Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1891-02-27
CONNECTICUT CHARCOAL BURNERS.
How They L'vo and Reckon and Avail
Themselves or tho Bounty OF Nature


How They L'v. and Reckon and Avail
Themselves or tho Bounty OF Nature
There Is n peculiar people living be-
tween the Connecticut river and the
western boundary of Middlesex and
New Haven counties. They are char
coal burners. and or their habits and
modes of life comparatively little 10
known by the outside world. They
are ignorant TO degiee which APP
proximates 10 that of the poor whites"
in the south. aud this igr ORANGE is per-
petuated from one gene ration to an
other. without visible signs of the or
binary Improvement which has marked
the progress OF affairs ia most New
England towns. These people inhabit
the widest and most heavily wooded
part OF the state. vast area in the
northern part Of the towns of Clinton.
Madison and Guilford. which extends
east nearly to the Connecticut river.
1t is n country little travelled. except
by the coal men themselves or by en-
thusiastic sporlsmen in quest of game
or trout. Right in the heart Of this
section is the village Of Kilingworth
and the hamlet of Black Rock, made
famous some years ago as being the
home of Mary Stannard. the girl who
was reputed to have been murdered by
the Rev. Herbert Hayden.
The charcoal burner is a peculiar
sort of fellow. and although he belongs
20 the Caucasian race his own family
would not recognize him unless his
features were hidden beneath coat
ing of coal dust, which in time he
comes so firmly embedded in the pores
of the skin that nothing will remove it,.
These men are, rs 4 rule, physical
giants. and possess constitutions which
withstand all sorts of privation and
hardship. Most of them are the de-
scendants of 'pitmen." aud have no
idea OF earning money in any other
manner thnn by burning coal. Their
education is extremely limited. and
their knowledge of arithmetic does
not 60 beyond the power Of being able
to keep AN account of the number OF
| bushels of coal placed in a crib or cart.
10y making mark on board with "A
! bit of charcoal for every buShel de-
posted. These marks are always in
|
tically and the fifth running across the
four. Every burner has sort of intu-
iliOn that stick placed crosswise in
the bottom of "A basket aids amazingly
in filling the basket. Another curious
fact about these people is that they
always calculate their business on the
basis of mine pence" and "shlllings,"
never condescending to figure ia dol
lars and cents.
There are several ways In which
coal is burned. but il is generally done
on slmres arranged with the owner OF
tract of woodland. Either the burner
cuts the wood. sets up the pit and
burns it. and carts the coal tn market,
or he simply sets up the pit and bul MS
it. 1t is considered an art TO set up n
pit aud burn it successfully. The
modern way is TO set up stake about
twelve feet high in cleared spot.
Around this rhe wood Is set mp end
wise until the pile has a diameter oi
from twenty-five to forty feet. The
top is rounded of with small chunks
of wood. and the whole mass covered
with sod and leaves. The burning
!
during this time the pit has To be
watched night and day for fear the fire
within should yet too much Roadway
aud thus ruin the whole. The rapidity
OF the burning il regulated by vents nj
the bottom of the pile. which are con
slantly changed. So expert do these
charcoal burners become that they are
abe, by the color of the smoku issuing
from the pit, To tell the exact condi'
ton Of the tire within il.
As class the charcoal burners are
called honest. They love tneir liquor,
aud the successful burning of pit i:
an excuse to get gloriouSly drunk
Most of them are expert shots with d
gun or rifle and all Of them are poi
hunters. Game abounds in their ter
riiory. and they never miss an oppor.
tunity TO secure II. During the sum
nier months the wives aud children @
tae cnarcoal burners gain livelihood
bv picking buck leberrics and blueber
ries, and while ia the wiids discOvei
the hiding places of bru0ds of part
ridges. Often the birds are fed Il
keep them near certain places. ant
just before the open season the entire
flock is trapped. They are not ove'
scrupulous in their methods Of hunt
ing. The sound of hound following
warm track near their pit is a sigma
TO quit work. aud If possible shoot the
fox. And ii the owner of the hound
secures the dog after it has run into
the coal district hes considers himself
lucky.
Most OF the coal burned in Connect
icut finds n market in New York anc
Meriden. and sells ut 10 cents bushe