Made a day trip to Briarville Bibb Iron Works.Ala.(a ruin)..The collection of
hundreds early American brick types and lime mortar batches used here  found
all over  the grounds here in the hundreds. The  trip here is  one of the
most fascinating site visits in remote historic industrial locations in the
USA..
The crucible in the blast furnace (cold and hot) is all slave brick; all
large; all types The crucible is built like a large flask surrounded by a
still partially intact 4 sided pyramid of brick 45' high and 50 brick deep
(to the flask) Destroyed by the Yankees 1864 as it made plate of some of the
southern ironclads.
Would like to contact someone familiar with early steel masonry furnace
fabrication 1800-1850 technology....looking to stabilize the ruin with lime
grouts...will be attending Lime workshop in Va in January  Best..Michael