The record-union., 1891-04-15
charcoal. I don't even know how it is

charcoal. I don't even know how it is
made.1
Leaving the wealthy coal merchant, the
reporter sought one of those nondescript
coal-hawkers who make livelihood by
attending to the wants in the way of ca
loric 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 la
bors, and propounded the question:
What is the price ofcharcoalr'
Eight cents peck" replied a gruff
voice, and the little old man Strengthened
himself out with an effort as he stopped
filling the peck measure, which he judged
to be about the newspaper mans capac-
ity.
I'VE don't sell much charcoal" he
continued, 'only in small lots. Some
manufacturers buy their charcoal by the
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 15c to Zoe bushel. We re-
tail it at about zoe to 25c 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 ma
terial.
''Yes, make charcoal" he replyed in
answer to an inquiry, "but only small
quantity at this time of the year. In the
winter and spring is the time when char
coal is made to the best advantage.
u 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 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
hight. The wood is piled with great care
IN straight rows around a small opening,
about one foot in diameter, which is left
as sort of chimney for the fire
to be started in. AS soon as the
pile is completed it is covered all over
with forest leaves or straw and then the
whole mass is covered 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 shayings into the chimney,
which was left in the center, and then
lighting them by dropping 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 SmOlder away, with just air
enough to support combustion. If high
| wind should spring up, as it often does,
/ nyypFsU hnln ic closed finhf tn RnaT 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 a period of great anxiety
to the charcoal burner, as the opera
ton must be watched night and day,
and little negligence may cause the
loss of weeks of hard work. AS the
! fire progresses, part of the charcoal
! is consumed by combustion and the re-
mainder shrinks to nearly one-half it's
original size. This shrinkage, of course,
would cause the dirt to be left standing
alone, provided it would do so. In order
| to meet this difficulty the tender goes
round and round, over and over the pile,
| packing the dirt with a shovel. This
continual packing must not be neglected,
! for if a cavity should occur, and the dirt
cave in, instantly the whole pile would
! burst out into flame which nothing could
! Subdue.
Gas 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 hole is again closed aud
the charring begins. As soon as the ten
der thinks that the work is complete,
he shuts up the chimney and packs
every hole. He then spends about two
Il in ADaly ha lS,-k IL
for crevices through which smoke issues
| and closes them as soon as they are
| discovered. 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 pene-
! trates 10 all parts Of the coal and lessons
| the danger of a fire. AS rule, all the
| coal is removed at once, as precaution-
! ary measure, and every man who has
! burned pit is glad when he gets it off
his hands. From 700 bushels to LOCO are
made in pit. This is hauled away in
wagon-loads of so bushels to 100 bushels.
and sold for about Is cents per bushel;
| thus from Sl20 to $50 are realized on each
pitt
According to chemists, only 20 to p per
cent. of the wood remains as charcoal. the
rest being driven off as gasses. Charcoal
is 65 per cent. carbon.
Charcoal is great disinfectant. An
experiment made by a Scotch doctor
illustrates this. He put the bodies of two
| dogs into charcoal bath with three-in ch
layers of coal on all sides. AT the end of
six weeks the bath was opened and the
remains taken out. Nothing was left but
the skeletons and the eskins, and although
the weather was warm and the expert
! ment had taken place in the doctors
| laboratory, no odor had been preceptible.
The explanation of this was that the gases
were absorbed by the charcoal and after
ward set loose in such small quantities as
not to be noticeable.