BRICKS

The word ‘brick’ is derived from the Fr. word brique, meaning a piece, or fragment, and is the Eng. name given to a piece of worked and moulded clay, slightly over 9 in. in length by 4% in. in width, and used for building purposes. Sun-baked bricks use amongst the anc. Egyptians, rians, and Babylonians, and these are still to be seen in a state of preservation. Kiln-baked however, mixed with chopped straw, were also employed in very times by these peoples, They were largely used by the Romans, and by were introduced into England. After withdrawal of the Romans brickmaking fell into disuse in England until the was reintroduced by the Flemings 13th cent. But it was not until the cent. that bricks came again into general use. The manufacture of forms one of the most divisions of the clay-working in the United States. Some of best clays in the world are found in ious places in New York and along Hudson in New York State. production of common brick in United States is valued at over 000 annually, and fire brick at $70,000,000. These are the two cipal kinds of brick used in