Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1909-01-14
THE IMPORTANT PART TIMBER
PLAYS IN PRODUCTION OF
MINERAL wEALTH-How 1T
PAYS TO TREAT THE TDlBRR.

Washington, Jan. 14.--"Few per
cons not directly interested in m n
ing realize the extent to which tim
Der As used in this very importanS
industry" said government expert
In preservation OF mine timber who
has Just returned to washingt On
from the Wet. 1.-The average man
aas on v vague idea OF the impoe-
lance OF the part that timber plays
IN the mining industry. and seldom
thinks of the enormous quantities
required each year TO prevent she
caving N OF the over hanging
ground and to keep clear the main
work ng passages OF mines.
There are two general classes
OF such timbers." he continued. "tne
irst used in bracing .he Slopes as
they are cal ed. where the ore is
being taken out. AS the ore is
mined. the surrounding rock is acid
place by bracing IL with heavy
t'mbers, framed into rectangular
sets When one directly abows thu
first SCI is removed. n second set Is
built on top. and SO on. The SER
vice OF these timbers ends when the
ore is exhausted and the active nm
ing transferred to another ven or
ore body.
After a time these timbers decay
% point where the pressure OF the
rock wa Is crushes them, ami a cave
in occurs. This causes no damage,
I, as I have said, the mining work
has been finished; put 1t sometimes
happens that decay has weakened
the timbsrs to such an extent that
the cave-'n occurs preznaturely
and then lives are sacr need. In
dch cases the remaining ore is also
a loss, for when the ground has
once commenced TO move or work
as the miners call It, II is Almost
impossible to clean out and hold the
rock back so that the remaining ore
may be obtained.
But OF stil greater Importance
Is the second-class or timbers used
ip the man workings. tunnels.
hats, etc, which are TO be main
tanned for as long time as posi-
BILE. Timbers for this service are
chosen not only for Their strength
and firmne-s. but a. so for their abil-
ty to resist decay.
I'm nine cases out OF ten, when
timbers are crushed. the indirect
cause is decay, produced BY low
forms OF plant life. The dwindliag
Of our timber supply has driven con-
sumers OF wood al over the country
10 study decay and its prevention,
and 1t is safe to gay that In the very
near future we shall see many more
m mes putting in small plants for
the treatment of their timbers, aft
er the pattern of the p ants that
have been designed and installed for
this purpose by the United States
Forest service. BY treating the per-
manent timbers with some Of the
various preservatiyes, they may be
made 10 resist decay almost, indef-
snitely. The additional cost Is
slight.
mot only this, but since timber
when II is once treated retains It's
original strength, many of the So
called inferior tlmbers' which have
hitherto been cons dered almost val
Useless because they decay rapid y,
viii find use in many localities. Such
species are loRolly pine and, to a
certain extent, shortleaf pine, Engle-
mann spruce, fire killed lodge po e
pine, white fir, and many other
more local timbers.
THE first of treating pans for
mine $imbers was put up by an east
ern Goa company, after extensive
experiments in cooperation with the
forest service VIII CHI demonstrated
he practical value OF the treat
ments. Since then, other plants
nave been Installed On different parts
Of the country, two OF the latest
beng in the Couer an enc lead dis
trlct of northern Idaho, where,
While there Is an ample timber sup
ply for some time TO come, the treat
ment is warranted by the high "a