Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1925-07-25
WOOD WASTE AND
THE BELL SYST IN
Treating Plants For Conserving The
Life OF Telephone Poles.

auspices Of the United States Depart
ly in Washington, d. c. The principal
aim of the conference was to bring
before the nation the vital necessity
Of reducing wood waste. The occasion
was an important one. The confer.
snce was addressed by the President
of the United States, two members OF
the Cabinet, the Chief of the United
| States Forest Service and .-..!y o.AelS.
These addresses received wide pub.
licity. More people than ever before.
now know that prompt and vigorous
action is required 20 overcome. as far
as possible, the growing shortage OF
wood.
Telephone companies are giving this
matter very seriors attention, for it
la something that vitality aFec.s the
entire industry. One OF the principal
means OF reducing wood waste in the
Bell system has been the establishing
Of treating plants for conserving the
life Of telephone poles.
Butt treating creosote plants have
been installed and are now being OPP
Grated at Natural Bridge and Ship
man, Va; Ceredo, w. Va: Sylvia, N.
c.; Nashville, Tenn, and Danbury and
Willimantic, Conn. When operating
to capacity these plants will treat
about $4,000 poles per year and may
easily be enlarged to treat additional
quantities as the demand for butt
treated poles develops.
Due to the scattered locations of the
chestnut timber and also to the fact
that In many places this timber is
rapidly bei~g depleted by the blight, 1t
required considerable study to estab
lish locations for open tank treating
plants which would be convenient for
applying the treatments and would
also have sufficient available pole
supply to permit the operation of the
plants long enough to warrant the
necessary investment in them.
In areas which are gradually being
extended from the northern part of
the chestnut growing territory into
the southern sections, blight is rapid
ly making serious inroads into pole
timber. North of the Potomac River
practically all chestnut territories
have been visited by the blight, and
it has in major sense crossed into
areas south and southwest of this
river, where it is developing from
scattered spots. While many poles
are yet secured in the blighted areas,
they must be cut within very few
years after becoming affected, in order
to save them from the decay which
destroys blighted poles after they are
| killed.
For q number of years chestnut tim
Der, because of it's many desirable
characteristics, has served a broad
| field Of usefulness in telephone line
construction work, not only in it's ma
tive territory, the eastern and south
eastern part Of the United States, but
also in neighboring States.
In the District of Columbia, Mary
land, Virginia and West Virginia ter
ritory served by the Chesapeake and
Potomac Telephone Company about
$1,000 poles will be used for new lines
and for requirements during 1925. OF
this number more than 20 per cent.
will be Butt treated" with creosote
oil. In the Bell system as a whole
100000 chestnut poles will be used
this year and large per cent. will
be "butt treated"
A chestnut pole lasts satisfa ctorily
above the ground line but decays at
and within few inches below the
ground, thus weakening it at critical
point. In order TO protect the poles
from decay at tbs location, the open
tank creosote treatment seems to be
the most satisfactory, where tie "a
cilties for applying the treatment are
available, In general this treatment
consists OF standing the poles In an
open tank and treating them In
creosote bath which covers them from
the butt ends to point about one
foot above what will be the ground
line when the poles are set.
In so far as practicable the poles
are seasoned six months or more be-
fore being treated. The method of
treatment consists of immersing the
butts to a level of about one foot
above what viii be the ground line of
the poles, for not less than seven
hours in creosote at Temperature
between 212 and 230 Fahrenheit. At
the end Of the hot treatment, the hot
oil is quickly removed from the tank
and cold oil at 4 temperature Of from
100 to 10 Fahrenheit is permitted TO
flow quickly into he treating tank 10
the level previously reached by the
hot oil. The cold oil treatment lasts
for at least four hours.
During the treatment, the crcosote
Is absorbed by the pole to such IN
extent that as an average, about IS
per cent. Of tho sapwoQd in the
treated section Of the pol II Gat-
urated. This requires from two 10
four gallons Of oil per pole. depending
upon the size and condition Of the
pole being treated
The treating of chestnut poles has