving work done in 1907 showed that brick led all materials throughout the United Stateq except in New England. The