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Show Old Timber 8tronger Than 'New Which Is tho stronger, a ploca of sound old timber or a ploco of now? Wo think It probnblo that tho majority major-ity of engineers would say that tho now timber was tho stronger. In olthor case, however, tho opinions would bo moro guosswork, for thoro has been hitherto, bo far as wo recall, no authentic Information on this point. This lack la now supplied In a paper by Mr. C. P. Buchanan, In which he shows as a result of careful tests, that Bound timber a quarter of a century cen-tury old Is materially strongor thnn new stock Mr. Buchanan's testa wore made on white pine, but there Is no reason to suppose that oak, hard pine or any other wood commonly used in building build-ing would behave differently. It Is fair to concludo that all v,ood maintains main-tains Its strength, except as decay weakens It or fire nnd mechnnlcnl abrasion ab-rasion destroy it. Engineering News |