Morning journal and courier., 1886-08-16
A RAILROAD TIE OF PAPER.
Its Claims Set Forth by the Inventor
 Durability and Elasticity.


 "That is a railroad tie" It was of the regular size and polished as smoothly as piece of Italian marble The grain was so fine and the whole appearance so artistic that it might easily have been taken for chip from pillar of a Grecian temple in stead of such practical thing as railroad tie. The speaker was short, stout, sad faced man with large head and overhang ing brows, and was the inventor of this ass- thetic sleeper, and in his little office there were many models of cars and railroad tracks scattered about. 'tThis," said he, as he pat ted the railroad tie lovingly, ''is the result of years of labor and I believe now that it is perfect. It is made of paper, which I be- lieve is to enter to large extent in all build ing operations at no distant day. The great enemy to the use or paper is moisture, and in my invention of course a means had to be discovered to prevent dampness from having the slightest effect, a railroad tie being in the ground is subjected constantly to it, and a rotten tie might cause the loss of many lives and much property.
 'HThe process of manufacture is secret to certain extent, but the tie is absolutely fire and water proof. There; I will throw 8 piece of the prepared 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 cannot rot. Though apparently as hard as iron an ordinary spike can be driven into it without difficulty, and when the spike is in position the material 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 8 certain amount of spring in the tie, and when there is load on it it operates as a of tolra oir1 amount of jar from running cars. Under certain conditions, by slightly altering the combination 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 favora- ble conditions, while the paper tie will last any kind of weather for at least thirty years.
 ''The paper used is generally made of straw, although almost any kind of fibre will do as well. Straw is preferred because it can be easily obtained and the supply is unlimited. There mills in the West where tine straw is made up into boards. It is large industry and was first started to utilize the waste straw in the vast West for fuel instead of wood. This is paying bus mess and fortunes are being made out of what only few years ago was thrown away or burned up as useless. These boards are put together in layers, and after being treat ed to liberal dose of cement are put under 6 tremendous pressure in a hydraulic ma chine. This forces the atoms together in a 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 inn perfect conditions and appliances it takes | considerable time to make tie, but with | everything built in accordance with my plans | they can be turned out quicker than they can l be cut from trees and at a much less cost"