Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-02-16
Report On MiddIesex
Clay Output Given

r front OF the great ice sheet that COW
cred Northern New Jersey about so,-
900 years ago. Another important
center Of the m brick industry
will receive attention in the para
graph which follows.
Aside from scattered b~rickyards, a
few p~otteFies and a few active clay
pits, the clay and clay-working in
dustry of New Jersey 10 concentrated
within q belt. that may well be CALI
ed 1.-The clay belt" extending south-
west from the Amboy region on the
lower Raritan to about opposite Will
| mingtcn on the lower Delaware. The
chief reason for this concentration 10
Natures gift OF great clay beds.
sometimes so feet or more in thick-
ness. that at many points along
the belt, The magnitude. variety
and importance of the clay deposits
within the clay belt increases toward
the northeast and attains a MAXI
mum in the northeast part of Mid
dlesex county, Here, within a tea~
mile radius of Perth Anboy, r the
majority of the most active clay pits.
Here at Sayreville, is the state's
single plant for the production of
common brick and other varieties Of
building brick, Here, at Maurer.
Keasbey, and other places, are great
plants for the making Of friedrich.
f~ireproofng or hollow building tile.
products ever becoming more inpor-
tant in modern f%1reproof building
construction. And these products are
made from New Jersey clays. mined
in the great pits nearby. 1t is for
this reason that Middlesex Is not only
the leading county in the production
of raw clay, mined and sold as such;
but its total output is far greater
than that of all of The other counties
combined. In 1890 the Middlesex
county pits sold 2a5,23S short tons
of clay, while the total for the other
counties together was only 59,37A
the clay 90 mined and sold was high
grade are clay. or clay that does not
show signs of fusion UP to very high
temperatures and Yields products
that in turn resist great heat. 1t is
only natural that Middiesex county
also leads in the production OF brick
and tile. Its output of these pro~
duets in 1890 had q value OF slo,-
736.41i.
Mercer county also lies in the clay
belt, and also ranks high as q pro-
Queer OF clay ana clay products. In
the production and sale OF raw clay
and in its output of brick and tile It
ranks next to Middlesex county. In
the production OF pottery 1t exceeds
all the counties: and In fact 10 one of
the leading pottery districts In the
United states, In 1920 there were
ferty-hve potteries, all located at
Trenton, whose combined output was
worth S~19.e19,135. However. 1t Is to
be borne In mind that much Of the
material that goes into pottery. such
as high class clay. feidspar. hint, etc..
is imported from abroad or GENES
from states other than New Jersey.
Some New Jersey clay 10 used. but
the amount is understood to be rela,
lively small. Probably more 10 used
for the saggers Cor clay boxesl IN
which the smaller pottery wares are
baked. We see then that the great
pottery industry that has grown up
at Trenton is not due primarily TO
the existence of the New Jersey clay
deposits Gas is the case With the
brick and tile Industry here, In Mid.
diesex county and elsewhere
throughout the state1, but 10 due
more to the advantages OF an early
start, a strategic position. and extra
good transportation facilities both
for receiving It's raw materials and
for disposing Of its finished products.