Los Angeles herald., 1891-05-03
ps BURNING CHARCOAL.
GREAT CARE is NECESSARY TO
FIRE A "PIT" SUCCESSFULLY.

Manufacturers Generally Sell Their
Own Charcoal.
do you keep charcoal?" asked re-
porter of large coal dealer in this city
mo, sir. we do not have sold lois
of coal in my time, but never pound OF
charcoal. | don't even know how 1t is
made"
Leaving the wealthy coal merchant
the reporter sought one of those monde
script coal hawkers who make a hvell-
hood by attending to the wants in the
way of calorie of the very poor classes
in the by streets and alleys.
Having found one of these coal holes
the reporter approached the almost car
BOMBED specimen of humanity, who was
for the time being resting from his
labors, and propounded the question,
Whats the price of charcoal?'
Eight cents peck" replied gruff
voice, and the little old man straight
ened himself out with an effort as he
stopped filling the peck measure, which
he Judged to be about the newspaper
mans capacity.
continued "only in small lots. Some
manufacturers buy their charcoal by the
great quantity. It is used in large lots
by persons who make ice chests and beer
coolers, as it is a poor conductor of heat.
There's lining of charcoal three inches
thick in all sides of beer cooler.
Most country people bring their own
charcoal to the city in wagon loads, and
sell it for from fifteen cents to twenty
cents bushel. We retail it at about
twenty cents to twenty-five cents per
bushel, and it is dull sale at that"
The reporter now left the charcoal
man, and approached an individual who
had just disposed of wagon load of the
material.
"Yes make charcoal" he replied in
answer to an inquiry. "In the winter
and spring is the time when charcoal is
made to the best advantage.
BUILDING THE PILE.
Il am just clearing up tract of wood
land and am turning the refuse to ac-
count by manufacturing charcoal. Beech
wood and hickory are the best for that
purpose. Oak makes a very poor coal,
and it is hardly worth burning. Gener-
ally the good wood is culled out, and
then a huge circular pile is made of the
knots and refuse. This pile is often 100
feet in diameter and from ten to fifteen
feet in height. The wood is piled with
great care in straight rows around a
small opening, about one foot in diam
eter, which is left as a sort of chimney
for the fire to be started in.
las soon as the pile is completed it is
covered all over with forest leaves or
straw, and then the whole mass is COW
cred with dirt to the thickness of three
or four inches. 1t now resembles
small volcano, especially when the fire
is started and the smoke begins to issue
from the small opening left in the top.
The fire is started by dropping shavings
into the chimney which was left in the
center, and then lighting them by drop
ping live Goals into the cavity. A few
holes are made near the bottom of the
pile of dirt in order to create draft,
and as soon as the fire begins to smoke
these holes are again closed.
Now, if everything goes right, the
fire is allowed to shoulder away, with
just air enough to support combustion.
If high wind should spring up, as it
often does, every hole is closed tight to
keep down the fire, and very often boards
must be laid over the whole pile to keep
out the wind. It takes from ten days to
two weeks to burn pit as it is called.
and this time is period of great ankle
ty to the charcoal burner, as the opera
ton must be watched night and day,
and a little negligence may cause the
loss of weeks of hard work
BURNING THE PIT"
LAS the fire progresses part of the
charcoal is consumed by combustion and
the remainder shrinks to nearly one-half
its original size. The shrinkage, of
course, would cause the dirt to be left
standing alone provided it would do So
In order to meet this difficulty the tend
er goes round and round, over and over
the pile, packing the dirt with shovel
This continual packing must not be neg
lected, for if cavity should occur and
the dirt cave in instantly, the whole pile
would burst out into flame which moth
ing could stop.
Gas the burning progresses holes are
punctured through the dirt in such places
as the tender thinks the fire has not yet
been. These holes create draft and at
once bring the fire to that part of the
pit, upon which the holes are again
closed and the charring begins. AS soon
as the tender thinks that the work is
complete he shuts up the chimney and
packs every hole. He then spends about
two days in packing the dirt, and watches
for crevices through which smoke issues
and closes them as soon as they are dis
covered. Barrels of water are now
hauled to the pit, and worlmen begin to
open up side and take out the charcoal.
If sparks of fire should be found they
are at once dashed with water, and as
the work progresses water is thrown into
the pit, while the steam thus created
penetrates to all parts of the coal and
lessons the danger of fire. AS rule all
the coal is removed at once as precau-
tionary measure, and every man who has
burned pit is glad when he gets it off
his hands. From 700 to 1000 bushels
are made in pit. This is hauled away
dn wagon loads of so bushels to 100
bushels, and sold for about fifteen cents
per bushel. Thus from $120 to $3.50 is
realized on each pit.
According to chemists only 20 to %