It may be well to call attention to the method of handling the material, preparatory to its delivery to the brick press. The bins are constructed, as will be seen by the drawing, with their floor set 2.5 ft. above the working floor, which enables the workmen to reach the material with a minimum effort. The floor of the bins project 2.5 ft. in front of the face, thus forming a platform on which the shoveling may be done without the necessity of bending over. In this projecting platform are cut rectangular holes 12 × 18 in., which are placed midway between the openings in the front of the bins and furnished with screens to stop any stray bolts or other coarse material that might injure the press. This position of the holes through the platform was adopted so that, in the event of the material running out beyond the opening in the face, it would not fall directly upon the floor. Two buckets are provided, with a capacity of 7 cu. ft. each, which is the size of a single charge of the Chile mill. These buckets have a hopper-shaped bottom fixed with a swinging gate which is operated by the foot; thus the bucket can be run over the pan of the Chile mill and the charge dumped directly into it. The buckets run on an overhead iron track (1 in. by 3 in.) hung 7 ft. in the clear, above the floor. The method of making up the charge is as follows: The bucket is run under the hole in the platform nearest to the compartment containing the material of which the charge is partly composed, and a predetermined number of shovelfuls is drawn out and put into the bucket, which is then pushed on to the next compartment from which material is wanted, where the operation is repeated. After charging into the bucket the requisite amount of ore or flue dust, the bucket is run to the back of the building, where the necessary amount of lime (slaked) is added. By putting the lime in last, it is so surrounded by the dust or ore that it has not the opportunity to stick to the sides of the bucket in discharging, as it otherwise would. [Illustration: FIG. 1 (_a_).—Plant for Bricking Ores, Selby Smelter. (Plan.)] The number of men required to operate the entire plant, exclusive of those employed in bringing the material to the bins and emptying the cars into them, is 12, placed as follows; One preparing the lime for use, one removing the charge from the mill and supplying the elevator-conveyor, which is accomplished by means of a specially shaped, long-handled shovel; one keeping the supply spout of the press clear (an attempt was made to do this mechanically, but was found to be unsuccessful, owing to the extremely sticky nature of the material, and so was discarded in favor of manual labor); one to control the press in case of mishap and to keep the dies clean; one oiler; three receiving the bricks from the press and taking the brick-loaded cars from the press to the drying-house, and two placing the bricks on the shelves.