Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1901-05-31
WASHINGTON FIR.
GOVERNMENT TESTS AT ROCH-
ESTER SHOW SUPERIORITY.

Choice Samples of Which Were Selected
! from a Texas Product-Noted for Its
Tensile Strength Fir Made an Equal
Record in Breaking Strain with the Yellow
Pine and Far Exceeded its Competitor il
Tensile Streneth-The Fir is Likewise Con.
sderably Less in "sight-Beins as 10 to Il
in Weight Of Test Samplss-Anothsr Tss
will be Made Of Gray's Harbor Timber.
The test made at the Puget Sound
naval station at Bremerton of the
comparative strength and value oil
Washington fir and Southern yellow
pine have demonstrated that the ma
tive wood is superior to the Southern
product. This fact is borne out by
the actual figures OF the test as sub
mitted by Naval Constructor Frank
w. Hibbs, who represented the gov
ernment during the progress of the
tests.
The question of comparison between
the two woods was agitated some time
ago when it was first known that the
specifications of the battleship to be
built in Seattle included the usual
provision to the effect that vessels
must be sheathed with yellow pine
from the Southern States. In order
to convince the government that such
is the case it was to hold test dem
onstrating the value of the two wood:
for the assigned purpose. The Pacific
Coast Lumber Manufacturer Asso.
citation took the matter up and
had samples of fir submitted from
various parts of the State. These
samples are in the form of pieces O
fir three feet in length and four inche.
square. Similar samples of the yellow
pine were also submitted. The
samples of the latter wood we're spe-
cially selected and were taken from
the long-leaf yellow pine grown in
Texas, noted for its great tensile
strength.
In the transverse tests to ascertain
the breaking strain of the wood, {
machine was constructed which re
corded every ten pounds of pressure
brought to bear on the specimen. Thu
piece OF wood was taken and a small
steel plate fastened on the under side
of either end of the stick. In tn,
center of the reverse side a similar
piece of steel was placed. The sticl
was then supported upon uprights a
each end, the steel plates resting upor
the supports. An enormous weight
was then permitted to bear upon the
plate in the center and the pressure
thus recorded.
In the first test the stick of fiji
withstood a breaking strain of 9,06(
pounds and the yellow pine broke al
10.660 pounds pressure. In the sec
ond test the fir broke at S,210 pound.
and the pine at the same pressure. II
the third and last test the native
wood succumbed to 9,040 pounds and
the pine at 7,640. Thus, it will be
seen that the native wood held its OWL
with the wood from the South.
In the tensile tests each stick was
placed in lathe and the center turned
down to spindle only l inch in di-
ameter. AT each end was left a large
knob to furnish grip for the clutch
In the first test the fir yielded to q
pulling strain of 10, 200 pounds; and
in the second, to strain of Is. 500 and
in the last test to strain of 1900
pounds. In each instance the speci.
men did not break, but the fiber was
pulled out, leaving hole at either
end of the stick of the same size as the
spindle. The best sample OF the yel.
low pine submitted was only able tc
withstand a strain of 1000 pounds
Lumbermcn, architects, builders, ma
rine constructors and Others interested
in the lumber industry feel that thi.
has proven beyond doubt the value
Of the Washington fir. The results ol
the test are far reaching, for every for.
eign power in the world will receive
copies of the test, and it will mean a
great deal to the lumbermen of this
State. Heretofore yellow pine has
been given the preference by ship
builders, but it is now likely that they
will turn their attention to the product
nearer at hand.
The fir had another advantage ovel
the yellow pine of great value in the
construction of ships, in that it is con
siderably less in weight. 1t is Gained
that a vessel constructed from OF
| sheathed with the native fir will float
at least six inches higher in the water
than one built of the yellow pine
This means that the vessel will have
that much less displacement. Speci
mems of the fir submitted for the tests
weighed only fraction over ten
pounds as against fourteen and fifteer
pounds scaled by the yellow pine.
The tests so far have only included
samples from Puget Sound and the
vicinity OF Grays Harbor, and further
tests will be made from samples sub
mittcd from all parts OF the North
west. These tests will include the fol
lowing:
Bending, or transverse test; com
preston test, torsional test, tensile