Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1875-12-04
RISE UP, LAZARUS!

The following article contributed by
q wide-swake citizen of this county,
relating to the merits of wooden rail-
ways when the people are too impecu-
NOUS to purchase the usual iron outfit,
is specially commended to the attention
of our readers. As he bases his opin-
ion upon personal observation, it is en-
titled to considerable weight.
1t will be remembered that year or
more ago we published series of arti-
cles, based on estimates from the Han
ufacturer and Builder, demonstrating
the entire practicabihty of using wooden
rails on roads of light traffic. The
people then wanted nothing but first
class road, and the proposition, there
fore, passed without consideration.
Believing that they are now in better
mood to deliberate upon the matter, we
shall present in the next issue the fig
ures and arguments of the journal to
which reference has been made. If we
can waken the people up on this sub
ject we now intend to do it. We have
seen what enterprise has done for other
places, and believe it can insure the
same prosperity to us. Seattle to-day
is oyeraowing with life, business and
people, the result Of her coal trade,
which affords steady and regular COM
munication with California. Here the
ominous words To Let" constitute
the epitaph of departed Ambition.
Shall this state of affairs continue?
Ed. STANDARD: In your last issue we
read an extract from a statement made
by the Superintendent of a Pennsylva-
MIA Railroad, in which, abiding to the
practicability of wooden rails for heavy
traffic, the article closes in these words:
3" These wooden tracks have been tried
at different places in the country and
invariably found to work WE'LL" and
you very properly add, 4" A hint for the
directors of the Olympia-Tenino Rail-
road may be taken from this expert
ence." Now, Mr.. Editor, allow me a
few words, as I do not trespass upon
your space very often. That Superin-
tendent has said nothing new. Wood
en- rails were in use on many roads, and
answered every purpose for the time
being, till business would warrant and
iron could be had. Now am not sim
pie enough to suppose I am going to
enlighten anybody, much less to satisfy
q large portion of your readers. They
want first-rate Trail and nothing less
will apparently satisfy them; desire
which we all see it is impossible to graf
ify. To declare that we will have T.
rail and no other, is tantamount to say
ing we will have no road at all. I have
had little experience in wooden-track
railroads. The Huron Stone Co., in
corporated many yerrs ago, builta rail-
road to the quarries, which was some
three miles in length. The road was in
use some sixteen years. We had no To-
comotives or heavy cars. The road,
like NEST of those in early days, was
fitted for horses. A tow-path, track
in the center, was prepared for the
horse. We used to take two cars with
aEs 'sssaxsst5, .1t,f carry oae ,&orai q ssalae
in each car, which was equal to about
twelve tons. We could carry much
more, but it was enough for one horse
to trot off with briskly. The super
structure of road for wooden rails
and horse track should be fully equal
to that for q Trail. The ties are
notehed about four inches, and the
stringers or rails are keyed in. The
ties are cut out q little in the center for
the horse-path, and the whole should
be graveled.
Our road cost less than 5000 per
mile. Sawed stringers would be cheap
est, If you could supply them from a
mill ON the road. Some of the first
roads were built in this manner. On
the frst-class roads, iron was spiked on
to the wooden rail or stringer. Many
OF our best roads were first run on by
horse cars. i have rode from Albany
to Schenectady, in the State of New
York, on horse-cars, and the first road
from Buffalo to Dunkirk was wooden
track and worked by horse power.
The wooden rail and horse power
will answer every purpose except that
OF speed. The cars can be made much
lighter than those commonly used and
much cheaper. They need not weigh
but little more than common wagon,
and they cost but little if any more.
We made our cars in the wagon and
blacksmith shops, and they worked
well. The wheels we're made with
common hubs, pipe boxes, wooden AK
eltrees, the same as q wagon, with
square nut and linch-pin, although nei-
Their are required as the wheels viii new
or run of. Our wheels were made with
hubs and spokes but NO felloes. The
fange wheel was cast whole with square
sockets 10 receive the ends of the spokes,
which were left large and secured to the
fange by screws.
This description Of road is safer than
all others. The driver can aiways see