The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1886-08-14
PAPER RAILWAY TIES.
A Great Improvement which Is Pro-
nounced Perfect by It's Inventor.

A Great Improvement which Is Pro-
nounced Perfect by It's Inventor.
"That is railroad tie" II was Of
the regular size and polished as smooth
ly rs piece of Italian marble. Tho
grain was so fine and the whole appear
ance was so artistic that 1t might easily
have been taken for chip from pill
lar Of n Grecian temple instead of such
practical thing as railroad tie. The
speaker was a short, stout, sad-faced
man, with large head and ovcrhang-
ing brows, and was the inventor of this
aesthetic sleeper, and in his little Office
in Fulton street there were many mod
els of cars and railroad tracks scatter
ed about. This" said he, us he
patted the railroad tie lovingly, sis the
result of years of labor, and l believe
now that it is perfect. 1t is made of
paper, which I believe is to enter to a
large extent in all building operations
at no distant day. The great enemy to
the use of paper for many things is
moisture. and in my invention, of
course, means had to be discovered to
prevent dampness from having the
slightest effect, as n railroad tic, being
in the ground. is subjected constant
ly to it. and rotten tie might
cause the loss of many lives and much
property. The process of manufacture
Is secret to q certain extent, but the
tie is absolutely fire and water proof
There; will throw piece of the pre-
pared paper into the fire. You see it
will not burn. have submerged it for
weeks and months in both hot and cold
water and the moisture has never been
found inside the surface. Consequently
it can not rot. Though apparently as
hard rs iron, an ordinary spike can be
driven into it without difficulty, and
when the spike is in position the mate
rial is of such nature that it closes
around the iron and holds it so firmly
that it can never be shaken loose.
There is also certain amount of spring
in the tie, and when there is load on
| it it operates Us n sort of cushion and
takes away Il certain amount of jar from
running cars. Under certain condi-
tions, by slightly altering the combina-
ton of materials. the paper can be made
so hard that it will turn the edge of the
hardest tool without being more than
scratched. The ordinary wooden tie
, will last about five years under the most
, favorable conditions, while this paper
tie will stand any kind of weather for
at least thirty years.
1.-The paper used is generally made of
, straw, though almost any kind of fibre
: will do as we'll Straw is preferred be-
, cause it can be easily obtained and the
supply is unlimited. There are mills
| into boards. 1t is large industry and
was first started to utilize the waste
straw in the vast West for fuel. instead
of wood. This is paying business.
and fortunes are being made out of
what only n few years ago was thrown
away or burned up as useless These
boards are put together in layers. and
after being treated to Il liberal dose of
cement are put under Il tremendous
pressure in hydraulic machine. This
forces the atoms together in solid
mass. Under pressure dozen boards
will take the place of one. Heat is also
an agent in the manufacture of paper
ties. and they are thoroughly baked in
an oven at a high temperature Under
the present imperfect conditions and
appliances it takes considerable time to
make q. tie, but with every thing built
. in accofdance with my plans they can
be turned out quicker than they can be
cut from trees and Mt II much less cost.
The number of wooden ties used every
, year to construct new and repair old
l roads is enormous and is n large ele-
1 ment in the disappearance of forests in
: this country. 1t is my belief from what
= l know of paper that it is destined to
5 take the place of wood in many things,
, and this will give protection to our for
t ests. Legislation can never protect the
. forests as long rs there is such large
, demand for wood.
1.-The strength and durability of paper
3 is well shown in car wheels made of
3 this material. 1t makes an iron wheel
sick to contemplate a light paper wheel
l running for years after it has been
t thrown away as useless. Paper will
} not only take the place of wood, but
also of good many metals and of
stoneware. A portable paper bath-tub
! is one of the latest ideas, and pots.
plates, knives, forks, stoves and engines
made of paper have a large and in
, creasing market. A large part of the
beautiful bronze ornaments and statues
t seen in public places and offered for
sale in stores devoted to the sale of
, ancient and modern bronzes are made
t of composition the principal element
!, of which is paper or fibre. A man
to-day can wear paper shoes and clothes,
eat from paper dishes with paper knives
} and forks, served upon a paper table. sit
' on u paper chair, sleep in a paper bed
in room carpeted with paper, wash in
: a paper tub or bowl, live in paper
house, ride in a paper Car or carriage,
sail in a paper boat, build up Il fortune
= on paper; and yet the industry is only
S in its infancy. Are any railroads using
A my tieP No. They all admit its useful
ness and are willing to try it with big
if This means that l have got to
, satisfy the clique which is part OF
| every railroad in this country in the
g purchasing department, and the only
G way this can be done is to present them
with your invention or controlling
, interest. am fighting against this and
I will try to beat them, so that | can get
t some benefit out OF my labors. IN Y.
l Tribune.