entirely of iron and steel, and requires about 10-horse power to run it on brick, and from 15 to 20-horse power for tile. When used for a potter's mill a steel screen is used, screening the clay thoroughly with a small expenditure of power.

The capacity for tile of course varies with the size; the machine will make 15,000 small tile per day of ten hours; larger tile in proportion. For manufacturing hollow bricks, building blocks, and hollow fireproof flooring, it is a good and most efficient machine. It will make 12,000 bricks per day of ten hours, and the price of the machine with brick cutting-table and die complete for common bricks, is $450.

For contractors who are often obliged to manufacture, to supply their own wants, and persons who rent clay lands for the purpose of manufacturing, and do not wish to make permanent improvements on the land, which will be a loss. to them when they remove, this machine is specially desirable. Expensive grading may be avoided, as the bricks are put directly in the hack. Good wheeling ground is all that is required for a yard. When water and good clay are convenient the work of manufacturing may commence in a few hours after getting the machine and a 10-horse power engine on the ground, and temporary kilns constructed of the dried green bricks.

The machine shown in Fig. 69 is known as the "Peerless" brick-machine, and two of them are in constant operation at the works of the manufacturers, the Peerless Brick Company, Philadelphia, Pa., where the machines have been run successfully both summer and winter during the past

five years. This company makes all of their common and pressed bricks upon these machines, but not their famous ornamental bricks, two pages of the designs of which are shown in this volume at pages 93 and 94, which bricks are moulded and finished by hand.

The machine shown above occupies a space of about 6 x 12 feet, and the height from foundation is about 8 feet and 6 inches, and it is solidly built, weighing about 6 tons.

This machine thoroughly tempers the clay, and its products are solidly and regularly formed, and much preferable to hand-made bricks. They easily withstand the ordeal of the drying oven, which is a valuable consideration to manufacturers, as they, can by this means make the operations continuous throughout all seasons.

The bricks made by this machine stand well the process of burning, and there is not that cracking and bursting which is often to be observed in bricks that are less compactly made.

The capacity of the machine is about 25,000 bricks per day, and about 20-horse power is required to run it.

The price of this machine is $2000 on board at Philadelphia, and, in addition, $1000 is charged for the right to use it.

The machine shown in Fig. 70 is known as the "Chambers" tempered-clay brick-machine, and the size shown is guaranteed to make from 40,000 to 50,000 bricks per day of ten hours, and the price is $2500; in addition to which $1000 is charged for the right to use it.

This machine is constructed almost wholly of iron and

steel, and is made very strong and durable, and it will be best understood by an explanation of >each distinctive feature, and its operation as the clay advances through the machine. The operations of the different features are continuous one with the other, and entirely automatic. Ordinarily the clay is taken directly from the bank and dumped on the platform covering the 2 machine, and at the side of a conical hopper that leads into the tempering case of the machine, and mixed, when necessary, with loam or sand, and the requisite amount of water being added, to temper the clay to the proper consistency, the mass is shovelled into the hopper, and falls into the machine.

The hopper of the brick-machine proper is circular, to prevent the clay from sticking in the corners, and is larger at the bottom than at the top, as shown in Fig. 72, to prevent jamming of the mass. It enters the tempering case at one side of its cen

tre line, so that the clay in falling meets the revolving tempering knives as they are coming up.

This keeps up an agitation of the clay in the hopper, and tends to prevent clogging, and an irregular supply of clay to the tempering device.

The tempering portion of the machine (Fig. 71) consists

Fig. 71.

of a strong cast-iron conical case, in which revolves a horizontal shaft into which are set, spirally, strong tempering knives, or blades of wrought iron or steel, so that, as they pass through the clay, they move it forward. The clay being stiff, and not having much water on it, is not liable to slip before the knives, but is cut, and thoroughly tempered, the air escaping back through the untempered clay, so that by the time the clay reaches the small end of the tempering case, it is ready to be formed into bricks.

On the end of the tempering shaft (see Fig. 71) is secured a conical screw of hard iron, which revolves in a chilled-iron conical case, the inside of which is ribbed or fluted, lengthwise, so as to prevent the clay from revolving in it, and is chilled, to prevent wearing.