The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1891-04-11
CHARCOAL BURNERS.
TIE PECULIAR LIVES OF SOME
CONNECTICUT PEOPLE.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, but In1us-
trious and Eonest-How Charcoal
is Made.
Way up in the midst of the great belt
Vi timber thai runs parallel with Long
Island Sound. TO the north of the towns
OF Clinton, Madison and Guilford lives a
peculiar people, of whose habits, occu-
patton and manner of living very little
Is known to the outside world. They
are, as race. isolated from the rest of
humanity, and they are seldom seen in
the hauntS of civilization except when
dLspoS!ng of the product of their one
common udustry-charcoal burning.
Not one person in thousand has AN
idea TO what an extent this business is
carried on in these regions, but compe-
tent judges assert that the yearly revenue
from the sales of charred wood is some
thing in the neighborhood of $50, 900.
The charcoal burner is a peculiar fell
low, and even his own family couldn't
sNcar TO his features, rs they are ever
oecn in normal condition. being con-
tinually hidden beneath a coating of
Crime and coal dust Most of them are
the sons and @randSOns of ''pitmen,"
and have rcvcr had even the remotest
idea of earning IA livelihood in any other
manner. The majority of them are hard
workers aud honest, their greatest vice
being ovcrindul@encc in liquor. it being
considered almost Il religious duty by the
burners TO get drunk upon the compile
'ion of Il successful burning after many
nights of weary watching. Their educa-
ton is limited, their knowledge of arith-
mctic consisting of being able to chalk
the number of bushels deposited in a
cellar on 4 cart body and the intuition
that stick placed crosswisc in the bot
tom of "A basket aids amazingly in filling
basket. lie also does all his business
on the basis of "ninepunce" and shillings,
hardly ever condescending to figure his
bills in dollars and cents.
The method Of charcoal burning is
about as follows. The wood is either
ut by the burner or purchased at a small
price per cord. A stake about twelve
feet high is driven into the ground in
cleared space, and around that the wood
is piled in a circle When the pile
reaches the height of a dozen and is
about twice that number in diameter at
The base, the whole mass is covered with
leaves and the latter banked over with
thick layer of earth. The center stake
is now pulled out and fire placed in the
hole thus Tsade. As soon as the flames
get under good Roadway the oritice is
plugged up, and the burning continues
from two to four weeks, according to
the quality of wood employed. Dur
ing this period the utmost care is neccs-
Sary, and the men watch the pit night
and day, living and sleeping in rude huts
erected near by. Sometimes the flames
break through weak places in the bank,
and then there is fast and furious work
for o while, for unless the aperture is
qnickly closed the whole building may
he ruined Then air and draft holes
have to be made, and it takes an expert
TO do this work, he. by long experience,
being able to tell what progress is
being made by the color of the
sinoke emitted. AS the color of the
smoke assumes different hues, new holes
are made and the old ones stopped. The
one great fear that constantly pervades
the burners heart is that the fire may be-
IoihC tOO iSouSO ehO Voou ~
ashes and then destroy the work costing
many hours Of labor and considerable
cash investment. When the pits are I'm.
covered another danger presents itself,
that of damage from rain, as it is an old
saying among charcoal men that ''coal
once wet never dries" 1t is quickly,
therefore, hustled into sheds, where it is
kept until shipped. Some of the pro-
duct is rctailed about the towns within
a radius of fifty miles and usually sells
tor about "nine pence" or in common
par!ance, twelve and half cents per
bushel, but the greater quantity goes to
New York and other cities where it is
used for refining, etc. The coal costs
the burner when in the shed about 6
cents per bushel and he considers him.
self a mighty lucky man if he receives 10
cents wholesale for it. Of course the
prices vary and oftentimes, when there
is glut in the market, the burner actu.
ally loses money when his coal is not OF
the very best quality.