HARDWOOD RECORD 



43 



the situation to give you move detail. In 

 writing for tlie trade papers I have never 

 tliought it oest to give muoli technical detail. 

 .My interpretation of Daiton's Law is drawn from 

 the reasoning that a cubic foot of air, containing 

 the vapor of a pound of steam, must necessarily 

 have approximately the heat of both, and shall 

 be glad to linow the amount of heat, termed by 

 Mr. Tiemann "latent," imparted in the trans- 

 formation from saturated vapor to vapor of 

 water in saturated air. 



The definition I gave is that of an old encyelo- 

 peoia, and shall be glad if, for a short definition, 

 Mr. Tiemann will give us a better. 



I herewith give letters, self-explanatory : 



Oct. 7th, 1007.- 

 Prof. Edward F. Miller, Mass. Inst, of I'ech., 



Boston. Mass. 

 Dear Sir : 



Will you advise me if I am correct that by 

 the introduction of steam into a closed room 

 ■ dry air. for example at ."iO degrees, may be 

 raised to a steam temperature, 212 degrees, 

 without condensation V What I have in mind is 

 using the exhaust steam from the engine, ob- 

 taining all of its latent lieai for drying without 

 the use of radiating pipe. 



If my reasoning- is c<irrecl. a pound of steam 

 will heat, approximately. ;!:;^ cubic feet of air 

 X'tO degrees, leaving it less than 10 per cent 

 saturated. I feel it is entirely a new idea in 

 drying, but I have passed enough years so that 

 1 am" very cautious of new ideas, especially my 

 own, but'steaming of lumber seems to be ever 

 before the mainifacturer and has never been 

 iutelligently applied uiuler control. 



Appreciating your attention, I am. 

 Yours truly, 



E. E'. Pekkixs. 



Oct. 8th, 1907. 

 J'rof. Edward F. Miller. Mass. Inst, of Tech., 



Boston, Mass. 

 liear Sir: 



In ■ my advice of yesterday I should have 

 stated, "without visible condensation." The 

 real thing that I want to know is, after the 

 steam is condensed disseminating in the air is 

 the condensation in the shape of particles of 

 water and does it so remain supported by the 

 air, 01" after condensation to water is it turned 

 into vapor, absorbing again the number of heat 

 units originally required to raise it into steam 

 and given up in its condensation. 



If this latter is the case, I understand the only 

 beat imparted could be from the condensation 

 from 212 degrees down to the temperature of 

 the air. 



Appreciating your consideration, I am. 

 Yours truly. 



E. E. PerkiN'S. 



Boston. Oct. 14, 1907. 

 Mr. Elmer E. Perkins, 



Chicago. 

 Dear Sir ; 



In reply to your letters of Oct. 7 and S. 



I have "studied over the problem and an exact 

 solution of it is a rather (iifficult job. There is 

 no doubt that the air will be heated to some 

 temperature between 120 degrees and 150 

 degrees without becoming anywhere near sat- 

 urated. 



I am not able to say Just what the degree 

 of saturation will be, as I am not positive as to 

 the final temperature. 



I trust this will encourage you to experiment 

 along these lines. 



Very truly, 



Euw. F. MlLLEK. 



Professor Miller is at the head of the engineer- 

 ing laboratories of the Massachusetts Institute 

 of Technology. The important fact is, can any 

 better result be had from steaming lumber at 

 atmospl\eric pressure than subjecting it to moist 

 air? If this can be shown, it will be a distinct 

 advance in the art of drying, but it does not 

 seem important whether a mixture of air and 

 vapor at atmospheric pressure and 212 degrees 

 contains less heat than steam at the same tem- 

 perature and pressure, as does the fact if they 

 have a different effect in application on lumber in 

 drying. 



My experience is that In steaming lumber at 

 atmosphere, in the past, air has never been 

 wholly excluded ; therefore, temperatures must 

 be considered. The actual thing that takes place 

 in a dry kiln, with the air as near saturation as 

 is possible, is that the cold lumber, absorbing 

 the beat of the air, condenses the vapor on Its 

 surface, allowing the lumber to heat to Its 

 center before drying the outside. It is not hard 

 to understand that, lis the drying goes on, addi- 



tional moisture expelled from the lumber may 

 be held in the room, producing air at any 

 humidity desired, the surplus moisture being ex- 

 pelled or condensed, owing to the method em- 

 ployed. Moist air may be controlled very much 

 better than direct application of steam. As 

 proof of this, let me give the opinion of one of 

 the largest car builders in the country. The 

 wood man of The J. G. Brill Company, Phila- 

 delphia, states : "I can dry green oak in your 

 condensing kiln using steam at the beginning, 

 but find small checks on the surface. When the 

 stock ig dried without the use of direct steam, 

 these checks do not appear." 



Uelative to breaking the cell, I think it does 

 not matter whether it is the cell broken or the 

 pores flattened. The effect is easily seen in the 

 dished effect of the surface, of a board dried not 

 preserving the structure, the thickness of the 

 Iward being full at the edge and 2.5 per cent 

 short of this thickness at the center ; for in- 

 stance, a 1" board will measure 1" at its outer 

 edge, the center being only %". As proof of 

 what has taken place, the Ixiard may be dried 

 in a lower temperature preserving the full 

 dimension, or dried quickly in a higher tempera- 

 ture, the entire board being of the smaller 

 dimension. The definition is not quite clear to 

 nie that the cell does not break, but is "slitted." 



I have always endeavored to reply to these 

 requests for information without using the firm's 

 authority, and your use of the signature, A. H. 

 Andrews & Co., is not correct, as it w^is written 

 with no purpose of advertising whatever. As 

 you have used that signature, put my article 

 with others of advertising impart, it is perhaps 

 allowable for me to state that, in the article 

 of Aug. 25, the statement by one writer, "that 

 everyone knows that it is impossible to kiln dry 

 green oak without first steaming it or piling it on 

 sticks for ninety days or more, on account of its 

 turning dark, honeycombing and checking, also 

 that any one of experience knows that air-dried 

 hardwoods are stronger than kiln dried" not 

 having received contradiction sliould be refuted. 

 The A. H. Andrews Company have several hun- 

 dred kilns drying green oak, without steaming, 

 leaving it much stronger than when dried in the 

 yard. Mr. Fish, chairman of the executive com- 

 mittee of The Studebaker Company, wrote me 

 some years back relative to this claim. I re- 

 plied that water being a disintegrating element. 



when removed from the wood, this disintegrating 

 must be arrested ; therefore, it is not a question 

 whether removing the water by air or in the kiln, 

 the real question being, can lumber be dried In 

 the kiln, preserving its structure? I visited the 

 Studebaker laboratories later, when their assist- 

 ant superintendent informed me that laboratory 

 tests had shown that lumber dried in the kilns 

 was much stronger than that dried in the yard. 

 The International Harvester Company, at their 

 Weber Wagon Works here in Chicago, have dried 

 4" green oak iu this kiln for some years without 

 steaming ; therefore, I shall agree with you that 

 steaming lumber under pressure offers an ad- 

 vance in drying ; however, to be of value to the 

 manufacturer, exact costs and results must be 

 shown; but that the application of steam on 

 liardwoods at atmospheric pressure is of doubt- 

 ful value ; on softwoods, as clearly shown in the 

 letter cited, it has a drying value that sawmills 

 and others, who are wasting their exhaust steam, 

 cannot afford to Ignore. Professor Miller's ad- 

 vice, if carefully read, should be of large value 

 to the sawmill. 



Very truly yours, 



E. E. Perkins. 



Second-Growth White Ash Flitches and 



Hickory 

 New York, Oct. 5. — Editor Hardwood 

 Record ; If you know of any parties getting 

 out second-growth white ash flitches, also 

 second-growth hickory, would be pleased to be 

 put iu touch with them. 



The above letter is from a leading exporter 

 of American woods and anyone who would 

 like to be put iu communication w-ith him, can 

 have the address by writing this office. — 

 Editor. 



Wants Basswood 

 New Orlean'Sj La., Oct. 5. — Editor Hardwood 

 Record: I am in the market tor basswood 

 lumber and logs, and If you could give me the 

 addresses of shippers of this material, I would 

 thank you for this information. 



The above inquirer is a large New Orleans 



exporter, and anyone interested in supplying 

 this material can have liis address by applying 

 to tbis office. — Editor. 



Southern Logging Superintendents 



Organize 



On September 26, in the convention hall of 

 the Grunewald Hotel, New Orleans, was held a 

 meeting of southern logging superintendents. 

 There were present over forty logging superin- 

 tendents, besides a large number of visitors. 

 The deliberations of the body were informal. 



Nominations for temporary chairman resulted 

 in the selection of W. M. Wolfe, logging superin- 

 tendent of the J. J. White Lumber Company. 

 McComb City, Miss. A roll call of those present 

 showed that the mills represented by their super- 

 intendents at the meeting had a combined output 

 of practically two million feet a day. 



A discussion of various methods of operating 

 lagging railroads was first taken up, and con- 

 siderable interesting information was brought 

 out. J. R. McGiffert of the Clyde Iron Works. 

 Duluth, Minn., addressed the attendants, giving 

 some good practical advice on building logging 

 roads. He advised logging superintendents to 

 lay the main track with a view of using skid- 

 ders, and to be very careful in Its construction. 

 He said that in quite a few cases which had 

 come under his observation the failure of skid- 

 ders was due largely to the neglect of logging 

 superintendents in the building of their lines. 

 He devoted some time to discussion of the con- 

 struction of logging roads and insisted that suc- 

 cess could be secured in logging only by the most 



careful attention to keeping the roads in good 

 condition. He also referred to the fact that it 

 is easier to skid logs up hill than down hill, 

 and advocated the plan of placing main logging 

 lines on high ground, with spurs running into 

 the valleys. 



Following Mr. McGiffert's talk there was con- 

 siderable discussion as to the relative value of 

 logging with teams and machinery. Some of the 

 superintendents stated that they were old- 

 J'ashioned and preferred to continue logging with 

 teams. Others, who were using skidders and 

 loaders, told of the benefits which they had de- 

 rived from the use of machinery in every pos- 

 sible place. There was also some talk on the 

 use of machinery where the underbrush in the 

 woods is extremely thick. Most of the men who 

 spoke on this subject believed that although 

 there might be delays in using skidders, the loss 

 of time would be so little in sections where the 

 underbrush was dense. that as a general thing the 

 use of machinery was preferable to teams. 



One of the speakers stated that, in his opinion, 

 a great many logging superintendents attempt to 

 handle work with too light equipment, and that 

 in his experience he had found that the use of 

 the skidder is most advantageous, as he had been 

 able to get out a larger quantity of logs by this 

 means than he had ever been able to handle with 



