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O N THB CAUISE,

WITH

DIRECTIONS T O CURE, T H E B

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Opinionurn commcnh delet dies, natura judicia coniirmat. Cicwo.

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PREFACE.

T o treat a novel subject in a novel manner, appears, at first view, to follow as naturally as cause and effect ; and bolder speculists would, no doubt, in the height of their frenzy, ant*icipate a success proportionate to their expectations.

Before the Author enters upon his subje ct, he thinks it necessary t;o state how far, and on what

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grounds, he means to rest his yre- tensions to novelty. In the first place, the subject itself kas some claim to this distinction, notwith- standing some essays that have been written concerning i t and,

f secondly, his manner of treating it, and the remedy proposed, will, he flatters himself, confirm the justice of his remarks.

The subject is 'one o f those, i < which, of all others, has, perllaps,

'I been the most neglected, and by ?B ,

j those who wcre the best qualified, and the mdst capable o f devising a

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remedy ; the consequence has been, that the Public have been, and still -are without any adequate means of ,effectual assistance in cases of real

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danger. Under these' impressibns, I and being himself of a profession, which often exposed him to the complaints of those affected by it, he undertook the present Treatise, with a hope of stimulating inquiry upon a subject, wl&A i s , rendered of considerable importance, on ac- count of the devastation produced, and still producing, in some of the finest buildings o f the couatry. I-Iaving also observed the confusion existing among naturalists, and

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others, respecting the cause o f this phenomenon, and beIieving that no system can be useful, unless previously appreciated and defined, he instituted experiments, in order,

and he had the satisfaction to fiud, that his preconceived opinions were completely verified and confirmed by the event. These experiments were not made hastily, or at ran- dom, but were the result o f a series of observations, made in different

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Respecting the mode of inves- tigation adopted, his scientific

eaders, he trusts, will offer no objection ; as they will admit, that this plwnomenon could' no other- wise be satisfactorily, or fully ex- plained, but by reference t o chemi- cal applications.; a circumstance with which the more he considered it, the more he was convinc&d ; and the first experiment that lie

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countrymen he humbly submits his theory, experiments, and facts ; actuated by no other wish, in thus appearing before them, than that of promoting usefid science, and contributing to the public welfare. With these considerations, he offers his little Treatise to their notice,

careless alike o f censure or of praise.”

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ON THE

TH E Dry-rot presents a singular pheno- memm to the eye of the attentive observer. From a careful exanzinatio11 of its ap- pcarances, the most extraordinary result is cxhibited, no less curious in its nature than

w110 lrsve heard of it, or witnessed aitsravages, it must afiord matter of astonishment, that; in the prcscnt improved state of arts and Sciences, nothing yet has been done to an;llyse its properties, or arrest its destructive progress.

**i> itlcomprchensible in its cause. To those

During the practice of my profession, I B .

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thxurface, and, finally, proceeding tl~rough the whole mass. If any portion, however, remains exposed to the atmosphere, the destroying principle of the fungus is ar- restecl. Thus, floors often appear perfect to the eye, when nothing is left undestrop ed but the part immediately in view. Painted wood-work is wholly decomposed; the paint preventing a spontalleous osyda- tion o f its surfice.

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tinue their fabour. Approaching the spatp I experienced similar sensations. Upon letting fall some lighted shavings, the corn- bustion instantly ceased. ' Although this followed almost as a matter of course, yet, nevertheless, from the symptoms and ap- pearances that were exhibited, it shews that the a2iscnceof oxygen has 110 effect on this vegetation, After the fragments had been removed, the earth was taken out to the depth of eighteen inches, and it was suggested to cover the new surface with a stratum of litne core : this being done, the floor was renewed, leaving a vacuum be- neath i t and the lime, and making drains and perforations to admit the atmospheric air. Thus, the usual experiments were triecl, with the addition only of the lime ; but, few months had scarcely elapsed, when the fungus again appeared protrud- ing over the perforations made for admit-, ting the air, and another alarming scene tvas exhibited on clearing it away. A lighted candle being forced into the va- t

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As these effects undoubtedly proceeded from fermentation, a circumstance of wllich L was fully convinced by furtllcr exanhation, alid from the fungus being formed only on those parts that were iln- mediately in that state, i t was evident, that if, in the construction of buildings, fer- mentation could be prevented among the wood-work, fL1ngus would not bme forlmcd, nor the Dry-rot appear.

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I can assert, from experience, that ít Will tend rather to promote thm correct the rot. ~ometlling useful on this subject map be collected from Dr. Franklin's Essays on Chimneys. The Doctor having there de- scribed the proper mode of admitting air in those cases, the same may be adopted in í t s admission to floors ; for, as he philo- sophically- proves, that currents are abso* lutely necessary to supply the waste 9 OC- casíoned by a continual discharge through the chimneys, so it is equally necessary that similar currents should be introduced for the purpose of burning and, dispersing the different elements that are instrumental in promoting the germination and fecunw dation of this vegetable. It is also neces- sary, that the supply of air should be con- stant and equal to its waste and dissipation, or not the $mallest benefit will be pro- duced

Altllough this, when properly admitted, may be safcly employed, it is of too des-

perate a nature to be introduced into houses, so as to cmure effectual success ; for whicli reason it will be unnecessary to enlarge upon it, especially as a remedy that is free from these inconvenienmcies will, hereafter, be described.

'It would add little, eithet t6 ah establisha ment of facts, OT an elucidation of the nad ture of this vegetable, to investigate mi- nutely the various opinions entertained by naturalists, concerning its origin and pro- duction. They have, for the most part, materially differed, and their researches not: being directed towards the fungus that is protruded among buildings, which evi-. dently undergoes various impressions in conscquence of its peculiar situation, it will not be correct, or proper, to form any COI)- clusian from their opinions. Nevertheless, in ordcr to demonstrate the general notions entertained on this subject, 1- shall state the opinions upon which tlxse notions have beer1 formed.

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1 !I' Hence, I believe, that SO far as relate ~ ; i ;!; to the fungus in buildings, that these in-

1% hypothetical, and have been promoted [;l;.. l ,';j merely to conceal an ignorance of what , I , il still remains an impenetrable secret. I: l,' 1,; am, nevertheless, far from denying the

(''iil ', $4 quiries, although ingenious, are wholly

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existence of seeds, Nature employing so many secret and extraordinary means of accomplishing her various purposes.

If these plants, however, are propagated from seed, they must be deposited by the atmosphere, or exist in a state of mecha- nical suspension in the sap of the wood ; and with this view, fermentation appears to be absolutely necessary to give the first impulse to the cotyledon ; yet, were this the case, these plants would be found only on the parts that had undergone that pro- cess, and other parts ,would be affected only in proportion to the force and exten- sion of the vegetatio,n ; for fungus produces decomposition only on the part m which

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1 it grows, In places, however, that. have been infected, this is so far from being

and where it could scarcely have existed i the case, that those parts that arc remote,

i c in a state sufficient to impregnate the seeds t of fungus, roots of this plant have been

often found. Hence, I candude, that the Iìberated gases escupe from one part to another in n state of fermaztation, cal.ryi?g ~ i t h tJ2em the direct pabdum of the em-

been, by the atmosphere, prevìously de- posited on the wood, germinates, upproe priutìng i fs cohesive particles to ì ts sup

\ bryo plant ; the seed of which hawing l

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New buildings always experience fer-

are, however, some peculiar agents essen- tially concerned in its production and sup- port. These, while the atmosphere is

tion ; and, in order fully to comprehend this property of r l~e atmosphere, it - is of

i I mentation in a greater or less degree. There

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i i I present, it destroys by ignition and absorp-

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No alteration is observable in the wood, vntil' the root be firmly attached ; neither i s any plant formed except in places where the fermentation has derived all its advan- tages fr01n the agents concerned in its pro- duction and support, and ca~~~pletecl the final' putrefaction of the sap. ,At this pe- riod begins a new arrangement of vegeta- ble materiality, which, from a, white m o d - dy film,' proceeds to long fibrous roots, adhering firmly, and producing the same apparent change in the wood as mastica- tion, or distillation, by depriving it of its adhesive qualities, and terminating in a. complete decomposition, which cteteris paribus follows in proportion to the growth of the plant. This decomposition is, 511

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iomc instances, effected so rapidIy, that I have scen new wood in+ a few weeks utter- ly destroyed, : leaving nothing but dust, as a proof of its existence.

’ Asathis phenomenon appears ta be I h t ~ result of temperature and liberated gases, i t will be necessary to exanline the changes that they undergo in places infected with fungus rot. These changes being consi- derable, and owing to a volatilization of some of the vegetable principles, or of their parts, and these being very pernicious and assuming various aspects, arising either f rom an absorption of part o f the oxygen, or a, combustion of the hyclrogen, OT pro- bably from the formation of a certain pal l t i ty of carbonic gas ; while these pro- cesses are going 011, a part of the hydro- gen may escape, carrying wit11 it a small #quantity af carbon, which beiug diaiclcd.

afford a direct pabulum for the germina- tion . of the seed, From their rapid in- crease, it is reasonable to conclude, that this plant possesses the proper * organs for appropriating its own constituent princi- ples ; and from the change experienced by the wood in the production of this new vegetation, which parts with all its origi-

'* nal properties ; the new substance increas- iug in health and vigour i n proportion

,l@ ! ;$t to the rapid alteration in its composition, r Il'/ I conjecture, that a. part of the liberated ~ $ jj

carbonic gas, is spontaneously decomposed ; and it is this supply o€ carbon that affords such a. rapid source of vegetable: materia- lity to these plants. This will not be tllought a n extravagant supposition, con- siclcriing the quickness of their growth, and that every other species of vcgetation ís produced in consequence of plants 110s-

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sessing a power of appropriating carbon from water, * air, &c. to the various pup poses of leaves, flowers, and fruits,

During the course of my observations, 1 have bad an opportunity of witnessing the complete growth of a fungus, under the following ' circumstances :-several pieces of fir-wood having been promiscuously tl~rown together in a damp situation, and left i lwe only a few weeks, upon acci- dentally renlovitlg a part of them, they \vere found to be in a high state of fer- men tat ion, and almost wholly enveloped in a tvbite film of mould2 which, on fur- ther examinationt, appeared to be a com- plete l u q p s , An opportunity was no^ afforded to ascertain, from actual demon- stration, the effect o f this vegetable on woad previously prepared, of whicIl I availed myself, ancl shall hereafter describe the result, Although so short a tirne had

M, Chaptal says : cc La decomposition de l'eau est prowbe, non seulement clans le u6gbtal, Puis claus l'mia

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. ?Cr elapsed since these planks had been thrown together, a decomposition had taken place on all the wood occupied by the fungus, and I am convinced that, in a few days, a fungus would have been produced' from the whole Q€ the mould. To this pheno.: menon I paid particular attention, as it SO immediately confirmed my opinion of the Dry-rot, in all cases, arising from a pre- vious state of fermentation ; and I think that the most sceptical would have been equally convinced.

Entertaining, as I do, no doubt on the subject, I shall, therefore, consider it as so produced, alkt that it owes its first spring, or motion, to the various causes that are constantly affordillg the essentials to this

materials ; exhalation, and, in fine, any other cause capable of affording the neces- sary quantities of air and water; both of these (to a certain clegree) being absolutely

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hibiting nearly the same have before been detailed

appearances as s

Fron1 these facts, it is obvious, that OXY dati012 is a certain remedy for the Dry-rot; these experiments having been made un- der the most favourable circumstances. , I n order, howevel; to ensure its complete success, it will be necessary to oxydate the whole,of the wood ; that is, the ends as well czs the other parts ; for having, in a subsequent experiment, neglected this pre- caution, and there being also some vents í n the wood, the fungus seed germinated, and produced a partial decompositioll ; beginning at the ends and in these vents. As there will be a difficulty in oxydating' the wood thus venting, and an ullcertainty likewise, in other respects, attelldiilg tim. ber in this state, it would be better not to use it in whok pieces, ór in situations wherie, dmgh may be anticipated. With respect to spontaneous oxydation, or volatilization of the wood and sap, this will llave 110 efw

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feet in pwenting its fermentation or future fluidity ; the volatilization only rendering the anc brow11 and the other concrete. This concretion may, from local or extra rzcous causes, acquire sufficient moisture to afford ancl cpcouragc fermentation ; it is, tllercfore; necessary, that the wood be 1.endered.illdestructiblc by an antiseptic re- medy', and this appears. to be completely obtained by oxydation ; which not' only deprives it of its fluid particles, but, like- wise, so preparcs its surface, that * nothing can vcgctate upon, or stimulate the con- creted sap, so as to render it elastic ; for it i s tllis clasticity that gives the first impulse to fermenta,tion, which is followed by a11 elevation OE temperature, or, more pro- perly, a disengagement of latent caloiic, and, finally, 8 complete fungus, This cflèct: may be produced, from the causes above stated, in wood known to workinen, either as sensolzed or unseasoned ; for al- ,thougll this wood bc perfectly dry, i t con- sists of the same identical matehls as it

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as is talren to rencler tI1etn etegallt the finishing. Thus the timber is exposed ' to the reception of the fermenting stimuli which are attracted ftom the: sdjoiuihg walls ; and in all cases where the Jh=y-rot does not follow in consequence of tbis in- consistency, *it is. owing to the atmosphere finding i t s .way through some channel 'to counteract and disperse the putrefaction.

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Country houses experience the Dryro t in their basement and ground stories, When it reaches the latter, it may be considered as only an extension of the power of ve- getation, promoted by the formes. In these places, it most generally arises from the ground being thrown , up round the walls, to extend the landscape, as far as the cills of the ground-floor windows. I;n such a situation, it is sufficiently obvious what- aS1Fords the stin-ulils to the fermenta- tion, It is the' continual moisture which the earth gives out to the adjoining wall, and which is transmitted to the wood in contact. Thus a decomposition rapidly takes place, ancl sometimes produces vege- tation in the coursc of a few weeks,

I n the construction of basement stories, where the laadscape cannot be d,ispensed with, an alteratio11 might be made by an area, or a vacuum, about two feet in dia- meter round the story, leaving a sufficient: number of air-holes with iron registers. I

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have seen this precaution adopted in one or two instances, with the desired success ; and i t will always add considerably to the warmth of the story, by redering the wu11 comfortable and dry. l

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where nothing but repair aft& repair is re-' pe@ed, producing no other effect than eventually to endanger their equilibrium,' and deprive the country of some of its best specimens of architectural beauty, the duty I owe to society, and the attachment 1 feel for such embellishments, have led me to communicate the result o f those ex, perlments that have proved efficacious and certain,

, Respecting the process of oxydation, nothing would have prevented its being sooner introduced into practice, but the difficulty of succeeding upon all the va- riety of woocl-work necessary in our 11zm- ner of finishing buildings. They who were aware of its efficacy by the common method, had, probably, no idea. that a similar effect could be produced by the powerful acids. My experiments have established the fact, ancl the anti-vegetating surface of the wood, after their applica- tion, affords a conclusive proof.

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The indestructibility given to wood by Ellis operation, arises, according to Dr. Bancroft, cc from its absorption of oxygen, in which state it will resist the combined action of sun, air, moisture, &c. for hun- dreds of years ;” so that all decay, however 8 anticipated or expected, may be entirely prevented by this previous prepant’ L ion. There is one precaution necessary in ef- fecting this by the acids, that is worthy of notice, namely ; that the surface of the wood, submitted to the operation, should be wrought, or planed. This is indispen- sible, unless a great quantity of the acid be employed. As the salne berleficial ef- fect, however, may be procluced with a, much less quantity, and a proportiolla1 diminution of expense, I presume that no {ne will object to tlzis prelilnillary lncal sqre,

The inclestructibility of vegetable oxide, or charcoal, has long been know11, That the ancients were acquainted. with it, it is

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gress, cure, After been

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36 1 - condly, their locality, w l h h renderecl it necessriry to construct a basement story lower than was convenient for domestic -purposes. It was, therefore, appropriated to stables, and other uses beloflghg to the l

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river. Iilence one of the essentials ta this vegetation was supplied by the dung and exuviíx ; and this too in the very place where, from its effluvia, i t could diffuse ille necessary puDulum, and, probably, tl1e seed, to the superstructure of the buil& ings.

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greater or less degree, llave produced a state of fermentation among t h wood, it must be referred to these two causes only. It may be objected to this hypothesis, that if the eauvia of the dung ancl exuviz form the pabzdum f o i the seed, that the fungus would be lbund on all the wood exposed to it. This would certaidy be t l w case, were it not for the access ancl egress, and the influence of the atmoqhcre. Ad-

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composillg orgapic particles”), arid the minuteness of their size could alone llave occasioned them to escape the attention of those naturalists who have held a COD- trary opinion. M. Neckar, treating of th& generation, says, cc they are always formed when the parenchymatous, or ce1- lular substance, has changed its form and function.” I-Xence we must conclude, that it ir; the clegeneration of that part which produces these bodies ; but can degenera- tion, putrefidon, or any other state inci- dent 011 thc decomposition of vegetable matter, create an organic substance ? Do not we know th? these weds, from their minutix, must be clisperscd through the air ? and does it not follow that they will germinate, vhnever they fiud a pubuZan¿, or a convenient nidus .Z In answer to the advocates of spo ntaneo,us origin, Dr. Priestley uses the following convincing obc scrvations : Still, completely organized bodics, of spccific kinds, are maintaincd

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of gas, owing to the change that they ex- - perience, the p a b u h n for their develope- ment must be referred to this cause. =

Experiments, and the facts deducible from, them, being the sole foundation *and effectual estsblishrnent of all philosophica~ inquiries, i t follows, that these facts, and their natural phenomena, must be of essen- tial importance in the present iwestiga- tion. Under this impression, I shall select some extracts from the papers, which, at different periods, have been sent to the Society for the Encouragement of Arts and Commerce, in consequence of their en- deavours (by the offer of prCmiums) ta stimulate enquiry into this phenomenon, and thereby to benefit the public, by the discovery of a tried and practical preven- titive of the Rot. Although this object may not have been, .hitherto, fully attain- ed, yet some of the papers already received contain many useful facts ; and most of them having occurred in pIaces, and under

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of a yellow colour, arose to a great degree in various parts of it, Zn the autumn of the year 17S6, the closet was locked up

P " for about ten weeks : upon opening it, .numerous fungi were observed about the lower part of it, and a white mould tvas spread by a plar,t, a vine, or sea weed ; and ,the whole of the inside, china, Etc. was covered with a f i l x powder, of the colour -of brick-dust. It being then cleaned out, I soon perceived what, indeed, I did n o t expect, that the evil hacl impregnated the wood so far, as to run through every shelf t lxrein ; it hacl also seized upon and de- stroyed, 3 moveable board for brealting sugar upon, I therefore (in the year I 789) determined to strip the whole closet of lining and floor, and not to leave particle of the wood behind ; and also to dig out and take away about two feet of the earth in depth, and leave the walls to dry, so as to destroy the roots, or seeds, of the evil. When by time, and the achission of air and good brushing, it had becolne suf-

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been done upwards of six years, and no vegetation or damp appearing, the whole of the pannels remaining ín the salne state as when first put in,"

That tlxsc facts are certaidy valuable needs no illustration. The fungus vegeta- tion, however, must have been expected w h q ~ , r the air was, thus excluded . frotn the closet; for- in a place like this, the action of 3' the - atgospl~ere could alone preserve it, up+ss some preiious precaution had been taken with the wood, It is evident from Mrv Batson's observations, that moisture was tbê o,rigiml stimulus to the vegetation ; and ar&ough' this new erection of a closet might have had the desired effect of prcd veniing, vçgetatior! on the wainscot, by the

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able ;eta- cted ,the ti on 2 it, ieen rom was and oset pre- the nce Was

d i t )ark led ; >tld

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This vegetation then, having a stimulus peculiar to its nature, which appears to be fullydemonstrable to our view, it becomes a subject of curious investigation ; and my purpose is to endeavour to counteract its injurious epects, I shall select another paper from the same source, as a farthcr illustration of this important operation.

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rate, it is applicable only to the case o f percobtion. He further observes : -1 am of opinion, that the fungus which per-

~ vades decaying wood, is not the first cause, but an attendant on the peculiar state to wl?ich such wood has been rcduced by previous causes. The dissemination of the seeds find a proper bed, or nidu$, like the'" mushroom or toadstool, and there fix their ahde , and pervade the whole substance, thus accelerating the general law of Pro- vidence, which- tends to makc 311 mattep re-productive,

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C c CclIars, or such ot11er places, should - be drained .in the nmmer 'r. have above

mentioned, by taking OE the pcrcolntlng water previom to its gaining admission to, or contact with the wails; and it is proba- ble that, in most cases, a. single drain will have complete effect. It would, nssureclly, were it not for the tlariation of the earth's internal strata, w l ~ i c l ~ i s not easily diseerni- ble. If attention to t l~ i s rule wcre piid,

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have considered the subject; and, not- withstanding Z differ from them in the mode of accomplishing my purpose, it is that 1 sought a remedy for general pwpo- ses ; an event which, I think, will scarcely be produced by any of the cases that have, I,&her+to, been brought forward. r have little to add, except to repeat that oxydation on& can be relied on, in all ca- ses, as an effectual cure, So confirmed am I in this opinion, from the experiments T have made in houses that are infected (the publication of which is withheld only on account ol: the dislike entertained to- wards houses that are known to be thus infected, and their consequent reduction in value), that I hesitate not to offer it to the consideration of an enlightened Pub- lic. 111 what I have advanced, there is, doubtless, much of repetition, and many tedious details. This has, probably, arisen from the principal facts being almost all of a nature to lead to the sanle conclu- sions : for in an examination of casesp

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