Mason City Drain Tile Co.

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The Mason City Drain Tile Co.

Another important enterprise, erected in 1907, is that of the Mason City Drain Tile Co., which manufactures building brick, hollow building block and drain tile.  This company is officered by O. T. Denison, president; F. A. Stephenson, vice-president; F. E. Keeler, secretary, and L. W. Denison, treasurer.  Thirty acres of shale land adjoin the factory buildings, which are located with convenient transportation facilities.  The engine room and boiler room are each 40 x 50 ft. in dimension; the machine room 50 x 90 ft., and the drier 100 x 160 ft.  The material is a fat, blue shale, dug from the bank adjoining the plant.  After being loosened by blasting it is hauled to the plant by cableway system.

The disintegrator is of Madden make and capable of caring for material for 50,000 brick per day.  The pugmill is of the

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Madden horizontal type and the molding machine is known as the No. 6 “C,” manufactured by the Madden company, and capable of producing 75,000 common brick per day.  Four hundred steel, double-deck cars of 550 capacity, made by the Vulcan Iron Works, and two double transfers and three single transfers are required to convey the green ware to the drier.

The drier is the design of Messrs. Denison and Stephenson, is built of brick, and fireproofed with hollow block and cinder concrete.  It contains 24 car tracks and will hold about 380 cars.  Waste heat from the kilns is used for drying, 24 hours being required.

The kiln battery consists of 12 down-draft kilns of 30 ft. inside diameter, having 12 fire-boxes each.  The drain tile are set 12 high.  Coal is used both for watersmoking and burning.  The kilns are arranged with a solid floor over the main flue, with the flues opening toward the outside.  Steam is generated in two Murray Iron Works tubular boilers, 72 in. x 18 ft., carrying 150 lb. pressure.  These supply the Murray corliss engine of 250 h. p., which provides the driving power for the entire plant.  (Brick and Clay Record, Kenfield-Leach Company, Chicago, January 1909, Volume XXX, Number 1)