Arizona republican., 1907-10-04

the earth. This method of treating poles has been used extensively, but the poles so treated have not been set long enough to show results. Steel poles have been substituted to some extent for wooden poles on long trans mission lines. On the new line of the Edison Electric company, from the power house at Kern river to the dis ! tributing stations in Los Angeles, steel towers in concrete are in use. This l line is 167 miles long and transmits Al, 900 horsepower The wires are car ried on insulators ? feet high and are given a span of 700 feet. on the high tension distribution lines of this com pany, a tripod shaped steel pole is in use. The pole is built of three three quarter round pieces of steel, set in concrete. one foot apart at the base and taDering to a point at the top. The steel legs are latticed from base to top. A great deal of trouble has been caused by the leakage and induc- tion on these steel towers, causing death to animals, fires. etc.
 In F-es.o Cal. the San Joaquin Light and Power company is using poles of the western yellow pine. Ow- ing to the high price of poles in Fresno and to the difficulty of getting any ce- dar poles there, the San Joaquin Light and Power company. about three years iago, started using the western yellow pine. The poles are cut in the moun- tains north Of Fresno and are hauled in by teams. This pole has an aver age life of two years. In setting the pine pole, the company has used two methods to increase the life: The use of crude oil mentioned above and the use of a cedar stub. The pole is strap ped to a 10x10 inch 10-foot cedar stub with two bolts, the butt of the pole being kept a foot above the ground to prevent the fungus getting a hold on the pole.
 The methods mentioned above as be- ing used by these companies proved unsatisfactory. and two years ago sev- eral of the pole consumers in southern California appealed to the Forest serv- ice for help. The Forest service start ed some experiments in February, 1906, which are now nearing oomple- tion. In these experiments only the Open-tank method has been used. This consists in giving the pole a bath of hot oil followed by a bath of cold oil. The pole is placed in a tank of hot creoso:e oil to a depth one foot above the ground line when set, and kept there from three to eight hours. de- pending on the condition of the wood and the penetration desired. he pole is then placed in a bath of cold oil. then the wood is heated in the hot oil, the air and moisture in the wood cells and intercellular spaces is ex- banded and some of it is driven out and on immersion in the cold oil, the difference in temperature causes the expanded air and moisture to contract, thus forming a partial vacuum which causes the oil to penetrate the wood.
 RESULTS.
 The western yellow pine is found to be a wood which readily takes treat ment. In the experiments carried on in southern California a penetration of from two to five inches of oil at the ground line, six feet from the butt, has been obtained. The western yellow pine has a life untreated of about two years. With the treatment obtained. the life of the pole would be increased to at least 20 years. Figuring the cost of the untreated pole at s. and the life at two years, the annual charge of the pole. exclusive of interest, is s2.50. Figuring the cost of treatment at not more than s2.5O and a life of 20 years, the annual charge. exclusive of inter- est, is 37lh cents as against S2.5O for the untreated timbers.
 In the case of the cedar pole it has been found possible to fill the sapwood with creosote at a cost of about S2. A treatment of this kind should at least double the life of a cedar pole. A 40 foot cedar pole costs. set in the ground. about s15 and has an average life of ten years. The annual charge on this pole. exclusive of interest. is s1.50. With an additional cost of g for treat