Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1925-07-17
WOOD WASTE AND
THE BELL SYSTEM
Treating Plants For Conserving The
Life OF Telephone Poles.


ization of Forest Products under the
auspices Of the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture was held recent
ly in Washington, D. G. 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
ence was addressed by the President
Of the United States, two members Of
the Cabinet, the Chief of the United
States Forest Service and many others.
These addresses received wide pub
licity. More people than ever before,
now know that prompt and vigorous
aotiep is required to overcome, as far
as possible, the growing shortage of
wood.
Telephone companies are giving this
matter very serious attention, for 1t
is something that vitality affects 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. Cersdo, W. Va; Sylvia, N.
c.; Nashville, Tenn, and Danbury and
Willimantic, Conn. When operating
to capacity these plants will treat
about 10000 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 being 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 a 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
Wv NhOpNhhh 6AONAh bCiAANOAy ihtO
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
1t 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 a very few
years after becoming affected, in order
to save them from the decay which
destroys blighted poles after they are
killed.
For a number of years chestnut tim
Der, because of its many desirable
characteristics. has served a broad
field of usefulness in telephone line
. construction work, not only in its 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
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
on. 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 satisfactorily
above the ground line but decays at
and within a few inches below the
ground, thus weakening 1t at critical
point. In order to protect the poles
from decay at this location, the open
tank creosote treatment seems to be
the most satisfactory, where the ia
cilities for applying the treatment are
available. In general this treatment
consists of standing the poles in an
open tank and treating them in a
creosote bath which covers them from
the butt ends to a point about one
foot above what will be the ground
line when the polls 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 will be the ground line of
the poles, for not less than seven
hours In creosote at a 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 a temperature of from
leo to 10 Fahrenheit is permitted to
flow quickly into the treating tank to
the level previously reached by the
hot oil The cold oil treatment lasts
for at least four hours.
During the treatment, the creosote
is absorbed by the pole to such an
extent that as an average. about 95
per cent of the sapwood in the
treated section of the pole is sat
urateG This requires from two to
four gallons of oil per pole, depending
upon The size and condition of the
pole being treated
The treating OF chestnut poles has
become an important factor in the
conservation Of TIE country's natural
resources, This treatment has made
possible the utilization of this valu.
able and rapidly diminishing timber,
cover a considerably longer period of
usefulness