The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1907-11-28

Curled and warped shingles on roofs
OF suburban and country houses arc q
common but not pleasing sight In all
parts Of 10 country where buildings arc
covered with wood Shingles warp aud
curl because after weting-and they
gct many-thc upper side dries hrst,
In few years the roof leaks. decays.
and must come OF. Many years ago
farmers made what they called their
sever lasting' roofs Of white pine. cedar,
and black walnut shingles. free from zap
rived with n frow. and shaved with q
drawing fnife. Such shlnglos can not
now he had, for tho fine straight grained
timber necessary for their manufacture
IA scarce and very expensive.
Formerly good work was plcntifui and
shingles cheap. II costs more TO replace
a leaky ROOF now. and earnest search
has been made for ways to check tho
warplng and decay Of shingles and
make the roof last longer.
The Forest Service has studied tho
shinglc problem along with that Of tho
preservation Of farm timber. II Is found
that shingles treated with creosote by a
special process which the Service has
invented. warp but little and decay
slowly because water Ii kept out OF the
tlssnes OF the wood. One such roof will
ontlast two or thNc left In the natural
state 10 curl. spring leaks, and fall 10
pieces, The cfeosote used Il nothing
more than dead oil OF coal tar. but Il
keeps water from entering the pores Of
the wood aud renders II immune 10 de.
cay for d long time. A roof 81 that kind
costs a little more at first, but II Is
cheaper in the long run. Woods which
are usually classcd as Inferior, such as
loblolly pine, beech. sycamore and others
which are quiek.dccaying, readily take
the prescryatise treatment and are given
a largely increased value.
The preserving apparatus 10 neither
expensive nor hard to operate. One such
outfit viii serve several farmers. The
main items are an Iron tank Tan old en-.
sinc boiler win dol with prescryatiye
fluid In Il and a fire under II, and an
other tank OF cold preservatiye. The
shingles Of other woods to be treated
arc immersed for sufficient time in
the hot creosote. and then In the cold.
Full details of the operation are given
to applicants for information by the
Forest Service at Washington
Shingles are one OF the most import.
ant lumber products in this country.
Last year nearly twelve billions were
made. Even this enormous number was
a heavy falling of from the total OF the !
year before. II Is significant fact that
the chief source OF shingle supply Is
now the forests Of the far northwest,
from which shingles are brought even TO
New York. The eastern sources Of sup.
ply are not able TO meet the eastern de.
mand, II Is therefore fortunate that
shingles are so easily given a prescrva.
tive treatment by which their life is
heightened.
Many handsome residences in all parts
OF the country have their sides and
gables covered with shingles. This arcai.
tectural use often calls for staining or
painting in harmonious colors. Such col
oring IA less frequently seen on roofs.
where II does not last long. because rain
washes IL or,
The Forest Service has been expert
in this field, also, ana has found
that stains may be carried into the shin
giles, along with the creosote, reaches
every fiber which the creosote touches,
and lasts as long as the creosote lasts
and that is a long time. Such stain
does not easily weather out, whether on
walls, gables, or roof. II is expected to
prove much superior to the old way of
staining or painting the surface only.