The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1909-03-13
SCARCITY OF RAILROAD TIES.


That the humble railroad tie is a
most important factor in the material
development of the country is a great
truth that is little understood by peo-
pie outside of railroad circles. The
putting engine that speeds at the rate
of mile or more minute over the
country is a slave to the two steel
rails that insures a smooth and safe
road, and these rails in turn depend
on the old-fashioned wooden cross-tie
which holds them in place.
Yankee invention has not yet found
a substitute which has induced the
railroads to give up wood, although
experts say that the day will surely
come when the country's forests will
no longer be called upon to supply
the demand for ties. Up to the pres
sent time it seems that no other ma
terial 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.
The country's railroads during the
last two or three years use &c, 900, 900
to $50, 900, 900 of sawed and hewn ties
a year. The ideal tie timber is white
oak, which combines the qualities of
durability, hardness, strength, and
close grain. 1t is not only excellent
for ties, but is widely used in ship
building. for agricultural implements,
interior finish of houses, and for fur
niture. On account of this wide use,
the supply has been greatly reduced
and some of the railroads have been
forced to pay almost prohibitive prices
for 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 recently
purchased by the railroads OF the
country are oak, according to latest
statistics of United States Forest Ser
vice. Cross-ties of Southern pine
formed somewhat less than rs per
cent. Douglas fir ties ranked third,
with approximately 10 per cent. of
the total. Naturally the proportion
of these two timbers will increase as
the supply of oak dwindles. This is
also true Of cedar, chestnut, cypress,
Western pine, tamarack, hemlock,
and other trees which are coming into
the market as tie timbers.
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 of cedar is also running short,
it is necessary for the railroads to seek
further for new tie timber. One of the
woods which has all the requisites of
a good tie, with the exception of dur
ability, is the beech.
A beech tie generally consists
largely of sapwood, which partly &C.
counts for its lack of durability, but,
on the other hand, allows thorough
and easy preservative treatment. In
Germany and France, beech ties have
been successfully preserved from de-
cay, and are used extensively. Beech
is found widely distributed through
out the eastern part of the United
States, and at the present time is com.
paratively cheap and abundant. If,
therefore, the railroads whose lines are
located in the regions where beech is
abundant can make use of this wood,
treated with some suitable preserva-
tive, another source of supply tie tim
Der will be opened up.
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 preserv-
atives to 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
tiles found in white oak, namely, re-
sistance to mechanical wear and de-
cay. Experience proves that wear
can be successfully retarded by the
use of tie plates and other mechanical
devices, and decay can be postponed
by the application of proper preserva-
tives. Thenew conditions have made
it necessary for many railroad COM
panies to meet the problem of preser-
walton by establishing treating plants
at central points of distribution along
their lines.
THE traveller met an old coIored
man with balky mule.
Whats the matter with him, I'm
Gle ?" asked the traveller.
Full of pure cussedness, sab.