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Page 50 EARLY INDUSTRIES
"This clay, like the clay for red ware, was dug in the summer and
fall, so it would freeze, and become pulverized and thus make it
easier to wash.
"The washing of the clay was done in a large tub, about six feet in
diameter, made for the purpose, and driven by horse power. When the
clay was washed into a thin slip, it was run through a very fine
sieve into a spout which conveyed it into a large container or vat,
which would hold about one hundred tons, where it was left to
settle, and when thus settled, the water would be drawn off and the
clay left to dry and mature, or as we called it season. After the
clay became throughly dry, the process in preparing it to be made
into ware by the turners, was about the same as for red ware."
Brady Township and Sandy Township has some of the finest clay beds
in Pennsylvania, and it has the coal to develop them, but no one
seems to have taken interest enough in it to start the industry.
Saw mills of course were an early necessity, and were of the old "up
and down variety". Someone expressed, "it went up yesterday and came
down today". They were a one-man institution. The operator was the
log tender, the setter, off bearer and general all around workman.
His mill could cut about two thousand feet of lumber a day.
One of these mills was erected by David Heberling some time after
1856, and prior to the advent of John Rumbarger, on Pentz Run just
south of West Long Avenue. The mill dam extended from near Jared
Street across the flat westerly to Peach Alley. The water of this
dam backed up over Brady Street covering the land in the vicinity of
the DuBois Garage, and as far south as where Brady Street intersects
Dixon Avenue.
There were four other saw mills within a radius of three miles of
DuBois. Sometime between 1840 and 1845, two men by the name of Boyer
came from Philadelphia, and erected a steam saw mill on the
Reasinger Run, where Maple Avenue crosses that Run. How long this
mill remained is not known, but it is supposed to be the first steam
saw mill erected in Clearfield County. Later, about 1865, a steam
saw mill was erected on Pentz Run, south of DuBois, which
subsequently became known as the "Rocky Mill".
All of these saw mills have long since disappeared.
Some time early in 1860, J. C. Smith, of Taylortown, commenced to
manufacture matches. Mr. Smith subsequently sold his factory to
Julius A. Terpe at New Salem.
Mr. Terpe moved all the machinery and equipment into a little
building, probably not over fifteen feet square, where he made
matches.
The match as now used, is different from the match of 1860-70.
Mr. Terpe bought up all the buildings of hewed logs or round logs of
white pine. This timber he cut into match lengths of one and
one-half to two inches.
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