Saving the Piers from the Teredo Worm
A new industrial chemical process is proposed to protect Seattle's waterfront timber from marine parasites.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Hearing it rumored that one of the Villard companies contemplated the construction of a factory at Seattle for the preservation of wharf timbers from the ravages of the teredo, a Post-Intelligencer reporter called on Mr. Howard. 'The necessity for some process of treating wharf timber so as to protect it from the ravages of the teredo, and at the same time preserve the wood from wet and dry rot is apparent,' said Mr. Howard. The plan consists of long treating tanks into which the piles are run. The pile is first steamed, and when the suction pump does its work the sap leaves the timber, and the tank is filled with the chemical until the gauge pressure shows 90 or 100 pounds to the square inch. Under this pressure the chemical thoroughly impregnates the wood.
“The necessity for some process of treating wharf timber so as to protect it from the ravages of the teredo... is apparent to everyone.”
The teredo worm (a destructive marine bivalve) was a constant threat to the wooden infrastructure that built Seattle’s early waterfront. The struggle to protect piling and wood against the harsh Puget Sound marine environment remains a key concern for engineers managing the city's modern port and floating docks.
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