PREFACE. THE manufacture of bricks, tiles, and terra-cotta, as well as a consideration of the modern methods and appliances by which they are produced, has never heretofore been practically treated any work. in Only those who have attempted to compile a technical book under such circumstances can appreciate the labor involved. In the preparation of the present volume the author, in default of assistance that could be gathered from other books on the same subjects as those herein treated, has been compelled to rely principally upon his experience acquired during the practice of his profession as an architect, as the proprietor of numerous buildings constructed under his personal supervision, and also as a manufacturer of bricks. But as compensation there is the satisfaction of knowing that a new path has been laid out, and that an attempt has been made to penetrate where none other has led. The author has endeavored to make the work interesting, but at the same time he has not allowed any matter of technical value to be superseded. From the combative manner in which portions of the work have been written, it is probable that the author will be subjected to criticism in some quarters; but this he hopes will be just, knowing that he has been conscientious in his utterances. It would have been a pleasant task to enlarge more fully upon the history of the different branches of pottery. irresistible law of our nature impels us to seek acquaintance with An past events in connection with matters under discussion, not so much to gather practical ideas as from interest. The adobes, as well as the burned and enamelled bricks of Assyria and Chaldea, possess for us a fascination, telling as they do a history of high civilization, and recalling the times when the plains of the Tigris were densely peopled with a rich and commercial population, when grandeur and beauty were the rule in architecture. Babylon and Nineveh seem like a dream of the past, but the great perfection to which the art of enamelling bricks attained in those places has not been equalled by us. In this branch of knowledge there is room for improvement, progress having been impeded by the difficulty in acquiring information concerning the preparation and application of enamels to clay surfaces. This want the author has endeavored to supply, and sincerely hopes that his efforts will prove a valuable aid to those in search of such information, as well as other and more common special branches of brick and tile making, herein treated. The rapid development that is being made in America in all branches of mechanics and the arts challenges universal admiration, and is unsettling the commerce of the world. Believing detailed information regarding the construction of the machines described in this volume desirable, not only by those who use but those also who manufacture brick and tilemaking machinery, the author has in the majority of cases attempted to supply it, and hopes that some new ideas will be suggested to those interested. WASHINGTON, D. C., 1114 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, MAY 20, 1884. CHARLES THOMAS DAVIS. CONTENTS. Employment of Bricks; History of the art of Brick-making analogous to that of civilization; Authentic record of this branch of pottery, older than that of any other Ceramic production; Descendants of the sons of Noah being the first potters of record; Their departure in this line Progress in Brick-making; Hard labor to make them; Servitude of the Children of Israel in Egypt making bricks without straw; Pictures upon Mud of the Nile, the only material in Egypt suitable for making bricks; Description of manner of laying the bricks; Use of hot bitumen; Use of reed matting steeped in bitumen; Triangular and wedge-shaped bricks used in arches; Concave and convex-shaped bricks; Excavations on the site of Pithon, the treasure city of King Rameses II.; Tremendous store- houses built of adobes, some without straw; Bricks found in Egypt with the stamp of Thothmes III., indicating Brick-making as a monopoly in An Egyptian brick in the British Museum, dimensions and weight of; Use Egypt, Assyria, and Babylonia, nurseries of the Ceramic Arts; Sun-dried bricks found in those countries in good preservation for more than 3000 years; Bricks employed in construction of the Great Wall of China; Use of bricks for architectural construction never extensive in Greece. 23 PAGE Roman bricks of the first century of the Christian era superior to those of Bricks only used for facing Roman walls; Decline in the art of Brick- making; No evidence that bricks were made in England between the Roman times and the 13th century; Old materials used at Colchester Description of the early stone buildings in Western Europe; No evidence existing that bricks were made at the time of Alfred the Great; Little Wenham Hall in Suffolk most probably the earliest brick building exist- ing in England; Brick-making flourished in the reigns of Henry VIII. Lollards' Tower of Lambeth Palace and the older portions of Hampton Court Palace, good examples of English brick architecture in mediæval times; Size of bricks regulated by Charles I. in 1625; Tax upon bricks The building materials of a town depend upon the geology of the surround- Brick-layers' wages in Philadelphia in 1705; The Old Court House in Phil- adelphia, at the corner of Second and Market Streets, one of the oldest public buildings constructed of brick in this country; Independence Great Meeting-house of Friends corner of Second and Market Streets; Bricks for foot-pavements in Philadelphia, in use in 1719; "Towne House" in Boston first built of brick in 1712; Triangular warehouse in Bricks brought as ballast from England; Condition of building in the Colo- American bricks at present superior to those of any other country; The Change of the English Patent Law in force since January 1, 1884 Evils of the present English Patent Law 40 Inventions between 1790 and 1812; Confined mostly to agricultural and THE DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF CLAY, THEIR CHARACTERISTICS, Application of the term Clay; Where found, and how clay is produced; Composition of the best brick-clay; Use of sand in brick-making; Oxide of iron the component of clay that imparts the red color to thoroughly The quantity of sand naturally mixed with brick-clay not important; Clays Sea sand, unless washed in fresh water, always produces the white ap- pearance; Primary causes of blotches of white upon brick walls Objections to overlapping courses of pressed and common bricks Mortars for pressed brick and for common brick; Compositions of wall coatings; Method proposed for obviating efflorescence on pressed brick Discussion of the efflorescence by scientific societies; Decision of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia; Belief of earlier investi- M. Longcamp's explanation of the cause of efflorescence on walls; Certain conditions pertaining to it; Evils of carbonaceous matter in clay; Use- Peculiarities of London Brick-making; Process of clamping Exposing clay to the action of the weather; Argillaceous earths suitable Substances that impair the plasticity of clay; Process of Brick-making in England; London bricks, “Malms”; Mixture for best quality of bricks |