Bucket-Chain Dredger I – Mining

Bricks, one of the most common materials in building, are made from clay. In order to mine large quantities of clay large dredgers are necessary. The bucket-chain dredger is one of the possible tools for clay mining. Buckets are attached to a circulating chain. As they go round, the buckets dig into the ground, carry clay with them and drop it into a collector from where it is dispensed into wagons.
The model in the recording was used at the brick factory Rusch in Stade (northern Germany) up until the 1990ies. Today it is part of the collection of the LWL-Industriemuseum Ziegeleimuseum Lage. It has been restored and is now being used for demonstration purposes at the museum. Within 15 minutes it can mine up to a ton of clay.
The recording was made during a public demonstration of the machine. The bucket-chain dredger is run by a large diesel motor, which dominates the soundscape of the recording. The rattling of the chain and buckets can be heard as the dredger moves along the rails and mines clay.

Sound: Hendrik Henkemeier (University of Applied Sciences Dortmund)
Photo and Video: Kathinka Engels