The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1906-06-25
REFORMS IN LAW RAILROAD BALLAST
Much Ado About the Discovery Of
What Is Claimed to BE Extraor.
dinarily Fine Gravel.

]
1.-THE accompanying story has been
going the rounds Of the prhfs for some
! days and Is still running More than
likely the gravel referred to Is SINH.
liar to the Elco gravel used on the
Carlo streets. which, when once pack
FED down and left undisturbed as it
would be on a railroad embankment il
probably quite as. dustless as that re-
ferred to In the following story.l 5
The question dustless ballast for a
railroad track has been one of great
import and oftimes great worry to
many railroads, as the track of line
over which the traffic Is heavy must
be thoroughly ballasted to be safe
and the proper kind of ballast Is some
times very hard to obtain.
The Illinois Central has lately made
find" in the matter of ballast, and
officials believe they have now the
best and most seryiceable ballast that
can be found. This ballast n found in
Memphis, or rather in the bottom of
the Mississippi river near Memphis.
and it is claimed that this gravel or
ballast is the best ever used for the
purpose.
The greater portion of ballast used
on any railroad is broken stone, and
the Illinois Central uses great deal
II tbs on its main line. This Is. all
light for the road, but 1t suffers as the
Years go by in the disintegration of
the stony particles, which form a
white dust, very annoying to pas sen
gers and injurious to the fine wood
work and furnishings of the coaches.
Different roads in the United States
have experimental with ballast until
many of them have ventured to do
away with broken stone and use a sub.
titute The Burlington uses Stag from
iron furnaces, which proves fairly
satisfactory. The Union Pacific has
discovered fine deposit of gravel at
Sherman, Wyo., which is used on that
road in the west. Roads in Penn VI
vania use a great deal of cinder from
the coal burning manufacturing plants
and cinder is also used to slight ex-
tentlbY many roads. ID
THE Mis- ouri,t Kansas and Texas
road departed from the usual lines
some years ago and used burnt or
baked earth on the tracks of the main
line This ballast was made by taking
ordinary earth and burning 1t in kilns
until it assumed a brick-like appear
ance, and railroad men said that it
was burned SO dry that 1t would never
absorb moisture, ad consequently
would never produce dust. II Is not
known how well this experiment of
the Katy" road has succeeded but
the ballast was said to be excellent
in the first years of its use.
The Illinois Central has had trouble |
with the dust from the broken stone
ballast, hence the officials have been |
looking around for some time to find |
a good substitute. and now believe |
they have found It. There are several !
gravel pits along the Yazoo and Mis- |
sissippi branch of the Illinois Central
and a great deal of this gravel has
been used for ballast, but as 1t j. mt
gee from soil, II l. not what |; de-
AIRED. The attention of Illinois Central
officials was called TO the gravel from
he Mississippi river, which was trie5t
and found to answer the purpose so
well that a contract was made with
ne Memphis Sand and Gravel com
,an- which has a plant at Noncomah.
our 'Hie" folow Menph's to furnish
his Gravel for bs'last on the Yazoo
ND ,''ssissipp Valley road This
yrav ~ heing taken out at the
ate # 500 carloads per month. but
his will be greatly increased This fall.
Who lalor r. more plentiful. and ac-
'or,i~g To information obtained al hi
lois Central headquarters. here the
mount taken out NAV be increased to
20 or even 100 carloads per day.
The main advantages Of this new
'allast is that ii is entirely free from
lust. as 1t is washed by the waters
md screened before being loaded upon
.aTs, and being a flinty gravel, is more
urable than broken stone and cleaner
han Stag or or cinedr The supply is
nexhaustible, so far as the railroad
emands are concerned. no matter L
ow many become interested. II