TP
KV1I
January
Number 1
TECHNICAL PUBLICATION No. 5
OF
THE NEW YORK STATE COLLEGE OF FORESTRY
'•"^"-•7, AT
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
HUGH P. BAKER, Dean
The Hardwood Distillation Industry in
New York
BY
NELSON C. BROWN
Wood Utilization Series No. 1
Published Quarterly by the University
Entered at the Postofflce at Syracuse as second-class matter
A gric.- Forestry. Main Library
Volume XVJI January 1917 Number 1
TECHNICAL PUBLICATION No. 5
OF
THE NEW YORK STATE COLLEGE OF FORESTRY
AT
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
HUGH P. BAKER, Dean
The Hardwood Distillation Industry in
New York ! ;; ;;
BY ,' ' ' ' ' '
NELSON C. BROWN • ' ' '"*"" '"'
Wood Utilization Series No. 1
Published Quarterly by the University
Entered at the Postoffice at Syracuse as second-class matter
Agric . - Fo: , . ; am Library
FACULTY
OF
THE NEW YORK STATE COLLEGE OF FORESTRY
AT
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
JAMES ROSCOE DAY, S. T. D., D. C. L., LL.D.,
Chancellor of the University.
HUGH POTTER BAKER, M. F. 1904 (Yale) ; D. Oec. 1910 (Munich),
Deem of the College and Professor of Silviculture.
FRANK F. MOON, B. A. 1901 (Amherst College; M. F. 1909 (Yale),
'. .* • • •! I t Professor of Forest Engineering.
MAULfeBY'WJL.LETT BLACKMAN, A. B. 1901 (Kansas) ; Ph. D. 1905
•*'•'•:: ! -V. . .' (Harvard),
Professor of Forest Entomology.
EDWARD F. MCCARTHY, B. S. 1911 (Michigan),
Professor of Forestry at State Ranger School.
NELSON COURTLANDT BROWN, B. A. 1906, M. F. 1908 (Yale),
Professor of Forest Utilization.
J. FRED BAKER, B. S. 1902 (Michigan Agricultural College) ; M. F.
1905 (Yale),
Director of Forest Investigations.
LEIGH H. PENNINGTON, A. B. 1907, Ph. D. 1909 (Michigan),
Professor of Forest Pathology.
JOHN WALLACE STEPHENS, A. B., M. S. F. 1907 (Michigan),
Professor of Silviculture.
CHARLES CHRISTOPHER ADAMS, B. S. 1896 (Illinois Wesleyan) ;
M. S. 1899 (Harvard); Ph. D. 1908 (Chicago),
Professor of Forest Zoology.
HENRY R. FRANCIS, B. S. 1910 (Massachusetts Agricultural College),
Professor of Landscape Extension.
SHIRLEY W. ALLEN, B. S. A. 1909 (Iowa State College),
Professor of Forest Extension.
(2)
The Hardwood Distillation Industry in New York 3
SEWARD D. SMITH, A. B. 1909, M. S. F. 1907 (Michigan),
Director of State Ranger School.
REUBEN PARKER PRIOHARD, B. S., 1907 (Dartmouth College) ;
M. F. 1909 (Yale),
Assistant Professor of Forest Products.
HARRY P. BROWN, B. A. 1909, A. M. 1910, Ph. D. 1914 (Cornell),
Assistant Professor of Forest Botany.
LAURIE D. COX, A. B. 1903 (Acadia College); S. B. in Landscape
Architecture 1908 (Harvard),
Assistant Professor of Landscape Engineering.
RUSSELL TAYLOR GHEEN, B. S. F. 1912 (Pennsylvania State Col-
lege) ; M. F. 1914 (The New York State College of Forestry),
Assistant Professor of Forest Extension.
HOWARD BLAINE WAHA, B. S. 1909 (Pennsylvania State College),
Assistant Professor of Forest Engineering.
HENRY HARRINGTON TRYON, A. B. 1912, M. F. 1913 (Harvard),
Assistant Professor of Forest Utilization.
ALAN F. ARNOLD, Landscape Architecture (Harvard 1904-1908),
Assistant Professor of Forest Extension.
WILLIAM 0. ELLIS, A. B. 1911 (Lebanon Valley College) ; M. S. 1913
(Iowa State College),
Instructor in Forest Entomology.
ALVIN G. SMITH, B. S. 1915 (The New York State College of
Forestry),
Field Assistant in Forest Investigations.
WALTER W. CHIPMAN, B. S. 1893 (Wabash College),
Cashier.
MILDRED E. WOOD, B. L. E. 1914 (Syracuse),
Librarian.
LILLIAN M. LANG,
Secretary to the Dean.
WILFRED L. BASSETT,
Assistant Treasurer.
ELIZABETH M. CONE,
Recorder.
465675
TRUSTEES
OF
111E NEW YORK STATE COLLEGE OF FORESTRY.
Ex OFFICTO
Dr. JAMES R. DAY, Chancellor Syracuse Univ.
Dr JOHN HUSTON FINLEY, Commissioner of Edu-
cation New York City.
Hon. GEORGE D. PRATT, Conservation Commis- New York City.
sioner
Hon. EDWARD SCHOENECK, Lieutenant-Governor. . Syracuse, N. Y.
APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR
Hon. CHARLES ANDREWS Syracuse, N. Y.
Hon. ALEXANDER T. BROWN Syracuse, N. Y.
Hon. JOHN R. CLANCY Syracuse, N. Y.
Hon. HAROLD D. CORNWALL Lowville, N. Y.
Hon. GEORGE W. DRISCOLL , Syracuse, N. Y.
Hon. FRANCIS HENDRICKS Syracuse, N. Y.
Hon. HENDRICK S. HOLDEN. Syracuse, N. Y.
Hon. Louis MARSHALL New York City.
Hon. EDWARD H. O'HARA Syracuse, N. Y.
OFFICERS OF THE BOARD.
President Hon. Louis MARSHALL.
V 'ice-President Hon. JOHN R. CLANCY.
Treasurer Hon. HENDRICK S. HOLDEN.
Photograph by Nelson C. Brown.
This shows the character of cordwood in 50-inch lengths used in the wood
distillation industry. Practically all of this wood is made up of mixed beech,
birch and maple. It must be seasoned at least one year before being used in
the distillation process. In some of the wood yards of these plants several
thousand cords are seasoning. The wood is used with the bark on, and every-
thing down to one inch diameter is frequently taken.
Over 192,000 cords of hardwood are annually consumed in this industry in
New York State.
Photograph taken at the plant of the Maryland Wood Products Co., Mary-
land, Otsego County, N. Y.
PREFACE
In order to meet intelligently the demand for information
about the distillation of hardwoods in New York State, the
New York State College of Forestry 'decided to carry on as
one phase of its research work, an investigation of the com-
mercial methods used in the distillation of hardwoods in the
State. This industry was started and largely developed
within the State. New York is still one of the leading states
engaged in the distillation of hardwoods.
In writing the report, the purpose throughout has been to
make the explanations as simple and clear as possible, using
as few technical and involved terms as are consistent and in
many instances engaging in reiteration that may at times
seem unnecessary. The industry is closely identified with
certain aspects of chemistry, but the author has purposely
avoided a discussion of chemical changes that take place in
the distillation of wood since the intent has been to make the
report valuable to the wood producer and user in New York
State rather than to those engaged directly in the work of
wood distillation.
In the conduct of the investigation form letters were sent
to every wood distillation plant in the State to obtain
information upon woods used, equipment, methods and costs,
daily and annual capacities and yields in charcoal, wood
alcohol and acetate of lime. Personal visits have also been
made to most of the twenty-five plants in New York State as
well as several in other states and information has been
checked up by a number of those prominent in the industry.
The author wishes to express cordial appreciation of the
kindly interest shown him by those engaged in the industry.
He wishes especially to express his sincere gratitude to the
following men who have shown interest in the work and have
(7)
8 College of Forestry
helped in making necessary corrections and changes : Mr. F.
A. Mason of W. A. Case £ Sons, Buffalo, ST. Y. ; Mr. George
L. Mackay, Warren, Pa., Mr. John Troy of Olean, N. Y. ;
Mr. E. B. Stevens of Buffalo, N. Y. ; Messrs. W. S. Gray &
Son of New York City; Mr. S. J. McConnell of Hancock,
N. Y. and Mr. J. L. Stuart of Binghamton, N. Y.
NELSON C. BROWN.
SYRACUSE, N. Y., November 1, 1916.
CONTENTS.
HISTORY. PAGE.
Introduction 11
Early practices 12
UTILIZATION OF WOOD IN THE INDUSTRY.
Favorable conditions in New York 14
Desirable species 14
Stumpage values 15
Cutting and delivering to the factory 16
Seasoning 16
Opportunities for utilization of sawmill and woods
waste 18
Management of timberlands 19
Statistics of wood consumption in New York 20
Statistics of wood consumption in the United States. . 22
DEVELOPMENTS IN THE INDUSTRY.
PROCESSES OF MANUFACTURE.
Brick kilns 27
Iron retorts 28
Oven retorts 29
Distillation 32
PLANT EQUIPMENT.
Storage yards -38
Retort house 39
Trackage and cars 39
Retorts 40
Ovens 42
Cooling ovens 43
Still house 45
Drying floor 47
Charcoal house 47
Cost of plant and equipment 48
PLANT OPERATION.
Fuel 49
Labor 51
Depreciation charges 52
Cost of operation 54
Yields 55
Value of products 56
(9)
10 College of Forestry
UTILIZATION OF PRODUCTS.
Acetate of lime 61
Wood alcohol 62
Charcoal 63
Wood tar 65
Wood gas 66
HISTORY
Introduction.
The heating or carbonizing of wood for the purpose of
manufacturing charcoal has been in practice as long as
history is recorded. It is believed that it is as old as civili-
zation itself. In the manufacture of charcoal by the old pro-
cess, the wood is heated to such temperatures that it becomes
carbonized while the gases that pass off in the form of dense,
heavy, black smoke have given rise to the modern processes
of distilling wood.
Altogether two distinct branches of the industry have been
developed- in this country. The most important branch is
devoted to the utilization of the denser and heavier hardwoods
and seeks the recovery of the following commercial products :
wood alcohol, acetate of lime, and charcoal. In addition,
the minor products are wood tar and wood gas, both of which
are at the present time usually utilized as fuel in the heating
process. Only those hardwoods that are comparatively free
from an excessive content of gums, tannins, resins, etc., are
desirable. The so-called northern hardwoods, such as maple,
birch and beech, are considered the most suitable. Hickory
and oak are also considered of almost equal value.
The other branch of the wood distillation industry requires
resinous woods and the objective products are, on the other
hand, turpentine, tar, wood oils, and charcoal. The southern
longleaf pine is the best wood for this kind of distillation
and up to the present time has been practically the only one
used for this purpose. This bulletin deals only with the
distillation of hardwoods in New York State.
(ii)
12 College of Forestry
Early Practices.
The first record of the distillation of wood on a commercial
scale in this country is in 1830 when James Ward began
the manufacture of pyroligneous acid at North Adams, Mass.
This is the raw liquor distilled from the condensed vapors
that pass off in heating the wood. So far as can be learned
from records, it was' not until 1850 that the distillation of
wood for the production of volatile products and semi-refined
products was begun. According to the most authentic records
the first successful wood distillation plant in this country
was established in New York State in 1850, when John H.
Turnbull, of Turnbull & Co., Scotland, who had for some
time been connected with the industry, came to this country
and erected at Millburn, Broome Co., New York (now
Conklin on the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Rail-
road) a small chemical plant. The copper and steel cast-
ings were brought from Scotland. There were eight cast iron
retorts, 42 inches in diameter and about 8 feet long, and the
necessary copper stills, copper log condensers, etc. A
number of men, experienced in the industry were brought
over by Turnbull from Scotland and many of these men and
their sons became managers of plants which soon after sprang
up in southern and southeastern New York.
The retorts were charged each twelve hours with wood cut
in eight foot lengths. The vapor was condensed in a copper
log condenser and the liquid recovered was pumped into set-
tling tanks, from which it was drawn to the copper stills
for distillation. The settled tar was drawn off from these
settling tanks each day, and spread with a ladle over the
charcoal, which was burned under the retorts, the copper and
lime stills, and the pans — all distillation being accomplished
by this direct method. Little or no effort was made to save
the wood spirit, the main object being to produce acetate of
The Hardwood Distillation Industry in New York 13
lime, for which a high price was obtained both in the home
and Scotland markets.
The methods followed in operating the plant demanded a
large amount of hand labor, and sturdy men of experience
were needed to carry the work forward. These men with
their families, came from time to time from Scotland. In
a short time Millburn became known as the Scotch Settle-
ment and it was famous for the number of trained men who,
after getting their experience here were called upon to take
charge of distillation plants not only in New York but in
Pennsylvania, Michigan, Canada and other centers as well.
About 1865 (or soon after) a Mr. Pollock, a chemist, of
Morrisania, New York, began refining wood spirit in a small
way. The market developed rapidly. Shortly the Burcey
Column was introduced to the crude plants, thereby adding
to the power of the stills to recover wood spirit of 82 per cent,
test. The production of wood spirit being greatly increased,
it became desirable to install a central refining station, and
the Burcey Chemical Co., with a refinery at Binghamton,
New York, resulted. A refinery was also started in Brockton,
Mass, in 1877.
For a long time the sale of charcoal was limited, the greater
part being consumed as fuel in the plants. Slowly the market
developed, until to-day practically the entire output is
shipped, hard and soft coal taking its place under the boilers
and retorts, and live steam being used in the stills (now fitted
with coils), and in the pans, which have steam jackets at the
bottom.
At the present time, plant operation is along efficient lines.
Old time methods have been d: -continued, and the manual
labor is now greatly reduced. In the woods there is also a
noticeable improvement. Cord wood is now to some extent
cut from the limbs and refuse tree trunks, after the lumber-
man has taken out all the best timber in the shape of logs.
14 College of Forestry
Thus the danger of fire is reduced and the ground, which
otherwise would be covered with scattered brush, is free for
new seedlings to take root without delay, or the stumps left
to sprout up with a new wood crop.
UTILIZATION OF WOOD IN THE INDUSTRY
Favorable Conditions in New York.
New York State forests are very fortunately located for
the carrying on of the wood distillation industry. It has
three very necessary conditions for successful operation,
namely: (1) a plentiful and therefore a relatively cheap wood
supply; (2) comparatively near a good fuel supply, such as
natural gas and coal; (3) reasonably accessible to a market
for the products of the industry. The only desirable condi-
tion that is not present is that of large iron furnaces where
the charcoal can be utilized to the best advantage.
New York State contains an unusually good supply of
native woods for use in the wood distillation industry. The
highlands of the southeastern part of the State, the Alleghany
plateau of the southern part of the State and the lower
elevations of the Adirondacks, embracing a considerable por-
tion of northeastern New York, contain splendid stands of
beech, birch and maple and in the former two regions these
iand other species sprout to excellent advantage. In fact,
many areas have been cut over at rotations of twenty years
where the cut showed an annual growth of one cord per acre
per annum. This rate of growth is as good as can be expected
under the best forest management.
Desirable Species.
Woods that are hard and heavy are the most suitable for
the wood distillation industry, especially those that are, in
addition to the above qualifications, free from tarry and
resinous products. As a rule, heartwood is considered much
The Hardwood Distillation Industry in Neiv York 15
more desirable than sapwood and there is an almost uniform
opinion among manufacturers to the effect that hard maple
is considered best and that beech and birch follow in order.
Chestnut contains too much tannin for successful production
of distillates. Ash, oak and hickory are considered almost as
good as the so-called northern hardwoods, namely, beech,
birch and maple. Cherry and elm contain too much tarry
material and consequently the distillate results in an excessive
amount of wood tar which has very little commercial value
and in addition there is an insufficient yield of alcohol and
acetate of lime. Basswood, popple, cottonwood and the soft
woods or conifers are entirely too soft and light. The con-
ifers such as spruce, white pine, balsam, fir, hemlock, etc.,
are undesirable on account of the resinous nature of their
wood and their light weight. Other native species found in
New York do not grow in sufficient quantities to make them
of any importance for use in the industry.
Stumpage Values
The value of the timber on the stump varies considerably.
On large logging operations where the tops, limbs, defective
trees and brashy material are utilized, practically no stump-
age value is used, because the utilization of this material is
considered as salvage. On most of the New York operations
steep, rocky hillsides, covered by the desirable hardwoods are
anywhere from one-half mile to several miles from the plant
or shipping point. Stumpage on these operations, particu-
larly in Delaware county, which is the center of the industry
in New York State, runs about 75 cents per cord. Altogether
it varies between 25 cents to $1 per cord. There is a gen-
eral tendency for stumpage values to rise. This has been
especially true during the past decade. Since the European
War broke out, the stumpage values have been inflated to a
considerable extent.
16 College of Forestry
Cutting' and delivering to the factory.
Cutting is done by choppers who in many sections, par-
ticularly in Delaware county, look upon getting out the
annual cord wood supply in the winter as a lucrative means
of winter employment. The trees are cut up in fifty inch
lengths and hauled on sleds when snow is on the ground or
on wagons directly 'to the acid plant. Hauls up to eight 'to
ten miles are fairly frequent.
For cutting and stacking, the usual figure is about $1.25
to $1.40 per cord. Cutting is usually done by contract, and
where the wood is favorably sized and located for chopping
and the ground fairly level, cutting and stacking can be done
as low as $1 to $1.10 per cord by experienced choppers. The
maximum figure is about $1.50 per cord. The cost of hauling
varies with the distance and the character of the ground and
the road over which the load is hauled. One and one-half to
two cords are usually considered the maximum load under
the most favorable conditions. The total cost of wood deliv-
ered at the commercial plants is about $4 per cord. Esti-
mates obtained from all the New York plants show that the
average value of cordwood delivered at the plants is $4.06
per cord. The maximum cost was estimated to be $5 per
cord at one plant. At another plant, the cost was estimated
to be $3.25 per cord, which was the minimum estimated cost
in the State.
Seasoning.
In all cases the wood must be seasoned for at least one
year before being used in the ovens or retorts. If used green,
the high moisture content is excessive and too much heat is
required to derive the product. At many of the plants it is
estimated that before seasoning, the average cord of mixed
beech, birch and maple weighs in the neighborhood of 6,200
pounds. After seasoning the average cord weighs about
3,800 pounds. The wood is used in the process with the
Photograph by Nelson C. Brown.
General view of the Keery Chemical Co. plant near Cadosia, Delaware
County, N. Y. This view was taken from a sprout stand of timber cut over
for " acid wood." This stand has been cut over on three different rotations.
A growth equivalent to approximately one cord per acre per annum was deter-
mined to be the average yield. The timber was made up almost entirely of
hard maple, beech, and birch. This is a six oven plant having a daily capacity
of 60 cords. It is one of the few plants in the State which has a refinery to
turn out 95 to 98 per cent wood alcohol. The wood yard is shown on the
extreme right. The cooling ovens are shown on the extreme left. The refinery
is the tall building in the center of the picture.
The wood in the foreground is left to season for at least pne year before
being used in the distillation process.
18 • College of Forestry
bark on. All forms of limb and body wood down to two
inches in diameter are utilized. When over eight inches in
diameter the wood is commonly split. Body wood is much
preferred to limb wood because the latter contains too much
sapwood and consequently more moisture. As mentioned
previously, yields from heartwood are much greater than
those from sapwood.
Opportunities for utilization of sawmill and woods waste.
Some of the most successful plants in this country are
operated where woods waste consisting of tops, limbs, crooked
trees, defective logs and broken material in the woods can be
profitably utilized. Haul roads, skidways and railroads
maintained and operated for the purpose of getting out logs
can be utilized to excellent advantage in getting out the other
material for distillation purposes, and under these .conditions
the wood can be delivered at the factory at a very low com-
parative cost. This is the method usually followed in con-
nection with the large distillation plants in Michigan and
Wisconsin and is also followed to some extent in the Adiron-
dacks and other parts of the State. Where the larger logs
are utilized for lumber, the material that would otherwise
be wasted, is used for wood distillation purposes. This
feature constitutes an important contribution to the cause of
forest conservation because one of our greatest problems of
forestry in this country is the utilization of our enormous
waste. At present we waste as much as we utilize, and any
form of forest utilization which contributes to closer utiliza-
tion may be highly commended. The removal of all of this
material from the forest also means that the fire danger is
greatly lessened.
The larger refuse from the manufacture of lumber in saw-
mills is used to advantage in the largest plants in this
country in Michigan. It is believed that this form of utiliza-
tion of sawmill waste will come into greater prominence in
The Hardwood Distillation Industry in New 'York 19
New York State. Only the larger forms of sawmill waste,
such as slabs, edgings, trimmings, and similar material can
be utilized to commercial advantage. The sawdust, shavings
and similar material usually cut up by the slasher cannot be
utilized profitably except as fuel, but experiments are now
being undertaken which may permit of the utilization of
sawdust and shavings for distillation within a short time or
as soon as some promising experiments can be perfected on
a commercial basis.
Management of timber lands.
iSeveral of the wood distillation companies in New York
own tracts as large as 50,000 acres each or lease tracts nearly
as large. These are managed on a permanent basis and care-
fully protected from the annual ravages of fire during the
dangerous dry seasons. These companies are practicing one
of the best forms of forestry because they utilize the products
of the forest most completely, the maximum growth of the
forest is stimulated, and forest fires, the greatest enemy of
the forest, in so far as practicable, are eliminated. The
rougher and more mountainous portions of Delaware county
are admirably suited to forest culture on account of the steep,
rocky hillsides which contain many springs and seepage
flows, thus permitting the most rapid growth of timber and
stimulating the sprouting capacity in all of the larger trees.
The cutting is usually done in the winter time. The follow-
ing spring the stumps sprout up thriftily and vigorously to
a height of from five to ten feet the first year. After a
period of from twenty to thirty years the stand is cut over
and the same process is repeated. In one section four differ-
ent age classes of timber were noted where average yields of
one cord per acre per year had been obtained after the orig-
inal forests were cut over. These tracts are in much better
condition than they would be under ordinary conditions of
lumbering because the forest is renewed both from sprout
20 College of Forestry
and from seed. The vigor of the forest is therefore main-
tained, forest fires are kept out and all of the available wood
product is utilized. It would be a highly desirable situation
if all forest industries could be run on the same basis.
Statistics of wood consumption in New York.
For a long time New York was the leader in the consump-
tion of wood in the hardwood distillation industry. In the
early nineties, however, the industry spread into Pennsyl-
vania, and the greatest consumption: at present is found in
Michigan where, although there are comparatively few plants,
the total consumption of wood exceeds that .of any other
State. From an investigation carried on in the spring of
1916, the State College of Forestry has determined that the
annual consumption of hardwood ,for the industry in New
York at that time was 192,330 cords. The daily capacity as
reported by these plants was 643% cords. These figures have
been compiled as a result of both the daily and annual capac-
.ities of the twenty-five plants in the State, as estimated by
the plants themselves. The latest available statistics as com-
piled by the Bureau of Census at Washington, D. C., for the
consumption of hardwoods in New York State in this in-
dustry was for 1911, for which year it was announced that
132,400 cords were consumed.
The largest plant in the State in the spring of 1916 con-
sumed 80 cords per day. This was an 8-oven plant located in
Delaware county. The smallest plant in the State was one
consuming only 12 cords per day in Sullivan county. This
was an old cylinder retort plant containing 8 pairs of retorts.
The average daily capacity of the individual New York plant
is 25.74 cords and the average annual capacity is 7,691 cords.
As a rule the oven retort plants are much larger in daily
capacity than the round retort plants. The smallest oven
retort plant is a 2-oven affair consuming 16 cords per day
with an 80 cord plant per day the largest. The smallest
Photograph by INelson C. Brown.
One of the largest wood distillation plants in the country located at Cadillac,
Mich. In the background are shown the oven houses with a smoke stack for
each of the six 52 foot ovens. In front are shown the first set of cooling ovens,
then the second set of cooling ovens, and finally the trucks containing charcoal
cooling in the open in the foreground. This plant has a daily capacity of 96
cords, and uses chiefly mill waste from one of the large saw mills at Cadillac.
Photograph taken at the plant of the Cadillac Chemical Co.
22 College of Forestry
round retort plant also consumes 12 cords per day 'with the
largest one consuming 30 cords per day.
Statistics of wood consumption in the United States.
The latest available statistics of wood consumption in the
hardwood distillation industry in the United States were for
1911, when it was reported that 1,058,955 cords were con-
sumed. Of this amount Michigan with 13 plants led with
396,916 cords; Pennsylvania was second with 50 plants con-
suming 364,539 cords, and New York third with 25 plants
consuming 132,400 cords. Seventeen other plants scattered
in 11 different states, chiefly in the east, reported a con-
sumption of 165,100 cords.
It is very likely that with the stimulation of high prices
for products1 of the wood distillation industry, due to the
great European War, the total consumption in the whole
country in hardwood distillation amounts to about 1%
million cords, although this is a very rough estimate. The
following table shows the statistics of wood consumption for
the United States as compiled by the United States Bureau
of Census 'from the years 1907 to 1911, inclusive:
Number of Number of cords of
Year Establishments hardwood consumed
1907 100 1,219,771
1908 101 878,632
1909 116 1,149,847
1910 117 1,257,917
1911 105 1,058,955
This table shows how the consumption of the wood in the
industry dropped off after the enactment of the Federal law
in 1907 which resulted in the serious drop of prices obtained
for the crude wood alcohol.
Photograph by Nelson C. Brown.
Wood cars loaded and ready to be sent into the ovens. Each 52 foot oven
contains four of these trucks. Each truck contains between 2 and 2^ cords
of 50 inch wood. In the process of distillation this wood is reduced about
one-half in quantity to its final form as charcoal.
Photograph taken at the Maryland Wood Products Co. plant at Maryland.
Otsego county, N. Y.
24: College of Forestry
DEVELOPMENTS IN THE INDUSTRY.
Up to nearly 1860 practically all of the acetate of lime
used in the dye business in this country had 'been imported
from Europe. Acetate of lime was the principal product
sought after in wood distillation in the early developments
of the industry. The distillate was not utilized for wood
alcohol or for any other purpose than for lime acetate, and the
charcoal was used, when convenient, for fuel for manufactur-
ing pig iron and for other purposes. < Acetate of lime was
commonly used even in the wet condition before it had been
thoroughly dried out. In the early days of the industry it
brought as high as 18 cents a pound even in the wet con-
dition. At the present time (October, 1916), dry gray
acetate of lime is bringing $1/2 cents a pound, whereas in the
fall of 1914 it was only bringing 1% cents a pound. In the
spring of 1916 it brought 7 cents per pound.
'Mr. Patterson was one of the first men to establish a
plant in New York, located at Kirkwood, near Binghamton.
Mr. Thomas Keery entered the business with him at Keery-
ville, between Cadosia and Apex, in Delaware county, and
this firm has been in the business ever since. At that time
the brown acetate of lime was full of tar and not nearly equal
to the present refined product. The charcoal and alcohol
were usually allowed to go practically to waste. Enormous
prices were obtained for acetate of lime so that interest was
greatly stimulated in the industry.
About 1885 the raw form of wood alcohol was developed
and an attempt was made to sell it at the hat manufacturing
industries at Danbury, Conn. This was one of the very first
large fields for the use of wood alcohol, and it brought high
prices. Formerly grain alcohol had been used to stiffen hats
and the use of wood alcohol rapidly came into common prac-
tice. At first as high as 70 cents a gallon was paid for this
wood alcohol.
Photograph by Nelson C. Brown.
Oven house in the background, the first cooling oven in the center, and portion
of the second cooling oven on the left. After being heated to a high tem-
perature for 24 hours, the cars of hot charcoal are moved from the oven house
to the first cooling oven. After remaining in this cooling oven for 24 hours,
they are moved into the second cooling oven where they remain for another
day.
Photograph taken at the Beerston Acetate Co. plant, Beerston, N. Y.
26 College of Forestry
Charcoal developed as the price of acetate went down.
Acetate of lime was used to fix the color in dyes, particularly
in Fall River, Mass. Gradually a big influx of wood distilla-
tion plants came in and the prices gradually dropped.
Around 1885 to 1900 there were a great many small capacity
plants and most of them, followed very rough and crude
methods. All of them used the cylinder retort process. These
plants, however, were gradually replaced by the larger
modern plants using the long oven instead of the old retort.
There is now a much smaller number of plants than formerly,
but, on the other hand, there is a much greater annual con-
sumption of wood in the industry, due to the economy in
plant operation with the advent of the oven in the early
nineties.
Up to 1900 the industry was almost wholly centralized in
the State of New York. At that time a few plants were
started in Pennsylvania just over the border from the south-
ern tier of counties in New York. About 1902 to 1906 the
industry was further developed in Michigan, where the
largest wood distillation plants, some of them utilizing as
much as 110 to 200 cords of wood per day, are now located.
Ideal conditions are present for the successful manufacture
of wood distillation products in Michigan because of the
availability of the raw material in connection with hard-
wood, saw and planing mills, together with the fact that iron
furnaces are maintained in connection with them where the
charcoal can be used to the best economical advantage. In
addition the raw material is secured from the waste of saw-
mills and logging operations and one of the principal products
can be utilized on the ground without excessive shipping
rates.
Before 1907, wood alcohol had been bringing from 38 to
40 cents per gallon wholesale for the crude product, that is.
the 82 per cent crude alcohol. When the Federal Internal
The Hardwood Distillation Industry in New York 27
Revenue Department removed the tariff on grain alcohol,
which took effect September 1, 1907, the price of crude wood
alcohol dropped to about 16 cents per gallon, and gradually
came back to 26 cents. The approximate present price is 45
cents per gallon, a price stimulated largely by the European
War conditions. Before the war the price was about 28 cents
per gallon of crude 82 per cent alcohol.
PROCESSES OF MANUFACTURE.
Within the) past fifty years the developments in the pro-
cesses of manufacture followed in hardwood distillation have
been remarkable. The history of the industry represents an
evolution from the old wasteful charcoal pits. To recover
the condensible gases lost in making charcoal by the old pit
process, brick kilns were used. This was a very crude
process, but represented a great step in advance. Next came
the round iron retorts placed in " batteries " of two each in
long bricked-up rows, and within comparatively recent years
the steel oven, which is a great labor and time saving device.
The following are brief descriptions of these three processes
which followed each other in rapid chronological order.
Brick Kilns.
The brick kilns supplanted the old charcoal pit as a means
of manufacturing charcoal when the iron industry in this
country assumed large proportions. Brick was substituted
for the open air sod or clay covered pit because manufacture
was simplified, the loss of carbonization was minimized, and
burning, therefore, could be carried on with greater safety.
However, a good portion of the vapors are lost with the brick
kilns as they are with the old open air pit since the yield is
only about 40 per cent to 50 per cent of the yield from the
oven process. These brick kilns are made with a circular
base, with holes in the base for drafts of air regulated by
28 College of Forestry
special doors and the vapors are drawn off by exhausters
through wooden ducts. This practice was followed especially
in Pennsylvania and in Wisconsin, where an abundant supply
of the desirable hardwoods was found in a location near blast
furnaces where pig iron was produced. Pig iron, manu-
factured by the use of charcoal is considered far superior to
that made by coke. The pig iron made with charcoal com-
monly bring about $5 a ton more than that manufactured
with coke. The brick kilns were usually built to hold 50 to
90 cords each and were charged and discharged by hand.
The complete manufacture of charcoal by the brick kilns
including charging and discharging required from 15 to 25
days. The heating necessary to distill the wood is supplied
by the combustion of part of the charge within the apparatus,
in the same way that charcoal is made in the open air pit.
The yield of charcoal by this method is somewhat below that
manufactured in the retorts or ovens and is generally con-
sidered inferior in grade. The brick kiln is only desirable
when the chief product is charcoal and transportation facili-
ties are not available or the market is too distant for the
other products of wood distillation, such as wood alcohol and
acetate of lime. Where other forms of fuel, such as natural
gas and coal are out of the question and the manufacture of
charcoal is desired, it is also commonly used.
Most of the brick kilns in operation are in Michigan and
Wisconsin, where charcoal is in great demand in connection
with iron furnaces. There are no brick kilns operating in
New York at the present time for the manufacture of
charcoal.
Iron Retorts.
The iron retort followed the brick kiln and was the first
device invented whereby the. vapors from the carbonization
of wood are collected on an efficient basis and distilled in the
form of pyroligenous acid and later refined into wood alcohol,
The Hardwood Distillation Industry in New York 29
acetate of lime, etc. The yields, however, are much lower on
account of slow firing. These retorts were small cylindrical
vessels originally of cast iron and later steel cylinders 50'
inches in diameter by 9 feet in length. They were placed
horizontally in pairs and batteries of 10 to 15 pairs were
common in long brick rows in the earlier plants. Each
retort was sufficiently large to hold about five-eighths of a cord
of wood. Heating was provided externally by a fire box
located underneath the retort. For fuel, coal, charcoal, wood
gas, wood oil, wood tar, and wood itself, have been used. The
retorts are built and discharged from the single door in front
which can be fastened tightly and sealed with clay to prevent
the entrance of oxygen after the heating process is started.
Along the top of these rows of retorts the surface is bricked
over 'and serves as a drying floor for the acetate of lime. A
run, that is the period from the first charging of the retort
to the removal of the charcoal after the process, usually
requires from 22 to 24 hours.
Oven Retorts.
The small round retort is now being rapidly replaced in
the larger and more progressive plants by the large rectangu-
lar retort or oven retort. This is also known as an oven.
Up to about 1900 a large number of these round retort plants
were in operation, but about 1895 the oven retort came in
which provides for loading and unloading the retort by the
use of cars which are run directly into the chamber. This
resulted in a considerable saving of labor charges so that all
of the new plants now being constructed are introducing the
ovens. In several of the states, there are not as many plants
active now as there were twenty years ago, but there is a
vastly larger amount of wood being consumed per plant, due
to the fact that the oven retorts can consume as high as 10
to 12 cords in a single oven, whereas the old round retort held
only about five-eighths to 1 cord of wood.
Photograph by .Nelson C. Brown.
Twin doors in front of ovens. When these are opened after the distillation
process is completed, the trucks of charcoal are pulled by cable into the first
cooling ovens which are to the immediate left of the picture. In the background
on the left are shown the doors of the second battery of ovens. This is a four
oven plant.
Photograph taken at the Beerston Acetate Co. plant, Beerston, N. Y.
The Hardwood Distillation Industry in New York 31
The modern hardwood distillation plant, therefore, is
usually the t>ven retort plant. This was a decided advance
in the manufacture of wood distillation products. As noted
above, it is largely a labor saving device, and although the
initial cost is considerably greater the operating charge per
cord is so much smaller than with the round retort that it is
being universally introduced. The ovens are recrangular in
cross section and may be anywhere from 25 to 56 feet in
length. The common form is an oven 52 feet in length, 8
feet 4 inches in height and 6 feet 3 inches in width. These
ovens are usually arranged in pairs similar to the process
followed with the round, retort. The cars, each loaded with
about two cords of wood, are run in on standard or narrow
gauge tracks directly into the ovens. They are heated in -a
manner similar to the round retorts, that is, by means of a
fire box underneath, although there may be fire boxes at one
or both ends, and the fuel in the Pennsylvania and southern
New York regions is usually either coaLor natural gas. In
the Delaware county section the fuel consists of coal from the
Scranton region. The vapors pass out from one or two large
openings at the side or at the end and are condensed through
a large copper condenser. The process of distillation re-
quires from 22 to 24 hours with the oven retorts, and when
tne doors are unsealed and opened, a cable is attached to the
first car and they are drawn from the ovens directly into the
first cooling oven which is of the same type of construction
and shape as the heating oven. The capacities of the oven
plants vary with the number and size of the ovens. In the
Lake States there are some oven plants that now consume as
high as 200 cords a day. The largest plant in New York
(State has 8 ovens which consumes 80 cords of wood per day
and has an annual capacity of 24,000 cords.
Whereas the charcoal is emptied from the round retorts
into round containers, sealed tightly to cause the slow cooling
32 College of Forestry
of the charcoal without admission of oxygen, the charcoal
after the heating process is completed in the oven retorts is
left in the cars and drawn into the first cooling oven and left
for 24 hours. This is of the same type and construction as
the charring oven. The cars containing charcoal are then
drawn into second coolers where they remain for 24 hours;
then left in the open air 48 hours, so that there is a period
of 96 hours which lapses between the time of the completion
of the heating process and the time when the charcoal is
loaded on the cars. It must remain on the freight cars at
least 12 hours before shipment so that 108 hours lapse to the
time of final shipment. This precaution is taken to prevent
fire, which frequently causes the loss of charcoal and cars in
transit.
Distillation.
Although many changes have been introduced in the
manner in which the wood is heated for distillation pur-
poses, very few changes have been made within the last
twenty years in the refining of the crude distillate.
In the modern oven "retort operation the process requires
from 23 to 26 hours for completion. When the wood is
rolled in trucks into the ovens, the doors are hermetically
sealed and the fires are started underneath. In from one to
two hours the wood is sufficiently heated up so that water
distillation takes place. This distillate contains about 2 per
cent acid. Then the " green gas " comes free for about five
to six hours.
It is considered desirable to heat up the wood gradually
and also to let it cool off gradually at the end of the process.
The exothermic process, that is, that part of the process in
which the wood fibers break down under the intense heat,
does not take place until the temperature is run up to about
300 degrees Fahrenheit. In about six hours after closing the
Photograph by Nelson C. Brown.
Looking down the alley between the first and second sets of cooling ovens
on the shore of Lake Cadillac, Cadillac, Mich. After cooling for 24 hours in
the ovens to the right, the trucks of charcoal are pulled by means of a cable
into the cooling ovens on the left. Each cooling oven is 52 feet in length and
holds four trucks at one charge. Note the standard gauge tracks between
the cooling ovens and the manner in which the dirt is piled around the base
of the cooling ovens to keep them air tight.
Photograph taken at the plant of the Cadillac Chemical Co., Cadillac, Mich.
34 College of Forestry
doors the temperature attains an average of about 450 degrees
Fahrenheit. It is then maintained between 450 and 600
degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures of over 600 degrees
Fahrenheit are considered undesirable. After about six
hours of heating the pyroligneous acid begins to flow, and the
best average is maintained up to about the eighteenth hour.
An operator can determine from the color of the pyroligneous
acid whether there is too much heat maintained, and if the
wood fibers have broken down sufficiently. At the end of the
heating process, the distillate forms tar to a large extent.
After about the eighteenth hour the latent heat in the oven
settings is sufficient to complete the process to the end, but
the heat is gradually decreased until the charcoal is with-
drawn.
As the gases and vapors pass out through the nozzle of
the oven, they are condensed into a yellowish green, ill-smell-
ing liquor called pyroligneous acid. A copper run takes this
condensate to the raw liquor " sump," a tank in the ground,
and so placed that the liquor will run into it by gravity.
Meanwhile, the " fixed " or noncondensible gas is trapped
and taken off at the outlet of the condenser and used for fuel
underneath the boilers or ovens or perhaps both. A simple
goose neck is used to trap off the gas.
The pyroligneous acid is next pumped from the " sump "
in the ground to a series of wooden settling tubs of which
there should be at least five in number. These tubs are usu-
ally from five to eight feet in diameter and six to eight feet
in height. The purpose of these tubs is to settle the tar and
heavy oils. The heavy tar is taken to a wooden tar still
equipped with a copper condenser. This tar still is of
wooden construction because the tar would eat up the copper
in about a year. The residue remaining in the tar still is
utilized together with residue from primary stills as boiler
fuel.
Photograph by The Matthews ^orthrup Works, Bufialo, JN. Y.
The Modern Oven Condenser.
This is placed at the rear or side of the oven and the gases are condensed
through this into the raw liquor called pyroligneous acid and wood tar.
36 College of Forestry
The pyroligeneous acid is then run by gravity to the pri-
mary steam-heated copper stills equipped with automatic feed
in order to supply the still continuously. The residue or
boiled tar which gradually fills up in the still from the bottom
is distilled by itself and run off at intervals of a few days or
whenever the deposit reduces the flow of distillate from the
still. During this process, which is known as " tarring
down/7 the distillate is run into a separate tank and the light
oils which rise to the top are drawn off. The acid liquor is
then piped to* storage tanks or tubs with the regular run from
this still. These copper stills are made in any size which
will give them the most flexible operation, that is, the size is
determined by the question of economy in operation in labor
cost. This in turn depends upon the capacity of the plant
in cords of wood. The vapors from the copper still are con-
veyed through a large copper neck to an all copper tubular
condenser encased in a steel water jacket. The flow of
distillate from these condensers is piped to storage tubs.
From the storage tubs the acid liquor goes to the liming
or neutralizing tubs. These are wooden tubs 12 feet to 14
feet in diameter, about 4 feet high, and provided with an
agitator operated by a shaft and bevel gear from the top.
The liquor is neutralized by adding slacked lime, a small
quantity at a time. The proper quantity of lime is commonly
determined by the color of the liquor, which changes at the
neutral point between an acid and alkaline substance to a
wine color, followed by a straw color and the appearance of
beads on the surface.
From the neutralizing tubs the liquor is pumped or forced
by means of a steam ejector to the " lime lee " stills. These
stills are constructed of steel plate, the heat being applied
by copper steam coils. The alcohol vapors pass off through
an iron or copper neck, and are condensed in a copper con-
denser, and piped to storage tanks.
The Hardwood Distillation Industry in New York 37
When the alcohol has been distilled off in the lime lee
stills, the residue or acetate solution is forced by steam or air
pressure to a settling pan located over the carbonizing ovens.
After the impurities settle and are drawn off the acetate
liquor is run into a large shallow steam jacketed steel pan,
and boiled down to the consistency of mortar; it is then
shoveled out and spread on brick, steel or concrete kiln floors
over the ovens and thoroughly turned and dried; it is then
shoveled into sacks for shipment as acetate of lime.
The alcohol liquor from the lime lee still is drawn from
the storage tanks previously mentioned into a steel alcohol
still provided with copper steam coils, and distilled off
through a copper fractionating column consisting of a series
of baffle plates having a tubular water 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
refineries 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 compara-
tively 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 feet long and housed in a retort
house; open space for two sets of cooling ovens; a shed for
the cooling and shipment of charcoal and the still house and
power plant which are usually separate from the retort house.
Most of our modern wood distillation plants in New York
cost from $50,000 to $500,000 for the initial investment.
38 College of Forestry
Before the European War it was usually estimated that a
complete plant, aside from timber lands and the woodyard,
would cost $2,000 per cord of daily capacity. Since the war
this average has risen to $2,500 per cord. However, this
may vary about $2,000 and $3,000 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
80 cord daily capacity will cost in the neighborhood of
$200,000. Using these same figures, the smallest modern
oven plant with only two ovens and with a daily capacity of
20 cords, will cost in the neighborhood of $50,000.
A plant with seven 25-foot ovens built about fourteen years
ago cost in the neighborhood of $125,000 fully equipped.
The following is a brief description of the principal
features of equipment that are usually found in the hardwood
distillation plants of New York State:
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 cordwood. 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.
Inasmuch as the wood must be seasoned for between 1 and
2 years, it is necessary to have a large, convenient and well-
located wood yard so that there should be at least 6 month's
seasoned supply on hand all the time.
At a 35-cord capacity plant it is planned to have 10,000
cords of wood as an advance supply continually on hand.
The wood is usually cut in 50-inch lengths and stacked in
long piles up to 12 feet in height on either side of the
standard gauge tracks from which the unseasoned wood is
The Hardwood Distillation Industry in New York 39
unloaded from freight cars. In other cases parallel roadways
are left open for the wagons to unload directly from the
woods. Parallel tracks between these roadways are then
provided to load the wood cars for the ovens after seasoning.
In cylindrical retort plants the wood is commonly rolled in on
wheelbarrows or open trucks and loaded by hand.
Retort House.
The retort house is the largest building in the plant. It
houses the cylindrical retorts or oven retorts and in some
cases the stills and appliances for treating the pyroligneous
acid as well. However, in the most modern plants, the still
house is a separate building.
The principal requisite of a retort house is that it should be
of fire-proof construction on account of the very inflammable
nature of charcoal and wood alcohol. One retort house at a
plant having a daily capacity of 38 cords, is 60 feet in width
by 240 feet long, 20 feet high to the eaves and 40 feet to the
peak of the roof. Steel beams and supports are used through-
out with sheet iron roof and siding. Other retort houses are
either built of stone or brick in order to reduce the fire hazard
and therefore obtain low insurance rates. Most of the New
York plants are poorly arranged because of their enlarge-
ments from rather modest beginnings and no definite plan
seems to have been followed in the arrangement of the plant.
Trackage and Cars.
The tracks are usually standard gauge with the rails from
40 to 75 pounds in weight and are so arranged as to bring
the wood from the storage yards to the retort house and then
to conduct the cars loaded with charcoal through the two sets
of cooling ovens and out to the charcoal shed where the char:
coal is loaded on freight cars. The most modern plants have
the progressive arrangement, that is, the loaded cars come
from the storage yards directly to the retort house; follow
40 College of Forestry
through in one continuous direction to the first cooling oven
and then to the second and on out to the charcoal sheds where
the charcoal is shipped. The return tracks take the empty
cars back to the storage yards where they are reloaded and
the same process followed out.
The cars are all of steel construction and hold from 2 to
%y2 cords of 50-inch wood. A 50 to 54-foot oven will hold
4 of these cars in one charge. A 25-foot oven will hold 2
of them. They are built in different sizes but the usual style
of car is 52 inches wide, 6 feet 6 inches high and 12 feet 6
inches long with 4 small wheels. They first came into use
in the middle nineties and have proven to be a great success.
The cars cost from $80 to $140 apiece, f. o. b. at Warren,
Pa. They last indefinitely according to most of the operators,
so that there is very little depreciation charge on them. Both
sides of the car are detachable to facilitate the loading and
emptying of the cars.
Retorts.
The old iron retort was a cylindrical vessel holding about
five-eighths of a cord. The standard size was 50 inches in
diameter by 9 feet in length. Cord wood 48 inches in length
was used instead of the 50-inch length commonly used in the
oven retorts. The retorts are set in brick work in pairs, each
pair forming a battery and heated directly from beneath.
They are charged and discharged from a single door in front
which can be hermetically sealed. Considerable labor is
involved in the charging and discharging of these retorts and
the ovens with the cars running directly into them on tracks
are a great improvement. With the invention of the ovens
in the early nineties very few of the old round retorts were
installed. In fact, all of the new plants being developed in
New York State have the long oven retorts. At the present
time there are 352 retorts distributed over 15 plants in
different parts of the State.
.Photograph by .Nelson C. Brown.
Cylindrical retorts of an old-fashioned retort plant, now burned down and
dismantled. These retorts are arranged in batteries of two and are heated
by direct heat underneath. Each retort contains about f of a cord and must
be loaded and unloaded by hand. The modern oven is a vast improvement
over this old-fashioned method.
This photograph was taken at the Keery Chemical Co., Cadosia, N. Y.
42 College of Forestry
Ovens.
The oven or oven retort is a vast improvement over the
round retort, the chief advantages being that a large amount
of wood can be distilled at one time and considerable labor is
saved in charging and discharging the ovens, the loaded wood
cars being run directly in from one end on tracks and hauled
out by means of a cable on the other end to the first cooling
oven.
These ovens in cross section are 6 feet 3 inches wide and
8 feet 4 inches high. In length they vary from 25 feet to
50 feet, although the usual length used at the present time
is a 52-foot oven which holds 4 cars. These ovens are usually
installed in batteries, that is, 2 ovens being placed close
together and called a battery. In Michigan there are as many
as 7 to 10 batteries in a single plant. The largest New
York plant contains 8 ovens and is located at Corbett in
Delaware county. Altogether in New York State there are
46 ovens distributed over 10 plants.
These ovens have air-tight doors on one or both ends,
depending upon whether the charcoal is to be taken out in
the same direction as it entered or sent out through the pro-
gressive form of trackage arrangement. The ovens are of
steel, usually three-eighths of an inch in thickness, while the
bottoms and backs are of one-half inch material. The oven
is sustained by means of angle irons riveted perpendicularly
on the sides and on one side near the top are riveted cast iron
nozzles, usually two in number, which are attached to the
condensers. In the heating process it is said that the 52-foot
oven will expand 4 inches in length due to the tremendous
heat applied during distillation. These ovens only last from
3 to 12 years, so that the depreciation charge is very high.
The 52-foot oven costs about $1,800 and approximately
an equal amount is required to install and set it up ready
for operation.
The Hardwood Distillation Industry in New York 43
Cooling Ovens.
In every oven retort plant the charcoal is gradually cooled
by being run into cooling ovens located immediately in front
of the retort house in the, open air. The first cooling oven is
about 8 to 10 feet from the charring oven and the second
cooling oven about an equal distance beyond the first cooling
oven. The accompanying photographs show the arrangement
of the cooling ovens in relation to the retort house. The cool-
ing ovens appear to be the same in size, shape and construc-
tion as are the ovens themselves. However, the sides are only
of three-sixteenths inch steel and usually there are doors at
both ends. There are no bottoms to these cooling ovens as
they rest directly 011 the ground. Dirt is piled around the
base to prevent the admission of air.
The cars with the heated charcoal, after the distilling
process, are rolled directly into the first cooling oven. As
soon as the air is admitted on the opening of the doors, the
charcoal bursts in flame and as soon as possible after the cars
are rolled into the cooling oven the doors are hermetically
sealed, so that the charcoal will cool slowly. The charcoal
is left for 24 hours in the first cooling oven, 24 hours in the
second cooling oven, then is left at least 48 hours in an open
shed or in the open air and after being loaded on the freight
cars it is left standing for at least 12 hours before shipping.
This means a total of -108 hours from the time of heating to
the time of leaving the yard. A government regulation pre-
scribes this procedure because " punky " knots hold fire for a
long time in the charcoal and it is necessary that these
extreme precautions be taken to prevent burning of the
cars.
In some of the plants, an outlet pipe is used near the top
of the cooling oven to permit the escape of the acid fumes.
It is claimed by some that this saves the eating of the iron
by these fumes.
Photograph by Nelson C. Brown.
General view of "the "plant of the Beerston Acetate Co., Beerston, Delaware
county, N. Y. On the right is shown the oven house containing four 52 -foot
ovens. In the center is -shown a battery of cooling ovens into which heated
charcoal is drawn in trucks and left standing for 24 hours. The end of the second
cooling oven is shown on the extreme left.
The Hardwood Distillation Industry in New York 45
Still House.
The provision for redistilling the pyroligneous liquor is
usually housed in the old plants along with the cylindrical
retorts but in the more modern oven plants the apparatus is
placed in a separate fire-proof building usually in close prox-
imity to the power house or in connection with it.
The equipment of the still house consists principally of
the settling tubs, neutralizing tubs, storage tubs, steam pans,
copper and iron stills, condensers, fractionating column, etc.,
required for the three principal distillations previously
described. Although the equipment in some small details
may vary in each plant, the general process of separating
the acetate of lime and the wood alcohol as well as the wood
tar, is the same as was in common practice about 20 years
ago.
For each separate plant, however, individual plans are
drawn up to meet the requirements of local conditions.
Altogether it is estimated that the equipment of the still
house costs between $430 and $500 per cord of daily capacity.
In the description of processes of manufacture, the function
of the various equipment in the still house is described.
The following is the usual equipment used or recommended
for a hardwood distillation plant consuming 30 cords of wood
per day :
Ketort condensers including tubs and outlet connections, number and
size depending upon style of retort or oven installed.
Copper liquor run for conducting raw liquor from condenser outlets
to storage tub.
Copper gas main and connection for conducting wood gas from con-
denser outlets to boiler for fuel.
5 wooden setting tubs for raw liquor from storage tank above men-
tioned.
1 copper still complete with copper steam coils, neck and condenser
for first distillation of raw liquor. Wooden storage tubs for liquor
from copper still.
Wooden liming tub with power agitator for neutralizing liquor from
storage tubs above mentioned.
1 iron lime lee still fitted with copper steam coils and condenser
(an iron neck may be used on this still).
The Hardwood Distillation Industry in New York 47
1 or 2 steel storage ranks for lime lee liquor.
1 steel alcohol still with copper steam coils, column, separator and
condenser for producing 82% crude alcohol from lime lee liquor above
mentioned.
Steel storage tank and one large steel shipping tank for raw liquor.
The residue from lime lee stills (acetate of lime) would be piped to
the open steel settling tank and then to steam pan. The acetate of lime
would then be shoveled from steam pan to drying floor on top of ovens
if possible in order to utilize waste heat from ovens.
The use of a small wooden tar still with copper neck and
condenser for distilling raw tar from settlers which contain
a considerable quantity of alcohol is also recommended.
For refining the crude alcohol further one would require one steel
still with copper steam coils, refining column, separator and condenser
for first distillation; one steel still with copper steam coils, column of
different type than used in first distillation including separator and
cooler for second distillation. The alcohol in first and second distillation
is treated with caustic soda. A steel tank graduated in inches or
gallons should be provided for caustic soda storage and charging stills.
2 steel storage tanks would be required for each still, each tank
having the capacity equal to still.
An all copper still with copper steam coils, refining column of special
type including separator, cooler, hydrometer jar, necks, etc., complete
would be required for third distillation. The alcohol would be treated
with sulphuric acid in this distillation. Suitable storage and shipping
tanks which may be of steel to be provided for finished goods.
Tlr's latter outfit would produce commercial refined alcohol
of 95% to 97 % purity.
Drying Floor.
The drying floor is a flat, level space surfaced with cement
or concrete usually placed over the ovens. The heat of the
ovens furnishes the necessary temperature to dry out the
acetate of lime. After being dried it is bagged up and
shipped directly in freight cars.
Charcoal House.
The charcoal house is usually an open-constructed affair
slightly elevated above the level of the oven house so that the
cars containing charcoal can be unloaded directly into box
cars or into charcoal bins. The trucks containing charcoal
must be left either in the open air or standing in the charcoal
48 College of Forestry
house at least 48 hours before the charcoal can 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 $2,0-00 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^ 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.
The Hardwood Distillation Industry in New York 49
PLANT OPERATION.
The following are the principal features of plant opera-
tion. Each is briefly described, giving the principal commer-
cial features involved, such as costs, per cord charges, and
other commercial features involved in the operation of a
wood distillation plant.
Fuel.
Altogether there are six forms of fuel commonly used in
the hardwood distillation industry. They are as follows:
Coal, natural gas, charcoal, wood, wood tar and wood gas.
Altogether coal is most commonly used. In the district cen-
tering around Olean many of the plants use natural gas.
Most of the plants in the Olean district, however, are just
over the New York line in Pennsylvania. The plant at
Vandalia is the only one in the district in New York State.
Both hard and soft coal are commonly used for the purposes
of direct heating and the production of steam. Most of the
Delaware county plants use coal. Practically all of the plants
in the State use the wood tar and wood gas, which are
products of the distillation process, directly under the ovens
or retorts or under the boilers.
The estimates regarding the cost of fuel vary considerably.
Altogether estimates were received from $1.15 to $2 per cord.
The cost will naturally vary with the kind of fuel used, the
distance from source of supply, efficiency of boilers and
steam pipes and other correlated factors. In one of the
larger plants of the State which has seven 25-foot ovens, it
was estimated that 300 bushels of charcoal, 300 gallons of
wood tar and all of the available wood gas were used for each
charge of seven ovens. . At a prominent plant in Delaware
county it was estimated that 300 pounds of soft bituminous
coal were used for the distillation of one cord of wood. In an
oven containing ten cords, therefore, this would require 3,000
pounds of soft coal for one charge. It is estimated that
Photograph by Nelson C. Brown.
Cars loaded with seasoned wood ready to be pulled into the ovens, the doors
of which are shown at the oven house. The ovens are charged every 24 hours.
This illustrates the progressive arrangement, the cars after the distillation
process being pulled out the farther side into the cooling ovens.
Photograph taken at the Beerston Acetate Co., Beerston, Delaware county,
N. Y.
The Hardwood Distillation Industry in New York 51
the fuel value of wood tar is at least twice as much as that
of coal for a given weight.
Labor.
Labor is a very important item in the cost of production.
Altogether the labor is unskilled at all of the plants with the
exception of the plant superintendent or manager, and in the
case of the largest plants there is a chemist or expert engineer
employed who receives more than the ordinary day wages.
There is a distinct tendency to raise wages at the various
plants. At the present time these vary between $1.50 per
day to $1.60 at one plant up to $2 per day at others. All
plants, of course, run night and day but there is a very small
force engaged in the work during the night time. At most of
the plants there is a given piece of work to be done each day,
and when this is completed the men are free for the rest of
the time. , For instance, in the wood yard, the day's work
may consist of loading so many cars of wood. When this
particular work is completed, the men are through for the
day.
Altogether the larger the plant the greater is the economy
in labor. The greatest saving in labor in the development of
the industry, has been the change from the old round retort
plant to the modern oven plant. Owing to. the fact that the
trucks are pulled in and out of the oven by means of a power
cable, there is a great saving in labor over the old round
retort plants where the retorts had to be loaded and discharged
by hand.
At a 4-oven plant having a capacity of 40 cords per day,
there were the following employees :
2 firemen at the boilers.
2 men in the still house.
2 firemen for the ovens.
4 men in the dry-kiln.
4 men to charge and draw extra trucks or cars.
52 College of Forestry
1 extra man about the piping.
2 men in the wood yard, handling wood.
1 foreman.
This makes a total of 18 men on the 24-hour shift, that is,
there are 13 men on during the day and 5 during the night.
This list does not include the teamsters used in drawing the
wood from the chopping area to the storage yards.
At a 2-oven plant there were 12 men employed beside the
superintendent. All of these men were common labor paid
at the rate of $1.50 per day. The firemen were on 8-hour
shifts and all others were on 10-hour shifts. The following
shows the number of men required on this particular
operation :
2 still house men, one on the night, and the other on the
day shift.
2 kiln men, one on the night and one on the day shift.
3 firemen in 8-hour shifts each.
3 oven men to load wood on cars or coal screener.
3 extra handy men.
The labor cost per cord varies very much. In two plants
the costs were $1.15 and $1.18 per cord respectively. At
other plants the labor cost is sometimes as high as $1.50 to
$1.70 per cord. The labor charge is considerably higher, of
course, in the cylindrical retort plants than in the oven plants
due to the reasons given above.
Depreciation Charges.
Owing to the intense heat required to distill the wood, and
the acid nature of the products, depreciation charges on the
ovens, retorts, cars and distilling apparatus are very heavy.
Ovens usually last only from 3 to 12 years. The coolers last
much longer as a rule and the wood cars last from 12 to 20
years. Altogether a depreciation charge of from 50 cents to
Photograph by Nelson C. Brown.
Charcoal cooler used in the old cylindrical retort plants. The charcoal was
shovelled from the retorts directly into this container and kept in an air-tight
condition to prevent combustion. In the modern plant the charcoal is now
cooled in the same truck in which it is heated, the trucks being run into cooling
ovens on standard gauge tracks.
Photograph taken at the dismantled retort plant of the Keery Chemical Co.,
Cadosia, N. Y.
54: College of Forestry
$1 per cord is customary at most of the plants. However, the
usual charge is likely to be nearer $1 than the lower figure.
The life of the copper apparatus is about 10 to 12 years
and there is considerable salvage on old copper.
Cost of Operation.
The cost of operation depends on a large number of factors,
the chief of which are the charges for wood, fuel and labor.
Transportation charges for material such as fuel, supplies,
etc., are also an important consideration.
It is very difficult to say what the average costs of operation
should be. They are usually figured or based on the charges
per cord. At the various plants, the method of cost computa-
tion varies considerably so that it is very difficult to compare
one with another. The degree of efficiency also varies con-
siderably as it is very difficult in this respect to compare
them. At an oven retort that has been run for some time
in Delaware county, the costs per cord were figured as
follows :
Wood $4.00
Labor : 1 . 50
Fuel 1.77
Lime .' .19
Supplies, oils, etc .32
General expenses .51
Depreciation .58
Insurance .08
Taxes . . 22
Total $9.17
The above computation was based on a month's run and a
very careful record was kept of all costs. There were 16
men employed at this factory, not including the men engaged
The Hardwood Distillation Industry in New York 55
in cutting and hauling the wood, nor the office force. The
standard wage scale was $1.60 per day and the factory was
located in the region in which a plentiful supply of wood
could be obtained.
At another oven plant the following costs were observed.
These are also given per cord of wood.
Wood $4. 00
Fuel 1.50
Labor 2.00
Depreciation, etc 1 . 00
Marketing 1 . 47
Total. $9.97
Yields.
The yield of products at hardwood distillation plants varies
considerably. The yield at any particular plant depends
upon the following factors:
1. Temperature, that is, the maximum and minimum
temperatures used during the exothermic process.
2. The rapidity of heating. Too rapid heating will cause
a much smaller and lower grade of product. Usually about
10 hours is the time required to get wood up to the highest
temperatures. If heating is done too rapidly the color of the
pyroligneous acid is much darker and the yields are conse-
quently much lower.
3. The species of wood. There is a general consensus of
opinion among the New York plants, that maple is the best
wood with beech next and birch third. Oak and hickory are
also desirable species but if there is too much soft maple,
basswood, poplar, gray birch or other inferior species, the
yields will be lowered.
4. The character of the wood. It is generally assumed that
the dryer and more thoroughly the wood is seasoned, the
56 College of Forestry
better will be the product. It is also true that heart wood
yields much larger and better products than sapwood, and
body wood is much more desirable than limb wood.
5. Efficiency of the plant. This is determined by the
character of the machinery and equipment, arrangement of
the apparatus and many other factors connected with the
efficiency of an operation.
The products of hardwood distillation in New York State
are as follows : wood alcohol, acetate of lime, charcoal, wood
tar and wood gas. The latter two are practically always used
as fuel under the boilers or retorts.
From an investigation of the 25 plants in New York State
it was determined that an average yield of 42.7 bushels of
charcoal are obtained per cord of wood from all of the plants.
There was a maximum yield of 50 bushels of charcoal per
cord and a minimum yield of 3.8 bushels.
The average estimated yield of acetate of lime was 199.47
pounds per cord of wood. The minimum was 171 pounds and
the maximum 220 pounds.
In -wood alcohol the average yield was 9.9 gallons of 82%
wood alcohol per cord ©f wood. The minimum was 8 gallons
and the maximum 11 gallons per cord.
It is estimated that between 23 and 28 gallons of wood
tar are secured per cord with an average of about 25 gallons.
It is estimated that about 11,500 cubic feet of gas are secured
per cord of wood.
These figures are based upon the individual estimates of
the various wood distillation plants of the State. Altogether
much better yields are secured from the oven plants than
from the cylindrical retort plants.
Value of Products.
One of the greatest drawbacks to engaging in the wood
distillation business has been the great fluctuation in the price
Photograph by Nelson C. Brown.
f End view of a pair of cooling ovens showing the character of the door, lugs
and method of heaping dirt around the base to prevent the entrance of air.
The trucks loaded with the heated charcoal are drawn directly from the oven-
house into the first cooling'oven and left there for 24_hours. They are then drawn
into the second cooling oven for another 24 hours. After that, the charcoal
stands in the trucks in the open air for 48 hours, after which it is loaded on the
freight cars where it remains 12 hours before it is sent off to its destination.
• These cooling ovens are kept air tight to prevent combustion of the heated
charcoal.
[_ Beerston Acetate Co.,HBeerston, Delaware county, N. Y.
58 College of Forestry
levels for all of the principal products, namely, acetate of
lime, wood alcohol and charcoal.
In the early days of the industry, charcoal was the prin-
cipal product and it brought from 10 cents to 20 cents a
bushel or more. Then acetate of lime became the principal
product sought after and finally the wood alcohol. Before
the Federal legislation, the profits were very excellent and
attractive but since 1907 and up to the outbreak of the great
European war on August 1, 1914, price levels were very
uncertain and several of the concerns were driven out of
business.
Up to the time of this war, the prices obtained for acetate
of lime varied between $1.25 to $2 per hundred pounds.
Since August 1, 1914, the following price levels have been
obtained :
August to October 1914— $1.50 per 100 Ibs.
November 1914 - 1.75 per 100 Ibs.
December 1914 - 2.00 per 100 Ibs.
January 1915 - 2.00 per 100 Ibs.
February to May 1915 - 2.50 per 100 Ibs.
June to August 1915 - 3.50 per 100 Ibs.
September to October 1915 - 4.00 per. 100 Ibs.
November to December . . . . 1915 - 5.00 per 100 Ibs.
January 1916 - 6.00 per 100 Ibs.
February to August 1916 - 7.00 per 100 Ibs.
September 1916 - 5.00 per 100 Ibs.
October 1916 - 3.50 per 100 Ibs.
In regard to wood alcohol, the prices have also fluctuated
considerably. Quotations varied between 30 cents and 45
cents per gallon for the crude 82% alcohol. Since the out-
break of the war, however, the use of both wood alcohol and
acetate of lime have been greatly stimulated for their use in
the manufacture of certain war munitions and the prices
have steadily advanced.
The Hardwood Distillation Industry in New York 59
During the year 1914 the market price of 82% crude wood
alcohol was 25 cents per gallon delivered to the refineries in
tank cars and the price of 95% refined delivered to buyers
in free wooden barrels to points east of the Mississippi river
45 cents per gallon in 1 to 10 bbl. lots and a small discount
in carloads. Prices held at these figures until October, 1915,
when the price of 95% refined wood alcohol began to advance
first to 50 cents, later to 55 cents, then on February of 1916
to 65 cents, and on October 1, 1916, to TO cents, the price
of crude steadily advancing to the present figure of 45 cents
per gallon. These advances were made possible by the rapid
increase in the price of denatured alcohol, this material now
being 60 cents per gallon. There is every indication that the
price of both alcohols has gone sufficiently high for some
time to come. In the spring of 1916, 97% refined alcohol
brought TO cents per gallon. Methyl acetone was worth
90 cents to 95 cents per gallon and pure methyl or Columbian
methanol was worth $1 a gallon.
With the increased use of both acetate of lime and wood
alcohol, the demand for charcoal has not kept pace with these
other two products, and consequently prices have suffered
very materially. At the present time, charcoal is only bring-
ing around 5 cents to 6 cents per bushel. In 1914 it was
bringing 7 cents a bushel wholesale at the acid factory. The
estimated production of charcoal in this country before the
war broke out, was about five million bushels a month and
the iron furnaces took by far the greatest proportion of this.
Practically all of the products of the wood distillation
industry are sold wholesale in carload lots at the factory.
The wood alcohol is shipped in tank cars or in tight barrels.
Charcoal is shipped in sacks and the acetate of lime is also
shipped in sacks or bags. Up to the present time, no regular
market has been developed either for the wood gas or wood
tar. Both of these are usually now consumed as fuel under-
60
College of Forestry
neath the retorts. It is very likely that some time in the
future a definite market will be developed for the utilization
of wood oils and wood tar. It can he made into creosote
but the process is so expensive that this form cannot compete
successfully with coal tar creosotes.
The following table shows a comparison of values of
products per cord under conditions prevailing in 1914, and
those occurring in 1916. This table is based upon the average
of yields of acetate of lime, wood alcohol and charcoal per
cord. The values are those described before. The following
table shows that the operators were receiving more than twice
as much for their products under market conditions in the
Spring of 1916 than they did under those prevailing before
the war.
Yield
per cord
Value per
unit 1916
Value per
cord 1916
Value per
unit 1914
Value per
cord 1914
Acetate of lime
Wood alcohol
Charcoal
199.47 Ibs.
9.90 gals.
47.7 bu.
Cents
7
37
6
$13 97
3 66
2 86
Cents
1.7
25.
7.
$3 39
2 48
3 34
$20 49
$9 21
UTILIZATION OF PRODUCTS.
The utilization of the products of the hardwood distillation
industry has been a great problem, especially since the
Federal law of 1907 went into effect. The greatest money
return is received from disposal of the acetate of lime and
the prices received for this product have undergone great
fluctuation.
Altogether there are three primary products derived from
the process, namely, the raw pyroligneous acid, the wood gas
The Hardwood Distillation Industry in New York 61
and the charcoal which remains as a residue from the distilla-
tion of the wood. The secondary products as a result of the
separation of the tar from the pyroligneous acid and the
further distillation of the pyroligneous acid,, are first, wood
tar, second, acetate of lime and third, wood alcohol.
The utilization of the 'five derived products of this
industry, therefore, are described in the following order:
acetate of lime, wood alcohol, charcoal, wood tar and wood
gas.
Acetate of Lime.
During the year 1916, it is estimated that in New York
State there will be produced 38,396,835 pounds of acetate
of lime. This is based upon the annual consumption in
New York State of 192,330 cords with an average yield of
199.47 pounds of acetate of lime per cord. At a valuation
of seven cents per pound this material is worth $2,685,788.
It is estimated that approximately 100,000 long tons of
acetate of lime are produced every year in this country.
Under normal conditions, that is, before August, 1914, only
about 75,000 long tons were produced.
Under normal conditions the export and domestic con-
sumption of acetate of lime about equalled each other. Now
this product is chiefly consumed in this country.
Probably 75 per cent of the acetate of lime produced in
this country is used as the raw material for the acetic acid
industry. More recently there has been a tremendous de-
mand for the use of acetate of lime as a .source of acetone.
About 100 pounds of 80 per cent acetate of lime are equiva-
lent to 50 to 60 pounds of refined acetic acid or 20 pounds
of acetone. Acetic acid is used chiefly for the manufacture
of white lead, acetone in the textile and leather industries
and in a great variety of other commercial manufactures.
One of the most important present uses is in the manufacture
of cordite and lyddite, two high explosives. Acetone is also
62 College of Forestry
used largely as a solvent for the cutting of gun cotton and in
the manufacture of smokeless powder.
In many of the European countries acetic acid or wood
vinegar is a common product on the market. However, the
manufacture of wood vinegar from acetic acid is prohibited
in this country.
Wood Alcohol.
During 1916 it is estimated that there will be produced
1,904,067 gallons of 82 per cent wood alcohol in New York
State. At the current value of 45 cents per gallon, this
should be worth $856,830.15. This is based upon the total
consumption of 192,330 cords per year in the industry anc1
the average yield of 9.9 gallons of 82 per cent wood alcohol
per cord.
It is further estimated that between 10' and 11 million
gallons of wood alcohol are produced every year in this
country. Its greatest single use is as a solvent. Probably
90 per cent of all the wood alcohol used is for this purpose
in one way or another. Its greatest consumption is probably
in the paint and varnish industry in which about 35 to 50
per cent is utilized.
Practically no wood alcohol is used in the raw 82 per cent
state. It is all refined to a higher state of purity before being
utilized. One concern refines a good share of the total
product of the country.
Wood alcohol is used very largely in aniline dye factories
to make colors, especially greens, purples and light blues. It
is also used in the manufacture of formaldehyde, photo-
graphic films and in stiffening hats.
Refined wood alcohol of high purity or methyl alcohol,
that is, of 99 to 100 per cent purity, is sold under a great
variety of trade names, such as Columbian methanol, colonial
methyl, diamond methyl, etc. As an extraction agent wood
alcohol is used in the manufacture of smokeless powder, nitro
The Hardwood Distillation Industry in New York 63
cellulose and other explosives. Gun cotton for example is
freed from cellulose nitrates by extraction with wood
alcohol.
Other common uses are as follows: As fuel, as an illu-
minant, as a denaturant and in various chemical and medi-
cinal preparations.
Charcoal.
The annual production of charcoal for 1916 in New York
State is estimated to be 8,198,491 bushels. At a valuation
of six cents per bushel this should be worth $491,991.46.
This is estimated 011 the basis of the average production of
42.7 bushels of charcoal per cord from 192,330' cords of wood
annually consumed in the industry in New York.
Up to -about 1905 the great market for charcoal was in the
reduction of iron ores. Important methods of steel produc-
tion within recent years, however, have gradually eliminated
the strong demand for charcoal for this particular purpose.
Charcoal iron, or Swedish iron as it is often called in the
trade, is still in demand for certain specialized uses, especi-
ally for high grade steel used- for tools, instruments, car
wheels, etc. Pig iron reduced with charcoal commonly
brings $5 a ton more than coke iron. A single blast furnace
uses between 10 and 12 thousand bushels of charcoal a day.
Where there are from 5 to 10 blasting furnaces at a single
ore reduction plant, it is easily seen that the consumption of
charcoal may be very large. A great many of the hardwood
distillation plants in Michigan and Wisconsin have ore re-
ducing plants in connection with them. These are the con-
ditions under which the greatest economy in charcoal utiliza-
tion is practiced. Much of the charcoal for these plants,
however, is made by the open pit or bee-hive kiln as well as
by the oven plants. An investigation carried on by the
United States Forest Service showed the consumption of
charcoal in this country to be as follows: seventy-six per
.Photograph Dy Nelson C. Brown.
Interior of the oven house of the Tapper Lake Chemical Co., Tupper Lake,
N. Y., showing the outside doors of the ovens. In the immediate foreground
is a turn-table from which the loaded wood cars are sent into the oven for
distillation. The residual charcoal is withdrawn from the same door and sent
into the first cooling ovens, which are on the right of the picture. The white
spot in the left foreground indicates the opening through which the charcoal
is fed into the furnaces beneath. For fuel, charcoal, wood gas and tar are used.
On the right is a wood car containing charcoal which is shovelled directly into
the furnaces. Twenty-five foot ovens which contain two cars at a charge,
are used in this plant. There are seven ovens arranged in a row.
The Hardwood Distillation Industry in New York 65
cent went to blast furnaces; 19.5 per cent was utilized in
domestic uses; 1.9 per cent was used for chemical purposes;
1.03 per cent was used for power mills and the remainder
went to smelters, railroads, etc. However, replies from
only 60 per cent of the plants were received, so that it is
not likely that a large number of plants throughout New
York and Pennsylvania are properly represented by this
estimate.
Charcoal is probably used in a greater variety of ways
from the New York plants than from those in other states.
There is no question but what the greatest majority of char-
coal produced in this country is still used in blast furnaces
and for the manufacture of gun powder.
One New York plant screens it and ships it in five differ-
ent grades. When the charcoal is shipped it is screened to
remove the finer pieces. This is ground up in some cases
and pressed into briquettes and used for fuel. Other com-
mon uses for charcoal are for medicinal purposes, for poultry
and cattle food, in chemical manufacture and for fuel in a
great variety of ways.
Wood Tar.
Based upon the annual consumption of wood in this indus-
try there are 4,808,250 gallons of wood tar produced in New
York State every year. This figure is based upon the average
production of 25 gallons of wood tar per cord. At the
present time practically all of the wood tar is used for fuel
under the ovens or boilers. Throughout the country it is
estimated that between 30 and 40 million gallons of wood
tar are used in this way. In some cases prices of between
4 and 8% cents have been received per gallon for the use of
this material in chemical manufactures, but its use is very
limited. It is estimated that some time in the future a
method will be found for using this wood tar as a basis of
66 College of Forestry
creosote on a commercial scale. A good share of our creosote
at the present time is made from coal tar and a large part
of it is imported. There is no question that some time in
the future this material will be used for the preservation of
wooden material, such as ties, poles, mine timber, etc.
Wood Gas.
It is estimated that about 11,500 cubic feet of gas are
derived per cord of wood. On this basis there are produced
annually in New York State 2,211,795,000 cubic feet of
wood gas every year, from 192,330 cords.
This gas is used entirely as a fuel underneath the ovens at
the present time. In some localities in Germany and Austria
wood gas has been used for illuminating purposes, and it is
very possible that at some time in the future this may be
used for a much more economical purpose than as a fuel
underneath the ovens. This, however, is looking a long way
in advance and it is probable that for some time at least it
will continue to serve the purpose of fuel along with the
wood tar and coal or other fuel brought in to supply the neces-
sary p nount of heat.
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