The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-05-31
MEXICANS CLEVER
 WITH THEIR FEET
Not So Much in Dodging Trouble as in Fashioning Clay
 Products


 The heavy clay soil near Durango. Mex, serves many useful industrial and domestic purposes, and many different workshops for fashioning it into va rious useful forms employ hundreds of laborers, says the New York Herald.
 Undoubtedly the most extensive in- dustry of this class Is the manufacture of adobes. the huge sun dried bricks so generally used in building construc- tion throughout Mexico, Consul Hamm reports. With the exception of a half dozen public buildings and an equal number of private residences, all of the buildings, warehouses and the grater part of the fences or walls in this city are constructed of adobes All of these adobes, amounting to many hundred thousand annually, are made in the outskirts of this city. The process of manufacture is exceedingly primitive and simple, and consist merely in the mixture of clay and water in such proportions as to give the proper consistency. with the addi- tion of little straw to give tensile strength. This mixture is then poured into wooden moulds, where it is sol- idly tramped down by the bare feet of the laborers, after which the newly modelled bricks are placed in the sum light to dry.
 These adobes are usually inches thick, 10 or 12 inches wide and from 16 to 24 inches long; they retail for IS to IS pesos t$7.50 to $9) per 1000. Ten years ago they could be purchased for s pesos ($4 per 1000. The remarkable rise in prices has been due almost en- 1.f.Ix fLx 4~.1 -p labor, which Is by far the most ex- pensive element in their manufacture. From the measurements and prices just quoted it may be seen that the adobe offers a most economical building ma-l terial with which stone, brick and lum- Der cannot successfully compete. In addition, it makes most effective building material. shutting out the cold in winter and tempering the heat of the summer months.
 Practically all the pottery used in this section of the republic, from the tiniest teacup to the largest flower pot, is fashioned by hand from Durango clay. There are about 20 such factories in the city, employing from to 50 men each. The clay used in this in- dustry is obtained from the base of Du- rango's famous Iron mountain, one mile north of the city. It has been found that a mixture of two parts red clay with one part of black clay. both of which occur in close proximity, pro- duces the best results. After this ad- mixture. sufficient water Is added to make stiff dough, which is rolled into huge balls and allowed to set for sometime before being used The out side of these balls must be moistened each day with water to prevent the clay from cracking and deteriorating.
 The vessels are all fashioned by hand and foot power. The only instrument used Is large wooden wheel through the axis of which passes pole about three feet in length, terminating at the other extermity in a small wooden wheel set parallel to the big wheel. The operator sits so that he may turn the large wheel (set horizontally near the floor so that 1t will move freely) with his foot, which in turn causes the little wheel above, on level with his chest, to revo1ve very rapidly. A convenient sized lump of the clay dough is placed upon this little wheel pulse of the laborer's foot he hollows out and fashions the vessel.
 The skill and dexterity of these workmen are little short of remark able. With only the eye to guide, he fashions with astonishing rapidity ves- sells which do not differ one from thel other in either size or shape A sim gle laborer is able to complete about s6 dozen jars of nearly a quart capacity| in a day. The work is paid by the| piece, and the workman must work long hours and continuously in order| to earn 75 centavos fS7H cents) day. The larger vessels are also made by| hand, a wooden model being used about which is deftly spread by hand suit able thickness of clay.
 After being fashioned. the vessels| are set in dark. airy room to dry| slowly for two or three days. anal are then burned in an oven, after| which they are painted. burned sec-| ond time, and then are ready for the| market On account of the low cost of both materials and labRr, the finished| product retails at exceptionally fowl prices Mugs holding about pint sell| for 1 to 1 F cents each United Statesl currency, large jars of nearly a gail, lon capacity 2A to 5 cents. flower pots according to size and adornments.I from to 30 cents, and other articles| in proportion.