The Wilmington morning star., 1947-05-23

NA y SSSAA
nee the turn of the century,
cost was prohibitive, a survey
r part of the 1920's the price
of crude and the distilled product
began to show an upward trend.
And with a profit to be made II its
harvest. the art of tapping the
long leaf pine began to return to
the Wire-grass ridges of Eastern
North Carolina.
Herrin Erects Still
A turpentine distilling plant was
set up just four miles from the
city limits of Wilmington in 1928
by Dan j. Herrin and it was oper-
ated until 1910 in one spot.
Crude for the plant Vas obtain
ed from thousands of acres Of land
in the area between Wilmington
and Wrightsville Beach
The history of the turpentine
business-and its value to the state
as an industry probably ante
dates that of any other North Car
DINA farm crop.
Its history goes back as a prime
export product from the ports OF
Wilmington for more than a hun
dred years. And old records re-
veal that in the year of 1883 a to-
tai of SAT. 1T barrels of naval
stores were shipped out of here.
The figures do not include the
shipments from other ports OF
the state such as Morehead City.
Beaufort and Southport in Bruins
wick equity.
In the same year, the records
disclose, one of Wilmington's grea.
fires destroyed 5000 barrels Of
rosin and 178 Of spirits of turpen-
tine on the naval stores yard OF
Alfred Martin on the west side
of the Cape Fear river.
Business Rebirth
The turpentine farming carried
or near here by Herrin under the
business name of the Wilmington
Naval Stores gave the industry
its rebirth in the state. In more
recent years, turpentine distilline
and farming have been carried OF
in the vicinity of Southport.
Herrin's operations were con-
Quoted under the management Of
James Dixon, a re, ected Negro
of the Baskerville community.
In explaining the operations OF
a turpentine farm, Dixon said that
he brought in 40 strong Negro mel
from the turpentine woods OF Mis-
sissippi to tend the 10000 acre
farm.
Dixon said, in detailing the pro
cedure of the business, the chip
ping of the long leaf was started
in March preferably about the
18th when it begins to burn it!
candles. The work is carried OF
weekly through October Is Of eacf
year.
The chipping is done with al
adj of scarifier once each weel
which accounts for the rings OF
the Clipped trees. He said that
good running tree would pro
duce about a quart of raw turpen'
time, every three weeks.
Same Process
Pou, t1rt,notJnn nnnr thrOiIoh
about the same process in dis
tilliation as does mash in the
making of whiskey, Dixon said,
The still he operated, he explain
ed, held eight so gallon barrels
of crude %turpentine. It woulc
yield about 5 IL barrels of distilled
rosin and approximately 100 gal
Ions of refined turpentine.
The company made its own
barrels in an adjacent cooperaee
shop, he said, a practice carried
on by all distilling plants which
dotted Eastern Carolina woodland:
for more than a century.
Once the still has begun to func
ton, he said, a greenish Wate1
is cooled by a barrel of water
trickles from the worm" which
When this by product has been rur
off, the pure turpentine begin!
to flow.
The turpentine is tested at regu
lar intervals for purity, just a
Whiskey is tested to determine
its strength. When the liquid show!
only small beads on the side OF thu
glass, the run has been completed
Has Many Uses
A valve in the bottom of thu
still is opened and the rosin run!
out into barrels. This by-produc
has many uses-from the caulklns
of fiddle bows TO roughing water
for scalding hogs, Dixon said.
At the present price of distilled
turpentine, which ranges from X
to rs cents a gallon, Dixon sale
money could be made once agalr
in the industry.
He believes that with the proper
cultivation OF Eastern North Caro-
lima woodlands, the industry could
again become one of the state s
number one agriculture products.
And to back up his knowledge Of
the industry, Dixon is n OF New
Hanover county's wealthiest Ne
groes-all a direct result OF his
turpentne operations.