Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1888-07-19
CHARCOAL BURNING.
SEhs Ra4ka Decline of . Once Great, But
WastOfuI, Industry.


&As Ea4za Decline Of q Once Great. But
WastSful. Industry.
. Charcoal burning, once one of the
great industries of the country. is now
played out. 1t is good for the coun-
try ami particularly for New Jersey,
whore it thrived ahead of any other
State, that il is becoming thing OF the
past It was ruinously wasteful in
dustry from the very start Thou
sands OF millions of dollars worth of
ealSble products have been destroyed
IN the United States by the charcoal
burners in order to obtain a product
inferior to many Of those that were
ruined. The charcoal-burners have
been the deadliest enemies of the tim
Der supply of the Nation. Twice they
have denuded the mountains of North
srn New Jersey and greatly thinned
out the pineries in the southern part
Of the State.
Charcoal burning began in this State
IN 1880, when Cornelius Board started
On iron forge at Little Falls, and it was
greatly extended when Hazenclever
came to this country in 1764 and started
several FORCES and furnaces on his baro-
nial possessions in Passaic County. 1t
Increased rapidly until coal came into
use for iron smell ting, and since then
has gradually increased, SO that
the trees have had chance to
grow again on the denuded hills. In
recent years nearly all of the charcoal
made has been consumed in the cities,
and the consumption in dwellings has
decreased constantly, while the factory
consumption has not greatly increased,
Charcoal is great heat heat-producer
and is extensively used in jewelry
shops and few other factories, but
1t is not an economical fuel at any
price, and it is dear in the beginning,
the way it is made on the mountains.
One of the most prominent lumber
men in the country, speaking about the
waste caused by charcoal burning said
the other day:
ado you know how rustic charcoal
burner burns coale Well, will tell
you. He levels space and sticks up
the wood on end till it makes a pointed
stack eight feet high and ten or twelve
feet in diameter. This he covers with
earth and sod until every bit of wood
is concealed When the wood in this
crude kiln is fired 1t must be carefully
watched night and day until the con-
version into charcoal is accomplished.
Should it break into flame there
would be nothing left but ashes; SO a
man remains on hand at all times to
keep the combustion. from being too
Rapid and to mend the mound as breaks
appear in it. When it is all done the
charcoal burner gets a few bushels of
charcoal for his labor.
Let US see what he wastes. It is
shown that the manufacturers of cree
sote, acetic acid, wood-alcohol, NOR
dant and other products of wood can
make profit ON each of the products
they get and have the charcoal clear
'of cost. The wood is packed in a
tight iron retOrt and q fire is built I'M
der the retort. The temperature is
raised to five hundred degrees or six
hundred degrees and the liquid pOr-
tions of the wood are converted into
gas and vapor, which pass through an
iron or copper worm incased in jack
ct of cold water, which cOndenses the
vapors into various products, which
are afterward separated.
Georgia, pine, for instance, will
yield by distillation and condensation
wood gas, small amount of wood
haphtha, a large amount of pyroligne-
Gus acid Ga wood vinegar), large
amount of wood creosote oil, a small
amount of tar, and a great quantity of
charcoal. Nine cords of wood of wood
will give one hundred and sixty eight
barrels of charcoal, fourteen barrels
of creosote oil, ten barrels of acid, and
a few gallons of naphtha and bitumen.
The pyroligneous acid alone will pay
all of the expenses of the labor and
the wood creosote will more than pay
for the wood and fuel. Nobody but a
country charcoal-burner will claim
that the coal is not as good as that
produced in the wasteful way he has
been brought up to do it."
1t is believed that charcoal will
cease to be an industry any where in
this country within a few years. Ger
tain it is that wide-awake business
men are doing all they can to root out
what is left of the industry in order to
save the timber land for more valuable
and useful purposes. (N. J.)
Letter.
A GLIMPSE OF HOLMES.