ELISHA MITCHELL SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY. 27 



Products of the Pine. 

 No. 11. 



THE PRESERVATION OF WOOD WITH WOOD- 

 CREOSOTE OIL. 



J. H. MANNING. 



In 1872, Mr. James D. Stanley, of Baltimore, Md., invented 

 and patented certain retorts and arrangements for the production 

 of ''spirits of turpentine, oil, varnish and inflammable gas'' by 

 the distillation of pine wood. Wilmington offering the advant- 

 ages of one of the largest naval store ports in the world, Messrs. 

 Hansen & Smith of that city purchased in 1882 the patents 

 and plant of Stanley for the purpose of more cheaply manu- 

 facturing these products and establishing a market for them. 

 With certain improvements in the arrangement of retorts, they 

 succeeded in manufacturing, but failed in securing a market for 

 the oils. From this misfortune proceeded experiments with oil 

 and the subsequent discovery of a process for using it in the pres- 

 ervation of wood. The antiseptic and preservative eiFects of 

 creosote have long been known, and the effects of coal creosote 

 in preserving timbers amply proved. By allowing lumber to 

 soak in creosote oil and exposing the same, sufficient proof of its 

 value was given, though the test in itself is insufficient, and bet- 

 ter ways for impregnating the wood with oil were at once experi- 

 mented upon. - 



Messrs. Hansen & Smith succeeded in perfecting machinery 

 to this end, and until 1885 the process was carried out secretly 

 on a small scale. This work was advertised and severest tests 

 applied to their products. Not until 1885, when a stock com- 

 pany was formed, were patents issued for the process. This 

 stock company, under the style of the Carolina Oil and Creosote 

 Co., doing business in the city of Wilmington, has a capital stock 



