The silver state news. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1907-1909, 1909-06-12
SANCHEZ ESCAPES WITH
THREE-YEAR SENTENCE


WASHINGTON, June u.-During
the year 1908, the steam and electric
railroads of the United States purchas-
ed more than 112,000,0O0 cross-tios,
costing, at the point of purchase, over
$56,000,000, an average of fifty cents
per tie, according to statistics just
made public by the Bureau of the Gen.
sus in cooperation with the United
States forest service. This was some
100000 ties less than the quantity
purchased in 1907, when the total was
approximately 153,700,o00, the highest
ever recorded. The decreased pur-
chases in 1908 were, of course, chiefly
due to the business depression which
affected every line of industry. This
forced most of the roads to purchase
only the ties which were absolutely
essential for renewals, and heavily cut
down the purchase for new track. In
1908 only 7,431 900 cross-ties were re-
ported as purchased for new track as
against 23,557 900 in 1907. OF the
total number of ties purchased for all
purposes, the steam roads took ap
proximately ninety-four per cent, leav-
ing about six per cent for the electric
roads.
1t is very interesting to note the
wide range of woods used for cross
ties. The preliminary report by the
Census Bureau lists separately fifteen
classes or species. Of these the oaks
are now and have always been by far
the most important. The oak ties
amounted to more than 48,000000, or
tity purchased. Next to these ranked
the southern yellow pines, with 81 ,500,-
900, or nineteen per cent of the total.
1t will be seen that the oaks and the
southern pines combined furnished
nearly three-fourths of all the ties
bought by the railroad companies last
year. Cedar and chestnut supplied more
than 100000 tise each, and Douglas
fir nearly as much. About 100000
Itamarack ties were purchased, nearly
3,500,000 cypress ties, and, in round
numbers, 100000 each of western
pine and hemlock. Redwood, white
pine, lodgepole pine, gum, beech, spruce
land several other woods were used in
smaller quantities.
While the oaks and particularly the
white oaks, have always been the pre-
ferred woods for cross-ties and still
form a large proportion of the total
the increasing price which the roads
have had to pay for satisfactory oak
ties are forcing them to look more and
more for substitutes. This accounts in
part for the great variety Of woods
reported. White oak, untreated, makes
tie which gives excellent service fol
many years, but it has been found pos
sible to take woods which naturally are
not durable, give them a treatment
with either creosote or zinc chloride
which will prevent decay, and thus
get much longer service from them
; than can be secured from untreated
ties. Among the woods which have
been most largely treated so far are
the yellow pines, particularly loblolly
pine, Douglas fir, western pine and
lodgepole pine.
This years statistics adds to the list
two kinds of cross-ties which previous
ly had not been reported in sufficient
ouantities TO Justify listing them sepa
rately. These are gum and beech. TIL,
purchasers of gum ties in 1908 exceed
ed 100000, while but slightly more thar
! $4,000 of them were reported in thu
previous year. OF beech ties, the pur
chases in 1908 amounted to nearly
10000, against but little more thar
81 900 in 1907. These are woods whicl
are distinctly not suitable for cross
ties unless they are given preservativ'
treatment Their increased use, there
fore, is one of the many results of th'
progress of wood preservation in th'
United States. For many years beecl
has been one of the principal cross
tie woods in Europe, where its valu'
when given chemical treatment was
long ago recognized. 1t is not uncom
mon for European roads to secure from
twenty to thirty years service from
beech cross-ties. Untreated the,
would not last long enough to warran
their use at all.