The Washington herald., 1909-03-14
TIES MUST Be WOOD
Railroads Fail to Find Any
Practical Substitute.
MUST SOON PLANT THE TREES
Railway World Says Cost Of Oak
VIII surely Drive Corporations TO
Necessity Of Growing Their Sup
PIies-ReIatiOn OF Demand 10 DI-
minishinE Timber supply.

Yankee invention has not Vet found
substitute which has induced the rail-
roads 10 give up wood, although experts
say that the day viii surely come when
the cOuntry's forests VIII no longer be
called upon % supply the demand for ties.
Up TO the present time Il seems that no
other material has been found which
has the reslliency Of wood and which at
the same time causes less wear and tear
on the rails. fastenings. and roadbed.
says the Railway World.
The country's railroads during the last
two or three years used 110C00000 20 150.-
10000 Of sawed and hewn ties a year
The ideal tie timber is white oak. which
combines the qualities OF durability. hard
ness, strength. and close grain II Is not
only excellent for ties. but is widely used
in ship building. for general construction.
in cOOperage. IN the manufacture Of car
riaEes. for agricultural implements. In
terror finish OF houses and for furnl-
ture.
on account OF this vide use. the supply
has been greatly reduced and some OF the
prohIbitiye prices for ties. or 20 substi-
tute other and cheaper woods TO replace
the white oak ties rapidly disappearing
from their lines.
Forty Per Cent Are Oak.
over 20 per cent Of the ties recently
purchased by the railroads OF the coun-
try are oak. according 10 latest stats
tics OF the United States Forest Service.
CrOss-ties OF Southern pine formed some
what less than . per cent Douglas FIR
ties ranked third. with approximately
70 per cent OF the total Naturally the
proportion Of these two timbers viii in
crease as the supply Of oak dwindles.
This IS also true OF cedar. chestnut cy-
press. 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 10 take the place Of
white oak. but Il is so soft that IL is
readily cut by the rails This necessi-
tates the use of tie plates and other pro-
{ tective devices when cedar ties are used.
As the supply OF cedar IS also running
short. IL Is necessary for the railroads
/ 10 seek further for new tie timber. One
! Of the woods which has all the reQui-
sites of a good tie, with the exception OF
durability. is the beech.
A beech tie generally consists largely
7 of sapwOOd. which partly accounts for
7 its lack Of durability. but. on the other
hand. allows a thorough and easy pre-
servative treatment In Germany and
( France. beech ties have been successfully
preserved from decay. and are used very
/ extensively.
Beech widely Distributed.
I Beech is found widely distributed
Throughout the Eastern part of the United
states. and at the present time Is com
/ paratively cheap and abundant. II. there
= fore. the railroads whose lines are To-
| Gated 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
| viii be opened up.
/ Stumpage values have been increasing
so rapidly during the last few years that
many railroads have found il necessary
/ 10 modify their timber policy. and they
yearly apply preservatives 10 a greater
number OF ties and 10 more kinds OF
wood Substitute woods naturally vary
with different sections OF the country
I hut in most cases they lack the two es-
sential qualities found IN white oak
namely. resistance to mechanical veal
I and 10 decay
! Experience proves that wear can be sue
Z cessfully retarded by the use OF tie plates
and other mechanical devices. and decay
can be postponed by the application OF
proper preservaGves The new conditions
have made Il Necessary for many railroad
companies 10 meet the problem OF preser
! walton by establishing treating plants al
central points Of distribution along theil
lines. such as the plant 10 be erected by
the Pennsylvania Railroad at Mount
Union, Pa.
u.-I,.. for chemical Products-