The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-02-05

diameter. Lime and soda ash are the
ingredients used.
The sssmoke nuisance with which
the travelling public is so familiar IS
about to be voluntarily %grappled with
by the railroad companies. The Penn
sylvania railroad is soon to- appoint a
commission to investigate the various
new devices for the elimination of the
smoke emitted by the iron horse. 1t
is claimed that some of these devices
will not only.effect the. object of smoke
elimination, but will by the. same
process effect a saving in the amount OF
their construction solely as an economic
consideration. This latter effect, it may
be, has as much influence with the rail
road corporations as do the comfort and
convenience Of the travelling public,
and the residents and tradesmen of the
cities thru which the trains run and
stop.
The work of demolishing the splendid
buildings at the Louisiana Purchase ex-
position is a colossal task, as indicated
by the amount of material collected by
the company which purchased the struc-
lures from the fair management. In a
list sent out to prospective purchasers
Of the material no less than 100000
feet Of lumber is offered for sale, COM
prising every kind and description, 50,-
81, 100000 worth Of copper wire and
other electrical material, vast quantities
Of pipe, fencing, roofing material, fur
niture, in fact an aggregation of Sec
ond-hand goods such as never before
was placed on the market. A novel
feature is the offering Of $4,000 bamboo
poles, used by the government in the
Philippine reservation, the last memento
Of the ~man-eating natives Of Uncle
Sam new possessions. >S
It is stated as a fact that a complete
system Of freight tunnels, under a tele-
phone conduit franchise, was built in
what is known as downtown Chicago
without knowledge, or even suspicion,
Of the interesting fact on, the part of
the "dear people, whose valuable
franchise was thus stolen. The wide-
awake C~hicagoans might never have dis.
chise grabbing had not the promoters of
the project quarreled among them
selves. This proved a new Illustration
Of the old adage about the conse.
quencies of the falling out of thieves,
for, upon the discovery, the city passed
an ordinance by. which the tunnel and
all equipment should revert to the city
in the year 1929. In consideration of
the value to the city of underground
freight transportation and certain per.
centages Of gross receipts, the slick pro,
ate the freight line in the meantime
The railroads of. the United States re
quire over los, 00O, 900 ties annually, fo1
renewals and track extensions. These
figures do not include the. electric rail
ways, elevated and sideways, or pri
vate mining railroads, etc. The grow
ing scarcity Of tie timber is beginning
to be felt, and the ~inadequacy Of sup
vania road has planted nearly half
million yellow locust trees, with tn
hope of ultimately getting from thi
!. source a. part Of the ties required OF
that system. This company expects t.
, plant 100000 additional trees this year
! There is no doubt but in the. near FL
: ture the railroads will BE compelled t.
adopt some other and more. permanen
: construction. Steel ties have been trie'
8 on the New York Central and the Penn
sylvania roads, but a fewemiles only ar
y in use. Tests have been carried on 70
e a, number Of years with different me
e terials in France and recently in thi
country, with more or&less success. j
n is thought by some that ultimately
reinforced concrete. crossties will tax
fireplace of wood but it can be see
that the. concrete tie would require a
h much ballast work. and section help a
for the wood ties. An entire new d.
\ sign of roadbed construction will prof.
n ably be,tested this year:It will sconsis
g Of two concrete foundation walls bui:
Il into the earth each side Of the trac
running parallel with the rails, with tn
Il inside face Of each wall four inche
= to six inches outside of the rail lin
- Sawed or. bridge. ties will be notche
a into the top of the walls and the raj
spiked to them in the usual metho'
q This will give the proper amount of t.
cushion to the rails, and as the ties al
not Embedded in the ground, but su
pended above it.. their life will be pr
k 1onged 100 per cent. It is claimed /
the inventor of this construction that
steel ties are used in place of wood a
le ballast work, section help and rene,
IS ais (track maintenance) vii. be- thir
a. Of, the past, as this roadbed is pract
If cally indestructible, there being not
Iing>.to wear out but the rails. $50
- :. 80 r., -. .Erst-, s"fs = ~H@