Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-17
EXPENSE 0E THE TIES
Immense Cost to the Railway
Companies.
MILLIONS INVOLVED
WOOD FOUND TO BE BETTER
THAN METAL.
Gowth Of the Institution of Arbor Day
Annual Scandal at Bethlehem
Japanese Warships.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Written for The Evening Star and the Chicago
Record Herald.
Ex-senator Henderson Of Nebraska, who
is now general counsel for the Burlington
Railroad Company, made a remarkable
statement before the recent forestry con-
gress in this city. which ought to SET peo-
pie thinking. and. as he suggested. set
them to planting trees Also He asserted
that 1t cost the railroad companies of the
United States more than four hundred and
fifty million dollars every ten years to re-
new their ties, without taking into calcu-
lation the cost of transportation or the la
Dor of placing them in position. Nor does
he take into account the inevitable in
crease in price as the supply is diminished
by cutting away the timber, and the grow
ing demand for ties incident to the building
Of new lines He does not include the troll
ley systems, which are extending so rap
idly 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 rail-
roads, and, with other timber and lumber,
raise the total value of that sort Of ma
teraI used in construction to not less than
800 100000 a year.
Renewal Of Ties.
Senator Henderson gave an interesting
calculation. He showed that there are
1856 262 miles of ordinary steam railroad
tracks in the United States. using an aver
age of 5000 ties to the mile; so that $685.
$4,000 ties have gone into their construc-
ton. The average life of an oak tie is ten
years: natural 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 re-
newed annually making a yearly demand
for replacement of yo.OOO.OOO ties without
considering new construction, which
amounts to about 6OOO miles Of track
year and requires at least $4,000, 900 addi
uonal ties. and increases the total con-
sumption to about 10000, 900 ties per an
mum. g
Oak ties cost about. 55 cents each, nat
ural pine ties 38 scents each. and when
the average cost of the 100000 ties
which are now consumed annually in rail-
way construction and repair is about so
cents each, and the total cost not less than
S55, 10000 n3i
Timber Used in Poles.
Sentaor Henderson might have added the
enormous amount of timber used for tele-
graph poles which are set at an average of
forty to the mile, along the railways of the
United States. and cost from SO to $40 each,
or an average of $50, taking the country
together. This is about $500 per mile An
easy calculation shows that not less than
ss5, 100000 is invested IN 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 con-
structon; bridges, station houses, plat
forms, road crossings, rolling stock, snow
Sheds doors and trestles. and other parts of
the physical plant require an enormous
amount of timber. which is always deter
iorating and has to be replaced frequently.
The Southern Pacific company alone has
several millions of dollars invested In snow
sheds, and the Northern Pacific Great
Northern and other railways that traverse
the regions of heavy snowfall have made
big expenditures for the same purpose. 1t
is therefore fair and reasonable to estimate
the expenditures of the steam railway COM
panieS of the United States for timber alone
at $100.OO0,OO0 year.
The rapid cutting away of the timber sup
ply 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.
Metal Ties Not Suitable.
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
substitute, and are much more easily ham
died and replaced. Metal ties Will 90 IN Eu-
rope, where the locomotives and the rolling
stock are light but in this country locomo-
tives have increased in weight in recent
years from 25 tons to ITO tons, and freight
cars from % feet to 40 feet In length and
from 10000 to 100000 pounds capacity.
Modern scientific railway construction re-
quires an elastic roadbed TO safely carry
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 ana
the running gear of the cars would nave TO
be renewed much more frequently than at
present Thus far no safe or economical
substitute has ever been found for wooden
ties, and the railways OF the country Will
continue to require annually ties and tele-
graph poles of value equal TO the output
of all the gold mines In the Worio.
Institution of Arbor Day.
In his address before the forestry con-
gress General Henderson paid an eloquent
tribute to the late j. Sterling Morton. the
pioneer tree planter of the west, VINO was
the first to suggest and introduce arbor day.
1t was his idea that once year every
school child In the state OF Nebraska snouo
plant tree, and the suggestion mas peen
faithfully carried out for nearly quarter
of century. The same practice has been
adopted in every state and territory ex-
| cept Delaware and Indian territory, ana
one day in each year is set apart by legis-
lative enactment or executive proclamation
throughout the entire country as iegai
holiday on which every citizen IS expected
to plant tree. Countless millions Of trees
have thus been planted. and. as General
Henderson suggests, every one OF them is
monument to the, memory OF J. Steriihg
Morton. ~ ,fso1 ssE
An Annual Scandal.
AS usual, the Christmas celebration at the
birthplace of the Prince of Peace was
broken up by rtpi.s The great church
which covers the cave in Bethlehem In
which Jesus is supposed to have been born