Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-09-09
NOTES OFTHE RAILWAYS
Louisville and Nashville System
to Plant Catalpa Forests.
EXPECTS THEM TO YIELD TIES

EXPECTS THEM TO YIELD TIES.
Provision Made For Planting 5000
Acres to Guarantee sumcient Sup
ply-Building Great Depot In
New York-A Gearing For Increas-
ing speed-Drunken Mems Train on
British Line.
The Louisville and Nashville Rail-
road company has completed the work
of planting zoe 600 catalpa trees on q
tract Of a thousand acres Of land re-
Gently purchased near Carney, Ala.
and will undertake to grow timber for
cross ties. says a Nashville special dis
patch to the ST. Louis Post Dispatch
Fer several years railroads have real
lied that the time Is coming when tim
Der At for cross ties will be very
scarce. and many companies are plant
ing timber for this purpose. Most Of
the roads have selected catalpa on ac-
count OF its being OF quick growth and
being a long lasting timber. II has
been known TO endure all kinds Of
weather for thirty years.
Catalpa Is planted In rows about
four feet apart. and II Is claimed that
In Alabama II will make a tree large
enough TO make four ties every eight
years, or one tie to every four feet
every two years. At any rate IL Is be-
leved that 5000 acres OF catalpa will
grow enough timber to supply a sys-
TEN like the Louisville and Nashville.
In the Arkansas valley, In Kansas.
the Santa Fe and the Rock Island sys-
tenn have planted thousands of acres OF
catalpa, and much of II Is already large
enough for railroad ties. Those who
have tested the growth Of the timber
in southern Alabama say that 10 will
grow faster In that state than In Kan
sas. and the Louisville and Nashville
expects TO have a splendid Geld OF tim
Der within eight years. The demand
for pine timber for building purposes
is fast cleaning out all the pine that Is
good for ties.
Within abe next Ave years the Penn
sylvania railroad station in New York
city and It's connecting tunnels will be
completed. and the new Grand Central
station will be ready for use a year
sooner, says Karl Decker I'm Success
Magazine for August.
Four city blocks have been RACED
By the contractors In charge Of the
work oil the Pennsylvania, and the
great travelling steam shovels are at
work, each tearing away a thousand
cubic yards of earth daily, while
hundred drills bore into the exposed
rock and heavy charges or dynamite
rack it into fragments. A great ex-
cavation sixty feet deep in parts must
be dug, and in all 100000 cubic yards
of earth and rock will be carted away
before the work OF building the new
station can be begun.
The cost of this work will be S6O.
100000, to which must be added the
$10,OOO,OOO spent in acquiring real es-
tate. over IN New Jersey the work OF
boring the tunnel that Is to carry the
tracks Of the Pennsylvania into New
York has been begun, and a shaft sew
enty i've feet deep and thfrty-five feet
in diameter has been sunk. From this
point two separate tunnels. a mile In
length will be bored TO the water
front and thence under the river bot
tom 5000 feet to the shaft on the
western shore OF Manhattan Island,
where the underland tunnels will strike
through TO the station. On Long Island
the shaft work has also been begun,
and before long the work Of tunneling
the East river to meet the bores from
the west will begin. The station itself
will occupy a site 800 feet by 1000
feet and will be 500 feet in length by
400 feet in width. Placed fifty feet
back from the building line on all
sides, II will give the effect OF being
located in the center OF a great plaza.
Through a new gear device. which
for the first time In the United States
has been attached to a locomotive at
the Elkhart shops OF the Lake Shore,
an increase In the locomotives speed
is believed to be insured. says a spe-
cial dispatch from Elkhart to the Gin
cinuati Enquirer. Engine 1890. one
OF the Lake Shores large type OF pas
Senger locomotives, has thus been
equipped. After a few preliminary
tests II will be tried for speed on a
regular run. The device Is known as
the walschaert valve gear. So far as
Is known. the arrangement has never
been tried in the United States on a
passenger engine: consequently the ex-
pertinent will be watched with deep
interest by other American roads. Bet
ter distribution OF steam and less
strain on machinery are advantages
claimed by the use OF this gearing.
The Lancashire and York shire Rail-
way company has decided to make ex-
ceptional provisions for those OF it's
patrons who have been overcome by
thirst. says London cable dispatch
TO the ST. Louis Post-Dispatch. The
company will run special trains on
bank and other holidays which will be
reserved for the exclusive use OF pas
sengers whose hilarity is likely TO an
noy more sedate travellers. These