British Pathe

Cornwall. "Down in the West Country can be seen the huge mounds which denote the presence of the china clay pits." M/S of large mounds of clay. "...and alongside, the great pits - each having its "captain" or foreman." High angle panning shots of the clay pits. M/S of a foreman. Panning shot of the...

Cornwall. "Down in the West Country can be seen the huge mounds which denote the presence of the china clay pits." M/S of large mounds of clay. "...and alongside, the great pits - each having its "captain" or foreman." High angle panning shots of the clay pits. M/S of a foreman. Panning shot of the pits. "The clay is several feet below the surface, so the top earthen layer must be removed." M/S of men at work with large picks on the rock face. M/S of the men pushing along a trolley laden with rocks. "This leaves the clay deposit - a mixture of sand and clay." M/S of man in a suit smoking a pipe checking the quality of a piece of clay held by the foreman. C/U of a piece of clay. "Everyday is washing day here, where jets of water wash the clay from the pit-side." M/S of men directing large water hoses at the cliff face. "The mixture of clay and sand runs into sand boxes, which deposit the heavy sand and allow the lighter clay to run out." High angle shot of a man working in shallow water. "This sand deposit is then removed." High angle shot of him using a shovel to remove the sand deposit. High angle L/S of trolley being pulled along a little railway. M/S of the trolley at the top of the track, the bottom opens up and its contents are deposited on the hillside. L/S of large mounds of clay or sand. "Meanwhile, the clay water is pumped to the refining troughs. (A typical beam pump is used.)" High angle of long line of troughs. M/S of pumping equipment. Various shots of other parts of the china clay processing areas. "In the settling pits the clay sinks to the bottom...:" High angle shot of man raking the clay in a shallow pool. M/S of man standing in front of tanks of water. "...and when the water is drained off..." Panning shot of men at work with shovels lifting clay onto trolleys. M/S of a trolley being wheeled into a building. "The clay has a warm and dry time in the kiln...." Clay is emptied out of the trolley. "Later, the china clay (as it now is) is taken up and stacked. M/S of man moving slabs of clay. L/S of trolley stacked with clay outside the kiln. "From here it is sent all over the world - by land and sea. Paper, Pottery, Paint - all demand the services of China Clay." M/S of clay being tipped from a horse drawn cart into large containers. L/S of a cargo ship in dock. Note: flash-frame title and intertitles. * Subtitle unreadable - looks like "Carclaze". Date and issue number unknown.
Safety print exists.