News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-06-15
The Charcoal Burner.

The English charcoal burners, says
Captain Mayne Reid, are few in number,
but have rarely any other business,
since charcoal burning gives employ
ment at all seasons of the year /: and
though apparently simple thing, it is
not so, calling for both knowledge and
skill. The material they have to deal
with is the "lop and top" of trees, or
cordwood, and their mode of operation
as follows: A floor or ''pit" is prepared
by clearing the rubbish off the ground,
and then following out a circular space
some six or eight inches in depth, but
of no fixed diameter; this being depend.
ent on the quantity of wood to be
"charked in that particular pit lying
conveniently near for carriage to it.
In the centre of the floor four or five
short, stoutish billets are placed with
ends touching, so as themselves to in
close circular space of foot or eigh-
teen inches in diameter, and on these.
the ends of the charking sticks are
rested slantingly and radiating like the
spokes of wheel. On the outer rim
of this first layer second is placed IN a
similar manner ard so on, till the pile
is complete, when it shows the form of
an obtuse cone, or hemisphere. Around
the central axis, however, Is hollow
space or chimney, which has been left
open for the fire /; and this first kindled
at its bottom, by dropping down some
burning faggots, in due time permeates
the whole mass. But before any flames
show on the surface the pile is carefully
covered over with a stratum of sOds,
and lso4kept, not an airhole being left
open. Were the wood allowed to blaze
up, there would be no only
ashes. And just.to prevent this is the
/" charker's'' business-a thing of the
night as well as the day. 1t needs two
men at least to undertake the task, who
I in turns sit up all night to watch the
fires of the different pits-for there will
be several on the burn at the same time
going the rounds from one to another.
and patching with fresh sod or show
elful of earth any spot where flames
may threaten an outburst. In fine,i
when the fires burn themselves out the
charcoal is made thing, and only needs
separating from The ashes and earthly
matter which have got mixed with it
from the superimposed sods.
The tscharkers are paid for their
work by measure OF the quantity Of
charcoal produced, the standard of
measurer ent being large oblong bas-
ket holding about three bushels. The
exact amount Of their earnings is not
easily fixed, but certainly they do not
make fortunes by '.charking," any more
than they could by bark-stripping or
the fabrication of hurdles. These men
stay nearly all their time in the woods,
never returning home, even at night,
for weeks or months together. They
dwell in butts erected by themselves
quaint affairs of conical form made of
poles set slopIng against one another,
with coating of turf, Just as are their
charking fires. Many of these huts are
made large enough to hold half dozen
men though rarely occupied by more
than two or,three; when there will be a
like number, of rude beds in them, with
aFfuH paraphernalia of cooking utensils.
Some of the bachelor " charkers," who
have no ambition to pay house rent,
stick to these sylvan abodes throughout
the year, whether they be at work or
not