THE SIZE OF PAVING-BRICK.
Mr. Shea, of Decatur, Ill., regarding the size of paving-brick, says : " There are about as many varieties in sizes as there are in clays. Different people make different sizes of paving-brick. The question is, which is the best size ? I have come to the conclusion—and I think a majority of those who have made a study of the subject have come to the same conclusion—that the common building-brick size is not only the best size, but that it is the most profitable size to make paving-brick, and for the following reasons : First, it is very much easier to burn a small brick than a large one ; next, I do not think there has been in vented, as yet, a kiln that will burn all the brick exactly alike. At least I have never seen one, and I have had a great deal of experience with kilns. For that reason, there will be some waste in the best of kilns, and if you have the common build ing-brick size, you will see that the softer brick—those that are not hard enough for pavers—will sell very readily for building purposes. If you have a large lot of common brick it will be necessary to put your loss on them on the price of good paving-brick, of course. Another point about the size : It is very much easier to repair a street, in case you have to make repairs, to allow for the putting down of pipes for gas or water, because you could take out a few brick and do the repairing easily and replace them. I think that would also be a good reason for adopting the common building-brick size for pavers."
There are several manufacturers of paving-brick who have discarded the idea of making such brick of building-brick size, preferring the " block " form. The majority of experienced manufacturers, however, agree with Mr. Shea, that the size of the " pavers " should be the size of the common building-brick sold in the local market where the street-paving brick are man ufactured, as by adopting that size it is possible to burn them more uniformly, the loss will be less, the drying better done, and the cost of manufacturing less. A satisfactory roadway pavement must have a continuous surface. When the manu facturer cuts off the corners, he simply cuts off what it would require five years of traffic to accomplish on a vitrified brick street. So when completed you have a street five years old, and a rough street at that. The crude idea that some people have that the brick or paver must have a round corner, knobs, lugs and grooves in it, to keep the brick apart, so it can be filled with pitch, concrete or sand, in order to get the required alignment, is absurd, and is not at all practicable.
The waste brick that are not suitable for pavers, in the man ufacturing of this kind of odd-shaped pavers, are thrown in the dump, as they are an odd size and shape, and can not be used to any advantage for other purposes.