In a recent address delivered by Mr. John Doyle to the Roadmasters' Association of America, it was stated that 73,000,000 sleepers were used annually in the United States, a quantity which is double the possible permanent production of the present timber areas. The woods used vary, and are laid without being creosoted or otherwise treated by a preservative process. The average life of the various woods used as sleepers is as follows:

The PRESIDENT. Will the members of the Association take up the discussion of this paper before going to the next, or shall we hear the next paper on a kindred subject?

I

Mr. JOHN BIRKENHEAD. Mr. President, I can appreciate what has just been stated in regard to the preservation of wood that has to be laid in damp places. I have had a little experience in that line. About sixteen years ago I put a costly fence about six feet high around my house lot, made of the first quality of sheathing, matched, and capped with two coats of paint, both sides. The color of the fence was cream; of the posts red. The latter were burned or charred before setting; were of six to eight inches in diameter; and of chestnut. was highly pleased with it. I thought it would last as long as I should; but, to my surprise, in two years after, I noticed that every post was surrounded with what looked like sawdust. On examination I found that some kind of grub was eating the posts at the ground level; and instead of having a six or eight inch post, in some cases I had but a two-inch post. In less than a year's time my fence would have been lying flat on the ground. I then put on my thinking cap. I thought of kerosene oil. I never knew of anything that could live on it; but thought it might not be enduring; but petroleum, having the same properties and having more body, would be better. I did not know how to obtain it in its crude form; but I had a barrel of black paraffine lubricating oil. I took less than two gallons of that, and poured it around each post, seventy in all, fourteen years ago; and each post, at the ground line, has not changed a particle. There is one end post I overlooked, as it was boxed, or sheathed in, out of sight; that was eaten off years ago, but the others keep it well in position. It is my opinion that all decay is life, either of its own producing, or otherwise; and the properties of petroleum make it a great cleanser; it kills life, and destroys its germ. It mixes well with coloring or paint; and I think the time is coming when it will largely replace linseed oil. It dries rapidly, for outside work, and

must preserve the wood. I have no doubt of its efficiency, used on wood work in wheel pits, or any other place where wet or dry rot is liable to occur; such as floors near or on the ground. Kerosene, or burning oil, is now being largely used for cleansing furniture and wood work in houses.

The PRESIDENT. There is one question I would like to ask Mr. FRANCIS. On page 18 you say that the corrosive sublimate will penetrate farther in green lumber that is full of moisture than in dry lumber; although lumber in a green state will not take up as much of it as when dry. Would you recommend green lumber for kyanizing rather than dry lumber?

Mr. FRANCIS. Well, that is one of those things there seems to be no absolute rule about, and it seems difficult to say. I have shown an instance here of a post that had been kyanized that has been in the ground forty-one years. I consider that as good a specimen of kyanizing as can be found anywhere. That post was purchased two years before it was kyanized, and it was purchased for another purpose; and, having that timber on hand, it was allowed to be seasoned two years before it was kyanized. Then it was kyanized and put in the ground, and it was in the ground forty-one years, and when it was taken up not very long ago it was found to be perfectly sound. That was a remarkably good specimen. Now, I think under those circumstances it would show that it might be well perhaps to season the timber pretty well before it is kyanized. That is my own individual opinion; but when you come to speak of the exact fact, whether it is better to kyanize green lumber or better to kyanize dry lumber, I do not think that anybody is able to say whether it would be better or not. Most of the lumber of the Locks and Canals Company comes in a green state, and of course they have to kyanize what is sent to them; but sometimes we have lumber sent to us which is unsound. That lumber cannot be preserved, and for that reason we throw it out. There was something like four hundred thousand feet board measure of spruce sent to us from the

city of Boston for the new Cambridge bridge; four-inch plank, spruce. Well, that is a pretty large quantity of timber. Some of it came to us unsound, and it was thrown out. It is no object for us to throw out any lumber, it does not interest us one particle; but at the same time people who are interested in the preservation of timber should be careful to see that lumber treated in that way, or by any other process, is good to begin with. That is one of the secrets of its success.

Mr. S. N. BOURNE.

What kind of wood is that post you

speak of having been in the ground so long?

Mr. FRANCIS. That is a spruce post.

The PRESIDENT. In 1882 the Pacific Mills had occasion to lay a basement floor in the main mill, and about two hundred thousand of spruce plank were sent to the Locks and Canal Company for kyanizing. That floor was laid. The plank were laid upon sand and fastened to six-by-six timbers. They were bedded in the sand, and the level of that floor is a little below the level of the ground outside of the mill walls. The plank that have been examined since that time, and some have been examined this year, show the plank and timber to be perfectly sound to-day, and the floor was laid about nine years ago. It is not a moist place. In many spots I think you would find the sand perfectly dry under that floor. places, however, where there would be moisture. that the plank were in such good condition this year in that place that we have used more of it for bridges and in other places since we bought the first lot. If there are no further questions to be asked of Mr. FRANCIS, we will take up the next paper.

There are

We found

Mr. ROBERT MCARTHUR. I would like to ask Mr. FRANCIS what kind of wood he would recommend for covering bridges. Mr. FRANCIS. We recommend softer wood, usually spruce. Spruce is the kind that comes to us more than any other.

The PRESIDENT. We will now proceed to the next pa by Mr. SAMUEL D. CRAFTS of Boston, on Wood Vulcanizi

WOOD VULCANIZING.

BY SAMUEL D. CRAFTS, Boston, Mass.

Having been invited to address you on this subject, it gives me pleasure to comply, especially as anything which tends to the preservation of our fast-depleting forests is a matter of great importance and interest to all.

It is not, however, the broader view of this question which is of present moment to us, or in the discussion of which I will take up your valuable time, but the preservation of wood by the process carried on by The Haskin Wood Vulcanizing Company of New York, at their works, foot of East 19th Street, in that city.

While efforts toward prolonging the life of timber may have claimed the attention of former ages, it was not until the present century that anything practical was attempted in this direction. Knowing the antiseptic powers of corrosive sublimate, John W. Kyan reasoned that, if he could but remove the sap and fill the pores thus emptied with this salt of mercury, that wood must be indefinitely preserved. Others followed, with the same idea of getting rid of the decaying elements of the sap; and creosote, sulphate of copper and other chemicals have lent their aid to the bringing about of the desired result. The principle of all has been the same; viz., the injection into the vessels of the wood of some mineral material, which, by