PATEA BRICKWORKS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXIII, Issue 52, 19 March 1901, Page 2

PATEA BRICKWORKS.

Patba hns long bean r-cogsiiscd as a contre of the hriekuiakiag industry ard crnis-i oivble interest haa boon taken in the eri'ctioa there by Mesurs Matthews and Graves of a Hoffunnn kiln with very large capacity. Last week in respouse to an invitation from the proprietors, a large number of lepresantative gentlembn attended a luncheon wh, n the completion of the kiln was celebrated. The chair was taken by Mr R. A. Adams and after the kiln had been insp cted and the solid portion of the luncheon dispesod of, the afternoon «ua spout ; ia speech miking. Buriag ti o proceedings a g<'ld briok was presented to Mr MHtthewi*, one of the proprietor!*, by the people of Patea, in | recognition of the graat value oi the] works to ths district.

The works oover an area of some ti acres, in the centra of wbioh stan the i»p-cvd Hoffman Kiln just coi ' pletnd. This kiln, the walls of whi are 5f 6 thick (of solid masonry) is ov ; shaped and about 100 ft by 45ft. It dividad into 12 chambers of varyii capacity, each of which may be ue' ' separately. When fully charged holds ob.ut 100,000 bricks, and capable of turning out eome 50,000 1 week. The great advantage is thatl k'lu can be worked continuously, eai chamber in turn being charged at then cooled dawn as soon as. the nece -ary burning is CQmpldted. Aftsr tl 1 kiln is properly dry the ODly fuel wi he s-ijall cr-al which is fed into tl chambers by means of saial! apartun on the top. By an ingenious cumbin: tion of dumpers the heit is d,istributs ■md r.gukt' d, and what is most in povtun l , everp scrap of it is utilise nothing but smoke reaching tho huj stack (j-ome 80ft high) which is ooi nt>cte<i by a variety cf flues with tl chnrobwi. The great advantages wi ! e that the proprietors will be at>lo t 'urn ouS a big supply regularly, that better article than formerly may be e> pected, that c<t!d air in the bornin yr .fes-j is eniin-ly done away with, an that the article can be turned outmo' 'conomiea'ly, as there in a gr«»t n->yin !in fuel. Sjme idt-a of tho magnitud of ti'o wr.rk m-iv be gathered fioua th fact thut 300,000 bricks were use! i its and the cost (includiiv accessories) was something 1 ke £2SOQ I' is fur'her caliulatfd that to keep th kiln in full working order about 1' hands wiL mod to be employed. L addition to the main struciuro the firn intsnd to eroct another brick she< with a capacity for 100,000 briokf whilst tram fin-s and other adjuncti will bo adde,;-] in, the course of limy. | Wi'h tho p«sp->ct of building lawi beir.g ad ped 1-adfng to thecr ctionol 'brick buildiuga ii New Plymouth *be success of these works will bo of greal interest here as well aa throughout the Taranaki District,