Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1886-01-09
Millions Of Ties.

lie railroads OF this country said
an Erie railway official. well posted
on the subject, to a New York Times
correspondent, ''rGy S6,0e9, 900 q year
for cross-ties. The timber used IL OAK,
chestnut, and homlock in the east, and
oak, cherry, locust, maple, aud ash in
the south and west. The best ties are
made o9 white oak. Moro than 27S, 900
acres of forest are needed 10 supply
these tl8s every year and Consequent
Nv tho necessities CT railroads in this
u respect alone form a considerable
item In The destruction of our forests.
The couatry along the line of our roed
alone annually Supplies US with nun.
dredS of thousands Of oak and chestnut
ties, and thus far We have not been
compelled to go outside of our own
district for our supplies. one county
in Pennsylvania furnishes a large pro-
portion of our ties, and has for many
years. That is Pike county, and every
station on our line in that county
Is a supplying depot for rail
road les. / have, often wondered
where they all came from, for tho.eon-
tractors who operate, IN that country
after thirty years of ohopping and
hewing in her forests never hesitate
to contract for the delivery of as many
ties as we may call for, and they are
broug,I in ron as far % fifteen miles
from The railroad. Besides the large
number that we annually receive from
the county, the Delaware and Laeka-
wana road, on the othor side OF the
county. depends on the same county
for a large share of its. ties. For more
than twenty-five years. also, up to the
time we adopted coal rs "A fuel, Pike
county furnished tho Erie with hum
dreds Of thousands of cords of wood
every year-oak, chestnut, maple,
hickory and pine. Besides these drafts
on her timber and tho couutry's best
young chestnut trees have been out for
more than thirty-tivo years TO help in
renewing our telegraph poles.
Railroad ties need renewing every
three years. In building "a new road
the estimate is 2.700 6ies for each mile.
1t is safe to say it will require 500 ties
per mile per year to keep "A road in re
pair. From -2,000! 900 to Ia 900, coo
new ties arc required by the railroads
VI lho CullcNl citbtS SNCIy tosI. All
building the great western railroads
the contractors in many cases pur.
chase outright the timber along the
routes or as neal to ii as possible. In
that case they pay from 500 to So an
acre for tho land. If they contract
simply for the ties they pay from ten
20 twelve cents apiece for them to the
owner OF tho land for all thu ties taken
out. ~Tho,average prices paid 10 the
tie contractors is 81 cents apiece, al
though We have paid as much Is so
cents fochthe best oak ties. Hewn ties
are better, in u estimation than
sawed ones, and we use nsother. Some
companies think rs well of the sawed
ties as of tho hewn ones. The theory
OF III people is that the hewn tie lasts
much longer than the others.
1t is 0nly within the past few years
that hemlock has been used TO any cx-
tent in making railroad tics. but we
find. that it can be usad to advantage
in many instances on sidipgs and Soc
tons OF track whore 5he traffic does not
require constant repairs. This road
pays to the tie contractors along tho
line about $500 0G0 q year. StOaa,
irop, paper, and ewen glas, have been
gsed in making railroad ties. with bhe
nope that they eould be practically
adopted as a matter Of economy inthat
department Of tho expense, VI IA.
roads, but ,lons Of them have yek oeen
utilized with satisfactory results The
annual Gle airing off of a million aoIoe
OF timber to supply railroads with ties
alone is something that should direct
the attention of those who are inter.
ested il the important question Of pro-
lection to Forests to finding Of some
pract ical substitute for wooden ties.
Fame and fortune await the inventor
wb D Will discover such n substitute"
Mr.. Powderly, the labor agitator, Is a stur-
dy-loOking man with eyeglasses, and a very
scholarly air. He has been mistaken for q
Boston philosopher.
AT Abram =. Hewitt's ~princely residence