Iron County news. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1890-189?, 1891-01-17
WHENCE CHARCOAL COMES.
How II Is Msde--FIgur.s OF the Cost ana
the Profits.

There Is probably not one person IN
a thousand, even here in Delaware, says
letter from Georgetown (Del.) to the
Philadelphia Ledger. who has an idea
of the extent of the charcoal business
in Sussex county. of which this place
is the county town. Within the last
fifteen or twenty years the industry
has been steadily increasing until the
revenue from burned wood amounts to
at least 800. 900 yearly. To certain
charcoal-burning has taken the place
of peach-growing. The allure of the
crops was keenly felt by the small
farmers and those who depended upon
them. Charcoal came to the rescue.
A man who wishes to burn coal for
commercial uses goes about it in
several different ways. according to
circumstances. Some buy timber land
outright; others buy merely the timber
''lumpus," which means that they give
so much for the trees as they stand;
still others buy the timber by the cord,
estimated after it Is cut and piled. The
prices OF timber vary, according to cii~
cumstances. from 10 to 40 cents cord.
Much Of the>proiit of the business lies
in buying the timber to advantage. II
man is hard pressed for money he
will dispose of his timber for what he
can get. Then the quality of the tim
Der and its proximity to a shipping
point are taken into consideration.
After the wood is cut aud piled in
cords preparations are made for burn
ing. First stake about ten feet high
is driven in the ground, and around
that the wood is piled in circle, the
pieces being stood on end. When the
circle is about ten feet high aud about
twenty feet in diameter at the base, the
whole pile, which contains anywhere
from ten to twenty cords. is covered
with pine skaters, which are the fallen
leaves or needles of the pine tree. On
top of these shots" as the burners
call them, is placed thick coat OF
earth, packed hard; then the center
stake is pulled out and lire dropped
in the hole thus left. When the fire is
started the opening at the top is closed
aud the work of burning begins at
once. 1t takes from two to three weeks
to burn pile of charcoal properly,
aud. like burning bricks, the utmost
care is necessary. The pile is watched
day and night, the burners living in
sheds built in the woods and boarding
themselves. Air or draught holes are
made in the burning pile, and by the
smoke which comes from these holes
the burner judges of the progress of
his work. Holes are stopped up and
new ones made rs the color of the
smoke changes Like burners of brick,
the burners of charcoal become ex-
perts. The great danger is ia getting
too much fire, thus reducing the wood
to ashes instead of charring il.
After the wood is drawn it is taken
to the nearest railroad station and
stored in sheds to protect IL from the
weather. Charcoal that becomes water
soaked fetches low price, as IL is said
that IL never dries. The New York
dealers como direct here and make
their contracts. The price paid varies
as to quality and the quantity of coal
in the market.
The coal, which is used in the arts
for refining purposes, ETC., is shipped
in cars of three sizes. The largest. or
Jumbo cars, hold 1900 bushels; the
next size hold 1000 bushels, aud the
next $50 bushels. In busy times two
trains day are sent on the way to
New York. For a coed quality Of
coal the burner receives about 500
for Jumbo car, the New York buyer
paying the freight of 10 l-2 cents 100
pounds. The next size cars fetch $75.
and the smallest size $65, which is
equal to 1-2 cents and s cents
bushel. OF course these prices vary
up aud down, and recently burner
| aipaA that hn had ranatund httf
$50 for carload of /, 900 bushels. which
cost him $50 to burn. The probabili-
ties are that the man who sold at that
rate was hard up and wanted to get
some cash, or else his coal was OF poor
quality.
The [ .e1se attending the getting
of coal ready for market Is about As
follows, the rates given being by the
cord: Cost of wood, 26 cents; cutting,
40 cents; teaming to place of burning,
cents; wheeling" which means
piling the wood for burning, 20 cents;
"blaeking." the term for putting on
the fire SKATERS and earth. 10 cents;
attending to the burning, 25 cents; draw.
ing the coal when burned. rs cents;
hauling to shipping point, SO l-2 cents;
slowing in cars, IS 1-2 cents. This
makes the cost per cord. or 80 1-3
bushels, 10 get ready for the market,
e1.96 2-3. The calculations are gener-
ally made on basis of three cords, or
100 bushels. At this rate the cost to
the burner is almost cents a bushel.
He receives IL cents for the best
quality, which leaves small margin
of 1-2 cents bushel for investment,
bad bills. etc. OF course this estimate
of cost will vary up or down. accord
ing to the business skill of the burner
One burner alone shipped last year
200 Jumbo carloads to New York. or
200. 900 bushels. The total shipments
last year were about /. 800 900 bushels.