Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1868-11-26
ST. CLAIR FLATS.
The, snip Canal -rrogress Of the
serving Timber-Doscription'er 'er ths


TIse, SHIN Canal Progress OF the
, WorTs4l1ho New Process for Pre-
!. servinB Ttmber-Doscription q she
IFroni The Detroit POstl
The Improvement of the st. Clair Flats
which il now being made after the plans.
and nnder the direction of Gen. " s.
Gram. of the United States corps of engi-
neers' cannot but be of interest NOT only
10 commercial men, but citizens Of all the
Western States; for the deepening Of the
channel will facilitate to a great extent the
shipment of produce from the lakes, SO as
tb advance the yalue,of all cereaIs. The
canal will be one and o half miles in length
hy three hundred feet in, width, and will
he dredped so as to allow vessels drawing
thirteen feet TO pass through at the lowest
stage. It is to be SO constructed that
IL can be deepened to admit
vessels drawing eighteen feet Whenever the
demands of commerce shall render it nee
essary. It is being furnished with timber
dikes, one on each side, running the entire
lenoth. which will be filled with the exca-
vat;ons from the channel. The banks, be-
sides are being made fifty-eight feet wide
and five feet above water 1t is worthy Of
notice that to make the work more durar
BILE. Gen. Cram has, with the appreciation
Of the War Department, caused the TIM
hers which formed these dikes to be sub
ieoted to a new process for It's preservation,
which will cause it to last OF least three
times as long as timber usually remains
sound, having the same exposure, and
making a saving to the Government, as
stated in Gen. Grams report to tho War
Department of over $85,0OO in twenty-one
years. -. .Lio,s
This method Of ereosoting timber, which
was lately invented by Prof. Seeley, ol
New York, consists in subjecting the wood
to be saturated to q temperature of about
290 degrees, which in bath Of creosot'
oil, for sufficient time to expel all thu
moisture, and to coagulate thealbuminouI
matters Of the wood. When the pores arr
thus freed from the water, and contain
only steam, cold bath is substituted, 81
as to reduce the temperature from 25O Z
65 or 20 degrees by means OF. whicl
4 change the steam in the pores OF the woot
is condensed, and vacuum formed, init
which the oil is forcedS by atmosphere
pressure. ,i.., t.
This process has all the advantages o
the method which has been in use in Eng
land and on the continent for many year
(and experience has demonstrated tha
creosoted timber is still sound after having
been in use more than twenty two years.
and Is much more simple in its applica
tion, and consequently more economical
and expeditions than the English process
Among the advantages claimed is tn
very important one that green wood can b
treated as successfully as dry. The appar
atus for the creosoting, which has alread
been shipped to the Flats, and is no be
ing erected on the dikes of the canal, wa
built in this city by John Brennan, an
consists of cylinder As feet long and
feet in diameter, with a. steam coil in tn
bottom and movable head. The cyhnde
rests upon its side upon substantial tim
bers, and when the head is removed tn
lumber is run into the tank upon trucks
I In addition there are two receiving tank
: for oil, each fifteen feet in diameter an
seven feet high, with engine and boilei
connecting pipes, pumps, ETC.
The apparatus has been constructed a
ter the plans and under the immediate di
| rection of W. 7. Pelton, Esqc of Me-
) York, who has the control of the paten
5 and the contract for treating the timber.
t 1t is expected that this process will be aI
: plied to the timber to be used in the Go'
: ernment works about to be begun at Toll
, do. MIR. Pelton has also similar work
, now in successful operation at Chicae
: for treating the railroad ties and dock tin
: hers