PAVING-BRICK PLANT CONSTRUCTION.
There is no fixed rule which can be followed in constructing paving-brick plants. Mr. Eudaly, who has had a large exper ience in this class of work, names the following general features which should be observed : First .. The dry pans or crushers should be so located with reference to the clay bank that the clay can be dumped to the crushers, in this way avoiding the great amount of manual labor that would otherwise be required to elevate the clay with shovels to the hopper of the crusher. Again, the clay should be dumped near enough to the crusher so that no conveying in wheelbarrows or otherwise is necessary. Of course this cannot be done when it is necessary to house a large quantity of clay for winter use. The crusher should be between the clay bank and the pug mill, if possible.
Second : The pug mills should be elevated above the ma chinery, so that one elevating the clay would carry it from the crusher to the machine.
Third : Need I mention so plain a matter as that of having the dryer and machine house in close proximity, and con veniently arranged, so that the brick from the machine can be easily and quickly put into the dryer? Fourth : Or is it necessary to say that the dryer should be conveniently situated in reference to the kilns ? Fifth : Or that the kilns should be convenient to the railroad switch or road? Yes, it is necessary, as I have seen during the past season several plants, and I regret to say some of them were new ones where these very simple, and to most men plain, necessities were sadly overlooked or disregarded.
Sixth : The railroad switch should be convenient to the kilns and the storage sheds. This is a matter often difficult to ar range, for the reason that three unwieldy elements enter into consideration—kilns, storage sheds and railroad cars. Both the storage sheds and cars should be convenient to the kilns and convenient to each other. These are requisites hard to
accommodate, but as it is, no doubt: most economical to load the paving-brick directly from the kilns to the cars, the cars should have the preference over the storage sheds as to posi tion. This being the case, many plants are arranged so that the bottom of the cars comes to a level with the kiln floor. This is done, of course, by lowering the railroad switch, which is very bad in winter or wet weather unless ample over-draining is provided. We know of a number of yards where the natural lay of the land is such that this arrangement can be had with out excavating for the switch track. Now that the track is properly in front of the kilns, many locate the storage shed be yond the switch track, and by the use of strong rough boards wheel the brick across the track to the sheds. Once the brick are properly hacked under the sheds along the switch, they can be easily loaded into the cars. Of course, the floor of the storage sheds should be on a level with the kiln floor, and hence on a level with the bottom of the cars standing on the switch.
Seventh : The arrangement of dryer, kilns and cars or storage sheds should always be such, if possible, that the kilns may be emptied at the opposite end from that at which they are filled with the green brick, for the reason that it is very desirable not to have the brick setters and loaders in each other's way. If care is taken at this point, a great deal of annoyance and trouble will be avoided.
Eighth : The plant as a whole should be as compact as pos sible. I do not mean by this that the buildings should be small, for any one who has had experience knows that they should be large and roomy, but I mean that each and every department of the works should be as convenient as possible to every other part upon which it is directly dependent.