The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-03-29
GETTING TARFROM FIR
A New Industry for the Forests
Of This State.
THE GOOD RESULTS OBTAINED.
Description OF the KfIn-The Tar Is
kich In Creosote and Other VAL
liable Ingredients.

J. ". Eckels and John Ravenseroft. who
nave been experimenting in the extraction
OF tar from the roots OF FIR trees report
the experiment complete success and ex-
pscf 70 make the Puget sound forests the
source OF another valuable commodity.
Ar- Eckels said 70 a reporter OF the Post
lntelIigencer last evening.
Il never had any experience at tar max
Ing, but l have stIlled bronene IN the
East. and / have for long time been
under the Impression that. owing 10 the
quantity OF pitch in the fr OF this state.
tar could be made successfully and profit
ably In this vicinity. ! took In Mr.. Raw
enscroft as q partner and about eight or
nine weeks ago we started a small kiln
back or Latona, near Green lake, one that
holds about a cord OF wood Il Was a
cheap affair, not exceeding sl2 TO SIS In
cost. but the results In quantity have
been quite satisfactory. We have fired
our kiln six times and the results hava
been about fifty-four gallons Of tar which
VIII compare favorahiy with the best
North Carolina commercial article"
The experimental kiln is constructed Of
fire brick 1t is five and half feet long.
three feet high and thirty inches wide.
ana when filed is covered with sheet iron.
supported by iron bars. A second brick
wall. built sixteen inches from the first.
on the sizes and rear. forms the fireplace.
which heats the kiln on It's three sides. \
chimney at the rear creates all the draft
necessary TO keep the fires going.
The loading OF the kiln Is tedious job.
First the latest of the fir WOOD has TO be
picked out. then split very fine, like kind
ling, for the finer 1t is split the quicker II
WIZ char. then these pieces have 10 be
stood upon end close together until the
three-foot space is completely filled in
with the wood. This wood rests on
NJ ha yrh catches
the tar as Il fries out OF the wood When
the kiln Is filed the front wall is built in
solid. so that air is totally excluded. This
Is an essential point as the slightest air
will fire the turpentIne. oil and tar and
destroy the entire kiln.
The firing is another process that re-
quires experience and good judgment. To
get all the products of such kiln as was
built by these men requires twenty-fou-
hours firing. The first six hours are pro-
duetive OF no results: then the water first
makes its appearance and runs of from
the bottom: this is followed by water and
turpentine. all Of which runs of waste,
The last product is the tar, which takes
full eighteen hours TO run off. This is
caught at the front of the kiln into YES
sells and emptied into barrels.
Mr.. Eckels submitted samples OF his ta-
TO various prominent physicians ana
chemists and all say that Ii contained
creosote. oil of tar turpentine. balsam or
tar and other ingredients. which could be
extracted and each made profitable.
The question of making the tar profit
able ia not yet definitely settled by Mr.
Eckeis, as the cost of producing his fifty
four gallons exceeds the price at which
both Stockholm and North Carolina tar
can be bought. The regular price fo-
these is so cents gallon, and that price
will hardly pay for the labor and plant
H. shk1 r4yasHz
ingredients could be extracted. then the
business could be made lucrative and
would prove an important additional in
dustry TO the many in this state.