The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1886-11-10
CHARCOAL.
The Process of Carbonizlps Wood
Origin of the Fuel.

Ehe Process of Carb0niZlpE Wood
Origin of the Fuel.
Charcoal is compound of the Russian
and Anglo-Saxon tongues. "Char" is to
burn or reduce to coal or carbon, and
coal is term referable to all black sub
stances. Charcoal means literally wood re-
iuced to impure carbon by expelling the
volatile matter. In the early history of the
iron trade it was an ingredient of the first
Importance. Our present name for fossil
coal is borrowed from this material. When
made from beech wood it was called beech
coal"
Carbonizing wood is very ancient, as il
was described in detail in the works of
Greek author who wrote 800 years b. G.
Pliny reports that at his time to make char.
coal the wood was stacked up in pyramids
md covered with clay or plaster, which
was pierced in various places to allow the
smoke to escape. The ancients evidently
knew how to make charcoal, and were IA
miliar with its properties and uses The
Chinese, who have singularly perfected
many branches of industry, carbonize wood
in subterrauean furnace provided with
two openings, one to serve us chimney
and the other for ventilation. When the
ubterranean furnace is filed with wood
piled up vertically, it is covered with twigs
md branches of trees, and lastly with earth.
Il is then ignited at the openings and rs
soon as the smoke comes off in sufficient
abundance the valves are closed so far as
to leave only very small opening. Five
days after the fire has been ignited the
smoke commences to clear up, and finally
to become perfectly transparent, in proof
hat the combustion of all the volatile in
gredients of the wood is complete. When
shis point is reached every outlet is hermet-
ically sealed, and in the course of six days
more the contents of the furnace will be
found to be sufficiently cool to admit of the
removal of the charge.
The Chinese method is one of extreme
simplicity and furnishes thirty to thirty
five per cent of hard, resonant charcoal
and is great improvement on the process
es followed in this country and Europe.
In the Eastern States for more than o hun
dred years the forests on the hillsides have
been despoiled of their trees, end great
quantities of charcoal have been made foi
use in the manufacture of charcoal iron
So much injury has been done to the coun
try by the ruthless manner in which this
work has been done that ii is o question
whether all the iron manufactured can CON-
pensate for the damage. If the person who
first invented charcoal had dug down into
the bowels of the earth and brought to
light the coal buried there, and had never
discovered how to carbonize the wood, il
would have been an untold blessing to the
beauty of our forests, the irrigation of om
soil and to the many stories that have been
woven around the charcoal camps-of mon.
irchs in disguise, seeking to escape pursuit;
Of outlaws fleeing from the myrmidons of
The law; of lost huntsmen, abducted chill
lren: of gromes and wood spirits and kob-
bolde of hermits and sanity men-afford-
ing confusion of history, superstition and
religion, which lends to the depths of the
forest charm peculiarly its own.
Charcoal burners, as o rule, are rude
bct c'cty" AtoAct Afihb1 an eho W. upti'
from the dwellings of men, often in homes
not made with hands, and out of the reach
If schools.
In olden times charcoal-burners were
called golfers, an occupation which fur.
nished the family names Collier, Collyer
and Colyear. Some years ago it was dis
covered that wood charcoal removes offen-
sive smells from animal substances, and
counteracts their putrefaetion. This prop
srty has been largely used in dwellings,
hospitals, sewers and manufactures. Some
gases are absorbed to large extent foI
example, one volume of fresh charcoal will
absorb ninety volumes of ammonia, fifty
five volumes of sulphuretted hydrogen,
thirty-five volumes of carbonic acid, and
LIS volume of hydrogen Charcoal also
absorbs considerable quantity of water
from the atmosphere.