The San Francisco call., 1909-03-21
RAILROADS SCOUR
COUNTRIfSfOR TIES
Millions Used Monthly and the
Supply Is Diminishing
Very Fast
Scarcity OF Oak Forces Rail-
roads TO Use Less Durable
Timber

WASHINGTON. March 20.-That the
humble railroad tie is a most important
factor in the material development OF
the country is great truth that is
little understood by people outside OF
railroad circles. The putting engine that
speeds at the rate of a mile or more
a minute over the country is slave
to the two steel rails that insure a
smooth and safe xoad. and these rails
in turn depend on the old fashioned
wooden cross tie which holds them in
place.
Yankee invention has not yet found
substitute which has induced the
railroads TO give up wood although
experts say that the day will surely
come when the country forests will
no longer be called upon to supply the
demand for ties. Up TO the present time
it seems that no other material has
been found which has the resiliency
of wood and which at the same time
causes less wear and tear on the rails,
fastenings and rOadbed.
WHITE OAK THE BEST
The country's railroads during the
last two or three years used 10000
600 to $50. 0O0, 900 OF sawed and hewn
ties a year. The ideal tie timber is
white oak which combines the quail
ties of durability, hardness. strength
lent for ties. but is widely used in ship
building, for general construction, in
cOoperage. in the manufacture of car
riages, for agricultural implements.
interior finish of houses, and for furni-
ture. On account of this wide use the
supply has been greatly reduced and
some of the railroads have been forced
to s4fr
'ties, or to substitute other and cheaper
woods to replace the white oak ties
rapidly disappearing from their lines.
over 40 per cent OF the ties recent
ly purchased by the railroads Of the
country are oak. according to latest
statistics of United States forest serv-
ice Cross ties of southern pineformed
somewhat less than 25 per cent. Doug
las fir ties ranked third with approx
mately 10 per cent OF the total. Natu-
rally the proportion of these two tim
bers will increase as the supply OF
oak dwindles. This is also true OF
cedar. chestnut, cypress, western pine.
tamarack hemIock and other trees
which are coming into the market as
tie timbers.
SUPPLY Is LESSENING
Cedar. which is very durable. has
been extensively used to take the place
of white oak for ties, but it is so soft
that it is readily cut by the rails This
neceSsitates the use OF tie plates and
other protective devices when cedar
ties are used. As the supply or cedar
is also running short. 1t Is necessary
for the railroads to seek further for
new tie timber. One of the woods
which has all the requisites OF good
tie. with the exception of durability, is
the beech.
A beech tie generally consists largely
of sapwOod, which partly accounts for
its lack of durability. but, on the other
hand, allows a thorough and easy pre-
servatfve treatment In Germany and
France beech ties have been success
fully preserved from decay and are
used very extensively. Beech is found
widely distributed throughout the east
ern part OF the United States. and at
the present time is comparatively cheap
and abundant. IT, therefore. the rail-
roads whose lines are located in the
regions where beech is abundant can
make use Of this wood, treated with
some suitable preservative. another
source of supply of tie timber Will be
opened up.
APPLY PRESERVATIvES TO TIES
Stumpage values have been increas-
ing so rapidly during the last few
years that many railroads have found
it necessary to modify their timber
policy, and they yearly apply preserva-
/ tives to a greater number of ties and
to more kinds of wood Substitute
woods naturally vary with different
sections of the country. but in most
cases they lack the two essential quail
ties found in white oak. namely. resist
ance to mechanical wear and to decay.
Experience proves that wear can be
successfully retarded by the use OF
tie plates and other mechanical de-
vices and decay can be postponed by
the application OF proper preservatives.
The new conditions have made IL neces-
sary for many railroad companies TO
meet the problem of preservation b.
establishing treating plants at central
points Of distribution along their lines.