The Firsr Wood Preserver

The use of wood preservers dates from a remote period in ancient history. Its origin is coincident with the establishment of Captain Noah's weather bureau, and its first application was in connection with the famous house-boat that ancient mariher had constructed for service as a combination cruiser and animal transport during an extreme spell of rainy weather.

Noah was a construction engineer of no mean ability, besides being the most noted zoologist of all time. He was familiar with all the general species, varieties and families of the animal kingdom, and knew their minute habits. Referring to the dangers of decay without, and the propensity of rodents for gnawing wood-especially gopher wood, he was particular in his plans that the good ship Ark should be protected from microbes and rats and, while his t\Mo sons, Shem and Jap, worked industriously with saw and hammer, young Ham kept the tar kettle hot.

This industrious youth did the calking, and then applied the hot liquid all over the hull from keel to hatch, and from the lowest bulkhead inside to the promenade deck. The only place untouched was the vermin apartment of the interior, and a small spot about even with the water line on the starboard side of the hull, where a promising pair of rot fungi might survive in their native element to propagate their species.

The continual foggy atmosphere during the construction of the vessel caused the dense smoke from the tar kiln to hang low, and the soot therefrom acted disastrously upon