Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1908-01-23
RAILROAD TIES
Railroad. Paid $4,000, 900 In
One Year, Equal to 100000
Acres Of Forest.

Acres Of Forest.
In the construction of new track
and for renewals, the steam and
street railroads used, in 1905, over
one hundred million cross ties. The
average price paid was .48 cents per
tie. Approximately three fourths of
the ties were hewed and one fourth
sawed.
Oak. the chief wood used for ties,
furnishes more than A per cent, near
ly one half of the whole number,
while the southern pines, (which rank
/ second, contribute about one sixth.
Douglas fir and cedar. the next two,
with approximately equal quantities,
supply less than one-fiftieth apiece.
Chestnut, cypress, western. pine. tam
arack, hemlock and redwood are all
| of Importance, but. no one of them
furnishes more than small proper
tion.
Oak and southern pine stand high
est in both total and average value;
the average value of each is 81 cents.
Chestnut is next, followed by cedar,
hemlock at % cents, is the cheapest
tie reported
More than three-fourths of all ties
are hewed; and with every wood
from which ties are made. Except
Douglas fir and western pine, the
: number of hewed ties is greater than
tile number of sawed. About ten
tipes as many Douglas ties are sawed
! as are hewed. OF the oak ties little
| over one-sixth and Of the southern
pine ties. less than one third are
sawed. In contrast to the southern
pines is the western pine, of which
more than one-half the ties are
sawed. In general, when lumber
! has relatively low value the proper
tion of sa wed ties increases, because
the market for ties is always active,
while that orFlumber is frequently
sluggish. All western species are
affected by this condition, fer stump
age is abundant and its value rela.
lively low W E,sass i ),
Ten per cent of the ties purchase
| we're treated with preservatives eth.
er before they we're purchased or at
! the treating plant of the railroad
company. At least ten railroad CON-
panies are operating their own plant
1 for the preservation of the construc-
tion mater ial.
OF the many forms in which wood
is used, ties are fourth in cost, sawed
lumber. being. first, ::freWood second,
!, and shingles and laths third. 1t has
been calculated that the amount OF
! wood used each year in ties is equiv
alent to the product Of 100000 acres
of forest and that to maintain every
tie in the track two trees must be
growing. Co.,
with nearly 300, 900 miles Of rail
road trackage and approximately 2SO0
! ties to the mile there are over 800,
! 600, 600 ties constantly subject to
wear and decay. The railroads re-
port that IN the form Of ties cedar
, lasts eleven years cypress ten years
and redwood nine years. These
| WOODS, however, lack the desired
weight and hardness. and, what is
more important, they are mot avail
able in the region.of. the trunk lines
Of the central and eastern states.
| When 1t is considered, then, that
the services Of the longest lived tie
timbers in general chestnut,
white oak, tamarack, spruce, and
/; Douglas ihr-is but seven years, while
with some, as the black oaks, 1t is
but four years, whereas q treated tie
!! with equipment, to lessen wear will
last fifteen years, 1t is apparent how
much the railroads can .save II pre-
servative treatment Of ties IL univer-
!. sally adopted. The saving in the
! drain upon the forests is Of even
greater moment.
Details OF the consumption Of ties
in. 1908 are contained:.ih circular l24,
Just issued by the Forest Service IN
Incorporation with the Bureau Of Gem
isus. This pamphlet can be secured
BY application to the Forester at
Washington, D. Q. f,5
e ould Help Hotel onetlme ago
1.-The v, G. com mercial club appointed
a committee to arrange. For q. .bene At
| banquet for the Hotel Rudolph, re.
Gently built In Valley City. ::lnstead
Of the banquet It has been decided ia
il coc,,YN - nnsath1h a n fund or from