The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1909-06-26
SOME INTERESTING FIGURES.
Millions of Cross-Ties Purchased by
Railroads in 1908.


Washington, June 26.--During
the year 1908, the steam and electric
railroads of the United States pur-
chased more than 112, 100000 cross
ties, costing, at the point of purchase
over $50, 100000, an average of fif-
ty cents per tie according to statis-
ties just made public by the bureau
of census in cooperation with the
United States forest service. This
the quantity purchased in 1907,
when the total was approximately
1853, 100000, the highest ever re-
corded. The decreased purchases in
1908, were, of course, chiefly due to
the business depression which af-
fected every line of industry. This
forced most of the roads to purchase
only the ties which were absolutely
essential for renewals, and heavily
track. In 1908 only 7,431, 900 cross
ties were reported as purchased for
new track as against 23,557, 1000 in
1907 OF the total number of ties
purchased for all purposes, the steam
roads took approximately ninety
four per cent, leaving 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 4S,00O,000,
or forty-three per cent of the total
quantity purchased. Next to these
ranked the southern yellow pines,
with 81, 100000, or nineteen per
cent of the total. 1t will be seen that
the oaks and southern pines combin-
ed furnished nearly three-fourths of
all the ties bought by the railroad
companies last year. Cedar and
chestnut supplied more than S,000,-
900 ties each, and Douglas fir near
ly as much. About 100000 lamar
ack ties were purchased, nearly g.
100000 cypress ties, and, in round
numbers, 3,000,0 900 each of western
pine and hemlock. Redwood, white
pine, lodgepole pine, gum, beech,
spruce, and several other woods were
used in smaller quantities.
While the oaks, and particularly
the white oaks have always been
the preferred woods for cross ties
and still form a large proportion of
the total, the increasing prices which
the roads have had to pay for salts
factory 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 a tie which
gives excellent service for many
years, but it has been found posi-
Bile to take woods which naturally
are not durable, give them a treat
ment with either creosote or zinc
chloride, which will prevent decay,
and thus get much longer service
from them than can be secured from
untreated oak 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 add to the
list two kinds of cross ties which
previously had not been reported in
sufficient quantity to justify listing
them separately These are gum and
beech. The purchases of gum ties in
1905 exceeded 100000, while but
slightly more than 900 of them
were reported in the previous year.
OF beech ties, the purchases in
1903 amounted to nearly $4,000,
against but little more than 81 900
in 1907. These are woods which are
distinctly not suitable for cross-ties
unless they are given preservative
treatment Their increased use,
therefore, is one of the many results
of the progress of wood preservation
in the United States. For many
years beech has been one of the prin-
'cipal cross tie woods in Europe,
where its value when given chemical
treatment was long ago recognized.
1t is not uncommon for European
roads to secure from twenty to thir-
Ity years service from beech cross
ties. Untreated they would not last
long enough to warrant their use at
all.