The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1922-06-30
Government Issues
Brick Road Film,

with its latest motion picture re.
'ease-a brick load flm-the Depart
ment of Agriculture through the Bu.
reau of Public Roads, has made avail.
able to the public, motion pictures or
three types of modern paving: as,
phalt, brick and concrete. Due to this
activity of the government the gen.
eral public, through farmers oranges
city civic associations and the like
can obtain, graphically, information
on modern highway construction.
The brick picture starts with the
mining of the shale or clay, and gives
a clear idea of the heavy labor and
fuel expense in connection with the
manufacture of this paving material
The shale first is finely ground un.
der rollers weighing several tons, anG
is then mixed with water in "pug'
mill that looks like a bread dough
mixer. When it reaches the desired
mud-like consistency, It is forced
through die under tremendous pres
sure and escapes from the opening
much like tooth paste escapes from
Its container, except that it is Der
fectly moulded and compacted into q
solid mass.
After being automatically cut to the
desired width, the brick, travelling
along on moving belt, are lifted by
hand and stacked on cars for storage
in the dryer, where the water used
III mixing is evaporated.
When almost dry they are stacked
in kilns where, with a heavy consump-
ton of coal, they are heated to the
melting point, a process which takes
more than week. This brings about
vitrification, or the fusing of tho shalc
particles. The brick are then allowed
to cool very slowly, which results in
annealing or toughen;ng. When they
gre ready to be taken from the kiln
they are perhaps rs per cent as hard
as diamonds, and so tough and dense
as to withstand the heaviest traffic
without cracking, or wearing away.
Extreme care is used to see that
only perfect brick finally get into a
pavement. They first are sorted as
they leave the kiln, all broken, crack
ed or Clipped brick being thrown
aside. They are sorted a second time
when piled in the cars for shipment.
Then third time, after they have
been laid in tn, pavement and before
the filler is applied, an Inspector goes
over them thoroughly and any that
will not pass final visual inspection
are thrown out.
The picture shows the "rattler,"
machine in which brick are tested Of
ficfally. The rattler is like an iron
barrel in which the brick are placed
with large and small iron shot, the
large shot being bigger than base
ball. The barrel is then revolved at
a set speed certain number of times
and if the brick, when removed, have
lost more than a certain set perent-
age of their original weight, they are
refused
After portraying the details of
manufacture and inspection, the film
shows the unusual diversity in the
use of brick for surfacing city streets
and country highways. (Brick streets
in use today range from the more SIM
pie designs, where the brick are laid
on the natural soil without any arti-
fetal base, up through the more elab-
crate designs to a point where thick
bases are specified because of ex-
ceedingly heavy traffic.
The picture shows in detail several
modern methods of layinb brick sur
faces on various types of bases and
with different kinds of filters between
the joints, and closes with the SUBJ
title: "Vitrified Brick makes high
class durable pavement, suitable for
the heaviest traffic, expensive in first
cost hut cheanl,, maintained