The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-06-17
Ihos. Dixon Thinks There is,
and Money Too.
NEW WEALTH FOR SOUTH
Obtaining Turpentine by DistilIation viii Add
More to Southern Wealth Thar New
Uses Of Cottor-Seed Have
Done.


pine wood IS destined ~ a~u more to the
wealth of the South from It's pine trees
than the utilization of cotton seed has
added to the Souths wealth by the dis
covery OF the many uses to which cotton
seed could be put"
That is what Thomas Dixon, Jr.. lecturer
and author Of the "Leopard's Spots. said
yesterday morning He is in Raleigh with
Mr.. Robert Mackey, of Warren. Pa head
of the Strothers Wells Co., of Warren.
Pa, en- route to Aberdeen to examine the
Bilfnger plant, recently erected at that
place, for obtaining turpentine from pine
knots. Mr. Dixon and Mr. Mackey are
both greatly interested in the new pro-
cess of obtaining turpentine and the by
products oil the pine by distilation, and
they are studying the different methods
with a view to ascertaining which is best
| was talking with them yesterday morn
ing and Mr.. Robert ~. Page of Biscoe, an
expert in all lumber and timber methods.
and was quite surprised to see that Mr..
Dixon knew quite as much about distila-
ton and turpentine and pine trees as Mr..
Page and Mr.. Mackey
1T is rather a strange thing isn't it, !"
/ asked Mr.. Dixon, that a man who
gives most of his time writing novels
should be interested in so practical and
everyday and material a subject as get
ting turpentine out of pine knots? How
do you manage to make su..l rapid tran
sit from romance to money making?"
Mr.. Dixon answered, What wilder ro-
nance could you find than to take an
old dead pine forest and make it richer
than the live forest-to get more money
out of the stumps and .-ghtwood knots
and waste parts of ,--c pine by the pro-
cess Of distillation than by the sale of
the best heart pine? l got my material
for my novel here in North Carolina To
what better use could I put the money
obtained from this North Carolina pro-
duct than to come back here and invest
the profits in the romance of converting
pine knots into turpentine?"
The process of utilizing the waste, such
as pine knots, stumps of the pine, by
distillation is destined to revolutionize the
pine sections of the South. There are
three distinct and separate companies now
experimenting. One is headed by DR.. Bill
finger, whose plan is being tried at Aber-
the Pages are interested. Another is in
operation in New Orleans and is owned
by New York capitalists Another is a
plan, invented or put in operation by
an expert chemist in Washington City, in
which MIR. John w Thompson and Gen.
j. S. Carr and other North Carolina capi-
talists are interested with Philadelphia
capitalists Wherever tried all these plans
are making money and making good
money. Men like Mr. Dixon, Mr.. Mackey
and other capitalists are studying all
three of these processes to see which is
the best, ready to invest largely in the
one that will pay the largest return. In
a sense they are all still in the expert
mental stage The turpentine made from
them has not yet been classed as pure tur
pentine, but owners of distllhng plants
find ready sale for all they make, but
there is an oil in some of them that when
skinned from the product leaves it pure
turpentine.
From one cord of wood by the distilla-
ton process the managers OF the plant at
Aberdeen and Bscoe and also at other
points make fifteen to eighteen gallons
OF spirits of turpentIne, which is worth at
present price ten or twelve dollars They
also make a quantity of tar, wood alcohol
lubricating oil, pyrohgenous acid and seven
barrels OF charcoal The cost of a cord
of wood used is from $3.50 to $500. The
turpentine and the other products will be
worth about $780, The charcoal sells
for enough to pay the cost of the wood
'Yod will be surprised" said Mr.. Page,
ito know that the Biscoe and Aberdeen
plants sell their charcoal to parties in
Michigan.
In the North Carolina plants mainly
pine knots are used. They have not tried
distilling ordinary green pine. In the New
Orleans plant the plan is to take the
whole tree and distill it into turpentine,
tar, etc. They find that they make about
$500 worth Of turpentine, about $500
worth of tar and other by products. Mr..
Page said that he had understood that
one very large saw mill in, the far South
had ordered fifty cord plant which they
proposed to use for distillation Of the
slabs from the mills, which have heretofore
been valueless except as fire wood. Indeed
80 much is expected from this new pro
cess that it is not too much TO predict
that not before long saw mills Will quit
making lumber and go into this business
OF distilhng the whole pine tree for tur
pentine, tar, etc
The lumber mills of the country have
been exhausting the pine lands at the rate
OF two million acres per year. There Is
only now left in the South enough vir-
gin forests to last for ten years at the
same rate OF consumption that has pre-
vailed during the last ten years. In or
der to preserve the forest longer, the own
ors are using the earth cups, instead of
cutting the trees as formerly. Mr.. Page
said that a man in Florida who owned
thousands of acres of timber land said
that it cost him no more to put in the
earth cups than to cut the trees and that