E. K. Wood Fireproofing Lumber

Would you bc willing to stick a blow torch in a b4rrel of pain! or hold a match in a drum of gasoline, or can you hold a piecc of silk, burlap" canvas, lincn or drapcry ovcr a Bunscn burner with a heat of 18fl) deg. Fahrenheit without it bursting into flamcs? No. And would you be willing to wagcr that an acetylcne torch would sevcr a piece of wood quicker than steel? You would? Then you lose.

Gen. Fcrnando Sornoza Vivas, noted chcmist and inventor and one-time Consul-General of Honduras for the Pacific Coast Statcs, can and does do all these things, for hc is the father of what is believed to be the greatcst fire-prevention medium in history, the Somoza fire-rctardation process. Through his inventive genius, which is now being materializcd in his laboratorics here, gasoline, turpentine, benzol and o*rcr ultra-inflammablc substanccs rcfusc to burn, and those interested in his succcss are clairiring that his invention will revolutionizc the mantrfacture 'and usc of a long serics of products in this country.

The proccss of Gen. Somoza has provcd of such unquestionable rnerit that the Chamber of Commerce, under John D. Maxficld, hcad of its firc-prevention burcau; the E. K. Wood Lumber Company; J. K. Dockwciler, former City Engincer and chicf engineer of the Los Angeles Union Terminals, and A. J. Smith, former gencral salcs managcr of one of thb largcst industrial ore and chemical companics in thc couhtry, havc become interestcd in its succcss.

Entcring Grcat Field

"I have been watching the progress of Gen. Somozals experimcnts for some tirne and belicve he has perfectcd a proccss for rendering many important and infammablc products noninfammable," Mr. Maxficld said yesterday. "Last year alone there was a loss in the United States from fires of $550,000,000, and approximately 17,fiD lives were lost. This was an increase over the previous year, and authorities agrec that E5 per ccnt of these fires rrere prevcntable, so you see rrhat a great field extends bcfore Gcn. Somoza."

But thc boon to the industries and thc homes of thc country, it is said, will not come only from the noninflammable liquids and fabrice. Onc of thc greatest advanccs will be made in the lumbcr industry, wherc the E. K. Wood Company, as a pioneer in the field, is slowly constructing a plant for the manufacture of fire-retarding lumbcr. Wooden roof shingles which form onc of the most prevalent dangers to a city in a dry section, due to their rapid combustion, it is claimed, are being rendered as safc for house construction as asbestos or slate.

Story Is Romantic

The story of Gen. Somoza's fight for recognitioh with his process is but the repeti- tion of that of many great invcntors. And it is not without its element'of romancc. 'Wc go back to thc time when Gen. Somoza obtained his dcgree in chcmistry at thc University of lcon, Nicaragua, and then forsook his chosen career to enter the diplomatic scrvicc of his country in the'Unitcd States. At that time he was general secretary to Gen. Manucl Bonilla, President of Honduras. Several years after his arrival in San Francisco, where he was stationed,'hc crected thc first foreign pavilion at thc Partama-Pacific Exposition. Then drawn by thc lurc of California resources hc purchased a ranch in Sonoma county, wherc he began conduct- ing experiments in wood products, then in the prcscrvation of wood and in thc dcstructive distillation of wood in the manufacture of alcohol, turpcntine, rosin and charcoal, During the war, necessit5r drove Gen. Somoza to perfecting a proccss for thc production of "Frankfort Black," the base of lithograph and printing ink, which was then manufactured in Germany, from charcoal. These tests wcre successful, but he sufrered several explosions due to the powdered charcoal being subject to spontaneous combus-

Potential Markets For Lumber In Many Cities

Although a recent survey of building construction in 130 cities has led the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics to conclude that considering these cities as a unit, the building shortage caused by the war has been entirely wiped out, the survey indicates that many individual cities are still under-built as compared with their population in- tion. So he studicd Mother Nature's laws and eventually rendcred thesg products firc reststcnt and nonexplostve.

Lost Fortunes

Succcss secmed assurcd for thc inventor at this timc-that is, rurtil thc First Nationd Bank at Santa Rosa failed and financially ruined him. Neccssity broadcned his vision and he extended his ficld to paints, varnishes, cnamels and othcr products. Hc found a sponsor, who was willing to back hin financially-and then his sponsor was killed in an automobile accident.

Undismayed, Gen. Somoza continued with his experiments, bringing his inventign to inr clude the fireproofing of many important infammable articles. At this period he was discovered by the late Frank Wiggins, former sccretary of the local Chamber of Commerce, who persuaded him to bring his experimentation from Oakland to Los Angelcs. That was two ycara ago and his laboratory and plant was first evolvcd in his home, later expanding to a room twenty by forg. It now covers an acrc of land at 2412 East SEth stree! employs half a dozcn men undcr thc supervision of Mr. Smith, supcriqtendent of the factory, and has an equipment rnore than six timcs as largc as it waa six months ato.

Thc chief failurc of fire rctarding proccsscs beforc, as cxplained by Mr. Dockweilcr, consulting engineer and general managcr of Gen. Somoza's laboratorics, and by thc Gcneral himsblf, has bcen duc to thc usc of simplc or compound salts wbich attract moisturc, arc impracticable in decorating or painting and havc no resistent qualitics,

"In the expcrimentation f solvcd two equations," Gen. Somoza said yesterday in explaining his proccss. "First through a combination of two chemicals a new substance is produced which is not soluble and therefore makes fire prevention permanent."

-L. A. Times.

crease and that every section of the country presents opportunity in some of its towns for unusual coristruction activity, says the National Lumber Bulletin.

Lillard Adds To Sales Force

Mr. Frank Calvin is now representing Mark W. Lillard, Inc,, Los Angeles wholesaler of Fir and Hardwood doors, in the sales department.

Old Timers

These pictures arefrom the collection of the Antioch Lumber Co., Antioch, showing the familiar old "Wind Jammer," which was so extensively used in the olden days in the coastwise lumber trade. The "three masted" shows a view of discharging lumber on the dock at Antioch in 1898, while the "six masted" shows the same operations taken at Antioch in 1900.

The Antioch Lumber Co. is the oldest lumber concern in Contra Costa county, and. has operated a lumber yard there continuously for 60 years. H. F. Beede, the present owner of this concern, was first employed there in 1872. Later he became interested in the yard, when it was operated under the name of Rouse-Beede & Co. On February 20, l%)7, the company was incorporated under the name of the Antioch Lumber Co. H. F. Beede, who is one of the pioneer lumbermen of California, is 74 years of age, and together with his two sons, R.M. Beede and H. Mac Beede, they are still looking after the management of this large and progressive concern.

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