The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1920-08-20
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First Complete Distillation Will
Be Finished This After
q T.
noon and Evening
READY MARKET FOR
PRODUCTS ASSURED
Plant Will Require $50 Cars
Of Norway Pine Stu1nps
g..- by November l

Of Norway Pine stumps
H. by November l
-
ssDistfllation of turpentine has al
%eady begun at the new plant just
being completed on the old Douglas
mill site near Lake Irvine by the
Stellar company and within the next
few days this city will become the
shipping point for new product, or
rather several products, including
creosote, pyroligneous acid, pine oil,
rosin oil, boiled tar and charcoal.
I, ~ Work of construction on this plant
was begun only a few months ago,
but due to the fact that the work was
rushed to completion in order to in
sure that everything would be in
readiness for winter operations, the
plant is now very nearly completed.
-. First Test Made.
! The first test distillation was made
recently, but due to a necessary cor
F3rection of machinery it was not COM
: 3pleted at that time. Approximately
, thirty gallons, of turpentine was dis
tiller at that firing, and large guam
@etity lost when piping came loose. Re-
pairs are now practically completed
and late this afternoon the plant will
again be in operation to finish the
Il FIRST complete distillation and the re-
fsfnement of the thirty gallons already
i distilled.
+ At present the plant has only two
@Tetorts but plans have been made for
several more If the. situation war
rants their construction. It. is also
srossfble that retorts will be con-
! structed in towns near Bemidji and
distilled products shipped here for
! rtfining.. The~plant when once COM
pletely ready for operation will. be
!, run continuously" night and day, sew
EN- days week, provided of course
that sufficient" Quantity of Norway
!. pine stumps can be kept on hand.
Z! Ready Market Assured.
A ready market has been assured
the Stellar company for all of it's pro-
ducts and two concerns alone will
take the greater portion of the entire
output! There will be consumed from
three to four carloads OF stumps EACH
week and from this in addition to the
products there will be one carload
OF charcoal produced each week.
From each cord of stumps, weighing
$500 pounds, c nsumed there will be
approximately 1000 feet Of gas
which will in turn be piped under
the boilers and used for fuel. On
hand at present at the plant is
quantity of stumps sufficient only to
last about three weeks of steady run
ming. Approximately $50 cars of
stumps will he required, by Novemb-
er l to insure steady running during
the winter months and until the
frost is out of the ground next
spring. In order to obtain this
amount, the company intends to blow
the stumps from approximately 500
acres of land in this vicinity be-
tween now and November l.
The process being used at this
plant for the manufacture of turpen-
tine and its bi-products is known as
the restrictive process and the grade
of turpentine already produced here
is far above the average. This in
part is due to the fact that the plant
here has been adjudged as one of the
best and most up to date in exist
ence today. The method being used
in distilling and refining the pro-
ducts have been selected after care
full study by the. company officials
and it is believed that by far the
best methods have been adopted.
Destructive Process,
ThsNorway pine stumps, after be-
ing sawed into easily handled size,
are placed in a steel basket car con-
structed especially for that purpose
and the car and all are placed in the
retort. Each Of the two retorts is
of sufficient size to allow four cars
being placed within at one time.
Each resembles a gigantic oven and
the effect upon the stumps is much
the same as upon a stick of stove
wood when placed in an ordinary
oven.
This retort is heated nv fnel oil
distributed evenly in the fire box by
heavy steam pressure to about $50
degrees centigrade. In approximately
two hours after the stumps have been
<o'o ced in the retort and the heat ap-
piled, the products begin to come
forth.
Three Main Products.
The turpentine. creosote and py-
roligneous acid comes off as steam
vapor and after passing through a
condenser, are changed back to
liquid. This liquid is piped into a
separate tank where it is automoti-
cally separated by gravity and each