Open Tank Creosoting Plants for Treating 

 Chestnut Poles 



By T. C. SMITH 

 iMKKDUniON 



Tj^Olv ,1 mimlicr of years rlu'stiuit tinila-r, lieraiisc of its many 

 ■I (li'sirahle cluiracti'risfirs, has served a broad field of usefulness 

 in telephone line construction work, not only in its native territory, 

 the eastern and southeastern part of the United States, but also in 

 neighboring states. In fact, as an average, about 200,000 chestnut 

 poles are set annualK- in the Bell System plant as replacements and 

 in new lines. 



In areas which are gradually being extended from the northern 

 part of the chestnut growing territory into the southern sections, 

 blight is ra()idly making serious inroads into this class of pole timber. 

 North of the Potomac Riser practically all chestnut territories have 

 been visited by the blight anil it has in a major sense crossed into 

 areas south and southwest of this river, where it is de\-eIoping from 

 scattered spots. While many pj)les are yet secured in the blighted 

 areas, they must be cut within a very few years after becoming afifected, 

 in order to save them from the fleca\' which destroys blighted poles 

 after they are killed. 



.A chestnut pole lasts satisfactorily above the ground line but 

 decays at and within a few inches below the ground, thus weakening 

 it at a critical location. In order to protect the poles from decay 

 at this lf)cation. the open tank creosote treatment seems to be the 

 most satisfactory-, where the facilities for applying the treatment 

 are available. In general this treatment consists of standing the 

 [>oles in an ofK'n tank and treating them in a creosote bath which 

 covers them from the butt ends to a point about one foot above 

 what will l)e the ground line when the poles are set. The method 

 of appKing the treatment will be explained in more detail further 

 along in the paper. 



Due to the scattered locations of the cliesiTUit timber .ind also to 

 the fact that in many places this timl>er is rapidly being depleted 

 by the blight, it has required cf)nsiderable study to establish loca- 

 tions for ofH'U tank treating plants which would be convenient for 

 applying the treatments anti would also have a sufficient available 

 pole supply to permit the oi)eration of the plants long enough to 



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