48 College of Forestry 



house at least 48 hours before the charcoal cau be dumped into 

 the box cars. Most of the charcoal is shipped in the loose 

 state. Sometimes it is separated into as many as five grades, 

 the finer product being bagged and shipped in sacks contain- 

 ing 25 or 50 pounds each. In all cases the charcoal house is 

 well removed from the oven house to decrease the danger 

 from fire. It is also well protected by means of hose, water 

 pails, fire extinguishers, etc., to minimize the fire hazard. 



Cost of Plant and Equipment. 



As outlined before, the initial cost of a modern complete 

 wood distillation plant is very large. It is estimated that 

 under present market conditions an investment of $2,500 

 should be provided for each cord of capacity. That is, if a 

 plant is so designed to be of 50 cords capacity, the initial 

 investment required would probably be about $125,000. 



Before the great European war, it was generally estimated 

 that a complete plant would cost about $2,0€0 per cord of 

 capacity. The difference in the above estimates is due to the 

 fact that the cost of iron, steel, copper and other materials 

 used in the manufacture of wood distillates, have risen tre- 

 mendously as a result of the competition to better conditions 

 in this country, together with a demand for supplies from 

 European countries. 



The old fashioned cylindrical retort plant is much less 

 expensive for the initial expense but the heavy charges due to 

 labor result in excessive operating charges. A 24-round 

 retort plant, that is, one containing a battery of 12 pairs 

 with each pair of retorts holding about 1^4 cords, costs 

 $75,000 for the entire plant. 



When it is figured that the modern plant costs $2,500 per 

 cord of capacity, it is estimated that one-third of this charge 

 is for buildings, while the apparatus costs about two-thirds. 



