The daily gazette., 1879-04-15
steel Rails from England.

Why Mr.. Vanderbilt Buys Them-Amer-
icdn Rails Said to Wear ont Much
Sooner Than Engtish-Amer'tcdn
| Manufacturers Un,cilt,ng to Gire the
Desired Guarantee.
to say anything further yesterday about
his purchase of English steel rails, and
declined to comment on Alfred Earshaw's
letter on the subject published in the
Tribune Wednesday. But prominent
official ofthe New York Central Rail-
road was found to be less reticent, though
he preferred that his name should not be
published. He said:
"The English steel rails were not or
dered by Mr.. Vandt rbilt until after a
| careful examination the cost. Chem
ical and other tests of both American and
English steel rails were also made. The
amount Of English rails ordered was 10,-
600 tons at cost, loaded, of f5 ton.
To this must be added duty of S2S,
which will make the rails cost, delivered
here, about $53 ton. The American
Bessemer steel rails cost from $45 to SAT
| a ton, and on large orders they can prob
ably be purchased as low as $43. ton,
the price varying according to the place
OF delivery.
The manufacturers of the English steel
give guarantee of twelve years wear,
all rails not coming up to the standard to
be replaced free of cost. Every Ameri-
can manufaci urer applied to declined to
furnish such a guarantoe, five years being
the longest time for which guarantee
was offered. 1t Is well known to railroad
men that the utmost limit of wear for
American steel rails, as now manufac-
tured, is five years, where they are sub
jected to the strain of heavy traffic such
as continually passes over the New York
Central Road. Some of the English rails
now laid on this road have been III con-
| staut use for many years without show
ing the least evidence of wear, while
American steel, laid at the same time,
has worn out and must be replaced. The
purchase of this large quantity of steel
was made by Mr.. Vanderbilt purely for
reasons of economy, and after consider
ing carefully all tile elements involved in
the matter. The purchase Of rails that
/ cost 25 per cent. more than American
rails, and give nearly 100 per cent.
| more wear, cannot, under any circum-
stances, prove reckless expenditure, nor
can the stockholders be injured in the
least by such a purchase.
at Is a mistake to suppose that In
making this purchase Mr.. Vanderbilt de.
| sired to express a lack of confidence iu
American rails, or that he intends to use
only English steel. An order has been
gwen to Pennsylvania company for z.
600 tons of American rails. and the inten-
| ton is to distribute both kinds along the
New York Central and its feeders, where
each will be the most serviceable. A
| road with the enormous traffic of New
York Central cannot afford to be de-
pfivsd of its tracks every few years for
the laying of new rails, and where the
heaviest wear is we shall lay he English
steel. None of it will be laid in Canada
the only portion of the Canada Southern
Road requiring new tracks being in the
| United States. The idea that Mr.. Van
| derbilt by this purchase wanted to make
capital to use at w ashington in fighting
the present tariff is absurd. The tariff
| troubles HIM less than almost any other
subject, and such an idea never entered
hls mind"
The officer added, In closing the con-
versation, that Mr.. Vanderbilt, as Presi-
1 dent of the New York Central Road, had
a right to make his purchases of mater-
ials where he choose, without consulting
/ those who had no interest in the welfare
OF the company.-N. Y. II ibune.