The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1905-03-02
VAST WEALTH in TIES.
Railroads Spend $4,000, 90;
Yearly OF Their Roadbeds.
TIMBER rs RAPIDLY DIMINISHING

William r.. Curtis Says American
Lines Use SIOO,OQO,OOO Worth Of
Wood Annually and Demand For
1t Is IncreasinG-MetaI Ties Unsat~
fsfactcry as Substitutes.
Ex-senator c. +. Henderson of Ne
Burlington Railroad company, made a
remarkable statement before the re
cent forestry congress in Washington
which ought to set people thinking
and, as he suggested, set them to
.,,anting trees also. says William e
Curtis, the Chicago Record Herald's
Washington correspondent. He assert
ed that it cost the railroad companies
Of the United States more than $4o0,
100000 every ten years to renew their
ties. without taking into calculation
the cost Of transportation Or the LABOR
Of placing them in position. Nor does
ne take into account the inevitable in
crease in price as the supply is dilnin-
iSned by cutting away the timber and
the growing demand for ties incident
to the building of new lines.
He does not include the trolley sys
TENS, which are extending so rapidly
over the country as we'll as through the
city streets. nor the elevated railways,
nor subways nor private railway tracks
In mining and other districts, all Of
which combined will require at least
80 per cent as many ties annually as
the steam railroads and with other tim
Der and lumber raise the total value of
that sort of material used In construc-
ton to not less than $100,O00,O00 a
year.
Senator Henderson gave an interest
Ing calculation. He showed that there
are 2S6,262 miles of ordinary steam
railroad tracks in the United States,
using an average of 1900 ties to the
mile so that $40 $4,000 ties have gone
into their construction. TIE average
pine ties last from four to six years
and when treated with chemicals are
preserved for about ten years. Ten
per cent Of the ties now in use must
be renewed annually, making a yearly
demand for replacement of 100000
ties, without considering new construc-
ton, which amounts to about 5000
miles of track year and requires at
least 1S,0G0,G00 additional ties and in
creases the total consumption to about
10 600 COO ties per annum
Oak ties cost about 55 cents each; nat
ural pine ties cost So cents each, and
when treated with presentations 48
cents. Hence the average cost Of the
lie, 100000 ties which are now consum-
Cd annually in railway construction
and repair is about so cents each and
the total cost not less than $4,000, 600
Senator Henderson might have added
the enormous amount of timber used
for telegraph poles, which are set at an
average Of forty to the mile along the
railways Of the United States and cost
from So to SO EACH or an average OF
$3.50, taking the country together. This
Is about $500 per mile. Az easy calcu-
lation shows that not less than $780,
100000 is invested IL telegraph poles
by railroads alone which, like the ties.
have to be renewed at stated periods.
Nor is this all Of the timber required
for railway construction; bridges, sta
ton houses. platforms, road crossings,
rolling stock, snOWSheds, doors and
trestles and other parts Of the physical
plant require an enormous amount Of
timber, which is always deteriorating
and has to be replaced frequently. 1t is
therefore fair and reasonable to eSti-
mate the expenditures Of the steam
railway companies of the United States
sor timber alone at S1OO,OOO,OOO year
The rapid cutting away of the timber
supply makes this very important
proposition. and, as the timber culture
advocates assert, there is no more
profitable investment for the American
people than to plant trees, particularly
oak trees.
The European railways have metal
ties, but railway builders In the United
States will not use them. They prefer
wood ties because they give elasticity
to the roadbed, most important for the
preservation and maintenance Of the
rolling stock. Wood ties maintain the
alignment of the rails, so essential to
safety, better than any metallic substi-
tute and are much more easily han
died and replaced
Metal ties will do in Europe, where
the locomotives and the rolling stock
are light but in the United States loco
motives have increased in weight
In recent years from % tons to lie
tons and freight cars from twenty
eight feet to forty feet in length and
from 10000 to 100000 pounds capaci-
ty. Modern scientific railway construc-
ton requires an elastic rOadbed to car
ry safely such heavy weights. With
metal ties or solid stone base the
rails would wear very rapidly, the
heavy mogul engines would pound
themselves to pieces very soon, and the
running gear of the cars would have
to be renewed much more frequently
than at present.
Thus far no safe Or economical sub
stitute has ever been found for wooden
tho no IL yvo Of tho ooY7p+rx,