" There is one circumstance connected with the brick busi ness in Trenton which has compelled the manufacturer to make a careful study of burning brick, and that is, as before stated, the large percentage of pressed brick that are produced there to the amount of common brick made. As we all well know that good pressed brick cannot be burnt in all parts of an ordi nary kiln, and when a manufacturer comes to making about sixty per cent. of all his production into pressed brick he is compelled to set a larger proportion of them into each kiln than it has been the general rule to do. So you will see that the proper burning of the brick is a very important matter to a Trenton manufacturer, for the reason that he has been to an extra expense in the manufacture of a very large proportion of his brick before burning.
"Brick-makers in Trenton all use the same kind of kilns, which are the ordinary coal kilns, with the grates running the full width of the kilns. The arches of the kiln are made sta tionary, instead of forming them with green brick each time the kiln is set. This is done more to save making so many com
mon brick to form the arches with, than for any other purpose.
" The time occupied in burning a kiln in Trenton is about four days and three nights, or eighty-four hours in all. This includes the full time for firing, from the time the match is ap plied until the kiln is closed up and finished, and we think there are more kilns that are burnt there in a less time than we have stated than there are that over-run the time specified. The brick are all burnt with anthracite coal, no other kind of coal being used.
"We have kept a record in our yard for several years of the cost of the fuel for burning our brick, and we have here a a statement covering seven years, which we will read to you, and you can then compare it with others that may be made here, as the matter of fuel for burning brick is a very important question, and we want to have all the light thrown on the sub ject that we can obtain.