WATERLOO ELM

Waikato Times, Volume 126, Issue 21036, 12 February 1940, Page 5

WATERLOO ELM

] THE QUEEN'S CHOICE | WOOD FROM OLD BRIDGE Timber which was regarded as “only fit for firewood” four years ago has been chosen by the Queen impanelling her private saloon in the new L.M.S. royal train. It is known as Waterloo Elm, the hardy Canadian Rock Elm, which for nearly a hundred years stood in the bed of the Thames, propping up old Waterloo Bridge. When demolition contractors offered the timber for sale there were no bids. Merchants said: “It’s no use—except to burn.” Then Mr W. Howard, a London !’ dealer, walked down to the bridge from his Westminster office one morning. i He looked at the heavy wooden piles the workmen were bringing io the surface, thought they might possibly be turned to some use, and decided to take a chance, i He stated his price—not a high one. It was accepted immediately, j Mr Howard undertook to buy all ; the wood under Waterloo Bridge, and '’that'meant also buying large quan- ! tities of English beech and English I elm. | The English wood is still at Mr Howard’s warehouse, waiting to be | buyied. Delicate Shades ! But the Waterloo Elm proved a j bargain, despite the fact that large j pieces of it had to be thrown away. | When cleaned and polished it revealed a delicate, silky grey hue of varying shades—an effect that dyers of wood have been unable to copy. “This unusual and attractive colouring was caused by the action of lime and chalk from the river on the props,” Mr Hansom, one of Mr Howard’s managers, told a reporter. “It has made the wood very popular in decorative work.” Mr Howard has now sold a large quantity of thi§. “firewood” to the Cunard line for panelling new liners. It has been used in staterooms in the Queen Elizabeth. He has sold another consignment to the London, Midland and Scottish Railway for their luxury coaches, and wealthy people are now inquiring about the wood for libraries and ballrooms.

Cigarette holders and ornaments made from the wood are also fetching high prices.