Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1907-04-18

Il great
prejudice against railroads because
of the noise they made, and time and
again communities refused to give
right of way on this account. De
catur, a tiny Georgia village rebelled
at the invasion of the engineers who
We're building the Georgia railroad
from Augusta because it did NOT
want to be kept awake all night by
the noise of the trains, and the en-
glneers changed their plans and built
the road to a point six miles farther
away, which marked the birth of At
lanta, one of the most prosperous
cities of the great and growing new
south. Decatur is today a small SUI
urb OF the splendid southern city.
Even now there is great hostility
to railroads in the larger towns
along the trunk lines because of the
noise of the trains. Millions or
dollars have been spent by the roads
to improve their roadbeds in a way
that would diminish the noise of the
trains. Appliance after appliance
mas been employed to procure what
the roadmasters call a singing track.
which is to say, a track that causes
the wheels of train to make 2
aummlng noise instead of the rata
plan of bumpy sounds.
John q. Snyder, a cigar drummer.
a few years ago began to think the
matter over. His life was spent ON
ing from town to town to sell cigars
the railroads, and it was while trav =
That he began to work upon the in.
venuOn which now promises to make
sure the nOiSeIeSs railroad and worI,
reform, if not complete revolution. in
the construction of railroads the
world over. He realized that the
crosS-tle question was growing more
serious every year with the randi
depletion of the worlds forests Hay-
ing been born and reared in tho
steel district of PENNSYLVANIA. IL
knew that railroad builders were al
ready turning from the ;hin forests
TO the fOundries for cross ties In
MEXICO iron ties have long been used
instead of wood because insect 'ffe
there causes the wood to rot very
quickly. In South Africa. too, iroa
ties have been used because a little
white ant-like insect works the ruin
of the wood.
SO 1t was a spirit of necessity ar,
ter all that became the mother If in
yention in this case. Mr. SNYDER
worked for 10 years on his steer
cross tie, all the while travelling
from town to town selling cigars.
The device, We are told. consists of
steel case, or shell, filled with
composition of asphalt and stone. At
the bottom the steel shell does not
close upon the asphalt, but allows if
% rest upon the ground, and it is thi
that furnishes the residence which
reduces the noise Of rollin~ stock to
practically nothing. The rails are
fastened on the tie by steel clamps
instead of spikes, which preclude all
possibility Of the rail spreading. 70
quote further
al
according to the kind of timber used.
Iheir average life is 3IL years, The
Snyder steel and asphalt tie costs
from 81 to $275, according to dimen-
sions, but its guaranteed minimum
life is % years, so that it would cost
about On-tOurth what the wooden tie
and its seven renewals would cost In
the rs years. But Mr.. Snyder. the
inventor, asserts that this tie will
really wear for IS years, basing his
calculation upon the service Of steel
ties already in use in Mexico. This
would mean a rest for the forests oil
the world for nearly a century if all
the railroads adopted the steel tie,
This they will have to do eventually.
Railroads now go to great distances
to get their wooden ties, the cost Is
steadily increasing, the quality grow
ing inferior each year 1t is no longer
doubted that the railroads must adopt
iron sleepers or steel ties of some
1T is claimed for the new tie that
train makes practically no noise at
all on a roadbed SO constructed, this
having been thoroughly established
by experiments which have been
made on the Pennsylvania, the Cen
trail of New Jersey, the New York
Central and other great systems. 1t
Is further claimed that the same
principle of combining steel and was
Ohalt can be used and will be useG
FOR constructing the roadbeds OF city
'urface railways, insuring nofseIess
'ystems for the streets. No ties are
Used by the underground trolley line
If the metropolitan system of New
York, but Mr.. Snyder asserts that the
framework of iron now in use for
"Oadbed structure can be made on
the principle of his new crOss-tie, and
UGH thing as a noisy streetcar need
not be known in any of the cities Of
I,