Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-06-14
Millions Were Purchased
By Railroads in 1908
Al a Cost Of Over Fitty-sk
Millions Of Dollars.
1hree.fourths Of the Ties We're
Oak and Southern Pine.

Washington, June 13.-DurinS the
wear 1905 the steam and electric rail-
roads Of the United States purchased
more than 112,00O,O00 crOss-ties. costing.
at the point of purchase, over 5e,000.-
900, an average Of fifty cents per tie,
according to statistics just made pub
lie by the Bureau Of the Census in CO.
operation with the United States For
est Service. This was some 4o.Oj0,0Oo
ties less than the quantity purchased
in 1907, when the total was apprOxi-
mately 153, 700. 900, the highest ever re-
corded The decreased purchases in
1903 were, Of course, chiefly due to the
business depression which affected ev-
cry line of industry. This forced most
of the roads to purchase only the ties
which were absolutely essential for re-
newals, and heavily cut down the pur-
chase for new track In 1908 only -
431 900 cross ties were reported as pur-
chased for new track as against 3d.
557, 900 In 1907. OF the total number of
ties purchased for all purposes, the
steam roads took approximately nine
ty-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 100000, or
forty-three per cent. of the total guam
tity purchased. Next to these ranked
the southern yellow pines, with 21,5Oo.-
600. or nineteen per cent. of the total.
1t will be seen that the cakes and
southern pines combined furnished
nearly three-fourths of all the ties
bought by the railroad companies last
year. Cedar and chestnut supplied
more than S,000,n00 ties each. and Doug
las fir nearly as much. About 100000
tamarack ties We're purchased, nearly
2,500,O00 cypress ties, and, in round
numbers, 10000 each of western pine
and hemlOck. Redwood, white pine,
lodgepole pine, gum, beech. spruce and
several other woods were used in small
Ter 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.
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 re-
ported. White oak, untrcatel, makes
q tie which gives excellent service for
many years, but it has been found pcs
sible to take woods which naturally
are not durable, give them Il 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 oak ties
Among the woods which have been
most largely treated SO far are the yell
low pines. particularly loblOlly pine.
Douglas fir, western pine, and lodge
pole pine.
This years statistics adds to the list
two kinds of oss-tieS which previous
ly had not been reported in sufficient
quantity to justify listing them sep
arately. These are gum and beech
The purchases of gum ties in 1908 eX-
ceeded 100000. while but slightly more
than 5000 of them We're reported in
the previous year. Of beech ties. the
purchases in 1905 amounted to nearly
10000, against but little more than ST.
O0o in 1907. These are woods which are
distinctly not suitable for cross-ties I'M
less they are given preservative treat
ment Their increased use, therefore,
is one of the many results of the pro-
gresS of wood preservation in the Unit
ed States. For many years beech has
been one of the principal 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 thirty years service from beech
cross-ties. Untreated they would not
last long enough to warrant their use
at ali