Semi-weekly herald., 1910-01-10

formerly held the second and third
places
In 1908. 3.24a.l24 telegraph poles
were sold for s5.s2s.s24, an average of
sls2 each. The largest number, 2,2o0,.
i39. were cedar. which sold for 50, $780,
s73.
The telegraph and telephone com.
panies used TS.9 per cent, an increase
of 25G,5sS poles over the year 1907,
while the electric light and power
companies used 1G.4 per cent. which
is a decrease of 2s4,7o2 poles from
1907. The highest average cost of any
class and species was slS93 per oak
pole sixty feet or more in length.
The report says that each year sub.
stantial progress is made in treating
poles with chemicals to preserve thea
from decay. Recent inspections dem.
onstrate that after four years of ex-
poseure 67 per cent of the poles that
have been treated were still sound,
while all of the untreated poles we're
more or less decayed. and in many
cases 20 such an extent that their re-
newal was necessary. 1t has also been
demonstrated that poles of the cheaper
woods when properly treated win out.
| last the more expensive materials.
particularly in damp and warm eli.
mates, where decay is most rapid Pine
poles properly treated with creosote
| have been known 10 give efficient serv.
ice for more than twenty years. But
OF 3ii.3SS poles. were treated last
year. and all OF this was done by
steam railway and electric light and
power companies. The telegraph and
telephone companies, which use the
cheaper class OF poles. which cost an
average Of S1.54 last year, do not use
preservatives.
There are more than 700. 600 900
railway ties now in use If they had
been treated with preservatives before
they were laid 1t would have saved
the railroad companies an average of
$l6,00O.000 year, which Is lost In
| NNfitNsf'r1 ti''iAs anu ibtit hohlu bt u
still lurger saving to The country in
lessenIng the drain upon the forests.
Last year the steam and electric
railway companies purchased total
OF li2,i63.4l9 CROSS ties this number
being decrease OF II .236..17l ties, or
! 2O,S per cenl from the number pur.
chased in 1907. The chief cause of
| This decrease was the widespread busi.
ness depression during the year Any
| check In commerce and industry re.
acts upon transportation, and conse.
queatly the general policy of the roads
during 1908 was to purchase only such
! ties as were absolutely necessary for
renewals and such additional ties for
new traclIage as were essential to
carry out projects under way.
In 1908 only 7.l3i,l7O ties. or 6.6
per cent of the total, were reported
as purchased for newsirack, while in
1907 23,557,000 ties. or 1873 per cent
Of the total. were purchased for the
same purpose. Two-thlrds of the ties
purchased for new track in 1908 were
reported by steam roads and one.third
by the electric roads Since the total
mileage of the steam roads was sev.
eral times that of the electric roads
| these figures indicate that the building
| activity on the part of the electric
roads was relatively much greater
than that Of the steam roads 1908.
More than AZ per cent of the ties
were oak, mostly white oak 25 per
cent We're yellow pine. and the remain.
der were cedar. chestnut. Douglas fir,
and other kinds of wood
The steam railways used 943 per
cent; the electric railways 81 per
cent. The average cost per tie for
all kinds of ties In 1908 was so cents,
and the corresponding average for
1907 was 81 cents.
The increase in the use Of preserv
atives is very rapid. and twelve large
railroads are establishing treating
plants at intervals on their lines. The
most durable ties will last at least
four times as long when treated with
cheosote or zinch chloride. Last year
21.1 per cent of all the ties used were
treated. while the corresponding per.
centages for 1907 and 1906 were 1873
and 11.5. There are altogether in
operation seventy tie preserving
plants in this country.
Eleven railroads have undertaken to
grow their own ties-the Pennsylva-
MIA company being far in the lead
and are planting trees along their
rights of way and purchasing waste
land for that purpose. The Pennsyl.
vania and several other companies are
also furnishing nursery stock free of
cost TO farmers along their lines Who
will plant oak. chestnut. cedar and
eucalyptus in order to furnish future
supplies. More eucalyptus trees were
planted last year, probably than any
other kind. and most of them In Cali
fornia.
MEXICO HAS HUMOROUS BEANS