Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-10-05
WOOD FOR PAVEMENTS
IMPORTANT RESULT OF SOME
RECENT EXPERIMENTAL

The black and tupelo gum trees. which
md their ideal home in the Dismal swamp
and other marshy places OF the south At
lantio and gulf states. will probably play an
important part in solving the street pave
ment problem which vexes the officers of
every municipality. Experts who have ex-
pertmented with the timber of this tree.
which hitherto has been considered almost
worthless. say that 1t makes an ideal paw
ing block when properly preserved.
A representative Of a large wood-preserv-
ing company Of New York. which makes a
speciality Of the manufacture Of street paw
ing blocks. has Just left this city, after q
conference with officers of the forest serv-
Ice regarding methods Of wood preserya-
tion. His company is now dealing almost
exclusively in black and tupelo gum and he
Is highly elated with the experiments which
have been made.
Considered Strong Factor.
Wood is now considered the strongest
kind Of factor among the materials from
which the ideal street pavement Of the fu-
ture will be manufactured. It Is practically
noiseless. and this quality is very desirable
In large cities where there is much traffic.
When properly preserved and laid the best
wood pavements are said to resist wear and
use.
Wood received a bad reputation as a paw
ing block In this country when 1t was laid
In various cities number of years ago.
1t failed because Americans at that time
knew practically nothing about wood pres
eryation for paving woods. laying the wood
en- blocks just as they were sawed. OF
course. wear. tear and weather soon made
the pavement almost unfit for use. For
eign nations first made successful expert
ments in the preservation of wood used for
paving. and now Uncle Sam has also
learned some very important things about
the manufacture of wooden paving blocks
and in some respects has gone the Euro
pean manufacturers one or two points bet
ter.
The company whose representative has
been in Washington comforting on those
matters of wood preservation has just COM
pleted a three-cylinder treatment plant at
Norfolk. Va. where the wood will be i'm
pregnated with creosote and rosin by the
pressure cylinder methods. The natural
toughnesss Of the wood makes it wear well,
and the chemicals forced into the fiber will
render it immune from decay for many
years.
Matter Of Importance.
The turning of black and tupelo gum to
account on so large a scale is a matter of
Importance in connection with the waning
timber supply. Lumbermen have always
considered 1t an Inferior wood. Except for
special uses such as mauls. mallets, boards
for wagon and cast beds, and for other
purposes where wood is wanted which will
not split, black gum has been rejected by
farmers and lumbermen. 1t grows over a
tolerably wide region, and is abundant on
the low. marshy lands near the coast of
the southern states. 1t finds its ideal home
in the Dismal swamps. where other woods
especially cypress, once grew in great abun-
dance.
Severe tests have shown that black and
tupelo gum when given a proper preserva-
tive treatment, Is an excellent material for
street paving. The blocks are cut to stand
on end about three inches thick four inches
wide, and about eight inches high. The
wood Is not very hard. but its toughness
gives 1t superior wearing qualities.