60 
BULLETIN 1036, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Messrs. Von Schrenk, Fulks, and Kammerer, using the pitch 
residue of the average creosote before treatment and the pitch 
residue of the individual creosotes after treatment, estimate the loss 
by volatilization to be as shown in Table 21. 
Table 21. — Loss of creosote by volatilization from telegraph poles. 
Pole No. 
Section 
of pole. 
Loss, 
per cent. 
Pole No. 
Section 
of pole. 
Loss, 
per cent. 
10. 749 
10, 749 
29 
29 
1,425 
Top. 
Butt. 
Top. 
Butt. 
Top. 
59.0 
20.8 
42.4 
16.4 
43.3 
1,425 
2,931 
2,931 
9,709 
9,709 
Butt. 
Top. 
Butt. 
Top. 
Butt. 
2.7 
58. 
32.8 
70.8 
60.3 
The same investigators analyzed the oils extracted from the north 
and south sides of two poles; but, on account of lack of concordance 
in results, they could not state definitely whether there was any 
difference in evaporation corresponding to the difference in these two 
points of the compass. They also made a few analyses to determine 
the difference in evaporation near the surface and in the interior of 
the treated portions. Their results show a slight but gradual in- 
crease in the volatility of the creosote extracted from the center 
over that obtained from the outer portions; but the investigators 
state that more analyses should be made. 
Even an average analysis of the creosote is not usually available. 
If, therefore, it is desired to determine the loss by volatilization, 
another assumption must be made. Much of the treated wood 
examined after long service is piling. In a pile there are three 
different parts that represent three different conditions of exposure — 
first, that part of the pile exposed to the air, or the air section; second, 
that part of the pile that is in the water, or the. water section; and, 
third, the point of the pile, which is in the mud, or the mad section. 
The mud section is less likely to change than either of the other two, 
since the loss by evaporation and the loss by solution are both nearly 
negligible. The assumption that there is no appreciable loss of the 
creosote in the point seems, therefore, to be justifiable; at any rate, 
the figures obtained by using this assumption would be less instead 
of greater than the actual loss, even if the assumption is liable to be 
considerably in error. Basing calculations on these two assumptions, 
namely, that the fractions above 270° C. do not disappear appre- 
ciably, and that the creosote in the point is the same as the original 
creosote, the calculations shown in Tables 22 and 23 have been made 
to show the losses occurring from piling that has been in service for 
different lengths of time under different conditions. 
