Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-02-07
EXPENSE OF THE TIES.
Immense Cost to the Railway compa-
nies.

William z. Curtis, in the Washing
ton Star, says:
Ex-senator Manderson Of Nebraska,
who Is now general counsel for the
Burlington Railroad company, made
remarkable statement before the re-
cent forestry congress in this city,
which ought to set people thinking,
and, as he suggested, set them to
planting trees also. He asserted that
It cost the railroad companies of the
United States more than four hundred
and fifty million dollars every ten
years to renew their ties, without TAX
ing into calculation the cost Of trans
portation or the labor Of placing them
in position. Nor does he take into
account the inevitable increase In
price as the supply Is diminished by
cutting away the timber, and the
growing demand for ties incident to
the building of new lines. He does
not include the trolley systems. which
are extending so rapidly over the
country az well as through the city
streets, nor the elevated railways, nor
subways, nor private tracks In mining
and other districts; all Of which COM
bined will require at least 80 per cent
as many ties annually as the steam
railroads, and, with other timber and
lumber. raise the total value Of that
sort Of material used in construction
to not less than s1o0,0o0.00o a year.
Senator Manderson gave an inter-
esting calculation. He showed that
there are 2S6.262 miles Of ordinary
steam railroad tracks in the United
States, using an average Of 5000 ties
to the mile; so that 858,7s6,000 ties
have gone into their construction. The
average. life Of an oak tie is ten years;
natural ,pirle ties last from four to six
years, and when treated with chemi-
Gals 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 s0.-
100000 ties without considering new
construction, which amounts to about
5000 miles of track year and re-
quires st least 100000 additional
ties, and increases the total consump-
tion to about 100000 ties per an
mum.
Oak ties cost about 55 cents each,
natural pine ties 3s cents. and when
treated with preservatives 4s cents.
Hence the average cost Of the no.
100000 ties which are now consumed
annually in railway construction and
repair is about so cents each, and the
total cost not less than s55,00O,0o0.
Senator Mandsrsor might have ad-
ded 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. An easy calculation shows
that not less than sS5.000,00o is In
vested 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 rail-
way construction; bridges, station
houses, platforms, road crossings. roll
ing stock, snow sheds, doors and tres
ties, and other parts Of the physical
plant require an enormous amount OF
timber, which is always deteriorating
and has to be replaced frequently.
The Southern Pacific company alone
has several millions Of dollars invest
ed In snow sheds, and the Northern
Pacific, Great Northern and other
railways that traverSe the regions of
heavy snowfall have made big expen-
ditures for the same purpose. 1t is
therefore fair and reasonable to esti-
mate the expenditures Of the steam
railway companies Of the United
States for timber alone at $100.000,000
a year.
The rapid cutting away Of the tim
ber supply makes this very import
ant 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.
Z the Eiffopean 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 import
ant for the preservation and main
tenance 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 handled and replaced.
Metal ties will do In Europe, where the
locomotives and the rolling stock are
light, but in this country locomotives
have increased In weight In recent
years from rs tons to 10 tons, and
freight cars from % feet to 40 feet In
length and from 10000 to 100000 pounds
capacity. Modern scientific railway
construction requires an elastic road
bed to safely carry such heavy weights.
Wi h metal ties or a solid stone base
the rails would wear very rapidly, the
hes yy 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 econ
omical substitute has ever been found
for wooden ties, and the railways OF
the country will continue to require
annually ties and telegraph poles OF
value equal to the output Of all the
gold mines In the world.
In his address before the forestry
congress General Manderson paid an
eloquent tribute to the late ]. Sterling
Morton, the pioneer tree planter OF the
west, who was the first to suggest and
introduce arbor day. It was his idea
that once a year every school child In
the state of Nebraska should plant a
tree, and the suggestion has been
faithfully carried out for nearly a
quarter of a century. The same prac-
tice has been adopted in every state
and territory except Delaware and In
dian Territory, and one day In each
year is set apart by the legislative
~, axaoutiva reclamation