26th Congress, 
 \si Session. 
 
 [ SENATE. ] 
 
 [ 428 ] 
 
 IIEPORT 
 
 FROM 
 
 THE SECRETARY OF WAR, 
 
 In compliance with a resolution of the Senate relative to the application 
 of a mineral solution to the preservation of timber^ called " Kyani- 
 
 April 9, 1840. 
 
 Ordered to be printed. 
 April 10, 1840. 
 
 Referred to tlie Committee on Naval Affairs. 
 
 April 21, 1840. 
 
 Committee discliarged, and 200 additional copies ordered to be printed. 
 
 War Department, April 9, 1840. 
 
 Sir: I have the honor to submit the reports of the chiefs of the Engi- 
 neer and Topocrrapliical Bureaus, furnishing the information called for by 
 a resolution of the Senate, dated the 20th ultimo, relative to the application 
 of a mineral solution to the preservation of timber, called "Kyanizing." 
 Verv respectfully, your most obedient servant, 
 
 J. R. POINSETT. 
 
 Hon. R. M. Johnson, 
 
 President of tJte Senate. 
 
 Bureau of Topographical Engineers, 
 
 Washington^ April 3, 1840. 
 
 Sir : In reference to the resolution of the Senate of the 20th instant, I 
 have the honor to submit the following report : 
 
 Kyanizing is the name for a process of saturating timber with a solution 
 of corrosive sublimate. The name is derived from the inventor (J. H. 
 Kyan, Esq., of Enorland), who, having ascertained, by a great variety of 
 experimentis, ''that albumen was the primary cause of the putrefaction and 
 isiibseqnpn*^3" of the decomposition of vegetable matter," and aware of the 
 affinity between albumen and corrosive sublimate, he concluded that, by sat- 
 urating timber with the corrosive sublimate, its combination with the albu- 
 men v/ould prevent its fermentation and decomposition, and consequently 
 their destructive effects upon the timber. The object of the process is, 
 therefore, to combine a well-established anti-destructive material with that 
 which is considered the principal cause of the destruction of timber, and 
 Blair & Rives, printers. 
 
[ 428 ] 
 
 2 
 
 thus to modify the character of the latter by the formation of a new and 
 comparatively indestructible compound. 
 
 Mr. Kyan justly deserves the credit of the invention in its useful appli- 
 cation, and which, it would seem, has generally been conceded to him by 
 the name of the process, although the use of corrosive sublimate, as a pre- 
 ventive of dry-roc, was suggested in the form of a wash by Sir Humphrey 
 Davy ; and Chapman, " on the preservation of timber,'' as stated in 
 Thompson's Chemistry, says, " corrosive sublimate may be advantageously 
 used in the proportion of one ounce to one gallon of water, to be applied 
 hot." 
 
 The mode of operation is, to construct a trough, or tank, in which the 
 timber intended to be prepared is placed, and secured in position, when the 
 trough, or tank, is sufficiently filled with the solution to cover the timber 
 thorouglily. 
 
 The cost of preparing the timber depends upon the following elements ; 
 first, the construction ot the tank ; 2d, the cost of the corrosive sublimate ; 
 ^^d, the proportion of the mixture and quantity absorbed ; and 4th, the 
 labor of attending the process. 
 
 The cost of the tank would be to be divided upon the whole quantity of 
 timber prepared, and would, of course, lessen the expense of preparing the 
 timber in proportion to the quantity. The cost of the corrosive sublimate 
 is about per pound ; the proportion to water is variously stated at one 
 pound to five gallons of water, one pound to seven gallons, and one pound 
 to fifteen gallons : this last is considered as the weakest admissible solution. 
 The quantity absorbed must depend upon the kind of timber. The more 
 albuminous matter it contains, the more of the solution will have to be ab- 
 sorbed to produce the desired change of that matter. The labor in attend- 
 ing upon the process is not great. In an experiment made in the navy yard 
 at Boston, in 1838, the labor was estimated at about one-ninth of the whole 
 expense ; the proportions of the mixture, one pound of corrosive sublimate 
 to seven gallons of water ; and the cost of preparing the limber, exclusive 
 of the cost of the tanks, at about twelve cents the cubic foot. I have un- 
 derstood that some interesting experiments were made by Colonel Totten, 
 of the corps of engineers, when stationed at Fort Adams, which will, no 
 doubt, be noticed in his report under the resolution. 
 
 Kyan says, that a load of pine timber (fifty cubic feet) will cost, to pre- 
 serve it, twenty shillings sterling — about ten cents per cubic foot ; and that 
 this quantity would require about one pound of corrosive sublimate. In 
 the United Service Journal, the quantity is stated at from one to one and a 
 half pounds the load. In an article in the Journal of the Franklin Insti- 
 tute, from the Earl of Manvers, the proportion of one pound to ten gallons 
 of water is given. 
 
 Mr. G. M. Totten, civil engineer, in an estimate of the cost (Army and 
 Navy Chronicle, for 1837, page 341), at one pound to five gallons of water. 
 or. according to others, at one pound to ten gallons, assumes, that a cubic 
 foot of oak timber will absorb three pints of the liquid ; and he states the 
 price of the corrosive sublimate at eighty-six cents the pound, the cost of 
 the liquid, at six and a haU cents per cubic foot, that of tanks, labor, and 
 liquid ai eight cents ; but he does not appear to have made any allowance 
 for labor in attending to the process, or other contingency. * 
 
 Corrosive sublimate is soluble in water at the rate of five parts by weight, 
 to one hundred parts by weight, of water at 60° of Fahrenheit, or efght 
 
3 
 
 [ 428 3 
 
 ounces per gallon ; and fifty parts in one hundred, at a temperature of 212^ 
 of Fahrenheit, or five pounds per gallon. From which it will be observed, 
 that the strength of the mixture depends upon the temperature of the 
 water used, and no doubt also upon its softness. 
 
 I have, myself, made no experiments on this matter. The remarks 
 which occasioned the resolution are in the last annual report from this of- 
 fice, in which the use of Kyanized timber is recommended for the harbor 
 improvements on the lakes, and with the object of giving to those improve- 
 ments a character of greater permanency than can be obtained to an equal 
 degree in any other way, at so small an expense. In case these improve- 
 ments should be continued, the preparing of the timber will open a field 
 for the most interesting experiments, and upon a large scale. 
 
 Of the main point involved, namely, that Kyanizing timber really in- 
 creases its durabihty, there is, I believe, now no doubt. Upon this single 
 point, therefore, there need be no experiment. It is, I think, sufficiently 
 established, as may be ascertained, in addition to the authorities already 
 referred to, from Professor Farrady's lecture of 1834, a pamphlet by Mer- 
 cator, of the same year, Doctor Burbeck's lecture, a report from a committee 
 of the board of admiralty in 1835, a report, in 1838, from a commission in 
 Holland of experiments made in the dock yards of that kingdom. All 
 these clearly show that the effects of Kyanizing are, the prevention of dry 
 rot ; a more perfect and more certain seasoning of timber ; defence against 
 the depredation of insects ; and that it can be applied to all kinds of tim- 
 ber. These are, certainly, correct results, if the authorities named are de- 
 serving of confidence, of which they undoubtedly are, in my opinion ; and 
 therefore justify me in resting upon the single fact, that the process of Ky- 
 anizmg is a certain mode of increasing the durabihty of timber. 
 
 The points which do not seem to be sufficiently determined, and upon 
 which it would be extremely desirable to make a series of experiments, are i 
 
 1st, The proper strength of the solution for different kinds of timber ; 
 
 2d. The time required for it to penetrate different thicknesses of different 
 kinds of timber ; 
 
 3d. The quantity absorbed by different kinds of timber, and the period 
 of cutting best adapted to receive it. 
 
 In making these experiments, many interesting facts will be suggested to 
 a carelul observer, adding much to the value of the general results, proba- 
 bly the partial mineralization which the timber undergoes in the process, 
 may render it also less liable to combustion. 
 
 In the report which occasioned the inquiry of the Senate, allusion is 
 made to a process of mineralizing^ timber by the sulphates of iron and cop- 
 per, as an invention of Doctor Edward Earle, of Philadelphia. I submit 
 certain. papers on the subject which Doctor Earle has left with me. 
 Very respectfully, sir, your obedient servant, 
 
 J. J. ABERT, 
 Colonel Top. Engineers. 
 
 Hon. J. R. Poinsett, 
 
 Secretary of War. 
 
[ 428 ] 
 
 4 
 
 PRESERVATION OF TIMBER. 
 
 Hall of the Franklin Institute, 
 
 Philadelphia^ December 12, 1839. 
 
 The committee on science and the arts, constituted by the Franklin 
 Institute of the State of Pennsylvania for the promotion of the Mechanic 
 arts, to whom was referred for examination Dr. Edward Earle's method 
 of preserving timber, report. 
 
 [The " report" being long, and a considerable portion of it, although a 
 necessary part of the whole, being irrelevant to the main purpose ; an ab- 
 stract of it may suffice to show the proceedings of the committee, and the 
 conclusions to which their investigations, experiments, and reasonings, have 
 conducted them as to the nature and qualities of the means employed, and 
 the probable advantages and value of the process. Composed of many 
 of the most distinguished m.embers of the Institute — such as President A. 
 D. Bache, Messrs. Booth, Peale, Merrick, Frazer, and others, the above 
 committee may be considered as constituting, in matters of science, the 
 highest tribunal in our country ; and the sanction of its approbation must 
 go far to establish the character of those inventions and improvements on 
 which it is conferred. 
 
 Having adverted to the form of the " process" — the materials used and 
 the mode of applying them — together v/itli the different kinds of decay to 
 which timber is liable, and which they agree with others in attributing to 
 the gaseous, albuminous, and glutinous substances inherent in it ; they give 
 a short history of the attempts which have been made, in different countries, 
 to prevent or cure this costly evil. They then proceed to detail their own 
 experiments made to determine the relative efTects produced on the putre- 
 factive constituents of timber, by the sulphates of iron and copper, and by 
 corrosive sublimate, which salts they find to act in a similar manner and 
 equally — and are considered as the materials most powerful in their pres- 
 ervative agency; and, also, their experimeiits to ascertain the introduction 
 of the sulphates, by the proposed process," into the body of different kinds 
 of wood. In the course of the experiments made for these several purposes, 
 they satisfy themselves of the following results, most affecting the subject, 
 which we give in the language of the " report"] : 
 
 " 1st. That if these salts — the sulphates of n*on and copper — penetrate 
 the wood throughlj^, according to the process adopted by Dr. Earle, we 
 have an economical substitute for the mercurial compound — the corrosive 
 sublimate ; 
 
 "2d. That the solutions are carried through the pores of the wood^ is 
 conclusively shown by the experiments (detailed) on pieces taken from the 
 interior of large pieces of timber which had been boiled with the solutions. 
 The pieces were further split in half and the experiments made on the 
 inner surface ; 
 
 "3d. Tiiat heated solutions of various salts, such as corrosive sublimate 
 and the sulphates of iron and copper, operate by expelling the gaseous mat- 
 ter, and rendering the albumen and gelatine inert in all the parts of the 
 wood which they penetrate ; 
 
 " 4th. That they (the sulphates) penetrate different woods in different 
 degrees ; ash being more thoroughly impregnated ; he/nlock nearly the samej 
 hickory less so ; and oaf: still less ; 
 
5 
 
 [ 428 J 
 
 " 5th. That the sulphates of iron and copper produce the precipitation 
 ■of albumen equally well with the perchloride of mercury [corrosive subli- 
 mate)^ and that of gluten in a nearly equal degree ; and that they are 
 therefore to be considered as an excellent arid economical substitute for 
 that compound ; 
 
 " 6th. That therefore the penetration of wood, by these salts {the sul- 
 phates of iron and copper) renders it less subject to decay and the attacks 
 of insects ; 
 
 " 7th. That although theory and experiment thus go to show the dimin- 
 ished destructibihty of the wood, experiments on a hirge scale should be 
 instituted in order to ascertain the correctness of these views of the com- 
 mittee, without which they are of little value ; but that the subject is one of 
 sufficient importance, and the probability of success sufficiently strong, to 
 warrant the performance of such experiments with great care, and with less 
 regard to the primary expense; 
 
 " 8th. That lime penetrates wood in a similar manner" — but the opinion 
 of the committee as to the effect of lime on the wood being less favorable, 
 their experiments and retisonings are not thought important to be commu- 
 nicated. 
 
 To the report of the Franklin Institute it may not be unavailing to add 
 that numerous other testimonials, consisting as well of facts as of the opin- 
 ions of scientific and practical individuals, might be adduced by the patentee 
 in favor of his " process and especially that the " committee on public 
 highways" — after having used it to some extent in paving with blocks, 
 during the summer and autumn of 1839, — have made a " report" on it to 
 the councils consonant to that of the institute ; presenting it in the most 
 favorable manner to the attention of the councils v/henever they shall con- 
 sider it expedient to proceed further in the employment of wooden pave- 
 ments, &c. 
 
 The process is conducted by means of boilers and wooden tanks, which, 
 in size and cost, may be accommodated to timber of any dimensions and 
 quantity, whether it be to prepare posts for fencing, or the largest ship- 
 timber ; and is capable of reducing it, in a few hours, from a perfectly green 
 to a perfectly seasoned state. The efficiency of this method, it is believed, 
 will prove equal, at least, to any that ever has been tried ; while the facility 
 with which it may be practised, and the trifling expense attending it, give 
 it powerful claims to general acceptance. The materials employed being 
 inexhaustible too, and not liable to fluctuation in price, can never occasion 
 an augmentation of the cost. 
 
 Communications to the patentee, may be directed to the care of J no. C. 
 Montgomery, Esq., President of the Little Schuylkill and Susquehannah 
 Railroad Company, or to Wm. Rawle, Esq., Counsellor at Law, Phila- 
 delphia. 
 
 EDW. EARLE. 
 
 Philadelphia, January 14, 1840. 
 
 Philadelphia, October 4, 1839. 
 Respected Friend — In compliance with thy request that we should 
 communicate to thee the result of any experience we may have had in the 
 
6 
 
 employment of wooden vessels in our copperas and blue vitriol works, we 
 may briefly state that about two and a half years ago we had a number of 
 large crystallizing vats made of seasoned white pine-planks into which the 
 hot solution of sulphate of iron is drawn from the 2:enerators. The first 
 effect observed was a shrinking of the wood and consequent leaking, to 
 obviate which the crystallizers were successively buried, nearly to the top, 
 in a moist clay soil. Several of those which have been thus buried have,, 
 from time to time, been taken up and examined, and we have found no in- 
 dications of decay, the texture of the wood appearing generally quite firm 
 and sound, except in places where there have been fissures into which the 
 saturated solution penetrating has, by its crystallization, forced apart the 
 fibres of the wood. We have no doubt that the impregnation of wood 
 with the solution of copperas tends to its preservation, possibly in a high 
 degree, but the facts above recited are all that have come under our notice* 
 We formerly employed wooden vessels for the sulphate of copper, but find- 
 ing that the wood was softened by the strong acid solution, we have substi- 
 tuted lead ; we should, however, observe that that effect would not be pro- 
 duced by a dilute solution, such as that thou usest ; on the contrary, we 
 think it quite probable that in such proportion it may increase the efficiency 
 of copperas in preserving the wood. 
 
 Respectfully, 
 
 CARTER (fe SCATTERGOOD, 
 
 Manvfaciiiring Chemists. 
 
 Dr. E. Earle. 
 
 Extract from the minutes of the committee on public highways^ Philadel- 
 phia, August 13, 1839. 
 
 " JResolved, That this committee, having tried the process of Dr. Earle, 
 are satisfied, from the effect of chemical tests on the split blocks and other 
 evidence before them, that he has fully succeeded in impregnating the 
 wood with the salts of iron and copper." 
 
 WM. STEVENSON, Secretary. 
 
 The above "resolution," in connexion with the fact that, under the au- 
 thority of the said committee, several portions of the streets of Philadelphia 
 have already been paved with blocks of wood prepared according to this 
 process, and that the same work is still proceeding in other parts of the city, 
 is strongly expressive of their confidence in the effect of it ; and the letter 
 of Messrs. Carter <fe Scattergood (a couple of our most respectable manu- 
 facturing chemists,) confirms, in a great degree, the fact recognised by the. 
 committee in their " report" to the councils forming a part of the annexed 
 circular. 
 
 E. E. 
 
 Philadelphia, October 22, 1839. 
 
 Sir : That you may be the better enabled to estimate the value of the 
 mineralizing process," I respectfully submit to you the opinions and rea- 
 sonings of a few of those who are of highest authority on such subjects. T 
 ask the favour of your attention, therefore, to the following evidences of the 
 
7 C 428 ] 
 
 confidence to which that " process" is entitled, and to the great value and 
 importance it must have for the uses for which it is designed. 
 1 am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 EDW. EARLE. 
 
 November 13, 1839. 
 
 In stating the reasons on which I have formed my mode of treating tim- 
 ber, for its preservation, and for behoving in its efficacy, it may be most 
 avaihng to show their agreement with the opinions of a few of the latest 
 and most approved authors, who have either treated the subject professedly, 
 or have stated the general principles and means, by which it and similar 
 objects are to be attained. Of the first description, is Tredgold, whose au- 
 thority on carpentry, the selection and employment of timber, (fcc, is gen- 
 erally received ; — and of the latter description, is Dr. Ure, of Glasgow — one 
 of the most profound, and certainly one of the most practical and exten- 
 sively useful chemists, as regards the arts and manufacturers, now living. 
 In speaking of the causes of disease in timber, and of the means of prevent- 
 ing and arrestins: it, Mr. Treds^old also gives a few admonitions of evils 
 that occur in building, well deserving the attention of those who are in any 
 way engaged in such undertakings. For such evils the mineralizing pro- 
 cess" seems to offer the best remedy. 
 
 Mr. Tredgold says — warmth and moisture are the most active causes 
 of decay." 
 
 Building timber into new walls is often a cause of decay, as the lime and 
 damp brickwork are active agents in producing putrefaction, particularly 
 where the scrapings of roads are made use of instead of sand for mortar. 
 Henceit is, that bond timbers, wall-plates, and the ends of girders, joists, and 
 lintels, are so frequently found in a state of decay." 
 
 "However well timber may be seasoned [meaning in the ordinary way] 
 if it be employed in a damp situation, decay is the certain consequence." 
 
 " It is generally imagined, that timber may be secured against the rot by 
 impregnating it with substances that resist putrefaction." 
 
 " Sul'pkate of iron (green copperas) appears to be likely to answer this 
 purpose." 
 
 " In the Swedish transactions, it is recommended for preserving the wood 
 of wheel carriages from decay ; (Newman, quoted by Chapman, on preser- 
 vation of timber) — and Mr. Chapman observes, that wooden vessels in tvhich 
 copperas is cryslallized^ become exceedingly hard, and not subject to 
 decayP 
 
 To cure the external rot, the same author continues : " A solution of 
 corrosive sublimate would answer very well. It was proposed by Sir Hum- 
 phrey Davy. A weak solution does not produce the desired effect. Chap- 
 man says, there should be an ounce of corrosive sublimate to a gallon of 
 water." 
 
 " A solution of snlphute of copper makes an excellent wash ; and is 
 cheaper than the precediJig one^ 
 
 " A strong- solution, of sulphate of iron is sometimes used, hut is 7iot so 
 effectual as that of copper ; and sometimes a mixture of the two solutions 
 has been used^ 
 
 Dr. Ure, describing the destructive process of vegetables, in his late very 
 -valuable work, expresses hmiself so pertinently to my purpose, and so forci- 
 
t 428 ] 
 
 8 
 
 bly inculcates the very principles and materials I had previously adopted, 
 that I quote from him a few of his most significant sentences : 
 
 " In vegetables which putrefy, it is the albu??ien which first suffers de- 
 composition. When dissolved in water, [as it always is, in its natural state] 
 it very readily putrefies in a moderately warm air ; but when coagulated, 
 it seems as little liable to putridity as fibrin itself. He7ice, t/i06X means 
 which by coagulation make the albumen insoltible, or form, loiih it a new 
 compound, which does not dissolve imvafer, but ivhich resists 'putrefaction^ 
 are powerful aiitisepticsy 
 
 In this way," acids, alcohol, salt, sugar, and a great variety of chemical 
 substances, act in curing hides and meat, and in preserving, for domestic 
 use, our summer fruits and vegetables, as sour krout, (fcc. But, than all 
 others, continues Dr. Ure, " the metallic salts operate still more efFt3Ctually 
 as antiseptics, because they form with albumen still more intimate com- 
 binations. Under this head we especially class the green and red sulphates 
 of iron [the sulphate of copper] and corrosive sublimate. The latter, 
 however, from its poisonous qualities, can be employed only on special oc- 
 ^casions." 
 
 On a different occasion he says — 
 
 '•Albumen occasions precipitates with the solutions of almost every me- 
 tallic salt ; and, according to Dr. Bostock, a drop of saturated solution of 
 corrosive sublimate, let fall into water containing one two thousandth of 
 albumen, occasions a milkiness and curdy precipitate." [In other places, 
 Dr. Ure classes the sulphates of copper and iron by the side of corrosive 
 sublimate ; and i have had occasion to show to the former " committee on 
 public highways," that the solution of these sulphates, in the proportions 
 in which I use them, produces, with albumen, the appearance here spoken 
 of in precisely the same manner, and in an equally strong degree as the so- 
 lution of corrosive sublimate.] 
 
 The expulsion of water and of oxygen gas, or the fixation of them by 
 other substances, is another necessary meansj stated by Dr.. Ure, for the 
 prevention ot putrefaction : 
 
 " Even in those cases where no separation of the albumen takes place in 
 a coagulated form, or as a solid precipitate, by the operation of a substance 
 foreign to the juices, putrefaction cannot go on, any more than other kinds 
 of fermentation, in bodies wholly or in a great measure deprived of their 
 "water." 
 
 This, and the expulsion of the gas, so necessary to putrefaction, "is most 
 readily accomplished by heat, which, by expanding the air, evolves it in a 
 great measure, and at the same time favors the fixation of the (remaining) 
 oxygen in the extractive matter, so as to make it no longer available toward 
 the putrefaction of the other substances." 
 
 From the above quotations, then, it appears, summarily, that albumen is 
 the first subject of decay in timber ; and that the removal of it and the gases, 
 is the surest means of preventing that decay. It evidently appears, also, 
 that the most certain method of accomplishnig this is by the employment 
 of corrosive sublimate, or of the sidphates of iron and copper with heat. 
 Now, such are the very means I employ ; having ascertained for myself, by 
 many experiments, the proportions in which those salts may be employed 
 with most efficacy and advantage. I confidently, therefore, refer to Mr. 
 Tredgold and Dr. Ure, to say nothing of others, for sanction of the princi- 
 ples and practice I had already adopted in my " mineralizing process," — 
 
[ 428 ] 
 
 which is, therefore, believed to present all the certainly that can belong to 
 any method for giving to timber the permanent useiulnessof which we are 
 in search. 
 
 EDW. EARLE. 
 
 November 12, 1839. 
 
 SPECIFICATION OR DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING USE OF THE ABOVE PATENTS. 
 
 For the use of Patent No. 2. 
 
 The timber being placed, and properly confined in its position, in a 
 stronsr wooden tank, a sohition of the sulphates of iron and copper is to be 
 added to it in sufficient quantity to cover it several inches. This should 
 be done in the eveninof, and, the foUowino^ morning, the temperature of the 
 fluid should be very pjadually raised to the boiling point, and steadily kept 
 up from two or three to six or eight hours, according to the size and kind 
 of timber; — very large sticks — especially if they be of dense, hard wood 
 — requiring longer treatment that those of moderate size, or of more open 
 and pervious quality. After the boiling has been continued the proper 
 time, the timber is to remain in the fluid to cool gradually ; then to be 
 removed to a shed, and laid on its side so as to be freely ventilated on all 
 sides, yet protected from high wind, from cold, and from the snn, until it is 
 throughly dry. The whole process is to be facilitated by a perforation, of 
 a moderate caliber, through the centre of the timber (when the size, and 
 convenience, admit of it) prior to ihe boiling ; and, in that case, when it is 
 diy (which, in temperate weather, it will soon be) and before it is used 
 the perforation is to be tightly plugged with wood of tho same kind, and 
 which has been treated in the same manner. Tlie solution may be made 
 in the proportions of one-fourth of the sulphate of copper and three fourths 
 of the sulphate of iron — that is, a pound of the first and three pounds of 
 the latter — to twelve oallons of water ; and it should be in sufficient quanti- 
 ty to keep the timbv^r constantly submerged. Also, an additional quantity 
 of solution, but of only half tfie strength of the first, should be prepared and 
 added occasionally to repair the waste of absorption and evaporation during 
 the process: and it should be added hot, that it may not check the boiling. 
 In purchasing these salts it is important to select such as are free from 
 superabundant acid, and from oxydation.* 
 
 For ihe use of Patent No. 1. 
 
 When it is preferred to prepare timber with lime instead of the above 
 salts, the process is to be conducted in precisely the same way. The lime- 
 water, however, should be the strongest that can be made, viz, by adding 
 a peck of best quicklime to every two hundred gallons of water, carefully 
 mixing them, that every portion of the lime may be slaked, and the water 
 be fully saturated. An extra quantity of the same mixture, also, should be 
 
 * In using these salts it must be remembered that no iron vessel, nor iron nails for fastenings 
 or other purposes, are to be brought into contact with the solution. Copper and lead are the 
 ■only metals that may be so employed. 
 
E428] 
 
 10 
 
 prepared and occasionally added during the operation, to maintain the- 
 strength of the fluid, as well as to repair the waste by absorption and evap- 
 oration. The boihng being finished, the timber is to undergo the same 
 treatment as above. The most soluble lime, or what is known under the 
 name of fat lime, should be preferred. 
 
 EDW. EARLE. 
 
 April 12, 1839. 
 
 DIAGRAPH OF APPARATUS, No. I. 
 For mineralizing timber. E. Earle, patentee, Philadelphia. 
 
 Figures 1 and 2 exhibit a front and a lateral or sectional view of ihe furnace, boiler, &c. 
 
 Fig. 1. 
 
 AA. — The sides of the wall, 12 to 15 inches thick, rising and surrounding 
 the boiler as high as the water-line. The front part of the wall, in 
 . contact with the boiler, is supposed to be removed to show the manner 
 in which it curves round the boiler at the distance of two or three 
 inches, and allows it, in its whole length, to be enveloped in the fire. 
 
 B. — The fireplace and iron door. 
 
 C— The ash pit. 
 
 D. — The front end of the boiler, supported by a strong iron bar extending 
 
 across from one side- wall to the other, and forming the top of the fire- 
 place. 
 
 E. — The man hole, 15 inches diameter, to admit a man to the interior of 
 
 the boiler to clean it. 
 
 F. — The cock or valve through which water is admitted from the receiver, 
 /. — The gauge-valves ; one on and one above and below the water-line. 
 
 G. — The drum-head, or reservoir of steam, 30 inches long and 8 inches 
 
 diameter, rising from the boiler by a neck of 4 inches diameter and & 
 inches high, and having a number of pipe-ends soldered into it for 
 attachment. 
 
 Fig. 2. 
 
 A. — The fire-grate, 4J feet long to transverse wall, G ; 24 inches wide, and 
 
 15 inches deep from the boiler to the grate. 
 
 B. — The ash-pit through which the fire is maintained by atmospheric air. 
 
 C. — The flue, 4^ inches vertical, by 12 or 15 inches horizontal, and 30 
 
 inches wide, formed between the boiler and top of the transverse wall. 
 
 D. — Shows a large hollow space (the side wall being removed) extending 
 
 from the transverse wall to the chimney, and allowing the expansion 
 of the heat around the body of the boiler. 
 
 EE. — The hue, 4 inches vertical by 9 wide, leading into the chimney un- 
 der the boiler, which rests on a brick column 12 inches square, at fig- 
 ure 1, near the end. The continuation of the flue forms the funnel of 
 the chininey, which should be round and smooth inside, and about 
 9 inches in diameter. 
 
 F. — The chimney, 12 to 15 feet high, with a damper at figure 3, to prevent 
 the too rapid escape of heat. 
 
11 
 
 [ 4?8 3 
 
 G. — The transverse wall, 12 to 15 inches thick, extending across the in- 
 terior of the furnace from one side wall to the other — supporting the 
 inner end of the grate, and forming the flue, C, between its top and 
 the boiler. It has an iron door in the under part (which should fit 
 very tight) to allow of cleaning out the interior of the furnace. 
 
 HH — The water-line of the boiler, should be about two thirds the perpen- 
 dicular diameter. 
 
 K. — The safety-valve, 4 inches diameter. 
 
 L. — The gauge-pipes, one on and one above and below the water Hne. 
 M. — The valve-cock ; to be connected by a pipe with the discharging pipe^ 
 M, of the force-pump. 
 
 Fig. 3. 
 
 Another view of the boiler, connected by a pipe and flanges, of 2 inches 
 diameter, with the reservoir-pipe, A. — A stop-cock at figure 2, to turn 
 ofi'the steam when required. 
 
 Fig. 4. 
 
 A ground-view of the tank, which is supposed to be 30 feet long, 6 feet 
 wide, and 6 feet deep ; solid contents 1,080 cubic feet. It should be 
 made of the best three inch seasoned plank, and so constructed as to 
 be secure against leaking and bursting 
 
 A. — The large reservoir-pipe, of 6 inches diameter, lying across the bottom 
 
 of the tank, and havmg 18 pipes, of two-inch diameter, soldered into 
 and extending to the other end, where they are attached to another 
 pipe.* 
 
 B. — A pipe of 3 inches diameter, which conveys the condensed steam to the 
 
 receiver. 
 
 C. — The castiron receiver, 12 inches square and 18 inches deep, into which 
 
 the condensed steam is discharged. 
 
 D. — A cock, which should be a foot from the bottom of the receiver, to be 
 
 connected, by a short pipe, with the suction-valve of the force-pump, 
 
 E. — The cock which discharges the solution from the tank when no longer 
 
 fit for use. 
 
 Fig. 5. 
 
 Farnam's double force pump, which discharges both by the upward and 
 downward stroke. It should be made of brass instead of iron, and the 
 valves should be of the same metal instead of leather. 
 
 A. — The piston. 
 
 D. — The suction-pipe to be connected with the cock, D, of the receiver. 
 
 * If it should be found difficult to make the necessary connexions of the pipes with hard sol- 
 der, another, and, perhaps, better method may be substituted, to have the reservoir-pipe, A, cast 
 of brass, one-fourth of an inch thick, with bosses, in which lemale screws may be formed to re- 
 ceive the male screws of the correspondent longitudinal pipes'; the oiher end of which may be 
 attached by coupling.boxes to short pipes, three or four inches long, proceeding from the other 
 cross-pipe, B, cast of brass for the purpose, and discharging ihe condensed steam into the re- 
 servoir, C. 
 
[ 428 J 
 
 12 
 
 M. — The discharginof-pipe to be connected with the cock, M, in the end of 
 the boiler. For convenience sake, the connxtions of the pipes in 
 the tank, and of the force-pump with the boiler, should be the reverse 
 of the representation by the figure, that the receiver and pump may 
 be near the front end of the boiler. 
 
 DIAGRAPH OF APPARATUS, No. 2. 
 Fig. 1. 
 
 A. — The front of the furnace. 
 
 B. — The boiler, 78 inches high (exclusive of the man-hole, D, covered by a 
 
 cap), and 20 inches diameter, made of substantial copper, with an ap- 
 propriate thick bottom. 
 
 C. — The convexity of the bottom of the boiler, like the bottom of a bottle. 
 
 D. — The man-hole, 15 inches diameter, to admit a person to clean the boiler 
 
 when necessary. 
 EE. — The wall of the furnace, 
 
 F. — The iron door, above which a very thick iron plate, or strong bars, 
 
 are worked into and across the front wall to support the incumbent 
 weight of the upper part of it, 
 
 G. — The ash-pit, through which the atmospheric air has access to the fire. 
 
 H. — The bottom-pipe conveying the colder fluid fro?n the tank into the 
 
 boiler. The construction and dimensions of this and the other pipes 
 must be accurately observed. The whole length of the lower pipes is 
 60 inches, or 5 feet, viz : 
 
 inches. 
 
 From the inside of the tank, to which it is attached by a 
 flange, or broad expansion, of 2^ or 3 inches, and fastened 
 by strong copper nails to the outside of the tank - - 3 
 
 From outside of the tauk to the first brass flange connecting- 
 it v/ith the cock - - - - - - 29 
 
 Thickness of said flange and the correspondent flange of the 
 cock - - - - - - - 1 
 
 Length of the stop-cock from flange to flange - - 8 
 
 Thickness of the two other flanges connecting the cock with 
 that part of the pipe which proceeds from the boiler - 1 
 
 Length of the pipe from cock to the wall 3 inches, and thence 
 to the interior of the wall 12 - - - - 15 
 
 Length from interior of the wall through the space forming 
 the flue, between it and the boiler, to which it is riveted 
 on the inside - - 3 
 
 —60 
 
 Diameter, where it issues from the tank, gradually lessening 
 
 to where it joins the cock - - - - 6 
 
 Small diameter, from where it joins the cock to the boiler - 2 
 H. — The upper pipe, proceeding from the boiler to the tank, the 
 lower side of which is 24 inches above the upper side of the 
 lower pipe, has the same diameters, and differs in length only, 
 viz : 
 
 From the boiler to where it joins the cock (three inches be- 
 yond the outside of the wall) - - - - 18 
 
13 
 
 [ 428 ] 
 
 Flanges and cock as above - - . - - 10 
 
 From cock to tank, and through tank, to which it is united 
 as above - - - - - -17 
 
 Fig. 2. 
 
 A. — Front view of the tanks, six inches from the furnace at their tops, 
 showing their proportions in width at top and bottom, the first being" 
 9 and the last 3 feet ; and the trusses, or, a, which are connected with 
 the outside frame for supporting the loaded tank. The length of the 
 tank is 21 feet at top and 18 at bottom. The inclination of the sides, 
 therefore, is 3 feet, and of the ends 18 inches. Depth 6 feet. Cubic 
 contents 526.] feet. 
 
 C. — Exhibits the fall of the top, which lifts by a hinge 18 inches from the 
 
 outer edge of the tank. That it may be easily raised, it should be 
 divided in its length into several sections, and one edge should over- 
 lap the other to keep the tank tight and prevent evaporation. 
 
 D. — The water-line, intended to be 6 inches below the top. 
 
 Fig. 3. 
 
 AA. — The boilers, two being required for tanks of this size. 
 
 BB. — The brick work of the furnace, 12 inches thick. Both together show 
 
 the interval or flue of 3 inches between them. 
 OC. — The tanks — showing their interior. 
 DD. — The lower pipes. 
 EE. — The upper pipes. 
 
 F. — The horizontal wall running off on a level with the top of the furnace, 
 
 forming an oblong square of 18 or 20 inches diameter, and enclosing 
 
 G. — The horizontal flue, six by nine inches, vv^hich, entering the chimney, 
 
 forms the bottom of the funnel. 
 HH. — The chimney, IS or 20 inches square, and about 12 feet high. It 
 
 should be coated with mortar very smoothly within. 
 J. — The funnel of the chimney about nine inches square. 
 
 Fig. 4. 
 
 A side-view of the strong framework holding the tank, to which the trus- 
 ses, a, a (Fig. 2). are firmly joined. 
 
 Fig. 5. 
 
 An interior and gronnd-view of the furnace^ flue, <^c. 
 
 A. — The fife grate, extending from the front of the wall to two thirds of the 
 diameter of the boiler, or 28 inches. The fireplace proper, commences 
 where the edge of the boiler rests on the brick- work, or at the front 
 edge of the flue, and the fire should not be kindled nor suflfered to 
 burn within 12 inches of the door. It is 15 inches vertical, nine 
 inches wide, and nine inches high on the sides, where it slopes Qf[ 
 and gradually rises six inches more to where the edge of the boiler 
 rests on the foundation brickwork all round, as represented by the 
 shaded part, except at D, 
 
[ 428 ] 
 
 14 
 
 B. — The enclosing wall of the furnace, 12 inches thick. 
 
 C. — The flue or space between the interior of the wall and the boiler, three 
 
 inches, extending up to the water line. 
 
 D. — The draught from the fire into the flue. It is represented by three 
 
 courses of brick, as bounding the fireplace and commencing the 
 draught, which forms an ans'le, and, traversing the remaining third of 
 the bottom of the boiler, enters the flue on one side of the middle line 
 of the furnace and boiler, 
 
 E. — The partition, one brick or four inches wide, which, commencing with 
 
 the commencement of the flue, obliquely crosses the middle line as it 
 rises to the top of the furnace. This compels the heat and smoke, 
 entering the flue at D, to make a spiral ascent round the boiler as they 
 rise to escape at the horizontal flue and pass off" to the chimney. 
 FF.— The boiler. 
 
 G. — The opening of the horizontal flue, nine inches vertical and six inches 
 
 wide, leading to the chimney. 
 
 H. — The water-line of the boiler, leaving six inches above it, beside the 
 -cap, as space for ebullition. 
 
 Fig. 6. 
 
 A sectional view showing the form of the pipes as they convey the solution 
 from the bottom of the tank to the bottom of the boiler, and return it 
 from the upper part of the boiler to the upper part of the tank ; the 
 body of the pipe ; the flange of the large end of the pipe, to be fastened 
 by strong copper nails to the inside of the tank ; the flange of the 
 small end of the pipe, embraced between the brass flange and the cor- 
 respondent flange of the cock, where they are united by screws. To 
 prevent leaking at this and all similar junctions^ a piece of paste- 
 board, or coarse thick cloth, with a circular hole equal to the diame- 
 ter of the pipe and cock, and well charged with white lead, should be 
 interposed between the flanges. 
 
 Fig. 7. 
 
 Kepresents the brass flange. A very broad and strong one should be laid 
 on the copper flange of each pipe where it attaches to the inside of 
 the tank, and well secured by strong brass screws, to prevent the pipe 
 from tearing loose from the wood. 
 
 GENERAL DIRECTIONS. 
 
 The boilers of diagraph. No. 2, are to be of copper, and no metal, except 
 copper, brass, or lead, is to be employed for any purpose within the tanks, 
 as the solution of the sulphates would destroy any other. 
 
 The furnaces and boilers are to be first adjusted and permanently fixed, 
 and the position of the tanks is next to be accommodated to them. 
 
 In the construction of the tanks, long copper rods, of three fourths of an 
 inch diameter, v/ith a broad head at one end, and a screw and nut at the 
 other, should perforate the planks crosswise of the grain and the joints ; by 
 which the planks may be drawn closely together when they have slirunk, 
 and thus be prevented from leaking. They are necessary, also, to strength- 
 «U the tank. 
 
15 
 
 [ 428 ] 
 
 These directions apply to dia^raph, No. 1, also, except that the boiler, 
 ;as it does not come into contact with the solution, had better be of iron. 
 
 Each of the boilers, of diagraph, No. 2, must be provided with a pipe 
 and cock similar, in size and fornix to the upper pipes which convey the 
 solution from the boiler to the tank, and long enough to pass through the 
 wall, say eighteen inches. These are to be attached to the bottoms of the 
 boilers (one to each) immediately opposite to the door of the furnace. 
 They are intended to let off the solution from the boilers when no longer 
 fit for use. These pipes and cocks are not exhibited in the engraving, as 
 they are supposed to be under, and concealed by the horizontal wall con- 
 necting the two furnaces. 
 
 Each tank, also, should be provided with a large cock for letting off the 
 exhausted solution ; and with a small common cock^ inserted at the bottom 
 and outer side of each tank, for ascertaining, occasionally, the heat of the 
 solution. 
 
 ^3=^ A strong wooden grate, or frame of cross bars, should rest on pieces, 
 as shoulders, fastened to the bottom of each tank, and rising just above the 
 level of the pipes, to prevent their being pressed by the tipiber with which 
 the tank is loaded ; and for the purpose, also, of allowing the lower stratum 
 of the solution to flow freely into the pipes (of diagraph. No. 2), conducting 
 it to the boiler. A separation, two or three inches, of the timbers, where 
 the upper pipes enter the tank, sfiould be left for free transmission of the 
 heated solution across the width of the tank at this part. It might be well 
 assisted by attaching an additional copper pipe to the entrance of the other 
 to conduct the solution, that thus it might be discharged about the middle 
 of the tank, and the heated solution equally diffused. 
 
 Engineer Department, 
 
 Washington, April 7, 1840. 
 
 Sir: In answer to the resolution of the Senate dated March 20, asking 
 for certnin information on the process of " Kj^anizing,'' I have the honor to 
 report, that this process has been applied to the preservation of the timber 
 used at two of the public works under this department, the officers in c) large 
 of which were furnished with a copy of the resolution, and directed to sup- 
 ply all the information in their possession on the subject. 
 
 Copies of their communications are submitted herewith : they imbody 
 all the information the department is enabled to offer from its own e>.ne- 
 rience. 
 
 I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 .TOS. G. TOTTEN, 
 Colonel, and Chief Engineer. 
 
 Hon. J. R. Poinsett, 
 
 iSecreiary of War, 
 
 Washington, March 27, 1840. 
 Sir : The following information, relative to Kyanizing timber to prevent 
 the dry-rot, is, at your request, herewith communicated to the department. 
 
I 428 ] 
 
 16 
 
 As it was necessary to Kyanize all the timber used in repairing Port 
 Niagara when operations commenced, the proper steps were taken for put- 
 tinir into practice Kyan's method. This required nothing more than a 
 water-tight vessel, without any iron on ils inside, and a quantity of corrosive 
 subhmate. The subUmate was dissolved in hot , water, the timber to be 
 saturated placed in the vessel, and the solution poured therein. It was 
 left iu this state a certain number of days, depending on the size of the tim- 
 ber. The solution was then pumped out, and the timber taken from the 
 tank and placed under cover to dry. 
 
 The vessels used by me in my operations were, first, a tank, made of 
 four and a half inch Canadian pine plank, thirty feet long, eight wide, and 
 five and a half deep ; and, secondly, a cistern of a capacity about one third 
 that of the tank. The plank were tongued and grooved, and secured to- 
 gether by one-inch iron bolts. In most cases, it would be well to calk 
 the vessels on the inside; but, as mine did not leak on being filled with 
 water, no precaution of this kind with them seemed necessary. The cor- 
 rosive sublimate was dissolved in hot water and poured into the cistern, 
 and, after a sufficient quantity had been used, water was added, until the 
 strength of the solution indicated a proportion of one pound of corrosive 
 subliuiate to fifteen gallons of water. The tank, in the meantime, was 
 filled with timber, well fastened down with, cleats, Avith sufficient space be- 
 tween the different sticks to allow a free circulation of water around them ; 
 the solution was then pumped from the cistern into the tank, and, after 
 having been left therein the requisite nrirnberof days, was pumped back into 
 the cistern : the timber was then taken out and placed under shelter to dry ; 
 and this completed the whole operation. 
 
 The same solution can be used any number of times, provided care be 
 taken to add, occasionally, a sufficient quantity of corrosive sublimate to 
 keep it at its proper degree of strength. 
 
 The timber saturated by me, amounting altogetlier to between three and 
 four thousand cubic feet, is mostly of a large size, the different sticks varying 
 between eight and twenty four feet in length, and twelve and eighteen 
 inches in breadth, and has cost a little over twelve cents a cubic foot. This, 
 however, should not be taken as the average cost ; for, beside the large 
 size of the timber saturated, the circumstances under which the operation 
 has thus far been conducted have been by no means flivorable. The tank 
 was not completed until nearly the 1st of November ; so that most of the 
 timber prepared has been Kyanized durinof the winter months — the season 
 of the year, of all others, least favorable for such an operation. Wj^ij 
 so, a few words will explain. When the weather was cold, the time re- 
 quired for loading and unloading the tank was much longer than when 
 moderate, and hence the cost vv^as greater. Besides, the moisture in the 
 timber during the severe vveather being frozen, the moment a stick was 
 placed in the solution it became enveloped in a thick crust of ice. This, if 
 not removed, would have prevented the corrosive sublimate from having 
 any action whatever upon the wood ; and therefore it became necessary, in 
 order to avoid delaying the work, to incur the expense of melting the ice 
 thus formed around the different sticks, and of preventing the solution after- 
 ward from freezing. 
 
 The timber, after it has been prepared, is found to be a liitle darker in its 
 appearance. 
 
iSess: Jti Cmuj. S.Doc. 426 
 
 DIAGRAPH 
 
 ^r?i OP 
 AFFARATTTS 
 
 MINERALIZING 
 
 TLMBER 
 
 E. Ernie, Fatentee 
 FhiLad^ 1839. 
 
 W.J.Sktw So.Vwsh- 
 
1 Sas. 26 Cong. S.Voc. 428 
 
 W.J.Storue, So.Wa.sh. 
 
17 
 
 [428] 
 
 The very short time the process of Kyanizing at Fort Niagara has been 
 in operation renders it impossible to decide definitively either on its efficacy 
 or cost. 
 
 From an article in the first volume of the Transactions of the Royal 
 Engineers, considerable information on the subject can be obtained, and 
 from this the following remarks were taken. 
 
 Professor Faraday states, in a lecture of his on the subject, that, in his 
 opinion, the efficacy of the process consists in a chemical combination being 
 formed between the albuminous principle of the wood, which is first liable 
 to decay, and the corrosive sublimate ; and Dr. Birkbeck says it produces 
 the same change in vegetable substances that tanning does in animal. 
 
 They both express the opinion that there can be no doubt of the entire 
 success of the experiments. 
 
 From a number of trials mentioned in the same article, it would seem 
 that the preparation of timber in this manner has the effect of slightly re- 
 ducing its specific gravity, and making it stifFer, but at the same time more 
 brittle. 
 
 To ascertain whether the timber has been sufficiently saturated. Professor 
 Faraday recommends the application of the hydro sulphuret of ammonia, 
 which turns black when it touches mercury. By this means, its presence 
 was discovered in a cube of elm, to the depth of from one-fifth to one-fourth of 
 an inch, and, by voltaic action, from three-fourths to one inch. Its action 
 was less perceptible at the same depths in a cube of oak, and still less so in 
 one of fir — the turpentine in the last preventing, probably, the penetration 
 of the solution. 
 
 He likewise says, the success of the method is rendered the more certain 
 from the tendency of the solution to distribute itself (though at first satu- 
 rating but to a small depth) equally through all the pores of the wood ; and, 
 even if it did not strike entirely through the heart of it, by forming a chem- 
 ical combination with its albuminous principle to the depth of an inch, it 
 would necessarily retard for a long time the action of the dry rot. This 
 will readily be admitted, when it is considered that the mere charring a stick 
 will make it last much longer. 
 
 The following extract is taken from a letter of Colonel Harding, of the 
 royal engineers, to Colonel Sir John May, K. C. B., of the royal carriage 
 department : 
 
 " Placed in contact with, and under the flooring of, the old Cadet Hall, 
 which is much affected by dry rot, prepared v/ith Kyan's patent — 
 1 piece of oak of 24 inches, 3 by 3, 
 1 piece of ash of 24 inches, 3 by 3, 
 1 piece of elm of 24 inches, 3 by 3, 
 3 pieces of memel fir of 23 inches, 4 by 2, 
 
 3 pieces American fir of 23 inches, 4 by 2, 
 1 piece white rope of 5 inches, 
 
 1 piece white rope of 2J inches, 
 1 piece white rope ofl^ inches, 
 1 piece tent line or cord, 
 
 4 pieces canvass, 
 
 with duplicates of exactly similar materials unprepared. 
 
 " We found all the cordage and canvass that were unprepared had be- 
 come more or less rotten, except a piece of canvass ; but no material altera- 
 tion in the wood, except in one piece of memel and one of American un- 
 2 
 
[428 J 
 
 IS 
 
 prepared, which, with its fellow piece, prepared, was taken up, as it ap- 
 peared they had both become injured by the dry rot." The others were 
 left under the floor. When examined, they had been in this position 
 eighteen months. 
 
 " We then had the following pulled up out of the ground, into which they 
 had been driven 15 inches, and the tops exposed to the south sun and to 
 the drip, (fee, under the eaves of a building, prepared with Kyan's patent : 
 
 1 piece of oak, 24 inches, 3 by 3, 
 
 I piece of ash, 24 inches, 3 by 3, 
 
 I piece of elm, 24 inches, 3 by 3, 
 
 1 piece memel fir, 23 inches, 4 by 2, 
 
 1 piece American fir, 23 inches, 4 by 2, 
 and exactly similar pieces of the same unprepared. 
 
 "This trial appeared to have had more effect on the wood than the pre- 
 ceding one at the Cadet Hall the unprepared elm being very defective, 
 while the prepared remained perfectly sound. 
 
 At the expiration of three years from the time they were first put down, 
 another examination was made by Colonel Harding. He stales, on the 
 wood placed under the flooring of Cadet Hall no material effect was pro- 
 duced, but the cordage and canvass unprepared had become rotten, while 
 that prepared still remained sound. As for the others, driven into the 
 ground under the eaves of the building, with their tops exposed to the sun, 
 the prepared were in a perfectly sound state, but, of that unprepared, a por- 
 tion was much decayed, and all more or less aflfected. 
 
 In the article from which these facts are taken it is also mentioned, that 
 a vessel, the timber of which was prepared with Kyan's patent, returned 
 home, after a twenty-nine-month voyage, as sound as she was the day she 
 started. The crew enjoyed good health during the whole time, and the 
 bilge-water did not seem affected by the corrosive sublimate. 
 
 A bolt, much corroded, was examined to ascertain whether it had been 
 injured by the mercury, but Professor Faraday could not discover the 
 presence of any. 
 
 Trials have been made by Mr. Kyd, of Calcutta, to find out whether the 
 preparation of timber, after Kyan's method, would not prevent it from being 
 attacked by the white ant, so destructive to timber between the tropics, and 
 he seems to be of the opinion that it will. 
 
 That the Kyanizing of timber used in the construction of works, alter- 
 nately exposed to the action of the sun and fresh water, might be introduced 
 with much advantage to them, can scarcely admit of doubt ; but whether 
 it would prove beneficial for those in salt water is not quite certain, though 
 the case of the vessel before mentioned is somewhat in its favor. 
 
 The anti-dry rot company of London, Kyanize timber at the rate of 20 
 shillings sterling for every 50 cubic feet; but, though the cost of corrosive 
 sublimate is greater in this country than in Great Britain, I am satisfied 
 that timber can be prepared at a cheaper rate. 
 
 1 have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 WILLIAM D. ERASER, 
 
 Captain Engineers. 
 
 Col. J. G. TOTTEN, 
 
 Chief Engineer^ Washington, 
 
19 
 
 [ 428 ] 
 
 Engineer Office, Fort Ontario, 
 
 Oswego, N. Y., March 29, 1840. 
 
 Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communica- 
 tion of the 24th instant, enclosing a copy of a resolution of the Senate, 
 dated March 20, and asking for such information as I may possess on the 
 subject of Kyanizing timber, and particularly with reference to its cost. 
 
 The Kyanizing process was commenced here about the first of October last, 
 and, consequently, no opinion as to the efficacy of the preparation, in pro- 
 tecting timber from dry rot and the worm, can yet be formed. The opera- 
 tion has been conducted under the disadvantages incident to every untried 
 experiment, and has not been sufficiently extended in time to give, with 
 accuracy, the data from which to determine the expense. 
 
 One tank only has yet been buill, and of the following dimensions : thir- 
 ty feet long, sixteen feet wide, and four and a half feet deep. This tank 
 will ordinarily contain 1,535 cubic feet of timber. The quantity of solu- 
 tion required to immerse it, has been 4,000 gallons ; and at the rate of one 
 pound of corrosive sublimate to fifteen gallons of water, 244.4 pounds cor- 
 rosive must be dissolved for this purpose. According to Mr. Kyan, the 
 abovementioned quantity of timber should imbibe 38.3 pounds corrosive 
 sublimate ; and, consequently, on or previous to the removal of this timber 
 from the tank, and the substitution of a fresh charge, equal to the first in 
 quantity, 38.3 pounds corrosive sublimate should be added to the solution. 
 This being added in the smallest quantity of water which will dissolve it, 
 seems amply sufficient for restoring the strength of the whole. The cost 
 of charging the tank with 1,535 cubic feet of timber, and of removing and 
 placing it under a timber-shed when Kyanized, has been, in the case of 
 large timber 18 x 18 inches, and from 20 to 29 feet long, $25. The price 
 of corrosive sublimate in New York is $i 35 per pound, and fifty cents per 
 pound additional is paid for the use of the patent. The cost of transporta- 
 tion from New York to this place has been, during the last season, 90 cents 
 per hundred. 
 
 With these data, and excluding the cost of the tank, cistern, and crane, 
 for moving the large timber, the Kyanizing costs at the rate of 6 cents 2-^^^ 
 mills per cubic foot. 
 
 The tank, with its cistern, cost $495 84, and the crane $79 30. The 
 cost of the tank was considerable greater than would now be necessary. It 
 is proposed to construct an additional one, somewhat larger than the first, 
 and as the crane and cistern already built will serve both tanks, it is ex- 
 pected that the one proposed can be built for about $300. The quantity of 
 timber required in the rebuilding of the fort, is estimated at 91,812 cubic 
 feet. 
 
 Charging the cost of the two tanks, one cistern, and one crane, in the ex- 
 pense of Kyanizing the abovementioned quantity of timber, it will increase 
 by 9 j\ mills the cost of Kyanizing a cubic foot ; so that the expense of Ky- 
 anizing, including the necessary machinery, and supposing this machinery 
 to be of no value afterward, will not, in this case, exceed 7 cents and 2 
 mills per cubic foot. This, it will be observed, is about equal to the first 
 cost of sawed timber at this place. 
 
 Sheds, in proportion to the quantity of Kyanized timber on hand at any 
 one time, are necessary to protect it from the weather until dried. But, as 
 this protection costs but little more than the materials for its construction, 
 and these can afterward be appropriated to other use, this item will not 
 
[ 428 ] 
 
 appreciably increase the expense. Some of the sokition must remain on 
 hand at the close of operations, but it is presumed that this, as well as the 
 tanks, <fcc., might be disposed of to private individuals. 
 
 1 have observed, during the autumn and winter, that the solution freezes 
 with nearly the same facility as water ; that the ice thus formed contains 
 little on none of the corrosive sublimate, while the strength of the unfrozen 
 liquid is proportionably increased. The details of the process, and the time 
 during which the timber is immersed, are in conformity with the " direc- 
 tions" published by Mr. Kyan's agents, a copy of which I presume is in 
 your possession. 
 
 Respectfully submitted by, sir, your obedient servant, 
 
 D. LEADBETTER, 
 Lieutenant Engineers, 
 
 [_ Colonel Joseph G. Totten, 
 
 Chief Engineer f Washington,