Owyhee semi-weekly tidal wave. [volume] (Silver City, Owyhee County, Idaho Territory) 1868-1869, 1869-01-15
WOODEN RAILROADS.

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mands of commerce are not OF sufii-
cient Importance TO ensure the con-
struction Of iron railroads wood
is being substituted. The plan is TO
lay down rough ties very close to-
gether and place on them hewn or
sawed timbers, that serve the double
purpose Of stringer and rail. These
are usually employed to connect
small and unimportant villages with
some main railroad line, and are
sometimes constructed by individ-
uals, for the accommodation Of small
neighborhoods and even for single
farms, A farmer or number of far
Hers, live off the main line of the
railroad, they go 10 work and build
a wooden track to the main road,
and when their crops and other pro-
duce Is ready for market, they in
form the freight agent of the fact,
and he orders one, two, or as many
cars as are necessary to switch on to
the wooden track, when the farmer
comes with a span of horses and
takes them to the farm or place
agreed on between him and his
ueighbor: when loaded they are Ia
ken back to the road, switched on
aud become part OF the train, NOV
ing on to the markets Of the world.
In case the track or branch is laid to
a town or more important neighbour
hood, or when the distance is great,
and loads heavy, locomotives are
employed. These roads, although
not suited for heavy trains and last
running, are found to answer all the
ends OF transportation when no gen
eral shipment is required, but merely
the taking of produce to market and
supplying the places with goods in
return. We observed in Il Canada
journal, an account Of one Of these
wooden roads that had been in use
thirteen years, supplying place oil
several thousand inhabitants with
goods and taking away their snrplns
produce. the road still continuing as
rood as new. Some one OF the Cali
fornia or Nevada papers had an arti
Gle, a few days ago, giving an nc
count of such a road in North West
ern New York, doing the transpor
tation of an Iron works, where thous
ands Of tons Of iron were sent ovel
ii yearly.
Such roads are cheap, the only
heavy expense being in the grading
and many places in this Western
country, require but little or NJ
grading in order 10 lay railroad
track. There are pine trees enough
in Boise Comfy to laya track roun'
the world. Boise, Payette and Snak'
River Valleys, are as level as tn
Humboldt or Platte, and except !
he ON the direct line Of road, leading
10 Puget Sound, eau never expect u
he of sufficient Importance 10 attrac
the expensive iron rail. Wonid
not he we'll to begin TO think abou
tapping the main trunk with woodel
branches. The Idaho Central Roa'
Company, that have Incorporated 10
the purpose of building a rallroa'
from Boise City TO the Central Paciti'
might employ their spare time am
means in grading and laying down
wooden track. The grade wonl'
moi be lost when the time arrived 10
putting down the iron, and tn
wooden road wonld in all probabil
ity. soon earn enough to buy th'
iron. 4 track starting from the for
ests of Boise County, or from Soutt
Mountain in this County. could east
" supply itself with an abundance
Of timber, for ties, rails and all the