The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1907-07-31
TIMBER MAY
BECOME SCARCE
Railroads Seeking Satisfactory
Substitute for Wooden Ties
Shortage of Timber.


lowing information concerning the
supply of crosstie timber for rail-
ways:
The railroads of the country are
face to face with the problem of
lumber supply for crOssties. They
can no longer have choice of til
best, but must take what is to be
had 1t is not so much question
of price as of absolute shortage in
the best grades.
In 1906 the railroads Of the coun-
try purchased 1913, 100000 ties. Since
each tie contains, on the average, 80
board feet, or enough to make a
plank 30 feet long, one foot wide
and one inch thick, the number Of
ties equals over three billion feet, or
cne-twelfth of all saw timber pro-
duced in the year.
Nearly onehalf of the ties were
oak, one-fifth were southern yellow
pine, and the rest were cedar, cy
press, redwood, tamarack, hemlock
western yellow pine and other wocSA
which until recently were seldom
used because they were considered
inferior or were hard to get.
Oak, which still supplies large
part of the demand, formerly sup
piled nearly ALL The rapid extension
of railroads calls for tie timber
every year, while every year the for
ests are less able to furnish the re-
CURED oak.
White oak has always been re-
garded by railroads as ideal tie ma
terial. 1t resists decay, holds spikes
firmly, and although perhaps higher
in price, it is an economical wood for
ties when it can be had, because it
lasts longer than cheaper timber, so
the cost of relaying is less.
But the time has come when the
enormous demand for oak can ~
be met Wide use and excessive
waste have brought about this state
Of affairs Railroads were extrava-
giant and tiemakers were wastefui
The forests were skinned of the
very best trees that should have
been left to grow to large size and
become more valuable for other
uses. Instead of cutting mature
trees, which if left would not great
ly increase in size or value, the tie
industry demanded and took the
young growing trees, thus not only
wasting thep resent forest, but great
ly reducing the immediate prospec-
tive supply. This was poor economy,
and the railroads and the country
generally are feeling the conse-
quences.
See a Shortage in Future.
The railroads, though still able 20
procure enough ties of some kind.
see shortage in the future and are
taking steps to meet it. They are
using all timber that can be made to
answer.
The tiemakers, being in immediate
touch with the scarcity of trees, are
now cutting more closely and are
using tops, which were formerly left
to rot or burn in the woods. Where
it is practical to do so they are saw
ing the trees instead of hewing them
and SO lessening the waste
In order to make the best Of what
they have, railroads are treating ties
with chemicals to increase their life
service. Several years---with some
kinds of wood as much as 2O-are
thus added to the life of the tie.
Inferior woods are the very ones
which best take such treatment.
The railroads in some cases are
going still further. They are par.
chasing tracts whose timber will
come into market after a while co.
ties. Some of the big transportation
companies are planting trees in large
numbers anticipating needs many
years hence. The Pennsylvania rail-
road and the Delaware & Hudson
railway have foresters employed to
work out the problem of tie supply
to the best. advantage.
A satisfactory substitute for the
wooden tie has not been found and
probably will not be found. Rail-
roads understand that the supply
muSt grow and that IFS growth ra