Large Size Tile Machine. The Madden tile mills have won a high reputation for excellence and can be found in many of the largest drain-tile plants in the country. The introduction of the new 24-in. Madden tile mill will therefore be noted with interest. The first of these big tile machines has recently been put in operation at the plant of the North Iowa Brick & Tile Co., Mason City, Ia., and a picture of same accompanies this article. The North Iowa company informs us that the 24-in. mill is giving the very best of results and is all that they could desire in quality of product and capacity. Madden & Co., Rushville, Ind., will be glad to furnish further particulars regarding the new mill. (Brick and Clay Record, Kenfield-Leach Company, Chicago, December 1908, Volume XXIX, Number 6, Page 532)
North Iowa Brick & Tile Co.
One of the most interesting plants at Mason City is that of the North Iowa Brick & Tile Co., which was established in 1906. This plant manufactures drain tile from 4 in. in size up to 24 in., one of the factors of its equipment being a new design of Madden tile press which makes tile up to 24 in. in diameter. This plant also manufactures hollow building block and common brick. It employs about 70 men and is in operation throughout the year. A. W. Dawson is president; L. A. Page, vice-president; J. W. Adams, treasurer, and R. Valentine, secretary.
The property on which the plant is located includes some 150 acres, with railroad connections with five railroads. The main building is constructed of brick and is 200 x 200 ft. in size. The hotel and cottages erected for the accommodation of employees are an interesting innovation. The hotel has 30 rooms. One hundred acres of clay are adjacent to the plant, there being from 10 to 30 ft. of yellow clay underlaid by 10 ft. of blue clay. The clay is blasted with dynamite and the loaded cars are hauled to the plant by a cableway system.
The machinery for the preparation of the material consists of Drake crusher rolls, a Horton disintegrator, and Madden pugmills. There are two sets of Drake crushers, and one of the Horton disintegrators is 12 x 20 in., the other 20 x 20 in. in size. The Madden pugmill is of the horizontal type. As previously stated, the star feature of the machine equipment is a 24-in. Madden mill, the largest used in Mason City, and a new product of the well-known Madden works.
The clay is dumped from the cars at the top of the building and descends to the brick and tile machines by gravity, after passing through the granulator, crusher rolls, disintegrator and pugmill.
The power equipment consists of 450 three-deck cars, of 500 capacity each, manufactured by the Vulcan Iron Works, of Mason City. To handle these, eight transfer cars are required. The furnace drier is of the Raymond type, heat being provided both by steam and waste-heat systems. It is built of brick and has 23 tracks. In addition to the waste heat and steam, direct heat can be secured by means of furnaces. From 12 to 25 hours are required for drying, according to the size of the ware.
The kiln battery consists of thirteen 26-ft. kilns, of eight furnaces each, and six 32-ft. kilns, of ten furnaces each, all of the down-draft pattern. Soft coal is used both for water-smoking and burning, 40 tons being required per kiln. Thirteen of the kilns have cross flues and the remainder hub bottoms.
Power is provided by a 250-h. p. Atlas automatic engine and two Chandler & Taylor engines, one of 50 and the other of 80 h. p. Two Erie City boilers are provided, each of 150 h. p., 125 lb. steam pressure being maintained. (Brick and Clay Record, Kenfield-Leach Company, Chicago, January 1909, Volume XXX, Number 1, Page 11)