Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-08-05
PAPER RAILWAY TIES.
A Great Improvement Which Is Pro
nounced Perfect by Its Inventor.

A Great Improvement Which Is Pro
nounced Perfect by Its Inventor.
''That is a railroad tie" 1t was OF
the regular size and polished as smooth
ly as piece of Italian marble. The
grain was so fine and the whole appear
ance was so artistic that it might easily
have been taken for chip from pill
lar of Grecian temple instead 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
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, as he
patted the railroad tie lovingly, lis the
result of years of labor, and 1 believe
now that it is perfect. 1t is made OF
paper, which l believe is to enter to q
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 nv invention, o.
course, means had to be discovered to
prevent dampness from having the
slightest effect, as railroad tie. 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 a certain extent, but the
tie is absolutely fire and water proof.
There; l 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 as 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 a certain amount of spring
in the tie, and when there is a load on
it it operates as a sort of cushion and
takes away a certain amount of jar from
running cars. Under certain condi-
tons, 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 well. Straw is preferred be-
cause it can be easily obtained and the
supply is unlimited. There are mills
in the west where the straw is made up
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 a paying business.
and fortunes are being made out of
what only a few years ago was thrown
away or burned up as useless. These
boards are put together in layers, and
after being treated to liberal dose of
cement are put under tremendous
pressure in a hydraulic machine. 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 high temperature. Under
the present imperfect conditions and
appliances it takes considerable time to
make a tie, but with every thing built
in accordance with my plans they can
be turned out quicker than they can be
cut from trees and at a much less cost.
The number of wooden ties used every
year to construct new and repair old
roads is enormous and is large ele-
ment in the disappearance of forests in
this country. 1t is my belief from what
/ know of paper tn at it is destined to
take the place of wood in many things.
and this will give protection to our for
ests. Legislation can never protect the
forests as long as there is such large
demand for wood.
THE strength and durability of paper
is well shown in car wheels made of
this material. 1t makes an iron wheel
sick to contemplate light paper wheel
running for years after it has been
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 large and in
creasing market. A large part of the
beautiful bronze ornaments and statues
seen Ill puDlIC places anu OHcItu IoI
sale in stores devoted to the sale of
ancient and modern bronzes are made
of composition the principal clement
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 a paper chair, sleep in paper bed,
in room carpeted with paper, wash in
a paper tub or bowl, live in a paper
house, ride in paper car or carriage,
sail in paper boat, build up a fortune
on paper; and yet the industry is only
in its infancy. Are any railroads using
my tie? No. They all admit its useful
ness and are willing to try it with big
if This means that / have got to
satisfy the clique which is a part of
every railroad in this country in the
purchasing department, and the only
way this can be done is to present them
with your invention or controlling
interest. 1 am fighting against this and
will try to beat them, so that l can get
some benefit out of my labors. IN. \.
Tribune.