TIMBER 3 



from it, too, he made his " dug-out " to travel along and 

 across the rivers of the district in which he dwelt ; so on 

 down through the ages, for shipbuilding and constructive 

 pin-poses, timber has continued to our own time to be one 

 of the most largely used of nature's products. 



Timber as a constructional material has many advantages 

 over iron or steel ; it will stand excessive strains and 

 shocks without giving way suddenly that is, it will give 

 indications for some time before arriving at its ultimate 

 breaking point ; it is often cheaper, in many situations 

 much cheaper, and will last longer in exposed situations 

 without requiring any protection such as painting, which 

 is absolutely necessary with iron or steel. In case of 

 damage or fracture it is in many instances easier to repair. 

 Timber piers and quays possess remarkable resilience under 

 the excessive bumping and knocks which they have to 

 sustain. It is true they are more liable to take fire, but 

 this applies more particularly to the decking, and even in 

 iron piers the decking is generally of timber. In the case 

 of fire in a building such as is now largely erected in towns, 

 where the beams carrying weight are almost invariably of 

 steel, these become so buckled and twisted by the action of 

 fire and water as to become useless, so that although it is 

 true that the less timber or combustible material used in a 

 building the less risk there is of fire, yet when a fire does 

 occur the results are practically the same, both materials 

 are rendered useless ; but the warping and twisting of steel 

 girders and columns often push over the outer walls, which 

 does not happen in the case of timber. Then, although 

 small scantlings of timber will be destroyed by fire, it must 

 be a very intense heat which will destroy a large timber 

 beam. The outside becomes charred, and the inner 

 portion thus protected ; and timber beams often stand in 

 buildings after a severe fire, when steel joists would become 



B 2 



