Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-01-13
TRADE IN KINDLING WOODS.
Virginia Kindles New Ysrh,s Fires.

TRADE IN kINDLING WOODS. u /
virginia kindles New Ysrk's Fires.
Great cities have the faculty of converting a
trathc even In small things, into large busi-
ness. The New York Evening Post has an,
article upon the sale Of "kindling wood, in
that city, which illustrates the remark. and
will interest the reader. Kindling wood for
the starting Of anthracite coal fires, is now uni
versally employed, and the soporous cry of
'C-h-a-r-c-O-a-l"" says the Post, s'no longer
echoes through our streets. The charcoal
wagon has efectua ally disappeared and il now
as much . curiosity az the ichthy yosaurus or
the mastadOn" :
We make the following quotation from the
Posts article:
"It is estimated that 5000 900 per annum is
spent in this city for this article, and that
about FIFTY different firms are engaged in the
business These are all Wholesale dealers. and
supply the corner groceries and wood peddlers.
Most OF the wood is sold in small bundles tied
with tarred rope, some of the firms EMPLOYING
forty or nifty boys in the work of bundiing. 1t
IS also sold in boxes of irregular sizes, contain
ing no specific quantity.
Most OF the kindling wood sold in the city
comes from Virginia, though a considerable
quantity is Of New Jersey growth The Vir-
gina pine, however, being more resinous, is
vastly superior. To show the extent of the
business and the way in which the wood is pre-
pared, we would ask our readers to glance with
US at the operations of the Clearmont Kindling
wood Company, which probably does the most
extensive business in this limo of any firm or
company existing
This association has the control of tract of
Iand nifty miles in extent, situated in Surrey
county, Virginia, on the James river The
trees are all Of primitive growth, and a rail
road ten miles in length has been built to
fsellltate the transport of the wood to the
wharf, which is large enough to afford accom-
m0datIOns for loading six vessels at once
The laborers reinforced by q gang of forty
Germans just sent from this city, have the
arduous task Of Telling the huge forest trees,
and the trunks or larger branches are convey
ed by the rail cars to the wharf. Here they
are placed upon what is technically termed a
oed "A species of moving platform-and on
II are subjected to the sharp teeth of a series
ot huge saws, which are but six inches apart.
and consequently cut each log into portions
SIX inches In length The "bed'' is kent sup-
Piied with logs, and as soon as the saws have
done their work upon one pile another is ready
for them. After being thus sawn, the pieces
are placed upright upon a wide belt, which
also moves slowly, bringing each piece dirsctly
under falling axe, which, with its Ingenious
ly-arranged blades, splits each piece into small
sticks OF about an inch thick. The belt NOV
ing on, carries with it the split fragments.
until 1t precipitates them into a long trough
which conveys them directly to the hold of the
vessel without any further labor. Three men
can, with this machinery, saw, split and load
fifty cords per day.
This vessel, generally a schooner, can carry
from one hundred to q hundred and ffty cords
OF wood split up in this manner, the voyage To
New York, occupying from five to six days
The cargo on arrival is speedily taken M by
the small dealers, and thus il is that the little
unnOtlced fragments Of wood with whose hum
bic yet invaluable assistance We build our
kitchen hres, have often come to US from their
hnrf rfr~,, ,.I
forests Of Virginia.
The business in kindling wood, large As il
II, must become still more extensive and al
most monopolize the trade in wood as fuel
Even now coal is driving wood fuel entirely
out OF the market; scarcely family uses the
latter except in kindling, and our manufaco-
rles, where steam power is used, as well as our
steamboats,, fill their furnaces with coal
The railroad companies are having many of
their locomotives altered 30 as to avail them
selves Of the mineral fuel, and reduce their
consumption of wood. For instance, the New
York and New Haven road consumed last yes
loco cords, while this year they expect 10
consume but {, 900. The Erie, Hudson River,
and Harlem railroads expect each to use but
between 5000 and 6, 900 cords.
But coal, while thus driving the log wood ont
OF the market, actually creates an increas
demand for kindling wood-a demand which,
from the very necessities Of the case, cannot
NNN DNiOAcO dc iOuk eS tilo use OI coal snail
crease kindlIng wool is an absolute neces-
slty IN the present state Of our domestic ar
rangement, and must continue 50.
In Paris, the sale Of this article is business
BY itself, ard in evsry street may be found
the wood Merchants establishment. Il is a
little shop, with wide open doors and unglazed
windows Looking in, you see piles of wood
smoothly cut, and arranged in neat and oven
fantastic piles. Upon the walls outside of the
door are painted representations Of similar
piles; these pictorial demonstrations serving as
signs. The wood merchant, also, does some
what m the charcoal line, and even occasion
ally dabbles in coal. But coal is expensive
the purchasers few; and, perhaps, our French
friend thinks with Mrs. Micawber, that "com-
mission on Goals to the extent of two and nine
pence week cannot be considered rcmunera-
uye; certainly, there are very few of these
Parisian shop-keepers that could make even
tvo-and- d-ninepence out Of their speculations In
the anthracite. With wood, however, il is diff
ferent; and on the cold winter days the wood
merchant and his wife are actively engaged in
weighing out pounds Of wood for the Gu stomsrs,
and efecting the sale of microscopic bundles Of
pine. In France, too, they have carried the
art Of making nres as near perfection as can be
possible upon this mundane sphere, and pro-
duce the most fame out of the least amount of
wood Of any nation in existence. One of our
Celtic Biddies will use as much kindling- wood
IN building single FIRE as would serve Pa
risian grisette for a weeks fuel.
As wood also is scarce in Paris, it is, of course.
more expensive than here, and q firm engaged
IN the kindling- g-wood business in this country
has under contemplation the expectation of the
article 70 France. Already it is conveyed from
virginia 10 most OF our seaport towns but in
New York 1t finds its best market, and forms
already q branch Of business that gives em.
ployment TO thousands, and with little Judi
oious reform may be made q vast onvsnience
to hundreds Of thousands more. It is only
sufheient to add that las We have before re-
marked) $4,000 Is expended here for wood
per annum; by the system sdopted bv m.
Clearmont Company, Of selling wood by the
specific quantity, the same amount can be sup-
Piled for s4oo, ,00o-thus saving our community
500, 900 year.
w A correspondent Of the Ladies American
Magazine, professedly . member Of the stAii