The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-11-20
THE TIE TRAFFIC,
AND ITS IMMENSE PROPORTIONS.

AND ITS IMMENSE PROPORTIONS.
An Interesting Conversation With Pioneer Con.
tsseiar-Thianiag the Forests 10 Ltas,hea
the Rallroads-Grouth and Import.
anes Of a State ladustry. g.
Few OF the many people who dsily visit
the river front OF the city or cross the sus.
pension bridge have failed 10 notice the large
number Of railroad ties that are transported
from points below Wheeling to the city and to
points above, but probably us few have ever
given the matter any thought, least Of all
guessed the magnitude Of the railroad tie
business In this State und vicinity or the
many interesting facts connected with their
manufacture, sale and transportation.
| The subject seems dry and uninterestlng
enough 10 the casual observer who sees q
towboat ascend the river with two or three
boat loads OF ties, but that |. Is not devoid
OF Interest I'M lSrELLiGEScRR reporter was
amply persuaded, after.a talk Of all hour or
the head Of the Monitor ,rowboat and Lumber
Company, OF this city. Mr. Armstrong Is a
modest und unassumine inan, and the head
OF u modest and unassntning corporation,
md yet he has In the past year. In addition
| to handling 1,d06,00J bushels OF coal, con.
| tribnted In no unimportant measure 10 the
the railroad ties for about $50 miles OF the
iron roads which are linking together the
different sections Of this country, stretching
out over the fields and through the forests,
| across water courses and under bills, anu
bringing communities heretofore estranged
| by tue barrier OF miles into daily communi.
cation, us rapidly aljuost as II they were
mere lines traced by Some great magician's
wand. ~
SOMETHING ABOUT TIES. 1l
Knowing that Mr.. Armstrong Is veteran
III the busln css, o reporter who had noticed
the vast Number OF ties carried past the city
at all seasons called upon him Saturday
evening to learn something about the mum.
Der OF these ties used, where they came from,
upon what roads they ure used and the like.
] When he introduced the subject the news.
paper man knew about rs little about railroad
ties as the astronomers know about the comet,
but had he digested all the information oh.
tained in the course OF the interview he
would have been ready to undertake the
duties OF M inspector OF ties when ! e babe
his informant good evening. lie Mt least re-
membered tlia! the regulation dimensions Of
tic are seven inches In width or 'iace,"
seven inches thick and eight and u half feet
long. The face" measure and length may be
exceeded but the thickness Is both the maxi.
mum and minimum. A good sound tie Ia
expected to last eight years. All ilrst-cass
| NJ In ri uIVn rnnIp ytgII t,nu. ~,
slvely. whileon most narrow guage roads and
some small standard gauge lines, sawed onfs
are accepted. The number OF ties to mile
Of track will average $500, when laid us ap-
proved by experience.
In the past year the Monitor! Company
has delivered on its various contracts from
$4,000 10 400, 600 ties. There are two other
firms largely interested In the business,
Messrs. Dawes Il Irish, Of Marietta, and the
Bakers, Of Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Mr..
Dawes is the e1.Congressnian; his partner is
The active and practical tic man. The b.
kers handle nearly us many ties as Mr.. Arm
about all the ties required by the s.Penusyi.
vania Railroad Company" and the
latter having the contracts for the
roads and divisions operated by the
| Pennsylvania Company which are
the r, G. & St. l.. road, the T., IT. W, &
C.'rond, and the c. l. +. road, and their
several branches, with n few Others. Ties
for the c. 4 I. road are towed to Beluire and
there transferred to the cars. The Fl. Wayne
road transfers It's ties at Rochester, and the
ties for the Pan Handle and its branches are
boa,ed to Short Greek, and there transferred
to Pewiky cars. Formerly these were re-.
shipped at Steubenville, but the company
and contractors both objected 10 paying the
wharfage charged, and so an incline was con.
structed at Short Creek, and operations
transferred to this side of the river, The ties
for the penusylvania Central are transferred
for the most par. at Pittsburgh, An inspec.,
tor employed by the railroad companies
Is stationed at each Of these points,
who measures and examines each tie
as it is uhloaded from the barge.
WHERE THEY CONE raoM.
| The cutting Of the ties furnishes labor for
q large portion OF the year 10 thousands of
the hardy sons of West Virginia, for It il
from the forests Of this s.ute tha, ali those
which come up the river are obtained. They
are cut and shaped in the woods, taken to
the nearest stream OF wafer, and there left
until fresllet comes to bear them ia the the
river All along the creeks and runs which
bear to la Belle Mviere Or It's tributaries the
rains which fall in the hills OF Wetzel, Tyler.
Jackson, pleasants, Doddridge, Writ, Eoane'
Calhoun, aud parts Of Marshall, Wood
Mason and Richie counties, Is heard the
ring OF the woodmau's ax, which converts
the young oak into material for paving tile
path OF commerce. At the mouths of these
streams are constructed "boon.s," which |
check the ties and hold them for their own.
ers. Usually these hooms consist OF n
series Of log contriyancess bound to.
gether by iron. 1t is difficult 10 describe
these us interestingly Ms Mr.. Armstrong did |
without making use Of u diagram which he |
drew. Two logs, fifty feet or 30 in length. |
are bound together laterally at distance di
eight or ten feet with planks nailed diaron.
ally across. To one end OF this another or |
Others are bound, and SO float made OF suf. |
| ticient length TO span the river In the shane
Of aV, with the point down stream, Tho
ends are securely tied with cables to trees or
stakes. When the ties have al been caught,
the point OF the boom isopened wide enough |
to allow the ties to float slowly through, and
they are etaken from the water 70 the barge as
they leave the boom. Sometimes the poiut
OF the is PLACED up stream, in which case
| cables are extended thence to the banks
and the ties are noated out ut one ond for
loading. Tho ties are branded with the own.
er's mark when purchased.
Sometimes the sight at one OF these booms
Mt n spring treshct Is worth going miles 10
view, the swollen stream being entirely GOV,
cred with ties us far as the eye can see.
Sometimes ming cd with the ties are barrels
md stavo timber. Often by the breaking of
one OF the ropes which hold the floats Tint
form the boom thousands Of dollars loss IL
occasioned 10 the owners Of the lumber.
The Monitor company have line boom Mt
the mouth Of Middle Island creek, OH which
stream ties are tloatea for distance OF one
hundred miles from its mouth. q. 5gs7G
A NOVEL ARTICLE OF MEEcnsSp!sg,
Various methods Of procuring lies are re.
sorted to by contractors who have agreed 10
supply certain companies will, given mum.
her OF ties in a set time, Sonetimes tbe
privilege Of cutting the tic timber Off tract