The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1910-12-16
cAlRcOll INDUSTRY
IN IMPORTANT 0Nt
little Known Of Its Manufacture
In Territory That Is filled
With kIIns.
ANNUAL OUTPUT
VERY VALUABLE
The Production Reaches 100000
Barrels, Valued at Si25,000,
Average Price BeIng25
Cents Per Barrel
ny CHARLES d outusEY.
uFfom baltimore Manufacture re,

Ivy CHARLES u CHtDsEY.
from Baltimore Manufactures Rec.
ord, Dec. 10, lpi0)
PascaROula, Miss, bee 2 One Of
the most important nnd least known
Industries of South Mississippi l. the
manufacture of charcoal, or, as IL ia
known Ia local parlance, the burning
OF charcoal. While charcoal may be
made from almost any kind of wood.
In South Mississippi the pine alone Is
used. Its Importance in the kitchen
and In The manufacture OF gunpowder
aud steel is 80 well known that we
need not dwell upon It's use In these
arts The industry is most extensively
carried on In this county, no less than
100000 barrels Of coal being produce
here annually, which, at the average
price OF % cents per barrel, equals
Sl2o,000. AS on the lowlands OF Jack.
son county there is an average OF
eight coal kilns TO the acre, with 400
barrels to the kiln, the annual output
represents l,250 kilns, or 1914 acres Of
land that are annually denuded OF
timber In this county alone in the
making OF this essential product Of
commerce.
u On a journey from Pascagoula
/ through the charcoal country TO Van.
r cleave one will traverse miles OF land
that are practically stripped Of tbeiI
, timber, save here and there, where
thick cluster OF pine saplings indi.
, cate where kiln has been. A coal
burner never uses the same spot
twice, but always selects new site.
not because there Is any superstition
connected with IL, but because to him
} 1t Is much cheaper to build his kiln
right in the midst OF his timber than
| to tote" his timber to the site Of his
, kiln. These coal-kiln sites, being well
: drained by the ditch that surrounds
/ the kiln and enriched by the chemicals
that soak down into the earth from
the burning wood, are seed beds that
. receiving the seed or mast" from the
neighb0rng pines, are In few years
. crowned with clusters OF Tricky
g growing pine saplings that make the
!. only picturesque spots Ia an other
/. wise barren landscape.
BURNERS METHODS.
When burner owns no land OF biz
Z own, which IL often the case, the first
!. thing for him to do is tosecure timber
0 rights from the owner OF the timber
e which he does by ''leasiRp;" that is
paying so much a barrel for th,
r amount Of tim Der that he makes US,
d Of Having secured the timber rights
e the coal burner selects a suitable sit,
n for his kiln, generally a place as higl
Q and as dry as he can nnd, and theI
= proceeds to cut down everything tha
looks like a tree, not even sparing tn
small saplings. After the trees hav
n been felled he cuts them Into length
d OF four feet, and the larger sizes h
l. splits, as they will be more easy {,
r. handle and will burn better. He theI
d selects some convenient pine sapin
n for center pole, or II there Is n
n sapliDg convenient he plants a tai
.e pole in the ground, around which b
D. piles bis timber. making a circula
lc pyramid about 40 feet In diameter
N The timber Is 1rst placed in length
Df extending from the pole outward
Iy and when this has reached a sufficien
n. height he puts another pyramid o
n. top Of this, but the pieces OF tlmbt
re extend upward from the lower pyri
re- mid toward the top OF the pole, an
~ the lower pyramid Is covered wit
- pieces OF timber that extend upwaI
In from the ground toward the top {
he the FIRST pyramid. The timber ha
70 log been all placed, the kiln is reat
= for "banking up" which Is done
70 digging ditch around the XII
ie- which answers the double purpose
'ie carrying on the rain water and II
no nIsbing dirt for the Banking up
th the kiln" The kiln having be-
i'm covered, the coal burner prepares
10 camp. which Is made generally OF
Ice few rough boards, and only sutIlcienl
ad large TO allow him TO lie In 1t WI
10 comfort. He now fires his kiln, a
vm pa. for days and nights he must be CT
led led stantly on the watch 70 see that {
"kIln does not burst ont" and II
aat he must cover It with fresh dirt ]
,n,ff ,.,f this purpose he has q rude lad,
sed made out OF pine sapling, by which
sscends 70 the top of the kiln,