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Mason City, Ia., is rightly entitled to change its name to the “Drain Tile City,” for it can honestly claim to be the leading drain tile center of the world. Its eight immense clayworking plants produce annually an immense quantity of drain tile of all sizes, which finds a market through the middle west. Anyone desirous of studying drain-tile manufacture at its best would do well to visit this busy Iowa City, where will be found plants of the most progressive character, equipped with modern and up-to-date machinery and manufacturing on the basis of the largest possible capacity at the smallest possible cost.
The development of the drain-tile industry in Mason City has followed the progress and development of farm drainage in the state of Iowa; the production keeping pace year by year with the increasing demand for tile. Mason City manufacturers have done much toward promoting the increased use of tile, and the farmers in that territory have profited by the encouragement given them along this line. The value of Iowa farms lands has increased 20 per cent within the last 10 years, largely due to their increased productiveness, resulting from tile underdrainage.
In the January 1909 issue of “Brick” the Mason City clayworking enterprises were fully described, and it would therefore be needless to repeat such descriptions. The accompanying illustrations showing views of the various plants are interesting, however, although they give but a limited idea of the extent of the drain-tile industry of this city.
What are known as the four Dennison properties occupy the most prominent position in the tile industry of the city; and these four plants, when considered as one concern, could be credited as the largest single producer of drain tile in the world. They include the Mason City Brick & Tile Co., Mason City Clay Works, Mason City Drain Tile Co. and the Mason City Sewer Pipe Co.
The original Dennison factory was that of the Mason City Brick & Tile Co., built in 1882; and from a very modest beginning has been built up the present immense business of the Dennison factories. The Mason City Clay Works was established in 1900, and the Mason City Drain Tile Co. in 1907.
An interesting feature in the equipment of these plants is the use of electricity. At the works of the Mason City Brick & Tile Co. the factory is lighted by electricity, which also operates the machine shop, the pump at the clay pit and the fan of the drier. The drier used was
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designed by Mr. Dennison to have 12 tracks holding 180 cars, and use both waste kiln heat and exhaust steam. At the plant of the Mason City Sewer Pipe Co. a drier of the Dennison-Stephenson design is used, having 8 tunnels and 24 tracks.
Fully 1,500 men are employed in the clayworking operations at Mason City.
Another interesting plant is that of the North Iowa Brick & Tile Co. which was established in 1906. This plant has a kiln battery of 34 kilns, all being of the round down-draft pattern. Power is furnished at this plant by a 250 h. p. Atlas engine. Another large plant is that of the American Brick & Tile Co., which is one of the most modern and best equipped in the state of Iowa.
One of the latest organized of these enterprises is that of the Farmers Co-Operative Co., the owners of which are largely farmers in that vicinity. This company is now building another plant of equal size, and has been very successful.
Very few drain tile enterprises in the country have proven more successful than that of the American Brick & Tile Co., Mason City, Ia., of which C. E. Smith is the general manager. This company was established in 1900 and the works enlarged in 1907. It operates throughout the year, and while mostly a producer of drain tile, it turns out a considerable quantity of hollow building block in a great variety of sizes. Located on five railroads, as are all the Mason City plants, transportation facilities are of the best, giving the plants at this point an exceedingly large territory.
The company’s property is located on 110 acres of fine shale land, the shale running to a depth of from 125 to 160 ft. All the buildings are constructed of hollow block. Plant No. 1 is a 1-story building, 150x150 ft. Plant No. 2 is a 3-story building 245x220 ft.
The clay is hauled in cars by cable from the shale bank to the plant and a sufficient quantity is mined ahead and kept in storage to provide from 10 to 20 days’ supply. The reserve supply is stored in a shed 45x90 ft. The drier used at this plant was designed by the Richardson-Lovejoy Eng. Co., and consists of 48 tracks, 120 ft. each in length. Both exhaust steam from the power plant and waste heat from the cooling kilns are used for drying. The kiln battery consists of 35 round down-draft kilns of 26-ft. diameter. From 15 to 30 tons of coal are used for burning each kiln. (Brick and Clay Record, Kenfield-Leach Company, Chicago, September 1910, Volume XXXIII, Number 3)