Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1863-11-18
TIrpansina-HoW oWftIs Made

mas SdlHSu dIl extensive ceIcbEltF Dl III
thrilling pictures of Southern character
lie Is the author of series of article
now being published iii the iSsH,i- Week
Tribune, under the title of Down in Ten
nessee," which are exciting universal al
tention. The writer says:
Taking by path which led throug
the forest IN the rear OF the mansion, W
soon reached small stream, and follow
ing It's course for Z short distance, cam
upon turpentine disIillery, which th
Colonel explained to me was one OF thre
that prepared the product of his plsntsi
ton Tor market, and provided for hI
family of two hundred souls.
at was enclosed, or rather rooied, by
rude structure of rough boards, open .
the sides, and sustained on a number 0
pine poles about thirty feet in height
and bore strong resemblance 10 til,
usual covering of New England hay stack
Three stout negro men, dIvested of al
clothing except u pair of coarse gray trow
sers anu q red shirt,-it was a raw, cold
wintry day,-and with cotton bandannai
bound about their heads, were 'tendin,
the still The foreman stood on raised
platform level with its top, but as we ap
preached very quietly seated himself On
turpentine barrel which a moment before
he mad rolled over the mouth of the boil
er. Another negro was below. feeding
the fire with light wood, and third was
tending the trough by which the liquid
rosin found its way into the semi-circle oil
rough barrels intended for its reception,
I'VE rode on to another still and
there dismounting, the Colonel explained
to me the process of gathering and manu-,
featuring turpentine. The trees are box
ed and tapped early iii the year, while
the frost is still in the ground. Boxing
IS the process of scooping cavity in the
trunk OF Il tree by means of = peculiar is
shaped axe, made for the purpose; Tap
ping Is scaritying the rind of the wood
above the boxes. This is never done un-
til the trees have been worked one sea-
son, but 1t Is then repeated year after
year, till on many plantations they pre-
sent the marks OF twenty and frequently
thirty annual 'tappings,' and are often de-
nuded of bark for distance ofthirty feet
from the ground. The necessity for this
annual tapping arises from the fact that
the scar on the trunk heals at the end of
the season. and the sap will no longer run
from it; a fresh wound is therefore made
each spring. The sap flows down the
scarihed surface and collects in the boxes,
which are emptied six or eight times in &
year, according to the length of the sea-
SON. This is The process OF dipping and
it is done with a tin or iron vessel con-
structed to fit the cavity in the tree.
The turpentine gathered from the new
ly boxed or virgin tree is very valuable,
on account of Its producing a peculiarly
clear and white rosin, which is used in
the manufacture of the finer kinds of
soap, and by 'Rosin the Bow ana COM
nands, ordinarily, nearly FIVE times the
price of the common article. When bar |
'eled, the turpentine is frequently sent 10 |
market in its crude state, but more often |
5 distilled on the plantation, the gather
'rs generally possessing means sufficient |
o own a still.
In the process of distilling, the crude /
is dumped into the boiler
through an opening in the top, water is
hen poured upon it, the Aperture made
light by screwing down the cover and
'acking it with clay, fire built under
eath, and when the heat reaches several
hundred degrees Fahrenheit, the process
+ manufacture begins. The volatile and
nore valuable part of the turpentine, by
he action of the heat, rises as vapor, then
ondensing flows off through pipe in the
op OF the still, and comes out spirits of
while the heavier portion ,
nds vent at lower aperture, and comes ,
ut rosin.
No article of commerce is so liable TO ,
'aste tnd leakage as turpentine. The
plrlts can only be preserved in tin cans, {
+ In thoroughly seasoned oak barrels, +
lade tight by coating of glue on the
lnerslde. Though the material for these
arrels exist in the South in luxuriant .
they are all procured from
ne North, and the closing of the South
m ports has now entirely cut off the sup
ly; for while the turpentine farmer may
nproVise coopers, he ctn by no process
i've the oak timber the seasoning which :.
needed TO render the barrel spirit tight. =
ence 1t is certain that u large portion of Y
lie last crop OF turpentine must have gone =
waste. When it Is remembered that :
le one State OF North Carolina exports
lnually nearly twenty millions in value
this product, and employs fully, three =,
urths of its negroes in its production, = =
will be seen how dearly the South is =
lying for the mad freak of secession.- y
Itting out of view his actual loss of pro- II II
Ice, now does the turpentine farmer y =
ed and employ his negroes? and. press =
as these blacks inevitably are by both ~
niger and idleness, those prolific breed
s OF sedition, what will keep them :. =
Iiet? Sc
In another part of the book Mr.. KRKE IL
scusses a subject which for long time Il
S attracted the attention of Northern o
lvellers in the South, but which we ~
We not before seen so well set out, and re
1t introduces some of the negroes with
lom he was thrown in contact during a K
lr through North Carolina in the win - -
: of l86O-6l. He entities il n,
BLACK FREExASoNRr. W
Jim, this is Scip,' | said, seeing that te
e .darkies had taken no notice of each al
ler. di
ID ow dye do, ScipiO : said Jim, ex- W. W.
aiding his hand to him. A look of sin -
lar intelligence passed over the faces - -
the two negroes as their hands met; it a. a.
nlshed IN an instant, and was so slight y
At none but a close observer would eO
We detected it, but some words that ~ ~
ip had previously let drop put me W "
the alert, and | felt sure it had hid "
Il significance.
Won't you get into de carriage, mas W. W.
p inquired jim. Oh
No, thank you, Jim. I'll ride on with ra
p. Our horse is jaded, and you had at
ter go ahead ~,
lin mounted the drivers seat, turned al.
, carriage, and drove off at a brisk oil
,e to announce our coming at the of
ntation, while Scip and l drove on at ma
lower gait. an
Scip, did you know Jim before? l So
led. wi
Neber seed him afore, massa, but hab he
.rn OBJ him. tn
How is it that you have lived in tn
for FIVE years, and he only bls
enty miles of, and you have never de