The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1891-11-18
SAFETY AT LAST,
NO RAILROAD ACCIDENTS
FROM DEFECTIVE TRACK.
THE RAILROAD TIE OF THE FUTURE
It's Advantages Explained-It Pre-.
vents Accidents and Ensures
Comfort and Safety to
Travellers.

Railroad managers are not as apathetic
in regard TO Improvements as some would
have us believe, and the thorough test Of
steel ties, begun in October, 1889, by Mr.
B Thomas, President Of the Chicago &
Western Indiana Railroad, under the
personal supervision of his General Road
master, Mr.. Jno. W. Clarke, followed thi.
year by President Mcleod and General
Superintendent Sweigard, of the Phila-
delplia & Reading, and by Vice Presden,
Norton aud Chief Engineer Ford, Of the
Long Island, upon the irrespective roads
shows that there are railroad managers in
the country who are progressive enough to
seek an improvement upon the antiquattd d
and unsafe wooden ties with spike fasten.
ings.
Steel ties are largely used in Europe and
have been experimental upon to some
extent in this country, but the European
types had so many disadvantages caused by
the rails being brought into direct contact
with the metal of the ties, causing great
noise and vibration, that until the Standard
Steel Tie, whose use was begun by the rail-
roads above mentioned, it may be said that
no real progress had been made here
towards supplanting the wooden tie,
The chiet qualities of this tie are that it
prevents the rails from spreading and up
setting; reduces the chances of accident
from the breaking of rail to minimum /;
admits of the highest possible speed at the
lowest cost-its great smoothness and per-
feet alignment reducing resistance its cost
of laying is less; cost of maintenance is
wonderfully reduced and if it Is generally
adopted, railroad travel will have attained
almost to the point Of perfection, SO far as
safety is concerned.
A recent test made on portion of the
Long Island Railroad showed surprising
ease and smoothness of motion and the
change from the ordinary roadbed with
wooden tie to the part laid with this steel
tie was compared like the transition from a
hard pavement to a fine Brussels carpet.
Noise is almost annihiated and oscillation
done away with in fact, it will bring rail
road travel to such an agreeable condition
that it will be much safer than staying ut
home and far pleasanter, and the mortality
tables of the insurance companies which
now serve underwriters as guide In taking
risks will soon have to undergo an import
ant revision.
We make the following extract from
Engineering Neaos of Oct. II, giving de-
tailed report on the track laid two years
ago on the Chicago & Western Indiana
Railroad, which was the first section OF
Standard Steel Ties eyer laid; "SLeel ties,
made by the Standard Metal Tie and Con
struction Co., of New York, were placed
in the track of the Chicago & Western In
diana Railway in October, 1885, Mr.. John
w. Clarke. Rosdmaster, who placed them
in the track, now makes a report upon
them, of which the following is an abstract;
He finds that the total expense on COG
lineal feet of track laid with the Standard
steel tic, during nineteen months, was
$3.50. The greatest part of this was ex
pended in the first surfacng up in soft
ballast to bring the steel ties to the
same elevation as the wooden ties along
side During the same nineteen months
the cost of labor alone on the 1000 feet o
track alongside laid with wooden ties wa
: S2l0.25. This was equal to a saving in Ia
Dor alone sufficient to purchase 65 new
steel ties. The track was exposed to a very
, heavy traffic, but Mr, Clarke says that th'
part laid with the Standard tie was mo
only safe, smooth and pleasant to ride
upon, but the ties we're money-saving de-
vice, and should commend themselves L
railroad men from that standpoint HC
adds that by reason Of the rail being helC
rigidly upright, the life of the rail was in
creased good many per cent. He also OBJ
served that there was less oscillation ant
vibration in the engines and cars passing
over them, especially in heavily loaded
cars Of yielding material like grain. HI
believes that rolling stock would also hav,
a longer life for these reasons.
The many advantages Of this tie deYel
oped by the above experience, will, to tn
practical and economical railroad manage
struggling to make dividends for his stock
holders, be overshadowed by the remarks
Bile saving in the labor account. Taking
the figures of this report as a basis we finc
I the labor expense per mile of steel ties t.
be at the rate of 1851, SO per year and tha
of the wooden ties for labor alone to b
$7Ol. u, saying nothing of the cost of ne'
wooden ties laid each year to replace tn
decayed and worn out ones. This singl
labor item shows a saving of S549,53 pc
mile per year in favor of the Standar
Steel Ties.
On 1000 miles of track subjected to tn
same heavy traffic conditions as the Chicag