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~ Brickyard
~ ~ Brickmaking
~ ~ Brick and
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The clay that was used to
make bricks was taken right from the site. The Ceramic Division of the University of
Alberta said "there was no better clay for making bricks."
The clay was dug and loaded into carts by hand. The carts were on tracks; when they were full they were towed by horse to the bottom of an inclined structure where they were attached to a cableand hauled by the machinery of the works to an elevated platform. Here the clay was dumped into a bin. It was ground up and moved forward to where water was added.
Then the mass was propelled downward to go through a "die" to give it the form of a brick. In the die the clay mass was cut into brick lengths by a rotating wheel, using steel wires as cutters. Two colums protruded from the die to hasten the process.
The bricks went forward onto a belt located on rollers, and were loaded onto carts by men, and taken to drying sheds. The sheds were adjustable, so they could be tripped to keep the hot rays of the sun from hitting the bricks and drying them too rapidly.
After a few days of drying they were taken and placed in a huge kiln for burning. When filled, the kiln was sealed at both ends. Then the fires were lit in various apertures along the side . Slabs of wood were used to fire the steam boilers. It took a week of burning, day and night, to complete the process. The bricks then took a week to cool off.
Pauline Shume
ALF School 1989