The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1891-02-20
BURNING CHARCOAL.
GREAT CARE is NECESSARY TO
FIRE A "PlT" SUCCESSFULLY.

Manufacturers Generally Sell Theil
Own Charcoal.
"Do you keep charcoal?' asked re
porter of large coal dealer in this city
mo, sir, we do not. have sold lots
of coal in my time, but never pound o.
charcoal don't even know how it i.
made"
Leaving the wealthy coal merchant
the reporter sought one of those monde
script coal hawkers who make a liveli.
hood by attending to the wants in the
way of caloric 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
1abors, and propounded the question,
Whats the price of charcoal?''
Eight cents peck" replied gruff
voice, and the little old man straight
iened himself out with an effort as he
he judged to be about the. newspaper
mans capacity.
I'VE don't sell much charcoal he
continued, ''only in small lots. Some
manufacturers buy their charcoal by the
great quantity. 1t is used in large lots
by persons who make ice chests and beer
coolers, as it is 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 a 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
eyes, l 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.
81 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 q 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
small opening, about one foot in diam
eter, which is left as 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 cov-
cred with dirt to the thickness of three
or four inches. 1t now resembles a
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. 1t 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
tion must be watched night and day. |
and little negligence may cause the |
loss of weeks of hard work.
BURNING THE ''PIT"
"As the fire progresses part of the |
charcoal is consumed by combustion and |
the remainder shrinks to nearly one-half |
it's original size. The shrinkage, of |
course, would cause the dirt to be left |
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 a shovel. |
This continual packing must not beneg-
lected, for if a cavity should occur and |
the dirt cave in instantly, the whole pile
would burst out into flame which moth
ing could stop.
As the burning progresses holes are
punctured through the dirt in such places
as the tender thinks the fire has not vet |
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
IS the tender thinks that the work is |
he shuts up the chimney and |
packs every hole. He then spends about |
two daysin 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 workmen 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 fre. As rule all |
the coal is removed at once as precau- |
honary measure, and every man who has |
hr1r1,ad nit Ia rxlad xxrl,xax, |