A treatise on the origin, progress, prevention, and cure of dry rot in timber : $b with remarks on the means of preserving wood from destruction by sea worms, beetles, ants, etc.Britton, Thomas Allen
Science
A treatise on the origin, progress, prevention, and cure of dry rot in timber : $b with remarks on the means of preserving wood from destruction by sea worms, beetles, ants, etc.
Britton, Thomas Allen
Dry-rot; Wood -- Preservation
The number of testimonials given in favour of creosote is very large,
and are from the most eminent engineers of all countries, in addition
to which Mr. Bethell has received several medals at international
exhibitions. The English engineers include Messrs. Brunel, Gregory,
Abernethy, Ure, Hemans, Hawkshaw, and Cudworth; the French, MM. Molinos
and Forestier; the Dutch, Messrs. Waldorp, Freem, and Von Baumhauer; and
the Belgian, M. Crepin. The late Mr. Brunel expressly stated that, in his
opinion, well creosoted timbers would be found in a sound and serviceable
condition at the expiration of forty years. M. Forestier, French engineer
of La Vendée department, reporting to the juries of the French Exhibition
of 1867, cites a number of experiments he has lately tried upon many
pieces of creosoted and uncreosoted oak, elm, ash, Swedish, Norwegian,
and Dantzic red fir, Norway white fir, plane, and poplar, and shows that
in each case, except that of the poplar, the resistance of the wood both
to bending and crushing weight was much increased by creosoting.
Drs. Brande, Ure, and Letheby, also bear testimony to the efficacy of
this mode of preserving timber.
Creosoting has been extensively employed upon all the principal railways
in Great Britain. In England, upon the London and North Western,
North Eastern, South Eastern, Great Western, &c. In Scotland, on the
Caledonian, Great Northern, &c. In Ireland, on the Great Southern and
Western, Midland, &c. It has also been and is being employed in Belgium,
Holland, France, Prussia, India, and America.
Between the years 1838 and 1840, Sir William Burnett’s (formerly
Director-General of the Medical Department of the Navy) process was first
made known to the public.
This process consists of an injection of _chloride of zinc_ into timber,
in the proportion of about 1 lb. of the salt to about 9 or 10 gallons of
water, forced into the wood under a pressure of 150 lb. per square inch.
The late Professor Graham thus wrote of its efficiency: “After making
several experiments on wood prepared by the solution of chloride of zinc
for the purpose of preservation, and having given the subject my best
consideration, I have come to the following conclusions:
“The wood appears to be fully and deeply penetrated by the metallic salt.
I have found it in the centre of a large prepared block.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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