206 FOREST PRODUCTS 



cooled separator at the top. By this process the lower proof products 

 are thrown back for further distillation, while the more volatile vapors 

 pass over through a condenser, the distillate being sold to the refin- 

 eries as finished crude alcohol of 82 per cent proof. 



PLANT EQUIPMENT 



The equipment of a modern hardwood distillation plant demands a 

 comparatively large initial investment. They are usually located with 

 reference to a large available supply of hardwoods which can be brought 

 to the factory at a comparatively low cost per cord. From 10 to 40 acres 

 are usually required for the plant and its adjoining storage yards and 

 trackage facilities. The modern plant has from 2 to 8 oven retorts which 

 are usually 52 ft. long and housed in a retort house; open space for two 

 sets of cooling ovens; a shed for the cooling and shipping of charcoal, 

 and the still house and power plant, which are usually separate from the 

 retort house. Most of the modern wood distillation plants in New 

 York cost from $50,000 to $500,000 for the initial investment. 



Before the European War it was usually estimated that a complete 

 plant aside from timber lands and the wood-yard would cost $2000 per 

 cord of daily capacity. Since the war this.iaverage has risen to $2500 

 per cord. However, this may vary between about $2000 and $3000 per 

 cord, depending upon the degree of completeness, cost of transportation, 

 labor costs, character of the machinery and materials installed, etc. 

 This means that an 8-oven plant with approximately an 8o-cord daily 

 capacity will cost in the neighborhood of $200,000. Using these same 

 figures, the smallest modern oven plant with only 2 ovens, and with a 

 daily capacity of 20 cords, will cost in the neighborhood of $50,000. 



A plant with seven 25-ft. ovens built about 1902 cost in the neighbor- 

 hood of $125,000 fully equipped. 



The following is a brief description of the principal features of equip- 

 ment that are usually found in the hardwood distillation plants: 



Storage Yards. 



The storage yards should be in the close vicinity of the retort house 

 and connected with it by standard gauge tracks running through the 

 stacks of piled cord wood. The storage yards should consist of between 

 5 and 20 acres, depending upon the capacity of the plant, and should be 

 slightly raised in elevation above the retort house so that the loaded cars 

 can be rolled easily into the ovens as needed. 



