OCR Text |
Show UTAH'S CLAY INDUSTRY .3: ' ; 1 ,, ,. .... ' , - - -"5 r s-l Ss-t ua.e C.rv - ii "Vt -5---.u--v3 :-, s,; '"( ...... " -- ,' it . - V -fc " t. V ' ' : " pTOW,tV- W.T r "" By LESLIE SQUIRES General Manager Utah Fire Clay Company AMAZING developments of the clay industry in Utah will be witnessed if the advances of the last SO years continue at anywhere any-where near the same rate. The pioneer dug his clay from the hillside, trampled it in layers, cut it while wet into blocks and let the sun do the rest. Houses built of "adobe" brick still stand in towns and on farms, proving not only the skill of the early brick-makers, brick-makers, but the virtues of the clay they used. From brick to tile was a short step and, as facilities improved, im-proved, clay products were multiplied. multi-plied. Utah is fortunate in having many kinds of clay. If the right sort is not available in one locality local-ity it is pretty sure to be present in another. Six plants devoted exclusively to the manufacture of clay goods and Bilica refractories are now operating operat-ing In Utah, not to speak of Bmall local brick plants scattered throughout the state. The major plants are located In Salt Lake City, Ogden. Provo, Murray and Smithfield. Their ever-growing list of products includes vitrified salt-glazed salt-glazed sewer pipe and fittings, farm drain tile, silica brick, fire brick, assayers' clay crucibles and scorifiers, fire clay shapes for boilers, locomotives, steel mills and foundries, paving brick, high grade shale and fire clay face brick, common com-mon brick, hollow building and partition blocks, clay shingles, wall coping, flue lining and many spe-.cial spe-.cial designs, .,- Manufacture and sale of the products pro-ducts give employment to an average aver-age of 300 men the year around with an annual payroll ot about $400,000. The processes call for the yearly production of about 100,000 tons of clay, to burn which, fuel to the value of $150,000 is consumed. con-sumed. For supplies, power, freight, taxes and such expenses not less than $250,000 is disbursed. Though Salt Lake valley smelters smelt-ers and widespread building construction con-struction constitute a steady market, mar-ket, sales of specialties beyond the borders of the state indicate the possibilities of expansion. Silica brick Is shipped to surrounding states and orders for crucibles and scorifiers are received from all over the world. Production facilities are ample for a growing business. It Is estimated esti-mated that, with all plants operating operat-ing a daily 8-hour shift at full capacity, there would be manufactured manufac-tured each day enough facing and backing brick to construct 80 five-room five-room cottages, pipe for 1H miles of sewer and tile for 4 miles oi drains. Hollow blocks for smokestack hundreds of feet tall and tile for i silos are made from clay. Under-I Under-I ground wiring is facilitated by clay conduits, and the use of finer clayi in the making of porcelain it beginning to be recognized in Utah.. So far Utah county is the best known source of ceramic material. Clay banks of alluvial and glacial origin are found in Cache. Weber, Morgan. Salt Lake and Utah counties. coun-ties. To date the production of fire clay has been confined to Utah county, where the basic material is carboniferous. To make silica brick the manfacturer goes to the Cambrian formation in Juab couur ty. Brickmaking in 1937 presents H'' astonishing contrast to the almost primitive methods of 1S57. Describing Des-cribing a typical operation of today the manager of a large brick company com-pany says: "Starling at clay beds averagins-15 averagins-15 feet in thickness, ten team scrape up the clay and lay it on platforms. Thence it is hauled by electric trains to mixing and pulverizing pul-verizing sheds. From there it i conveyed by endless belts to th.-bins, th.-bins, where the right amount ot moisture is added. The next step is working the clay through tha 'pug' mills. These are heavy cast iron mixing machines which knead the clay to the proper consistency-for consistency-for molding into what are called 'green brick'. Attached to the end of the pug mills are forms, or dies, out of which come bricks of th . correct length and height. "To make pressed brick the cla - Is handled In much the same manner, man-ner, except as it comes out of the mixing bins it is fed into massive presses. From the presses th brick Is conveyed to the kilns for burning. A fire of powdered coal Is started at one end and carried ' the entire length by forced draft AVhen heated to 22u0 degrees the brick are allowed to cool. Wagonr -are lowered into tho kiln by n electric crane, loaded and set outside, out-side, to be hauled by teams to their destination." Ever since the day ot the humbl-adobe, humbl-adobe, Utah has been h "brick, state". Few parts of the UnloiL have a higher percentage of brick structures. Steel mills and sugar factories need refractory brick for " their furnaces; municipalities, pip-for pip-for their sanitary sewers; drainage drain-age districts, tile to reclaim their lands. Thus one Industry fostert many others. An Investment of about ?2, 215, 000, it is estimated, 1 represented by the plants In Utah, devoted exclusively to the manufacture manu-facture of clay goods and silica refractories. |