The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1905-02-06
WEALTH In
RAILROAD TIES
Railroads Spend S55.OO0, 900
Yearly on ROadbedS
TIMBER IS DIMINISHING
William E. Curtis Says American Lines
Use sioo,oOo,ooo Worth Of Wood
Annually and Demand For 1t
Is Increasing.
TIMBER IS DIMINISHING

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
planting 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 $780,
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
he take into account the inevitable in
crease in price as the supply is dimin-
ished 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 well 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
30 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 $100.00O000 d
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 S5S,7S6,000 ties have gone
into their construction 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 renewed annually, making yearly
demand for replacement Of 100000
ties. without considering new construe-
ton. which amounts to about 6000
miles Of track year and requires at
least 100000 additional ties and in
creases the total consumption to about
100000 ties per annum.
Oak ties cost about So cents each; nat
urai pine ties cost 3S cents each, and
when treated with presentations AS
cents Hence the average cost Of the
100000 ties which are now consum-
ed annually in railway construction
aud repair is about 50 cents each and
the total cost not less than SJ5,000000
Senator Mande might have added
the enormous amount Of timber used
for telegraph poles, which are set at ali
average Of forty to the mile along the
railways of the United States and cost
from. So to $40 each, or an average OF
$3.50, taking the country together This
is about $500 per mile. An easy calcu-
iation shows that not less than $685.
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 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 deterlorating
and has to be replaced frequently. It is
therefore fair and reasonable to estl-
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 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, 80 essential to
safety, better than any metallic substi-
tute and are much more easily han
died and replaced.
Metal ties viii do in Europe, where
the locomotives and the rolling stock
are light, but In the United States loco
motives have increased iii weight
IN recent years from % tons to 10
tons and freight cars from twenty
eight feet to forty feet iii length ana
from 10000 to 100000 pounds capaci-
~. Modern scientific railway construc-
ton requires an elastic roadbed to car
~ safely such heavy weights. with
metal ties or n 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
sttute has ever been found for wooden
ties, and the railways Of the country
will continue 70 require annually ties
and telegraph poles Of a value equal to
the output Of al the gold mines ID tie
world