August 10, 1917 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



19 



time, as it is not unlikely to, more hardwoods will doubtless be 

 used in construction that is designed to be more durable and great 

 quantities of hardwood will be called for by the government for 

 its enlarged permanent military and naval and other requirements 

 that will grow out of the war, probably, even though a reign of 

 universal and perpetual peace be established eventually. 



Hardwood for various and sundry naval purposes is required 

 and it is one of the subjects of conferences between naval con- 

 structors and representatives of the Forest Service and certain 

 lumber interests, but not much information is available about the 

 matter. The war business of the navy is not public property, but 

 it is understood that considerable lots of hardwoods are being 

 obtained for the construction of submarine chasers, patrol boats, 

 and ship's boats, etc. 



Hundreds of ' ' chasers ' ' are being built at the navy yards and 

 at numerous shipbuilding and boat building and repair establish- 

 ments all up and down the coast, and on rivers in many sections. 

 Many of these vessels are 110 feet long and it is understood that 

 quantities of oak are going into their frames and ribs. One size 

 of this material that is understood to be widely used is 3 by 3% 

 inches. Kve hundred to a thousand or more of these "mosquito" 

 craft will probably be built. 



The patrol boats and destroyers are of various sizes and two or 

 three hundred million dollars' worth of them are being built at 

 many points. New ways and dry docks at various navy yards and 

 naval stations call for important hardwood timbers, the details 

 concerning which are not available. In the construction of war- 

 ships, including battleships, battle cruisers, scouts, auxiliaries, and 

 other vessels, hardwoods are required to some extent for interior 

 finish and furniture, but the quantities and qualities and varieties 

 are difficult for the layman to ascertain. 



Possibly some idea of the materials entering into the construc- 

 tion of the sub-chasers and patrol boats may be obtained from 

 the prices at which they have been contracted for, which range 

 from $35,000 to $52,000 apiece. 



In the past the navy -has usually built its own small boats for 

 use around navy yards and stations and to be carried on the large 

 craft of the fleet. Boats like whaleboats, launches, barges, etc., 

 are referred to. For reasons best known to itself the navy depart- 

 ment recently awarded contracts for the construction of eighty 

 small boats ranging from twenty-four to forty feet in length at 

 prices ranging from $3,000 to $5,000 apiece. According to the 

 bureau of supplies and accounts of the navy department, these 

 little craft are made largely of hardwoods, but here again details 

 are lacking. It is supposed that oak, mahogany and ash are largely 

 used in the construction of the small boats. 



In the purchase of hardwoods and other lumber for the navy, the 

 bureau of supplies and accounts recently obtained the expert 

 advice and assistance of Charles M. Morford of Nashville, a lum- 

 berman, who was appointed expert assistant in connection with the 

 purchase of lumber for various naval purposes. Mr. Morford is 

 advising as to when and where to buy various lumber and wood 

 materials, kinds and grades, specifications, prices, market condi- 

 tions, etc. 



One of the most interesting opportunities presented to the hard- 

 wood lumbermen of America in this war is that of furnishing 

 materials in large quantities for the construction of vast fleets 

 of airplanes that are being planned to "blind" the Germans. 

 Under a bill pased by the Senate July 23, it is proposed to expend 

 $640,000,000 for aviation and aerona,utics, including, it is reported, 

 the construction of from 20,000 to 35,000 airplanes, the establish- 

 ment of aviation camps, schools and stations, and the training of 

 an army of 100,000 men to do the flying and auxiliary work of the 

 squadrons of American aerial cavalry that it is lioped will in six 

 months or a year be blasting a way for the infantr}' and surface 

 horsemen through the Teutonic lines. 



The airplanes being planned by the United States military author- 

 ities, after conference with Entente aviation experts, include mili- 

 tary training airplanes and military pursuit airplanes, observation 



machines and battle planes. The framework of the wings of the 

 military' maeliines will be chiefly spruce, it is understood, and an 

 important conference has been held at Washington among repre- 

 sentatives of the spruce interests of the Pacific coast and of Caro- 

 lina, and members of the lumber committee, the aircraft production 

 board, general munitions board, Council of National Defense, and 

 arm.y and navy officers of the United States and of Great Britain, 

 France and Italy, with a view to standardizing specifications for 

 the spruce, and adjusting the demands of one nation with those 

 of its allies so that all can obtain the maximum results from the 

 wood resources of this country. 



It is believed that a similar conference should be held between 

 representatives of the hardwood industry products that are used 

 largely in the construction of airplanes. 



While the military authorities are not free with information 

 about the requirements for airplane stock, it is learned that besides 

 1,000 feet of spruce and 250 feet of sugar pine, white pine or elm, 

 an airplane requires about 200 feet of ash and 50 feet of birch 

 for the frame. The so-called "longerons" extending to the rear 

 and forming the tail, are generally based on ash, it is understood. 



About a thousand pounds of wood, it is said, enter into an 

 airplane, after allowing for wastage. Each machine has three 

 propellers and each of them requires 100 feet of hardwoods, it is 

 estimated. These may be mahoganj', walnut, birch, oak, or elm, and 

 built up in laminated fashion so as to attain the required strength 

 and prevent checking and warping. 



To build ten thousand airplanes, it is estimated, may require the 

 equivalent of 20,000,000 feet of rough lumber. Forty to fifty mil- 

 lion feet are estimated as wanted for the proposed new aerial fleets. 

 . Assuming that 800 feet of hardwoods enter into the construction 

 of a single airplane, as would be indicated by the above estimate 

 which is based on reliable authority, 25,000 airplanes that it is 

 now proposed to construct, would call for no less than 20,000,000 

 feet of hardwoods alone. In addition to this there must be calcu- 

 lated the amounts to be required for army and navy aviation under 

 appropriations passed at the last session of Congress or early in 

 this Congress, aggregating $15,000,000 to $20,000,000, also what 

 may be turned out under brand new estimate just submitted by 

 the Secretary of the Navy for $45,000,000 more for aviation. 



George E. Sligh of Grand Eapids, Mich., is attached to the Air- 

 craft Production Board, and is said to be in general charge of the 

 matter of obtaining wood required for airplanes, but he is under- 

 stood to be specializing in the hardwood end of the game, veneers, 

 etc. E. T. Allen of Portland, Ore., member of the committee on 

 lumber, is looking after the spruce end of the proposition. 



The army requirements are not less than 10,000,000 feet of hard- 

 wood for gunstocks. By the end of this year it is believed that 

 the armies of the United States will number nearly 2,000,000 men, 

 but there was and is a certain number of rifles available for them 

 which were on hand before the United States got into the war, 

 perhaps a million rifles. 



At least a million more will be needed to arm the increases of the 

 army in the near future and it is estimated that ten feet of lumber 

 are required from which to fashion a single gunstock. Not only 

 that, but the rule in foreign belligerent countries is four or five 

 rifles for each man, so that there will always be a considerable 

 reserve stock. Also, it is reported that a rifle only lasts a month, 

 more or less, in active trench warfare. 



Walnut is deemed the ideal material for gunstocks. It shrinks 

 less than other woods of similar character and is strong for its 

 weight. It does not swell or warp and is readily worked. How- 

 ever, other hardwoods can be used for gunstocks and some of them 

 have been and are being used, and it is believed that they will be 

 used even more extensively for that purpose. Birch has been used 

 for fashioning gunstocks in this country for foreign governments 

 and it is said to be fairly satisfactory. It is about the same weight 

 as walnut, but is not so stable; that is it shrinks, swells and warps 

 more than walnut, qualities which are liable to interfere with the 



