236 BELL sySTEM TECIlStCAL JOURNAL 



warrant the necessary investment in them. However, suitable 

 locations have been established and plants have been constructed 

 which will, when operating to their planned capacities, treat about 

 139,000 chestnut poles per year, and these plants may easily be 

 enlarged to treat additional quantities as the demand for treated 

 poles develops. 



These plants have been designed by our engineers and are being 

 operated for applying preservative treatments to poles used by the 

 Bell System. 



LOC.VTING THE TREATING PLANTS 



It might be interesting to bring out the governing considerations 

 in locating the chestnut open tank treating plants, as compared with 

 commercial plants for treating cedar poles, which are operating in 

 the north central and northwest portions of the Uhited States. Due 

 to the geographical locations in which the cedar poles grow, in rela- 

 tion to the centers of distribution en route to the locations where 

 they will be used, treating plants of large capacities can be supplied 

 for many years with poles which pass them in the normal course of 

 transporting the poles from the timber to their destinations. Com- 

 mercial pole treating companies seem to have had no difficulty in 

 establishing locations for handling 100,000 or more cedar poles per 

 \ear through a single plant; whereas the scattered locations of the 

 chestnut poles, as outlined above, make it more economical to build 

 the chestnut treating plants in units \'arying between 10,000 and 

 36,000 poles per year capacity. 



Several factors were considered in deterniiiiing tiu' jiropor loca- 

 lioiis for the seven Bell System treating plants which have been 

 l)nili. It was often possible to select a location which was admirabl>- 

 adajjled to the purpose when considered from two or three view- 

 pi)iiits but which was foimd imdesirable when considered from all 

 (if I he necessary angles. The principal points considered were: 



1. yuantitN' of poles of liie desired sizes axailable locally wliicli 

 could be ilelivered to a proposed plant b\- wagons, mnicir \flii(les, 

 etc. 



2. Qiianli(\' of poles wliicli coiiM he con\ cnienlK- routed past the 

 plant during the rail sliipmenis iVoin tlu> tiniher lo their desti- 

 nations. 



3. Quality of the available timber. 



