1905 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



87 



and retort will be considerably less. 



Sixty per cent of the labor needed 

 for a kiln may be saved, for the wood 

 is handled by workmen from wagon 

 or car to the basket, and afterward all 

 work is mechanical as far as putting 

 the charcoal in the car, and in case the 

 charcoal is used in blast furnace, the 

 contents of the basket can be dumped 

 right in the blast furnace. 



The gas not condensed is used in the 

 fireplace to heat the retort, and if the 

 wood is dry there will be nearly 

 enough gas to keep the operation go- 

 ing without more solid fuel. 



The hot gas, after having heated the 

 retort, is conducted underneath the 

 boiler to make steam. 



The hot water coming from the con- 

 denser is used to feed the boiler. 



This retort I guarantee will make 

 sixty bushels of charcoal per cord of 

 seasoned hard wood. 



The charcoal will be free of water, 

 and consequently reduce more ore in 

 a blast furnace, and will be more regu- 

 lar for the use for the manufacture of 

 mining powder. 



The amount of wood saved will pay 

 for the plant in less than one year. 

 The vertical position of the retort will 

 allow the turpentine and rosin to run 

 down from the wood without distilla- 

 tion and consequently will be superior 

 and more easily purified. 



The vertical position of retort will 

 allow the wood vapor, alcohol, and 

 acetic acid to escape to the condenser 

 without being decomposed ; thus the 

 quantity obtained will be greater. 



The retort made of the fire clay or 

 cast iron will stand a great deal longer 

 and require less repairs. 



This system of retort can be utilized 

 for the distillation of wood, peat, lig- 

 nite and bones, garbage, and extrac- 

 tion of quick-silver, by making some 

 slight changes. 



The working of the system of retort 

 is very simple and does not require the 

 services of a chemist to superintend 

 the work ; an intelligent man can do 

 perfectly as well after he receives the 

 necessarv instructions. 



WOOD AS FUEL 



BY 

 T. S. GOLD 



AVING watched for more than 

 three-quarters of a century the 

 burning qualities of wood in an open 

 fire, I have become somewhat familiar 

 with the peculiarities of many spe- 

 cies. 



Snapping first attracts our atten- 

 tion. Some woods burn quietly, oth- 

 ers always snap some only occa- 

 sionally. I do not know what causes 

 snapping. It may be the production 

 of an explosive gas, the result of heat 

 or combustion, or the liberation of an 

 explosive vapor from resinous pro- 

 ducts in the wood, but neither of these 

 theories explain all cases and condi- 

 tions. 



I will first name some species that I 

 have never known to snap and give 

 some of their burning qualities. 



Apple is always a quiet burner and 

 when dry burns freely. It leaves an 

 abundant and beautiful white ash 

 which tradition says was used in cook- 

 ing in place of pearlash not many gen- 

 erations ago. 



Pear, quince, and shad bush burn 

 in a similar manner, but less freely. 



Cherry of all varieties, peach and 

 plum make fair fuel, but are inferior 

 to apple. I have never known thorn 

 to snap, except one tree of black 

 cherry. It is reported that the peach 

 is planted in the vicinity of Buenos 



