Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1878-10-19

aWr 1Sfuue EeS4&
The rapid destruction of xh.rves
by the marine worm, is an evil which
calls loudly for the hest ende.vor
Of inventive research TO counteracs.
The man Who discovers a method vi
erierminating tbs pest. OF a; least OF
preventing its depre,iatiJns on valu-
able property, ~ill not only achieve
immortal fame but speedily amass .
princely fortune. A large numb~r
of chemical preparations have been
tined, bat none have been attended
with even moderate success, except
oil Of ereoso,e- Wood impregnated
with this substance is protected as
long ~ it remains in the fiber, but the
constant action Of the water places q
short limit to the period. Copper,
plates are, Of course, a complete
protection, but they are liable to
abrasion, and the cost, under the
most favorable circumstances, dou-
bles the expense of construction.
One important fact has been dem-
onstrated by experience. and that is.
the marine worm does not attack
pilins as long as the bark remains
on the wood. Here a great mis-
take was made in constructing the
trestle- bridge of our local railroad,
by stripping the bark, although the
dangers are somewhat lessened by
the flow OF fresh water from the
Deschutes. The railroad bridge at
Seattle, however, which possessed u
like advantage, lasted but about two
years, and ours may succumb to a
like fate. It is unfortunate that the
protection afforded by the bark,
which would have warded of dan
ger year or two at least, has been
lost through the ignorance of those
who should have been informed in
such matters.
The piles in our bay last usually
about five years, although after
three years, repairs by replacing
those badly eaten, begins. Their
cost, driven and capped, is about five
dollars each, which entails a heavy
expense for renewal and reconstruc-
ton on works of much magnitude.
The marine worm, or toredo naralis,
is, when grown, from six inches to a
foot in length, and three-eights to
half AL inch in diameter. It has
neither legs, fms, or other means of
locomotion. 1t enters the pile across
the grain of the wood between the
surface of the mud and low-water
mark, and bores up with the grain
as far as hieh-water mark, but never
actually out of the water or into the
mud. When it enters the pile, it is
quite small, and the orifce difficult
to detect, but once ensconced it
grows rapidly. It's head is in two
parts, of ordinary sea-shell sub
stance. This, working like hinge,
bores the wood into q fine dust that
passes out through its gelatinous
body, which fills the whole cavity.
The large numbers of these worms
soon reduce pile to the condition
of q honey-comb.
The toredo is, fortunately, the only
pest of this nature known on the
Sound. but in California quite as
destructive an agent is encountered
in tine limnoria tereLans, which was
not known on the coast previous to
1870. It is a small creature similar
in appearance to the sow-bug.
They cut their way directly across
the grain, boring minute holes which
in time completely sever the pile.
They attack in great numbers and
are quite as destructive as the ma
rine worm. 1t is to be hoped that
it will not be transferred to our wa
tiers.
FISHING is the rage just now. Not
from the banks of the ripping stream,