54 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



down, and, when no more smoke appeared, tlie charring was 

 completed. 



Charring in joits} Peat has been cliarred in pits in much the 

 same way as the Chinese process of making wood charcoal. The 

 invention of the method as applied to peat is attributed to a 

 Frenchman named Baillet. " The pit is described as slightly 

 conic, 3 meters deep and 4 meters wide. Around the circumfer- 

 ence, which is of brick, eight clay pipes lead to the bottom for 

 supplying air to sustain combustion. The pit is closed by a 

 movable, convex cover of sheet iron, like a common dish cover. 

 On top is a hole fitted with a movable iron stopper, and there are 

 four vents around the border. Below the surface of the ground, 

 there is a pipe communicating with the upper part of the pit and 

 with a brick tank connected with a series of vessels for the 

 reception of tar or other condensable products. The smoke is 

 driven through this pipe only when these products are being col- 

 lected, at other times escaping through the vents in the top. 

 The pit was filled by first leaving channels at the bottom, so 

 that air might reach all parts equally, but after the bottom 

 arches were formed, the peat was thrown in without particular 

 care. After the peat was ignited, the cover was dropped over 

 the pit and was itself covered with sod." The vents were 

 opened at times depending on the nature of the smoke which 

 was passing off. 



Charring in ovens.- The friable nature of charred peat as pre- 

 pared by any of the preceding methods, was attributed to defects 

 in the method of preparing. It was supposed that, by inclosing 

 the peat in a solid structure, these disadvantages would be 

 avoided and a solid charcoal obtained. Various kinds of ovens 

 were contrived from time to time to bring about the desired 

 result, and it is stated that the first oven was invented by Lange, 

 about 1745. This oven '^ consists of a chamber of iron cylindri- 



^ Percy, John. MetalUirgy. p. 502. 



^ Percy, John. Metallnrgj'. ^.~jO^ etsequens. 



Percy, John. Metallurgy, p. 505. 



Yogel, August. Der Torf, seiner Natur und Bedeutung. p. 117-19. 



