The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1909-01-14
fmportant Part Iimber PIays.

Few persons ppt directly inter-
ested In mining realize the extent to
which timber is used in this very i'm
portant industry" said government
expert in preservation OF mine timber
who had just returned to Washing
Ton from the West. THE average
man has only vague understanding
of the importance Of the part that
timber plays in the mining industry,
and seldom thinks OF the enormous
quantities required each year to pre-
vent the eaving of the .over-hanging
ground and to keep clear the main
working passages of mines.
There are two general classes OF
such tImbers,'. he continued, the
first is used In bracing the slopes as
. they are called, where the ore is be .
Ing taken out. AS the ore is mined,
the surrounding rock is held in place
by bracing 1t with heavy timbers.
framed into rectangular SETS
When ore directly above the first set
Is removed, second set is built in
on top. and so on. The service of
these timbers ends when the ore IS
exhausted and the active mining
transferred to. another vein or ors.
body.
After time these timbers L.
cay, to point where the pressure OF
the rock walls crushs them, and =
.cave-in' occurs. This causes no
damage, if, as have said. the min.
ing work has been finished; but IT
sometimes happens that decay has
weakened the timbers TO such an ex-
tent that the caye-in occurs prema-
turely, and then. lives are sacrificed.
In such cases the remaining ore IS
also loss, for when the ground has
once commenced to move or work
as the miners call 1t. 1t is almost i'm
possible 10 clean it ont and hold back
the rock so that the remaining ore
may be obtained.
But Of still greater Importance is
The, second class of timbers used in
The main working openings, tunnels,
SHIFTS, etc. which are TO be main
tanned for as long time as pos
sible. TImbers for this service are
chosen not only for their strength
and firmness. but also for their abil-
ity to resist decay.
In nine cases out of ten. when
timhers are crushed. the indirect
cause is decay produced by low
forms of plant life. The dwindling
OF our timber supply has driven cou-
sumers of wood all over the country
TO study decay and its prevention,
and 1t is safe 10 say that in the very
near future we shall see many more
mines putting in small plants for the
treatment OF their timbers, after tho
pattern of the plants that have been
designed and installed for this pur-
pose by the United States Forest
Service. BY treating the permanent
tlmbers with some one OF the various
presevatives, they may be made ,
resist decay almost indefinitely. The
additional cost is.slight.
Not only this. but since timber
when It is once treated retains its
original strength, many Of the So
called inferior timbers' which have
hitherto lieen considered almost val
.ueless because. they decay rapidly,
win ind wide use in many localities.
Such species are loblolly pine and,
to certain extent, shortleaf pine.
siEngelmaRn spruce, fire-killed lodge
pole pine. white Ar, and many other
more ldeaf timbers.
The first of the treating plants for
mine timbers was put up by an east
ef1n coal company. after extensive ex-
peEjence In cooperation with the For
est Service which demonstrated the
practical value OF the treatment.
since then. other plants have been
Installed in different parts of the
country. two OF the latest being in the
coegr dAAlene lead district of north
eFn Idaho, where, while there is an
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