Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-07-20
THE CREO~UTE WORKS
Inspected by the Harbor Commits.
siObers Yesterday.

Messrs. w. d. English, A. G. Paulsell,
9. o. Alexander, of the State Board of
Harbor Commissioners, and Governor
Waterman, accompanied by Mr.. j. Kerr,
one of the Commissioners of the South
ern California Insane Asylum, and W.
S. Moore, visited San Pedro yesterday,
and inspected the creosoting works of the
Pacific Improvement Company.
The party, upon arriving at San Pedro,
Immediately proceeded to the works,
and were received by Mr.. Flanders,
Division Foreman of the Bridge Building
Department of the Southern Pacific Com.
pany, and Mr.. Niles Searle, yr., Super
intendent OF the creosote works Very
unfortunately portion OF the plant was
unde rgoing repairs, and the apparatus
could not be run. Mr.. Searle. however,
thoroughly as to make all present under
stand it. The piles which are to be
treated with creosote are placed on trucks
and run on tracks into an Immense iron
retort. This retort is seventy feet long,
and will contain thirteen piles of an
average diameter of twelve inches, and
seventy feet in length. After the piles
have been placed in the retort, the doors
at either end are closed and bolted so
tightly as 10 exclude air Steam is then
introduced by means of punctured pipes,
running the entire length OF the retort.
The steam thus run in is called live or
contact steam, and its purpose is to re-
move all sand and grit, and to vaporise
any remaining moisture in the wood.
While this live steam is passing over and
around the piles, steam is introduced
into the retort BY means of another set of
pipes, which are termed coils or mani
folds. These manifolds lie on the bot
tom of the retort and are made eontinu-
GUS, running the full length of the retort,
and are joined at the ends by return
bends. The steam, before being intro
duced into these pipes, is superheated to
500 or 600 deg ees Fahrenheit, and its
purpose is to maintain a high tempera
ture OF PIP degrees in the retort. After
subjecting the piles to this steaming and
high tenn perature for sufficient time to
vaporiZe any sap or water that may ooze
from the timber, vacuum pumps are set
to work, and by means of them the
steam in the retort is forced through a
condenser, from which it blows off. The
creosote oil is then introduced into the
retort by means of suction until the re-
tort is entirely filled. This oil is kept at
a temperature of 212 degrees, and is sub
jected to a pressure of $50 pounds by
means OF force pump. This high
pressure is maintained for several hours.
and forces the oil into the wood, which
takes up from ten to fifteen pounds to
the cubic foot. This process is quite an
old one, having been patented in England
in 1886. Slight notifications have been
made in the method since that time, but
all creosotiDg systems known have their
foundation in this one, which is known
as the Bethel process.
Mr.. Searles had several piles which
had been treated, sawed in two, in order
TO show the effective of the system. The
pieces exhibited were filed with the
creosote to depth of three inches around
the edge, and in some instances the oil
had penetrated to the heart OF the pile.
Creosoting has been found the only
method to preserve the piles from the
;eredo and the liminoria worms, which,
f the wood is not 80 treated will destroy
t in from eighteen months to two years,
while it is claimed that piles treated by
creosote Will last for period OF at least
fifteen years.
The Com mmissioners have had in con-
temptation the building OF works at San
Francisco similar TO those at San Pedro,
Ind looking to that end Mr.. Manson, their
engineer, has been compiling data on
he subject of creosoting, and the board
visited San Pedro for the express pur-
pose OF informing itself and to gain a
practical knowledge of the system.
After the inspection the party was
iriven to the Hotel Clarence, and there
'artook of lunch, after which the men,
'ers of the party we're driven in coach |
md four to the lighthouse, and from
here back to the depot. Mr.. English |
uggested a trip to Catalina. and he
ound strong supporters in Mr.. Alexander |
nd Mr.. Paulsell. The tug Falcon was
ecured, and the gentlemen named started |
n their trip, while the rest of the party |
eturned to Los Angeles.