Ponderoso Pine White Fir o Engelmonn Spruce o Douglos Fir

Mixed or Stroight Truck & Trqiler Shipments

From Quqlity Mills in Arizono - Colorodo & Utoh

KAIBAB LUIUIBER CCD.

George Myers, Southern Coliforniq Soles Representqtive

Nevodcr 6-1523

U. 5. Pqtent Office lssues

Two tlumber-Sfretcher' Pqfents

The U. S. Patent Office at Washington, D.C., last month issued two patents to Frank O. Higgins of New Orleans covering the "method and apparatus for stretching and stress relieving lumber." The Wood Stretcher-Patents I\o. 2815779 znd 2815780-was invented by the presiclent of Higgins Industries, Inc., worlcl's largest r.nanufacturer of larninated harclwood flooring. Frank Higgins, 43, son of the late Andrerv J. Higgins, industrialist ancl WWII boat builcler. has spent rnost of his life in the lumlter and allied lielcls anrl issuarice of the oatents to him cuh.r.rir.rates a lifetime of work and experinrerrtation in the field of rlinrensiorrally stahilizirrg hurrber.

The patents were assigned by the inventor to his firm, which has developecl ecluipment in its machine shops for the application of the lurnber-stretching process in the rnanufacture of new flooring products which will soon be nationally distributed ancl priced competitively with asphalt tile and other resilient floor covenngs.

Heretofore, in the lnrnber ir.rdustry, ir.r tl'rat class with the "left-handed monkey wrench," the "si<y hook" and "type lice," the new "Lumber Stretcher" is literallv iust that. The end result of the application referred to by the-Patent Offrce description is-to create a piece of lun-rber or veneer tl-rat is larger dimerxionally when completely dried and finished tl.ran it was in its natural wet stage. Consequently, it becomes impossible for the velteer or lumber to expand further, when confined, even though submerged in water for an indefinite periocl. It also becomes impossible for the wood to shrink or contract because of the countless "expansion joints" created in the wood during the stretching process.

The secret of the success of tl-re long-sought "Wood Stretcher" lies in these "joir.rts," created in the treated woocl. Wood, a hydroscopic material, expands and contracts tl-rror"rgh its absorption of moisture. Tl.ris expansion or grolvth, however, takes plale in one dimension only-that opposite to the grairr; the grain dimension rer.naining constant.

Nevqdcr 6-1523

Swimming Pools Now 'Orgonized'

Robert Hoffman, Ne.rv York Citr.. rvai elected the first president of the N:rtional Sri'imnir.rg pool Institute at the Institute's hrst annual coni'ention in Chicago. He 1s editor of Sr,r.imming l,riol Age maga- zine. Stanley L. Curlett, president Jf tl.re N{a'rlin p6ol Irquipment Co., Van Nuys, Calif., was elected vicepresident; treasurer is Iirtrce Hunrphreville. Tohnsnlanr-ille Sales ('or1r.. Chicago. On thc nervly ihosen board of directors is.John R. X{cConnell, president, McConnell Construction Co., Ithoerrix. Ariz-, Iiquipment suppliers electecl to the board inclrrcle J],. O. Baker, Su'imquip, Inc., I,,l Nftrnte, Calif., and ]'lverett Landor.r. president, Larrdorr, I nc., Belmor.rt, Calif.

The convention. first to be held of representatives of all segments of the srvimming pool industry, drew 200 men from all parts of the U.S. to hear taiks an<l discttssions by industry leaders, and to establish the formal organization of the group.

The Higgins process, by introducing countless additional manmade expansion joints into the wood at a stage when its moisture content closely approximates its natural (or maximum) wet state, stretches the r.r,'ood beyond the size it could possibly expand to if it became wet after drying. In sl.rort, the wbod becomes larger dry than when wet-untif now an impossibility. _ Application of the Higgins process does not measurably iffect the thickness of the woocl. Nor is there any change in the grain pattern or the surface of the lumber or vel1eer, and no lois of strer.rgth or durability. In its application to wood veneers, the stretching process produces a veneer completely flexible, but one which will also conform to almost aiv surface-flat or irregular-by its own weight. Veneers so tieatecl are saicl to become id-eally suited for conversion to flooring, wall paneling, furnitnre finishes ancl many other frrnctional arrd decorafine usei.

Thorpe Yqrd qf Big Becrr Loke Sold to Sqlt Lqke City Deqler

Rig Bear Lake, Calif.-The Thorpe,!-umber &_Building Supp-ly Co. here has beetr solci to lack W{g!}. of Salt Lake Citv, Utatr, it rvas atrtrottncecl last ntonth by William Kleinman, wh-o with his wife had olteratecl tl.re tnountain retail yard since 1929, anrrl since 1946 in partnersl-rip with Mrs. Kleinrlan's brother, Nf. J. Gator', rvho lvas for lnany years associatecl with Will 'falmaclge arrcl pioneered the Fox industry I'rere. NIr. Kleinnran will assilt the ireou olvner rvith tl-re yarcl for a tinle, arrd it rvill contintte utrder the Thorpe firur tlanre.

Mr. Wright has solcl his holdings in Salt T ake City, where he was a draftstnan and clesigner in tl-re lutr.rber arlcl builrling fielcl the past 11 years, and lvill cer-rter his inte_rests_in.Jlig Rear \'ralley. Hit Salt Lake City yard rvas the Pa1'-Less lluilclers ar.rd Srrppiy Co. and NIr. \Vright was active itr lttnrller association ',,oit.'His rnain sidelinels perfectirrg blueprints and simple plans for package <le:rls in prefabs that ntake it possible for_the ilo-it-yorrrlelf trade to erecl a home frorn the ground up. Mr. \Vriglrt serverl rvith the l0th Nlountain Division Ski 'lroops clrrring \\1\\'II and is also knowtr as a singer. His lvife Nlary h:rs taken nrore thatr ttsrtal interest in community betterment irl Salt T ake Citl'. They I'rave three cl-rildren aged 8, 4 and 18 nrol1u1s.

I)ealer Thoroe and I'ris wife Freda will contirrue to urake tlreir honre at Big l3ear.

Gqmmell lo Hqrbor Lumber Stoff

The addition of Paul "Pete" Gar.nrr-rell to the s:rlcs force of Harbor Lumber Company is annottncecl by Ike Zafrani, presi<lent of the San Francisco concerlt. (ianrr.ntll will maintain offrces at 1135 Auzerais Avenue in Sarr Jose. C)ther Harbor fielcl offices are at Sacramento (\\'oocly I'iiggs) and Nevada City (8i11 Zadow).