170 



" The coarser grained wood [Colonial FirJ seems to contain a large amount of sap, 

 and take after the nature of Baltic red pine, although either of these woods, when 

 thoroughly creosoted, are well adapted for railway purposes ; but I cannot help thinking 

 that in actual use the fine grained wood would be less likely to throw off in evaporation 

 a lesser quantity of creosote than the more sappy wood, therefore adding very much to 

 its lasting qualities." 



p. 38. Mr. E. E. Niblett to Mr. S. Aitken : "That this kind of wood will with 

 proper machinery absorb creosote thoroughly is proved by the fact that the oil (in almost 

 every case) having penetrated through the whole substance of the wood particularized in 

 the pieces Nos. 1 [Upright Y.W.], 5 [Outeniqua Y.W.], and 9 [White Pear]. The 

 pieces Nos. 10 and 13 [Colonial Fir], being of a coarser grain and apparently containing 

 in the pores, especially near the heart, a gummy or resinous substance which in a measure 

 has acted with a resisting force against the more freely absorbing nature of the closer 



grained wood Respecting the relative durability of the wood 



experimented upon, I am strongly of opinion that the more closely grained wood, when 

 impregnated thoroughly with creosote, would be less likely in actual work to throw off 

 in evaporation (or exposure to the elements) a lesser quantity of creosote than the 

 coarser grained wood, and therefore all the preserving qualities of the oil most essential 

 to its nature would be retained in the wood, thereby resisting the absorption of any 

 external moisture with which it might be brought in contact. 



*' There is another reason, too, why I think the closer grained wood, after being 

 creosoted, would be more lasting than the coarser grained wood ; that is because the former 

 resembles in its nature American Pine, whereas the latter seems to take more after the 

 nature of Memel or Dantzig Pine." 



p. 39. Mr. S. Aitken, to the Commissioner's Office : " I am quite convinced that 

 the sleepers of Native wood creosoted will be found superior I may say greatly superior 

 to any you have imported from England, and in this opinion I am quite confirmed by 

 that of the practical men whose reports I have left with you." 



The other portions of the collection of reports from which extracts have been made 

 deal chiefly with business matters, and do not contain any additional information relative- 

 to the suitability of Yellow wood and other Colonial woods for i ail way sleepers. 



