Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1897-12-29
wEEplNc RAILWAYS.
Odd Method Adopted to Get Rid OF the
Troublesome Growth.

OQQ W6lIIOu HUOpkCN " Soe 'bS " s''S
Troublesome Growth.
In the Southwest the railroads have
a large item of expense which finds
no place on the books of Eastern COM
panies, this being for the removal OF
weeds which grow rank and luxuriant-
ly between the tracks, seriously i'm
peding rarld running, being crushed
under the wheels and making the
tracks greasy and slippery. Various
methods have been proposed and tried
to destroy these weeds, but that finally
adopted by the Atchison, Topeka and
Santa Fe road is to burn them by
means of an oil flame.
This burner destroys the vegetation
between the rails and over space OF
twenty-four to thirty inches outside
of them. The outfit consists of car
made of iron, of iron shields suspended
under the car and between the trucks,
an oil-tank car having capacity oi
4,500 gallons and a similar oil tank
of 800 gallons capacity, strong enough
to withstand a pressure OF seventy
pounds to the square inch. This tank
is filled from the tank car and air pres
sure is supplied for forcing the oil to
the burners. The car, which is sixty
five feet long, is strengthened by con-
Meeting trusses at the sides and has
' cab sheathed with corrugated iron at
one end. The car Is intended to be
pulled over the road by locomotive.
The shield beneath the car is thirty
two feet long, with aprons at each side
to retain the heat and to prevent side
winds carrying the flame to one side
of the shield. The forward truck Is
protected by an auxiliary shield fas-
tened to the bottom of the lower arch
barss When the fire Is started the
shield is lowered to within three or
four inches of the rail, and the aprons
then slide on the ground. When cross
ing bridges the shields are lifted clear
of the rails twelve to fifteen inches by
means Of air pressure from supply
acting through a train Of chains and
pulleys. The oil supply is also cut of
in crossing bridges, and the moment
the oil valves are closed the flame Is
extinguished, and. it is as readily re-
newed when the oil valves are again
opened. The oil Is directed against
the inclined under surface Of the shield,
which retains sufficient heat to ignite
the oil, even after it has been shut on
for half al hour. In crossing small
culverts and cattle guards the closing
of the valve Is unnecessary, as the lift
ing of the shield will carry the flame
high enough to prevent any firing OF
the timbers.
The compressed air for forcing the
oil through the burners and for lifting
the shield is supplied by two Westing-
house air pumps, these being sufficient
to maintain an air pressure OF seventy
pounds with four burners in use. The
amount of oil required for each burner
is about eight gallons per mile. A light
crude oil is preferred. Only few
minutes are required to get an effective
heat after reaching the place where
the work is to be done. and after the
first few minutes no difficulty is ex-
perienced from the oil dropping on the
rails and making them greasy A gang
of four men follow close to the car to
put out all ties fired, but 1t Is the In
tention soon to use steam jets from
the locomotive in extinguishing fired
ties. The speed with which the car
travels depends upon the kind of Vege-
tation to be scorched. Early in the
season, when weeds are tender and
not over five or six inches high,
speed of four miles an hour is practi-
cable. whereas II the track Is thickly
covered and Matted with heavy, coarse
grass the speed must be reduced to
two miles and half an hour. Only
-tf.e-IieAtt-bbllsade Of grass are consumed,
the greater part being scorched, and
while many stalks appear quite green
after the flame passes over them, in a
few days they, too, wilt and die.
One curious and unexplained TACT
which has also been observed IN con-
nection with forest fires is that new
kind of vegetation appears after each
burning. The cost Of operating the
car for a day of twelve hours Is sou,
so that covering thirty miles day the
average cost per mile is $1.66. 1t IS
claimed the oil consumed is compara-
lively small item in the total charge,
the transfer from one part OF the road
to another and the use Of locomotive
bringing it up to the sum named