20 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



August 10, 1917 



accuracy of fire of a rifle and with its wear. Gum may be used 

 in quantities for gunstocks before long. 



The production of wooden guns for the purpose of drilling re- 

 cruits, reserves, cadets, school boys, etc., is sai.d to be developing 

 into a large industry in the United States these war days. Birch, 

 black gum and other hardwoods are used for this purpose, and it is 

 said that the government itself is buying these wooden guns for 

 drilling the "rookies." One company in the South is reported to 

 have an order for 6,000,000 wooden guns from the government 

 which are being made after the regular army rifle model. Another 

 concern in New York is said to have orders booked for more than 

 a million guns of hardwood. 



Tent pins or pegs and poles represent another important lumber 

 product of which Uncle Sam wants quantities. He is reported to 

 have contracted with one concern for forty carloads of tent pins. 

 The quartermaster general of the army has issued specifications for 

 these articles according to the army standards. 



The tent poles may be of Douglas fir, "Washington spruce, Cali- 

 fornia sugar pine or white pine, the timber well seasoned, straight 

 grained and free from knots and imperfections. The poles are of 

 different sizes and lengths, according to the kind of tent for which 

 they are to be used, pyramidal, wall, hospital and storage tents. 

 One type must be 12 feet 11 inches long and 2% inches thick; 

 another 14 feet long, 3% inches wide, 2% inches thick; a third 

 kind, hexagonal in shape, 12 feet 3 inches long, 2% inches thick; 

 a fourth, 11 feet 4 inches long, 2% inches wide, 1% inches thick; 

 a fifth variety, to be hexagonal in shape, 9 feet long, 1% inches 

 thick; sixth, hexagonal pole, 4 feet (i inches long, 1% inches thick. 



Tlie hospital tent ridge pole is 18 feet long, 3% inches wide and 

 2% inches thick, and other kinds of ten poles to be 4 feet 8 inches 

 long, 1% inches thick; 20 feet 3 inches long, 3% inches wide and- 

 2% inches thick; 14 feet long, 2% inches thick; 6 feet long, 1% 

 inches thick, and so on. 



At the war department nobody could be found to give an 

 estimate on the government's requirements for tent poles, but that 

 they will be enormous is indicated by the fact that tlie entire 

 strength of the National Guard, some 300,000 men, more or less, 

 is to be housed in tents in southern camps this summer and fall 

 and winter until transportation can be obtained to carry them to 

 France. Tents are also being used by other branches of the mili- 

 tary service and will continue to be both at home and abroad to 

 a greater or lesser extent, as well as temporarily by the navy men 

 at overcrowded training stations, and by the marines. And the 

 number of ten poles required for each tent varies from one to 

 twelve, according to the size and kind of the tent. Assuming that 

 there were half a million tents erected for military purposes of this 

 government and that an average of six poles were used, the result 

 would be 3,000,000 poles each, requiring many feet of lumber. 



Continuing that assumption, the hardwood resources of the 

 United States will be called upon to furnish many millions of tent 

 pins, which should be of oak, hickory, beech, birch or hard maple, 

 straight grained and free from knots and imperfections, and well 

 seasoned. These tent pins are of two sizes, large measuring 24 

 inches in length, lyo inches wide and 1 inch thick; and small 

 measuring 16 inches long, 1% inches wide and 1 inch thick. The 

 tent pins are to be uniformly and evenly sawed with the grain of 

 the wood, the top and point of the pins to be turned, and notches' to 

 be cut in them near the top end so that ropes can be tied to fasten 

 down the tents. 



Each tent requires from 40 to 130 tent pins, according to the type 

 and size of the tent. The war department requires that the tent 

 pins be packed in crates containing 250 large or 400 small tent 

 pins. Averaging the numbers required for the various kinds of 

 tents one gets a figure of 85, which multiplied by an estimate of 

 half a million tents, yields a total of 42,500,000 tent pins needed at 

 one time, each made out of at least a board foot of lumber, it is 

 thought. And these tent pins must be frequently replaced, as they 

 can not be reused indefinitely. 



Another big hardwood item of little things on the list of govern- 

 ment requirements is that of handles. Enormous quantities of 



hickory, ash and oak handles are being taken and will continue 

 to be needed by the army at home and abroad, the marines, raw 

 recruits and by others engaged in military training more or less. 

 Por instance. General Pershing, commanding the American expedi- 

 tionary forces in France, has sent over a call for hundreds of 

 thousands of shovels, picks, spades and axes at once and for 

 monthly quotas of many thousands. These tools aU need one or 

 two or more handles, so that the opportunity for the American 

 producer of handle stock seems practically unlimited. It is under- 

 stood that the tool handles required are of regular and special 

 types. 



Considerable quantities of furniture of poplar and other hard and 

 soft woods are wanted by the government for use in equipping the 

 National army cantonments, the National Guard tent cities and 

 the new barrack buildings of the army, navy and marine corps. 

 This furniture includes big orders of plain tables, chairs, camp 

 stools, desks, cots, etc. An army cot alone takes about ten feet of 

 lumber, it is understood, and one order for cots numbering half a 

 million, which may be half of the cots needed by Uncle Sam in the 

 near future, requires 5,000,000 feet of rock elm, beech or harcj 

 maple, chiefly 1% inches thick. Furniture for the navy's vessels 

 should also be considered as offering opportunities for a big but 

 uncertain lot of hardwood products. 



Army transportation requires a great (]uantity of hardwood lum- 

 ber, vehicle stock, for making 30,000 army escort wagons, besides 

 big lots of hardwoods for the bodies of motor trucks and for the 

 bodies and wheels of automobiles of the so-called pleasure type for 

 use by army ofiicers to carry them about their duties in camp, on 

 the battlefield and on the march. 



It is estimated that at least 25,000,000 feet of hunbcr, chiefly 

 hardwoods and high grade yellow pine, is required tor tlie produc- 

 tion of the escort wagons alone. The hardwood requirements in- 

 clude high grade oak, ash and hickory vehicle stock, it is under- 

 stood, although efforts to obtain a copy of the war department 

 specifications were unsuccessful. 



As to motor trucks, indications are that the war department will 

 be one of the biggest purchasers of this proilui t in the world for 

 some time to come. Besides large fleets of motor trucks that were 

 bought about a year ago, when the Mexican situation was critical, 

 it is reported that the de])artment now wants another 70,000 or 

 75,000 trucks. The magnitude of this prospect may be realized 

 when it is stated by a good authority that the allied armies of 

 France, Great Britain, Belgium, Russia and Portugal have not on 

 the western battle front in Kurope more than 35,000 or 40,000 motor 

 trucks. America's quota of this typical American product would 

 be double the size of the motor truck fleets of her allies in western 

 Europe. 



Only the other day the war department awarded contracts for 

 10,000 motor trucks of various makes. More will be ordered from 

 time to time as required, but meanwhile the truck manufacturers 

 liave been in touch with the government and realize what is ex- 

 l)ected of them. They have already been asked to submit prices 

 on 35,000 or 40,000 trucks of good size and wide radius of action, 

 which number is ofiScially calculated as all that is necessary for 

 an army of 2,000,000 men. 



Tlie standard specifications for Classes A and B of motor trucks 

 for the army show that hardwoods have the call on the market for 

 the truck bodies. Following are some provisions of the specifica- 

 tions: 



7. Material: The sides, head and tail board and floor are to be 

 made of best quality yellow pine, poplar, Cottonwood or gum. The 

 side stakes, bolsters, sills, top bows and ridge poles are to be made 

 of best quality white oak, ash, elm or hickory. AU wood must be 

 thoroughly seasoned and dressed on four sides. 



8. The bows and ridge pole are to be 1" by 2W in section, with 

 all edges rounded to a radius of i/4-inch. The bows shall be held to 

 the ridge pole and sides of the body by nicims of best quality 

 malleable iron staples, bolted to the body and bows by means of 



' 14-inch bolts, with ends of bolts riveted over nuts. 



9. All iron or steel used in the construction of bodies must be 

 free from rust, corrosion or pitting, and iinist not be bent or 

 warped. Where malleable castings are used tlicy must be thorough- 



