New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-10-30

MINER nart ~ tho line from Inc Central Park the
Companys Office at Foriy-third This 10 undOuDtedy
the first instance IN which steel rails nave Deeh ADOPTED
All Of the English steel rails mentioned above nnde
niaby Of excellent qaa ya SRS spnnroty over the
others The President OF the New-York and New
Brdeeport m which rails placed ~ feet
apart on solid wooden platform. On these bearings
nto o ne pieces by the pound weight Of
pile-driver falling on IL from hight OF 20 feet The
each OF the steel rails, and neither OF them was even
cracked In view Of the result Of this experiment the
openy proclaimed that they would hereafter buy the
steel ra that could be had for the least money
as they fully convinced that any one OF the rails
tested would be abundanuy strong and durable ior All
practical purposes. .
running out OF NewYork and in some OF them TO large
extent There will be 10000 tuns OF such rails on the
Hudson River Road by the end OF OCTOBER, o,OOo tuhs
being laid this Two hundred miles, or tWOhrds
Of It's entire track, will then be laid with Steel ana the
remaining third will doubtless be renewed win the same
metal inside of two years. On the New-York and New
Haven Road there VIII be about 6oo tuhs ol s,eei
by the end OF the nearly hall OF hen DeDg put
down this year, and the Company nave PuoIey S u
their determination to make all renewals OF tracks mere
are 500 tuns Of steel rails On the NewJersey roads
they have been introduced to considerable extent ana
the last report OF the HewJersey Railroad ana Iranso
tatiOn Company says cit is probable that steel rails
will gradually be laid the entire length OF the road the
greater durability OF these rails overcoming the objection
to their increased cost. IL is also noteworthy that
prominent gentleman officially connected with all tho
il s strongly suTmIsed of thoroughly investigating tbs
whole question Of steel rails On the Erie Road there are
nearly 1900 tuns OF steel rails in use one Thousand tnDs
John Brown rails LAID three years ago. ana are
just good, 20 all appearances as when put down;
tuns Of Cammel rails have been down little more than
year There also 1000 tuns Of Troy rails about goo
tuns OF Guest rails and 40 tuns OF krupp rS
making exact total OF $50 tuDs. 49,,
This year the Ere Company il not laying single SOLD
ran 1t is putting down, instead about 1000 tuns
per month reroed at Emira and about 200
tuns per month OF steelheaded rails made at IIentSn
nth old pon raj far a nuOulpu
steel welded TO this and forming about onerd OF the
hight Of the rail- About COCO tuns OF these have been
laid since last November and very diverse opinions
expressed concerning them A prominent
official connected with the road admitted TO an importer
of solid steel rails this city that they were giving out
in all directions" On the other hand an agent OF tne
manufacturers, after careful inspection, fonnd In the
fects Of any consequence. The truth undoubtedly s
Judging from the essential nature OF the ease ana ro
better than iron rails, but much INFERIOR 70 rh OF bou
steel and the public must Judge ior se for
ing its track with anything but solid steel ras when the
traffic that road rs Its officers are proud 70 say tines
the rails as severely any road In the world; A
quantity of steel headed rails made at hocnesef anu III
genlousy eontrlved so that the action OF inc whee
well FOR two years past on the track OF the new
YORK Central and some enthusiasts b Gav9 tSnn
those OF solid steel, lnasmuoh as the hard steer
cap 1TR4 3eS t Ss oT6s Gpe to the
downward pressure Of passing trains than Drtte see
possibly cam TINS PS9t s Indicated clearly
enough by the fact that In Germany where oil khdb oi
rails have been thoroughly tested steel as au ~
anteed for twelve years and steelleaded rails only ior
five. 49,,
making this year In the laying Of steel rails we are su
behind many European countries In this respect france
Belgium Germany and Holland have already laid them
extensively and even Russia has 10000 tuDs engaged
for the present year. Immense auahntes arr Hso HonE
to the East noies tue great ,ns within Ihe ast tSS
years This Hardness the part OF the United states
Is owing largely 10 the higher rates OF money IN TINS
"A
England Ia about 2l2 ~ gold when amounts win the
As per cent duty and the cost of transporta.
alton to $40 in GOLD equal the recent rates to about
$3.50 in currency; whereas good IRON rails may be had Tor
failure OF many roads 10 Introduce steel not the worst
OF IL. They will not even use good IRON IL j. tho
TemNTEed TO seIi good rail- but II we had 1900 tuns
OF miserable baT6 worthless as they ere cheap we
could sell them in n week. Plenty " Southern and
western roads are sending on here for wretched and
52pOund iron rails when the tracks ought 70 De aa AZ
the very with G0pound rails" Such conduct is
oupabe, but perhaps nDtural, The projectors Of new
railroad aim Of course at getting the track down ana 10
running order az soon a. possible ana not ono 10 a
hundred is content TO make haste slowly and use the
best materiah When the road gets Into operation
divdond must be declared TO satisfy the sOckhodesi
aud then begins the grand difficulty that lies today In
the way OF using steel rails and is well Illustrated by the
story OF Rn agent who sold loo tuns OF Cammeu rahs
to . EewEngland road, and called year later
to learn how they had turned out o,, I shnn
sand tuns but-lsenp In the next stakeholder,
who had Just received his yearly div idend and counted
1t carefully was heard TO eAciaim, IN 'oue OF snuoy
ance, Only t20O Why, had t2jO last year! What's
was the instant response, but have been spending
good deal OF money for steel rails lately" Steel rails,
en- I" reoined the stookholder; 1 don't know about
that. / guess iron rails good enough; any how,
want my $3.50 next me and the speaker rotreaed with
an Ominous frOwn his cOuntenanoe. There" had
the President, that's the trouble; and although Nc
want rails at once, that oompes 70 defer buying
them until year" Tho conviction is daily gaming
ground among railroad men that 10 ~ penny wise,
pound foolish" policy TO continue the OF iron rails,
and shrewd managers will not much longer hesitate 20
cut down dIyiGends, II necessary, for few years,
order 10 supply the public with safe, well cheap
and speedy, railway transportation
The great advantage of steel rails lies In their homo
Renety iron rail- q steelheaded rail, is made OF
pile bars heated and welded together but solid steel
rail II rolled from single ingOt and consequently IL sub
iect 20 only, whereas tho others exposed 10
wear and tear and the tear" any one must know
who noticed the battered, aminated, and dsn
tegrated condition Of IRON rails much used track II
most serious consideration. 30 great Is this advantage
that single steel rail has been known to ouwear 40 less
than rails placed Bueccssyey In the same track
and 10 perfectly safe TO say that any good solid steel
rail will 0utast dozen rails OF iron. The argument that
much force and entirely upset by the discovery
of the Martin process, by which old steel can be
worked with perfect And the grand objection that
steel is BRITTLE and therefore, steel rails must break Is
now fully OyePthrOwn by actual experience or course
steel rails may be made 80 brittle as to be worthless and
IL is well ascertaned that punching holes In thom has
most injurious effect; but this process Is now dscOn
tuued is certain that rails rolled from good Bes
semer steel and drilled instead Of punched not only
far durable, but at least as tough as the best
ron rails,