The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-07-06
RAILROAD NEWS.
Il. o. Faulkner Leaves Soon for
Australia.
To Study Culture Of Eucalyptus
for Santa Fe.
WILL CREATE FORESTS
Plans for Growing
Timber for Ties.
Other Items of Interest to
Railway People.

E. o. Faulkner, manager of the tie
ana timber department of the Atchison,
Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company,
will leave this country on September 1
for Australia where he will pass a con-
siderable time, possibly two years, in
studying the growth and habits of the
eucalyptus tree with a view of gather
ing information for its culture in this
country for the purpose of furnishing
lumber for railroad ties.
Mr.. Faulkner is being sent to Aus
tralia by the Santa Fe as a preliminary
and necessary step towards the con-
formed by the company whereby 1t
hopes to be able to provide itself with
material for ties for all time.
One OF the large problems which con-
fronts each and every railroad in the
country is that of getting adequate ties
for new lines and for the replacing of
old ones on existing lines. Several of
the railroads have been and are now
conducting experiments with steel and
concrete to try and get a tie which
will take the place of the wooden ones.
But so far these experiments have not
developed much that is satisfactory to
railroad officials. All of the manufac-
tured ties lack that much needed elias
ITCHY that is provided by the wood ties,
and it is likely that the wooden ties
will be in use for years and years to
found for them, If one ever is.
It's a matter of general knowledge
that the timber supply of this country is
becoming scarcer and scarcer each year
and this is particularly true of the tim
Der that is suitable for railroad ties.
The demand for this sort of timber has
been enormous during the last decade
and as a real matter of fact the end
of the natural supply is now in sight.
Already several of the larger railroad
systems in the country have taken
steps to actually create forests along
their lines which in few years time
will begin to produce trees from which
ties may be obtained. The Santa F'e
was one of the first companies in this
field of tie growing and has started
several forests along it's line in the
southwestern part of the country. In
all the company has set out 100000
trees, mostly of the eucalyptus variety
and it has secured large tracts of land,
thousands and thousands of acres in
extent in different parts of the country
where forests will be created.
Mr.. Faulkner is one of the pioneer
tie and timber railroad men in the coun-
try and is an authority on the subject.
Under his management the tie and tim
Der department has assumed an import
ant position in the Santa Fe system.
The average life of a natural railroad
tie is four or five years. Ties given pro-
per treatment with creoSOte or some
other preservative are serviceable for
twice that length of time. AS an i'm
portant adjunct to the tie and timber
department Mr.. Faulkner has superin-
tended for the Santa Fe the construc-
ton of tie treating plants along the
Santa Fe lines. The one at Somerville
Texas, which has been in most sue
cessful operation for several months is
the largest of it's kind in the world.
In Mr.. Faulkner's experimenting with
various kinds of timber for ties he has
arrived at the conclusion that one of
the most serviceable is that obtained
from the eucalyptus tree. One great
advantage of this tree for this purpose
is the rapidity of it's growth. The
eucalyptus is native to Australia and so
Mr.. Faulkner is going to that far off
cline for a long stay to study the
growth and culture of the eucalyptus
on its native heath and decide on the
best variety for ties. On his return to
this country the rather enormous task
and a task that is as unique as it IS
enormous-that of creating forests will
be undertaken on a great scale. Sufh-
cient forests will be planted so that
when they obtain their growth they will
be able to supply the Santa Fe with all
the ties that it will need for all time.
N. Y. C. Is Fined $4,000.
Rochester, n. Y, July 6.-The
New York Central Railway company
was fined $4,000 in the federal court
vest rdav afternoon for failure to file