456 LOGGING 



than for virgin. The retort is filled from the top. After remov- 

 ing the neck, the dip is poured in from barrels until the re- 

 quired amount is secured. The fire is then started under the 

 retort and the mass slowly heated. If the dip is virgin the bark 

 as it rises to the surface is skimmed off in order to improve the 

 grade of rosin, for bark discolors it. Skimming is usually dis- 

 pensed with for dip of other ages. The neck is now placed on 

 the retort and connected with the condenser and then securely 

 fastened to the retort by lugs. All joints between the neck and 

 retort are sealed with wet clay. The mass is then gradually 

 brought to the boiling point. Turpentine and water early begin 

 to pass over into the condenser and then by gravity run to a 

 storage barrel on the ground floor. Turpentine which has a 

 lower specific gravity than water readily separates from it and 

 is run off from the top of the barrel into the barrel in which it is 

 shipped to market. About the middle of the process a small 

 stream of warm water is admitted to the retort from the 

 condensing tank and it is allowed to run until the process is com- 

 pleted, which is indicated by a pecuhar noise of the boiling con- 

 tents of the still, and also by the diminished quantity of oil in the 

 distillate. Great care must be taken toward the end of the proc- 

 ess not to burn the rosin. The process being complete the fire 

 is put out and the rosin is drawn off at the gate valve, and con- 

 ducted by a trough into the strainer tubs. 



Scrape is handled in the same manner as dip, with the excep- 

 tion that a barrel of water is added at the start to prevent burn- 

 ing. 



It requires from three to four hours to run a charge of crude 

 turpentine. Three men are usually employed on a large plant, 

 namely, a still tender, a helper and a cooper, who manufactures 

 rosin barrels. 



Turpentine is put up in 51 -gallon double-glued oak barrels 

 and as soon as it has cooled it is tightly corked and held ready 

 for market. Rosin barrels are crude affairs made of rough pine 

 boards, and are put together at the still. Cracks are chinked up 

 with clay. The usual capacity is from 500 to 560 pounds. 



As soon as the rosin has cooled somewhat in the straining vat, 



