>      Do any of you know what this lumber would be used for and/or what
>      special (presumably desirable) qualities waterlogged lumber would
>      have?
>
What they do with waterlogged Doug Fir 'round here is cut 'em up into BIG
boards, kiln dry 'em, and sell them a very high grade building materials.
Most of this stuff is premium old growth and so is of much higher quality
than the wood that is commonly available today.  The fact that they were
waterlogged for how ever many years isn't much of an issue either pro or
con, although it is a good story,  Constant immersion generally protects the
wood from the kinds of moisture-related decay caused by above ground wet/dry
cycles.

george kramer
ashland, oregon

(a proud, if usually quiet, member of Team Heretic)