Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-08-20
Wooden Pipe.

dent of this county, but more recently
from Olympia, Puget Sound, is stop
ping in our city for the purpose of in
Producing the Wickhoff patent wooden
pipe. We, yesterday, saw samples of
the pipe which Mr.. Morgan has for
exhibition, and learned some facts
concerning the invention which can
not fail to be of interest to every irri-
gator in our county. Heretofore the
only manufactory of the pipe. upon
this coast has been at Puget Sound,
Washington Territory, where the best
advantages were offered for procuring
a superior quality of timber. The
pipe is made from the red fir. Only
the bodies of the trees below the limbs
being used, and all sap-wood removed.
The logs are cut in lengths of eight
feet, and are bored with the Wickoff
patent augur, which leaves a core.
This core is bored for smaller pipe,
and so on till the log is all used up,
thereby greatly economizing both la
bora and ematerial over any previ-
Gus method of boring pipe. After be-
ing bored, the log is placed in lathe
and turned on the outside slightly
smaller at one end than the other, so
that it may be more easily banded
with iron, where the pipe is required
to stand more pressure than the wood
alone will bear, the number of bands
being proportiOned to the amount of
pressure the pipe is required to stand,
which is calculated from the height
of the head of water from which the
pipe is supplied. 1t is then placed in
a steam chamber, where it is thor
oughly seasoned, when it is banded
with iron, if required. And lastly it
is thoroughly coated with asphaltum,
which renders it almost proof against
decay from the outside, while the
water or gas acts as preserver on
the inside.
The pipe is manufactured in differ
ent sizes, as required, the bore vary
ing from two to sixteen inches. 1t is
joined by wooden thimbles, securely
bound with iron, and has only to be
driven together to be made water
tight.
1t is we'll known fact that wood, if
kept constantly submerged in water,
will not decay; while iron, in like sit
uation, will soon be destroyed by cor
rosion. The mineral properties of
water land all natural water contains
more or less mineral) make but very
little difference in it's action on wood;
while upon iron its action is vastly
different, even with a slight change
of it's mineral properties. For in
stance, fresh or salt water will have
1I lxxN Il.
slightly saline water will destroy iron
many times faster than water contain
ing no salt. Thus the wooden pipe
has advantages over iron in many
cases, in durability, as we'll as being
it's equal in strength for ordinary pur-
poses, and far superior in point Of
cheaper than iron. Besides these it
has other advantages, some of which
are
1st. The ease and rapidity with
which it may be laid, three men being
able to lay 1900 feet of it in a day,
after the trench is dug, and the trench
does not have to be so large as for lay
ing cast-iron pipe.
ID The joints simply being driven
together to become perfectly tight, it
requires no skilled labor in Iaying-a
great recommendation for its use in
the country.
Sd. 1t can be tapped at any time or
place by any laborer, and all the tools
he will require is a common auger-a
convenience which will be appreciated
by country people.
Altogether it is evident that in a
country where irrigation is carried to
such an extent as with us the Wick
hoff patent pipe must become invalu-
BILE. 1t is well-knOwn aphorism in
Southern California that water is
money. A judicious economy and
utilization of water is a saving OF so
many dollars and cents. With our
system of open zanjas, perhaps it is
safe to say that One-half of our avail
able supply of water is wasted by
evaporation and seepage. If this
waste can be obviated with q slight
outlay in excess of the cost of bitches,
then the wooden pipe as q means of
accomplishing this end will become
justly popular. This subject we COM
mend to the careful consideration of
those who are interested in the devel-
opment of the country, far and near
With view to its extensive use in
this section Of the State, especially for
purposes of irrigation, Mr. Morgan in
tends to have a set of Wickoff augers
and lathes shipped to Wilmington,
and with the steam power available in
the shops of Messrs, Wilson & Jones
(late General Banning's), he will bore
and prepare the logs into all sizes of
pipes at that point. We will welcome
the new enterprise as one bringing an
untold amount of good to our country,
and we trust that it's success here will
be commensurate with what it has
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