The Washington herald., 1908-06-28
MILLIONS WILL Be SAVED PRICES OF BURLAPS RISE
Illinois Central Adopts the Use of
Pebbles for Ballast.
LHrEe Deposits Found In Mississippi
River Which Will Furnish the
Necessary Material.

Millions Of dollars will probably be saved
annually In cost of operation by the nli-
nois Central by the method il has adopted
for obtaining ballast OF a highly superior
quality from tie bed Of the Mississippi
BY means OF drcderS especially con-
strUcted for the purpose the company is
taking from the bed Of the river at Mem
phis between 1.20o and 1.500 cubic yards Of
gravel ballast every twenty-four hours
Thus far more than 100000 cubic yards of
pebbles have been sucked from the depths
of the river and transferred TO approx
mately sixty miles Of Illinois Central
track between Memphis and NicksbWg.
With the river pebbles which have been
washed clean 10y the waters. is mixed
about 80 per cent OF ordinary sand. the
mixture producing The finest ballast yet
discovered and is practically dusUess.
BY taking advantage Of this discovery
Southern railroads will be greatly benefit
ed. Hitherto they have not been able to
obtain "A good ballast, with the result that
a track brought up TO standard becomes
''wabbly." # not positively unsafe. under
heavy tonnage in very short time. It
has cost the Illinois Central large sums TO
maintain its tracks and keep them Up 10
standard.
The geological formation of the Missis-
/ sippi Valley through which the road runs,
contains practically no limestone and a
very poor supply Of stone and sand and
none Of what IS termed free gravels."
In the highlands there is a good deal Of
gravel mixed with the proper proportion
/ Of sand, but IL also contains about 40 per
! cent OF clay, which dissoIves and disinte-
/ CRATES with the rains, causing the track
! to settle and become unsafe.
/ Portions Of the Illinois Centrai's lines in
| the South have had TO be resurfaced after
| every heavy rain and 70 be rehallasted ev-
| cry three or four months This disinte-
/ grafton causes a premature decay Of ties
and. taken altogether. the difficulties have
/ united i'm bringing about a very high cost
| of maintenance and operation. The man.
| agement OF the Illinois Central and the
/ Yazoo and Mississippi Valley have spent
/ large sums in the effort to find bIllast
which would withstand the elements. but
/ the search was fruitless until this secret
/ hidden by the waters Of the Mississippi
was discovered.
The availability Of this gravel for the
/ use OF the railroads is exceedingly pleas
! ing 10 the government also. The gravel
IS found I'm bars and consists Of pebbles
ranging from the size Of q pea 60 two
| inches I'm diameter.
/ In taking il out the railroad Is removing
many Of the bars which have interfered
with navigation. I'm this way the rail-
road company Is also making it possible
for the Mississippi to become a greater
means Of competition I'm the neld Of trans.
portation. In time the needs OF Southern
roads may, therefore. solve the problem OF
a deeper and wider navigable Mississippi
/ The gravel is drCdEed from the bottom
| Of the river from a depth of fifteen tC
twenty feet by hydraulic action. Ii is rur
over screens on the river barges. so as tC
| separate it from all deposits and also e
increase the percentage Of sand. Wher
thus treated a ballast is made which i,
not at all affected by the elements, anC
which. after being tamped under the ties
will remain in place from six 10 eighteer
/ months.