What People Don't Know Sometimes Hurts Them

BV J. J. Farley' The Paci0c Lumber Company

We, in California, are prone. to- thinF that rve know all about'Redwood, and why-shouldn't we? ft grows right at our back door, we lumbeimen have handled it ever since we fi;;-;* t.t-t"t in California and if we were born in this State the chances are vr'e lvere born in. a Redwood house' In fact, we ought to know all about it, and because-we rttooia ive do n-ot give it nearly the thought-we would.to something new and original. The result is' that we reauy t"r* t."i than we do ibout most of the new lumber substitutes which have come on the market in the last ten years' Trulv. "familiarity breeds contempt."

- O;; man who i. tto* an acknowledged authority on the practical uses of Redwood never saw a piece of it until ibout six years ago. FIe wa.s a thorough lumberman, well "to""a.a on most-other species and he recognized Redwood i. "tt .*"eptional wood, and a subject worthy of study' Approaching'it with an oPen mind, and no prejudice, in fact, i"ittt a c6mplete ignorance of its eharacteristics and uses, he spent four or Fve yeats of intensive study and is yet learning more about it. We who know so much can surely learn from such a man.

For instance, we have always "known" that Redwood was a "weak wood"; we would never think of using it as ioirt or rafter because it just 4aturally didn't have the stiength. Yet years ago General Grant thought it strong """"itt for bridges attd no* the engineers of the State of Calif6rnia have- decided it rvas strong enough to use throughout California for their highwa-y bridges.' Greenhouse"builders use slender Redwood rafters which support comparatively heavy glass roofs. And we know definitely from statistiis deviloped by the Forest Products Laboratory of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, that Redwood is one of the strongest commercial soft woods figuring strenelth in relation to weight'

\Me""kid" each other about Redwood's fire retardant properties, thinking we are exaggerating them beyond r-easonititt,'n.a*ood h"t been uJed for years in fire walls and baffler, notably in some of the piers in San Francisco harbor. We do not have to think hard to recall cases of Redwood's resistance to fire; such as the famous "Dead Line" of Redwood houses that stopped the San Francisco fire of

Southern Lumbermen Visit California

F. H. McWilliams, well known Southern lumberman of New Orleans, general manager of the R. H' Downman estate, and E. lames Kock, son-in-law of the late Mr' Downman, recintly visited California to lbok over the Downman properties. They left San Francisco, Ju-ne -21, for Portland, (it.., to attend the annual meeting of tlre P1cific Spruce Corporation. Mr. McWilliams will visit Seattle before- returning to New Orleans.

1m6. A good recent example is a Redwood cooling tower which stood beside a gasoline explosion and fire. A roun<l power line pole standing twice as far away was burned up and the tower which offered many exposed edges and corners to the flames was only slightly damaged.

We have always "known" that Redwood would shrink very little sidewise, but that it would shrink endwise regardless of any conditions or tr'eatment offered. But we Iearned this in-the old days when air-dried lumber was fifteen to twenty per cent moisture content was dry.Now when dry lumbei contains ten to twelve per cent of moisture the end shrinkage is gone but it still lingers in our minds. We have all seen tight mitred end joints which stay tight but we can not forget the old ideas.

We all know how the Redwood we used to get would last for years while the Redwood nowadays is_apt to decay or become subject to attack from termites. The termite had been in California for years but the old-time Redwood.was impervious to him so he was not so important as he is now. Ttie Redwood trees are the same as they always have been; the wood is unchanged. The trouble is that we use a number three Common or Construction grade which permits sap, dead wood, etc., whereas the old-time Redwood was alf heart clear or common and as such had all the characteristics which distinguish Redwood over all other species. But we forget this, and all we "know" is that Redwood doesn't last like it used to.

Redwood is a wonderful, remarkable wood, but it has to go away from home to be appreciated. In a strange terriIory pebple knowing they know nothing about it,. study it thoroughly and so learn all the facts which have been discovered more recently, as well as other points which they discover themselves from study and experiment. We who are familiar with it, accept it as it has always appeared and close our minds to any new information, not intentionally, perhaps, but none the less effectively. W_h.y_shouldn't- Caliiornians know most about the wood which is so closely identified with the history and tradition of their State, a product which comprises one of the great natural respurces, lnd which carries the name of California throughout the world?

CORNING LUMBERMAN TO VISIT YELLOW. STONE PARK

D. G. Issac, of the Corning Lumber Co., Corning, accompanied by his wife and two boys, left on May 25 for an lutomobile tour through Kansas, Minnesota and South Dakota. He will return by way of Yellowstone Park and expects to be hotne August 1. - During the absence of Mr. Issac his son Newt will be in charge.