“Of course the above are more or less random figures, but they suffice to show that the saving of fuel will be very great—a boon of course to planters, but a boon also to the Forest Department and to India.
“We knew of the invention some time back, but we forbore to notice it until the brokers’ reports on the Tea so made had been received. We have now seen these. Samples of ‘charcoal’ and ‘furnace’ Tea were sent down, made from the same leaf, the same day, and manufactured in one up to the “firing” process. Two brokers give the higher value to the furnace Tea, one to the charcoal kind—but the difference is small.
“We believe, as one of our most experienced planters, who has tasted the Teas, been to Soom, and seen the brokers’ reports, says, that ‘the Tea dried by the furnace apparatus will be at least equal to that prepared over charcoal.’
“As Colonel Money is already known as an authority in Tea, and as he has stated to us his belief that ‘charcoal days’ for Tea are now at an end, we await with confidence the ultimate success of his invention, which even if it makes no better Tea will certainly make it far cheaper, while the dirt from charcoal dust will be done away with, the temperature of the Tea-houses much reduced, and the deleterious fumes of charcoal, so very objectionable from a sanitary point of view in Tea manufacture, will be known no more.”
Again, 29th August, a month later, the Darjeeling News further remarks:—
“We alluded recently to Colonel Money’s very ingenious plan for drying Tea without charcoal. Since then his apparatus has been in full work at Soom, and has been inspected by numbers of the Darjeeling planters, one and all of whom have, we understand, reported most favourably on its working. Samples of Tea manufacture have been from time to time sent to Calcutta brokers for their opinion, and reports have been received from fifteen, of whom seven are in favour of Tea made by the old charcoal process, seven are in favour of the new furnace process, and one reports that the Tea made by each process is exactly the same.
“Colonel Money is now taking steps to erect his improved furnace, which will be in working order by the end of September, and the whole October crop of Soom Tea will be fired by the new furnace.
“Colonel Money has applied for a patent, and as soon as this is granted we hope to give our readers a description of the apparatus. For obvious reasons it would not be advisable to do so before then. We may mention here that one of the most intelligent and practical planters in this district has ordered one of Colonel Money’s flues for his private garden.
“Of the commercial success of Colonel Money’s apparatus we have no doubt whatever, and we trust that Colonel Money will reap a handsome profit from his very ingenious invention, which will be an undoubted boon not only to this district, but to all the Tea-producing districts of India.
“One point which has struck us as good in Colonel Money’s apparatus is that the temperature of the Tea-house is considerably lowered during the firing process as compared with the open chulas, and that there is no free carbonic acid gas allowed to escape into the Tea-house, so that those very unpleasant symptoms of slow poisoning which often show themselves in planters and Tea-makers will be unknown in future. At our suggestion Colonel Money has decided to keep a register of the maximum temperature of the Tea-house, whilst the open chulas continue in use, and to compare it with the temperature when the new apparatus has superseded them, also to test for free carbonic acid gas in the air with each process.