DIGITAL ARCHIVE of SLAVERY to FREEDOM at MONTICELLO   (beta)

a demicord of earth [4.f. cube] makes 1000 bricks.

a man will turn up 4. such cubes, or even 5, a day. the price for turning up is 1/ (Maryland) the cube, or 1000. bricks, the labourer finding himself.

a cubic yard of earth in it’s natural state weighs probably 1000.℔.

a man moulds 2000. bricks a day. his attendance is a man to temper, one to wheel the mortar to him & a boy to bear off. (Philadelphia)

there are 3000. bricks to every eye of a kiln, sometimes 4000.

a cord of wood to every eye will suffice if there be a case of 2½ bricks to the kiln: but if there be no case, 1½ cord to each eye.

at George town in 1792. a brickmaker for 2⅓D. the thousand made the bricks, turning up the clay & finding himself every thing except wood to burn & plank to cover them.

the brickwork is about ⅓ of the whole cost, the Carpenter’s materials & ironmongery one third, & the Carpenter’s work one third.

bricks cost at Philadelphia 4.D. per . and laying them 1.6, [. . .] exclusive of sand, lime Etc.

brickwork requires 10. bush. of lime to the 1000. (Geo. town)
but by Stephen Willis 15. bushels. this is exact from my own experiments

[. . .] brickmortar takes 3. hhds water to the 1000. bricks.

an acre of ground yields a million of bricks for every foot depth.

see page 37.

10. bushels of limestone make 15. bushels of lime & lay 1000 bricks, the inside mortar being half lime & half sand, & the outside mortar ⅔ lime, & the walls grouted. from my own experience.

1796. Aug. 26. 32 cords of wood burnt a kiln of 9. eyes & 42. bricks.

1814. Chisolm & 2. apprentices (one of them a new beginner) lay 1600. bricks a day

1825. Apr. by accurate trial 7¼℔ white lead gives 3. coats to 1. square.