The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1926-01-08
WOOD WASTE AND
THE BELL slSTZ-I
Treating Plants For Conserving the
Life OF Telephone Poles.

auspices OF the United states DeparI-
/ ment of Agriculture was neid recent
ly in Washington, D. C. The principal
aim of the conference was TO Drlng
before the nation the vital necessity
Of reducing WOOD waste. The occasion
was an important one. The conler-
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
action is required to overcome, as far
as possible, the growing shortage OF
wood
Telephone companies are giving this
matter very serious attention, for it
is something that vitality affects the
entire industry. One of the pr par
means of reducing wood vast the
Bell system has been the est hing
of treating plants for c9nsei ling the
life of telephone poles.
Butt treating cre6sote 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 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 il
rapidly being depleted by the blight, it
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 territor
have been visited by the blight, a
it has in a major sense crossed
areas south and southwest of
river, where it is developing
scattered spots While many,
are yet secured in the blighted
they must be cut within We
years after becoming affected, ii
to save them from the decay
destroys blighted poles after tn
killed.
For number of years chestnu
Der, because of it's many deg
characteristics. has served a
field of usefulness in telephone.
construction work, not only in itA
tive territory, the eastern and soilV
eastern part of the United States, buy
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
1000 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 whole
100000 chestnut poles will be used
this year and large per cent. VIII
be butt treated"
A chestnut pole lasts satisfactorily
above the ground line but decays at
and within few inches below the
point In order to protect the poles
from decay at this location, the opeaN
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
creosote bath which covers them from
the butt ends to a point about ore
foot above what will be the ground
line when the pc are set.
In so far as practicable the pole;
areN 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 temperature of from
100 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 s5
per cent. of the sapwood in the
treated section of the pole is sat
urated This requires from two to
IN