A New Brick Truck
A new brick truck has been designed by Sheldon W. Vance, of Crookston, Minn., to lift, carry and discharge intact regularly piled brick. It is claimed that this truck will particularly facilitate the rapid transfer of brick from the wagon to the car or vice versa, although it may be employed in any other part of the yard.
The truck is composed of a body frame, a lifting and supporting frame and a second lifting frame. The bricks to be transported are piled in a wagon, a car or kiln, the bottom row of bricks being so set that they are at right angles and under the center of the second tier of brick, leaving a half-brick space between each of these bottom bricks. The two lifting frames of the truck are composed of a series of long fingers, each having two wing pieces for engaging the brick. The truck is wheeled to the pile, the fingers of the upper frame of the truck are inserted under the second tier of the load in the space between the bottom bricks. This second frame takes the load from the ground and allows the fingers of the bottom frame to be inserted underneath the bottom or resting tier of bricks. The second frame is then lowered on to the load of the first or bottom frame by a lever.
In discharging the load the wing pieces are swung inwardly, permitting the bottom bricks to drop and reassume their former position when the upper frame is lowered to reseat the major portion of the load upon these bottom bricks and the truck is withdrawn. It is claimed that an intelligent operative can load in this manner without undue exercise from 50,000 to 60,000 bricks per day.
Source:
Brick and Clay Record
Volume XVIII, Number 4, April 1903
Windsor & Kenfield Publishing Company, Chicago, IL
Page 173
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
S. W. Vance, of the Crookston Brick & Tile Co., of Crookston, Minn., has contracted for the delivery of 300,000 bricks for the building of a new saw mill at Rainy River, Ont. The first shipments on this have been made.
Source:
Brick and Clay Record
Volume XIX, Number 5, November 1903
Windsor & Kenfield Publishing Company, Chicago, IL
Page 180
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
C. B. Chase, of Suffolk, Va., is erecting a large dry pressed brick plant at Crookston, Minn., for the Northern Brick Co. The plant will be in operation about the middle of May, and the outlook for business in very promising. The company possesses a very fine clay.
Source:
Brick and Clay Record
Volume XXII, Number 5, May 1905
Kenfield Publishing Company, Chicago, IL
Page 252
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prosperity is the portion of the clayworking industries of Crookston, Minn. The Crookston Brick & Tile Co. is owned by S. W. Vance and he can point with pride to the success of the enterprise since its inception. During the last few years the capacity of the yards has been doubled and many improvements have been made. Here is shown also another case of the successful coupling of the clay industry with the cement business. One department of the plant is devoted to the manufacture of cement brick and ornamental stone. The cement product is a trifle higher in cost than the clay brick and both are sold without the slightest difficulty. Nothing like giving the public what it wants and also having the facilities for educating it to wanting what is best for it.
Source:
Brick and Clay Record
Volume XXV, Number 3, September 1906
Kenfield Publishing Company, Chicago, IL
Page 138
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Crookston, Minn. – O. K. Berget has become manager for the Crookston Brick & Tile Co.
Source:
Brick and Clay Record
Kenfield Publishing Company, Chicago, IL
Volume XXVI, Number 1, January 1907
Page 17
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Crookston Brick & Tile Co., Crookston, Minn., manufactures brick and handles building material such as lime, cement, sand and gravel. The plant manufactures a high grade of brick.
Source:
Brick and Clay Record
Volume XXVI, Number 5, May 1907
Kenfield Publishing Company, Chicago, IL
Page 66
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Northern Pressed Brick Co., Crookston, Minn., has purchased a complete machine equipment for the manufacture of sand-mold brick. This company is now in the third year of its business and has been successful since its commencement. A mottled brick will be added to the company’s products this season.
Source:
Brick and Clay Record
Volume XXVI, Number 5, May 1907
Kenfield Publishing Company, Chicago, IL
Page 66
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The plant of the Northern Pressed Brick Co., at Crookston, has commenced operations. In a statement made by Manager Grafft the plant will be run to its full capacity, as the company is anticipating a big demand for its products the coming year and already has many orders to fill. Several shades of fancy pressed brick will be manufactured. The capacity of the plant has been greatly increased during the past winter.
Source:
Brick and Clay Record
Volume XXVIII, Number 6, June 1908
Kenfield-Leach Company, Chicago, IL
Page 292
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Northern Pressed Brick Co., Crookston, Minn., has commenced operations with encouraging prospects. Fully 80 per cent of its first kiln of cream pressed brick turned out first-class.
Source:
Brick and Clay Record
Volume XXIX, Number 1, July 1908
Kenfield-Leach Company, Chicago, IL
Page 335
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Crookston Brick & Tile Co. has secured the contract for 800,000 brick for the new federal building at Devils Lake., N. D., and also a contract for 500,000 brick for the new Franklin school. The present season will be the best in its history.
The Northern Pressed Brick Co. whose plant is at Crookston, and of which C. W. Craft is manager, is installing a larger soft mud brick machine to give a capacity of 60,000 brick per day. They are also building four 100,000 capacity brick kilns, and when completed they will have a five million capacity per year of pressed fancy face and sand mould brick. The capitalization is $100,000, and 75 men are employed. We cannot learn whether or not the new machinery has been purchased. Coal is used for fuel and air for drying.
Source:
Brick and Clay Record
Kenfield-Leach Company, Chicago, IL
Volume XXIX, Number 2, August 1908
Page 374
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Northern Pressed Brick Co., of Crookston, will enlarge their sand mold plant so as to about double its capacity. They have just completed a 500,000 kiln and are now building one that will hold nearly 1,000,000 brick. This company has been highly successful in the manufacture of dry pressed and sand mold brick, and are the only manufacturers of pressed brick in the great Red River valley. J. R. Martin is president of the company.
Source:
Brick and Clay Record
Volume XXIX, Number 3, September 1908
Kenfield-Leach Company, Chicago, IL
Page 420
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Crookston, Minn.: Crookston Brick & Tile Co.- “Business for 1909 excellent. No trouble in placing entire output of over 4,000,000 sand mold brick. Conditions good and will increase output to 5,000,000 in 1910.”
Source:
Brick and Clay Record
Volume XXXII, Number 1, January 1910
Published by Kenfield-Leach Company, Chicago
Page 76