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The Columbia University Libraries reserve the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgement, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of the copyright law. Author: Tratman, Edward Ernest Russell Title: Preliminary report on the use of metal track on... Place: Washington, D.C. Date: 1889 q4-fi2,|O"7-/0 MASTER NEGATIVE « COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES PRESERVATION DIVISION BIBLIOGRAPHIC MICROFORM TARGET ORIGINAL MATERIAL AS FILMED - EXISTING BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD .62 Tratman, Edward Ernest Russell, 1863- ... Preliminary report on the use of metal track on railways as a substitute for wooden ties. By E. E. Russell Tratman ... to which is added a report of experiments in wood seasoning, by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy railroad company, and other notes. Comp. by B. E. Fernow. Washington, Govt, print, off., 1889. 79 p. dlagrs. 23". (U. S. Dept. of agriculture. Forestry dlTiaion. Bulletin no. 8) l^ailroad ties, Metal. 2. Wood— Seasoning. Eduard, ed. U. S. Dept. of agr. Library for Library of Congress I. Fernow, Berntiard Agr 9-376 ^^) V . ^^ RESTRICTIONS ON USE: TECHNICAL MICROFORM DATA FILM SIZE: : 36 A^'tW REDUCTION RATIO: \2 IMAGE PLACEMENT: lA (Ja) IB IIB DATE FILMED: L[ \^^ TRACKING # : MS// onss' INITIALS: V w HLMED BY PRESERVATION RESOURCES. BETHLEHEM, PA. > o fTi Q O no 3 > CD o m OQ 0(/) 50 X N X a? > o 3 i a*^ Ul ^fV. L"^ ^v>> 'V^- ^ S 3 3 O f"EEi;Ei;isi; Is |g |c. IIP bo o 00 to b to 1.0 mm 1.5 mm 2.0 mm ABCDEFGHtJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ •bcdefghiiklmnopqretuvwxyz 1234567890 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzl234567890 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890 2.5 mm ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890 5^^>. €i s •^^ ¥* f^ ^^ »'** '' *-«>^ ^4t%. ^^ <.^^ t*^ ?* **' .-^,V *v ^^'^ fo f^ m o ■o m "o OL,"0 > C CO I 7J ^ m 73 o m ■A-. '' ■*#. */►. ■^ ^O 1— » l>0 CJl o 3 3 3 3 cr o > ^" 5;rn Is ^^ N C/J o»x "vl-< OOM 8 0) cr o > 3 X o^ ^i <-•■ ^ go ^^ >sJ-< OOM VD O !^IH!V1A- ■'UllLl - MllliiH'- .ni»i»i •'•niiiiii':; "'NjU' ^MliMl! Mimin'^ ^Mjrnm ''iiniH i« ■ N 'IdiiV" ^ Miur»' v"iiiin' f' \ ' ''Mlulil' '^lUli'' . 'i'lH*' '■illllM' 'iUiiilll*' "iiiiit+J.' 'muiijM' . . '"m»i >'-'^i»ii. 'MiiJlH' ^^iMIin^" MflM' THE UBRARIES SCHOOL OF BUSINESS " Mi^t ^jy School of Business Library Culiinibii* \ InivrrriitY DEPARTMENT OF AGRlCuWuRE. forestry division. Bulletin No. 3. PRELIMINARY REPORT ON (j^ '/ fV £ THE USE OF METAL TRACK OifllAlLWA SUBSTITUTE FOR WOODEN TI \ BY E. E. Russell Tratman. C. E. TO WHICH IS ADDED A KEPOKT OF EXPERIMENTS IN WOOD SEASONING BY THE CHICAGO, BURLINGTON AND QUINCY *RAILROAD COMPANY. AND OTHER NOTES. COMPILED BY B. E. F E R N O W, Chief of Forestry Division. WASHi:?TGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1889. . HENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1889. 18089— BuU. 3 1 CQ • • * ^ ( • t » • , • • • • < I • • • • • * . • • • • « . * * • • • • • • ■•■"•■ k • > • • • •»•»■• • * t • • • f « >• • • t • • • • . • • « • o la CO CONTENTS. Letter of transmittal ^ KeiK)it ou metal track in foreign countries Appendix A: The Post tie Appendix B: Some American metal ties Metal- tie notes Maintenance expenses of track ou wooden and metal ties List of United States patents relating to metal track Treatment of railway ties in England Circular in regard to chestnut-oak ties Correspondence in reply to the circular on chestnut-oak ties Speciticatious for wooden cross-ties Report of experiments in wood seasoning The relation of railways to the timber resources of the United States. Paget 7 11 18 20 23 25 36 49 52 5:1 55 57 63 • 'Hi-^jLj>-" , LETTER OF SUBMITTAL. Forestry Division, Department of Agriculture, Washington, B, C, February 28, 1889. Sir : I have the honor herewith to submit for publication as a special Bulletin a preliminary report by Mr. E. E. Russell Tratman, C. E., on the use of metal track for railways, which gives, in concise form, informa- tion in regard to the use of this substitute for timber ties in foreign countries. This report forms a fit sequel to Bulletin No. 1, from this Division, on tlie *' Relation of Railroads to Forestry," which has found so much favor with railroad managers and engineers. Recognizing that the enormous drafts of the railroads on our timber resources and especially on the young growth— the hope of our future forestry— are among the most dangerous factors in the exhaustion of our timber supply, it is in the interest of forest preservation to kee|> railroad managers informed of the possibilities in the use of substitutes and the advantages to be derived therefrom. Through the courtesy of JMr. George C. S mith, manager of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Company, I am enabled to add, as of interest to the same class of readers, an account of the highly valuable experiments on seasoning of timber, undertaken by the chemist of that company. Notes of interest bearing on the same line of inquiries, such as have accumulated in the Division since the issue of Bulletin No. 1, have also been incorporated in tlie present issue. Respectfully submitted. B. E. Fernow, TT ^r ^ .. Chief of Forestry Division^ Hon. Norman J. Colman, Secretary. METAL TRACK FOR RAILWAYS. (Preliminary Report on the Use of Metal Track on Railways in Foreign Countries.) LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. « Brooklyn, N. Y., February 1, 1889. Sir: In accordance witli the arrangements made some time ago, I have been engaged for several months in collecting material to be used in the preparation of a report to the Department of Agriculture upon the use of metal track upon railways in foreign countries j and I beg to submit, herewith, a brief preliminary report, showing the scope of my in- vestigations, and giving a general idea of the extent to which such track is in use. Attention has for some years past been directed by the De- l)artmcnt to the destruction of the forests of this country; and as the consumption of timber for railway ties is very great (as shown in Bulle- tin 1, of the Forestry Division, on the ^' Relation of Railways to Forest- ry," and subsequently in a paj)er by me presented at the annual meet- ing of the American Forestry Congress, at Atlanta, Ga., in December, 188S), suggestions have from time to time been, made that some form of metal track should be introduced, both to effect an economy in the con- sumption of our timber resources and to give a more efficient, durable, and economical track. The matter has, however, been given very little prac- tical attention, and it has been generally taken for granted that the use of such metal track in several foreign countries (of which the home and foreign technical journals give occasional information) has been entirely experimental. This is an erroneous impression, the facts being that ex- periments begun many years ago have led to the adoption of various systems of metal track in different countries. A number of the systems tried have proved fairly efficient in service, if not economical; the sys- tems which have combined efficiency and economy are few, but such a combination has been effected, and there is no reason why it cannot bo adapted to and applied in American practice. The experiments are still in progress, and careful records are being kept of the results ob- tained, both with regard to economy and efficiency; but the questions of the advantages and the feasibility of metal track have passed be- yond the experimental stage, and metal track for railways has been brought to a very practical issue. My first proceeding, after the preparation of the report had been de- cided upon, was to draw up a list of leading questions respecting the subject of my investigations and to have the list printed. A copy of this list is appended hereto. Personal letters have been written to 7 8 eDgineers managers, m»uufatctHie.s,etc,iu all parts of the world, ask- ing for luforinatioi,, aacl iu eaol. case a copy of these questioas has been inclosed m order to show the character of the information desired At the commencement of this comprehensive system of corresiwndence I was not very sanguine as to the results, but after about a year's expe- nence I find that they have been eraiuently satisfactory and have far exceeded my expectations. There have been written about two hundred and fifty separate letters of application, and rei.lies have been received to about one hundred and twenty ; some in brief, but a large number in detail, acccnpamed by plans, etc. These answers required acknowl- edgment and sometimes a request for further information, and this has' entailed a very large amouut of personal correspondence : aggregatin.^ m all, be ween three hundred and fifty and four hundred foreign rcte.:.' This work has been rather laborious, but the matter collected has been we 1 worth the trouble, while the work has resulted in the getting to- ge her o a mass of information which has probably never before been gathered for purposes of compilation and con.parison. The home and foreign technical journals have also been closely studied. The varied ...formation thus obtained, with details of the various systems esperi- ...euted with or adopted, it is intended to present in full in the main re- l.ort; meanwhile, I am continuing the investigations. As the particulars respecting the le.igth of line laid with metal track have been obtained from many separate companies and officers in manv conntnes, it is difficult to even approximate the total mileage ; but the hgures given in the succeeding pages will prove the great Jxtent of such track in the aggregate. In Europe it is the usual practice, in additio.i to the use of metal track for railways, to use steel or iron lougitudinals or cross ties, or cast iron "chairs," for street railway tracks, using no woo.l at all, Lut only ;"r f r ""'"?','; ^'r' ""' *'*'" *'"^'' extensively used fo; contrac toib tracks, portable railways, narrow-gauge and light railways, etc in various parts of the world. <"'».i.>s,ctc., in With regard to this country, very little has been done, although from time to time a few ties of different patterns have been put down experi- . mentally The Pennsylvania Uailroad has tried the steel tie used on the Loudon and Northwestern Railway of England, but the trial in- c uded he entire system of English track,, with it« objectionable dou- ble headed rail supported in chairs; a form of track which it is to be hoped will never be introduced in this country. This trial does not count for much, especially as the tie co.npleto is very expensive, owing to the amonnt o shop-work. (See " England.")! The Boston and Maine Rail- road has_tried^Jewwrough^^ ties^ul the New York Central •For descripti^irrf this. se^ paper on " EnglisI, R^Iroad Track," iiilhrfrans: actions of the American Society of Civit Engineers, Jnne, 1888. CompZ"XVwtT','^''T' *"'^'"''*' "'"'" '""" "^ ""> Po-'-'-Vlvania Railroad Company allot which havo been taken out, with the exception of those obtained ftomtho London and Northwestern Railway (E,.«laad), which, « .tauThave Icei and Hudson River Railroad has tried cast-iron "pots*' experimentally on a small scale. This latter road will make a careful trial of the **Hartford" steel tic, which promises wellj eight hundred of these ties have been ordered and will be laid in ApriL Another tie about to be given a practical trial is the *^ Standard" steel tie, in which the rails rest on wood blocks, on end grain, the arrangement being somewhat similar to a form of track tried on the Eastern Railway of France. Of these types of tics, however, I prefer to say nothing further at present, for the reason that however advantageous they may seem, practical service alone can decide as to their practical advantages; and, if sue- cessful, they will doubtless be modified to some extent to meet require- ments met with in experience, as has been the case with the " Post" and all other successful forms of ties. It should be borne in mind that metal ties should be adopted not only as a substitute for limber wben the latter becomes scarce or expensive, but also (and more particularly on main lines) as giving a better and more efficient form of track for fast and heavy traffic. For a further explanation of this view I would refer to a paper on "Maintenance Ex- penses of Track on Metal and Wooden Ties," by J. W. Post (with a dis- cussion written by myself), in the Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, June, 188S.* Descriptions of some of the earlier forms of metal track are given in Engineering News, New York, Janu- ary and Februarj, 1887. In concluding this introduction, I give the following abstract of the opinions presented at the International Railway Congress, held at Milan, Italy, iu 1887: The opinion presented at the Congress at Brussels, iu 1885, that metal ties are able in point of efficiency to compete with wooden ties, is not weakened by the results of experience of the two years, and the nse of metal ties is extending. In point of economy, considering the first cost and the durability, the result depends upon the material, the state of the metal market, and upon local circum- stances. As to the cost of maintenance, the question was not considered to be fully decided on lines with a fast and heavy traffic, but for lines with moderate traffic and speed it was the opinion of the majority that the metal tie presented advantages, especially after the lapse of a suffi- cient time for the earth works to have thoroughly settled and for the taking up of all slack in the fastenings. I am, sir, respectfully yours, E. E. ItUSSELL TeATMAN, B. E. Fernow, j^,,^ ^^, ^^^ ^ ^ Chief 0/ Forestry Division, Department of Agriculture. found object.onaLle. It is also stated that as long as white-oak ties can be got at 65 to 70 cents each it would be foolish to nse metal ties, "costing $3 to $4" each That the cost for metal ties is not necessarily as high as that given as objectionable will appear lurthcr on in this report; a good tie (Durand patent) being claimed to be produced from old rails at the cost of $11.— B. E. F. * See reprint m this Bulletin, p. 5^3. 11 REPORT. CIRCULAR. The following circular was aildressed to various railroad companies and managers in Europe and otlier countries. Metal Track for liailroads. The infoniiatiou outlined below is desiroil for the purpose of a report to the U. S. Department of Agriculture on the use of metal ties (sleepers) for railroad tracks, and it is requested as a favor that all information furnished should be as complete as possible and sent at the earliest possible convenience. Respectfullj', E. E. Russell Tratman, C. E., 144 Memsen street, Brooklyn, Neio Fork, U. S. America. INFORMATION. Railroad : 1. Name. 2. Route. 'K Length of lines laid with metal sleepers. 4. Character of same. (Particulars of grades, curves, etc.) 5. Dates when laid. 6. Engineer in charge. 7. Character of traffic. 8. Weight of locomotives and weight on driving wheels. Sleeper : 9. Longitudinal, transvcr8e,or bowl. 10. General form. 11. Dimensions, including thickness. (Fijjured drawings.) 12. Weight. 1^1. Material. 14. Spacing center to center. ir>. How treated. (Paint, anti-rust process, etc.) 10. Manufacturer. 17. First cost, at factory or delivered. 18. Expense of maintenance. 19. Attachmeutof rails. (Detailsand drawings.) 20. Arrangements for curves. 10 Sleeper — Continued. 21. Tie-rods; if used, how attached and adjusted for gauge. 22. Durability. Track : 23. Material of ballast. 24. Behavior of ballast under sleeper. 2:'). Construction of road-bed. (Draw- ing.) 2C. Section and weight of rail. 27. Rail joints: how made. 28. Rail joints; on sleeper or sus- pended. 29. Reasons for adopting metal sleepers. .10. General results: satisfactory or other- wise. 31. Is there trouble with maiutenance of track? 32. Istheretrouble with rail attachments! 33. Is there trouble from breakages ; how and where do they usually occur? 34. Efficiency, etc., as compared with wooden sleepers. :i5. Cost, material, and durability of wooden sleepers. 3tJ. Climate; and eftect of same on metal or wooden sleepers. 37. General remarks. 38. Opinions. EUROPE. England, — In England, steel ties iiave during the past few years been tried to a greater or less extent on quite a number of the principal lines. Foremost among tbem is the London and [N^orth western Railway, which has between 20 and 30 miles of track laid with the steel cross-tie in- vented by Mr. F. W. Webb, the locomotive superintendent of the road. In 1888 there were 83,204 of them in use, and the experience with them had covered then six and one-half years. These ties have been experi- mented with on the Pennsylvania liailroad. The general type used is the steel *' inverted trough" in different forms, either rolled or stamped. As the system of track, however, in- cludes the double-headed rail, these ties are fitted with the usual heavy cast-iron chairs to hold the rail (the Webb tie has the chairs made of steel plates), and the track is unnecessarily heavy and costly. The chief difficulty is said to be in adapting the steel tie to the double- headed rail, it being difficult to make a good piece of work. The North- eastern Ifailway, however, is trying steel ties under flange rails weigh- ing 90 pounds per yard, which is a step toward the ideal track for main, lines. -Fmnce.— Experiments with metal cross-ties have been made on nearly all the principal railways, and a large number of types have been tried, * but several of them have been of coi.nplicated design, and therefore un- economical. Longitudinal systems have been tried to a small extent. On the Stale Railways a number of trials have been made, and with some forms of tie very good results have been obtained, enabling a reduction to be made in the maintenance statf. In 1886 there were or- dered 17,000 ties of the " Post" type and 80,000 ties of the old " Berg et- Marche" type. In 1888 there were (^)2.10 miles laid with the "Pau- let-Lavalle{te"ties, with double-headed rails in chairs; (h) 7.35 miles laid with a tie similar to the "Post" type, with double-headed mils, and 30,000 more of these ties had been ordered ; (c) 8.86 miles laid with similar ties, but with flange rails. Of these (a) had been laid in 1885, {b) and (c) in 1887. On the Paris and Bordeaux line, 4.4 miles of " Vau- therin'Mies of uniform thickness were laid between November, 1886, and February, 1887 ; 4.5 miles of " Vautherin " ties of varyin.:,^ thickness (similar to the ** Post" type) were laid in February and March, 1887, and .56 mile was laid with the "Boyenval and Ponsard" ties in April, 1888. The Paris, Lyons and Mediterranean Railway used an old type of iron tie several years ago, but abandoned it on account of the ties cost- ing more than the wooden ties and giving a less firm and durable track ; 12 this latter defect was probably duo to tbe old-fasbioned ^^gib and cot- ter fasteuiug employed. These ties were laid in 1862 and following years and had all been taken out in 1872. Good results have been ob- tained with metal ties on the Al^^erian system controlled by this com- pany. (See "Africa/') The Northern Eailway laid trial sections of its Belgian lines with the "Severac"and " Bernard " ties in 1885, and laid 10,000 of the former on Its French lines in 1888. The Western Railway, which used the old double-headed rail, has ex- perimented with iron ties upon which the rail chairs were cast; about 1.3 miles were laid in 1887. The Eastern Railway has tried steel ties with wooden cushions or beariiig blocks under the rails, and has also laid about one hundred of the " Post '' ties. Holland.^ln this country probably the most extensive and most valu- able, because continuous and systematic, trials have been made, and the trials have resulted in improvements which have served to develop the now well-known and extensively- used " Post" steel cross-tie of varyiuff t iickness, the thickness being increased under the rail seat. The Post" tie, the invention of Mr. Post, the engineer of permanent way o tlie Netherlands State Railway Company, is economical both in con- struction (owing to its requiring a minimum of shop-work, all of which . adds to the cost of a tie) and in maintenance, and has proved very eflBcient in service. ^ ^ On the Netherlands State Railways the experiments have been in progress since 1865, and the steel tie designed by Mr. Post and im- proved by him from time to time in the light of practical experience has been adopted on this system. In the early part of 1888 the system which comprises 910 miles of road, had 91 miles of track laid with these ties. Of 10,000 ties laid in 1865, 9,550 were still in the track and were expected to last twenty years more, although they were of the earlier 2rnfi«o'rt''/^f ^' '^°'' ^''" ^"^P^^^^^^ "1^^"- ^« t^ breakages, out of 162,634 ties laid, not one had broken. In the early part of 1888 there were in use 457,300 ties (about 23,800 tons) o the "Post" type in Holland, Belgium, France, Cxermany, Switzerland, and Asia (colonies) ; about 272,700 ties (about 12,700 tons more, including ties for narrow-gauge railways and for the rack rail- rf/.nn. '""""^'o^l?'^ ^'^"^ manufactured; making a total of about 730,000 ties, or 36,500 tons, of this one type. (See page 25 ) Bcloninu-^Onth^ Belgian State Railway system the "Post "tie has beni hud, but it is heavier than that used on the Netherlands State Railway and heavier than the inventor considers necessary or desirable It should be noted that it is not economical to use more metal than exi perience has shown to be necessary. Experiments have been made on rather a large scale, and in 1887 three types were experimented with on various lines, and one of these types appeared to meet the require- ments tor fast and heavy traffic. In 1885 it was decided to put down 13 35,000 ties of the " Post " (old) type, 35,000 ties of a type invented by the chief engineer of the road, and 5,000 ties of the " Bernard " type. Some " Bernard " ties were also laid in 1886-'87. The Grand Central Railway has also had satisfactory results with metal ties. In 1873 the superintendent of permanent way reported that he was fully satisfied with the experience then acquired with metal ties, but he was unable to adopt them further at that time owing to a great advance in the price of iron. In his reports for 1886 and 1887 he stated that the favorable results had been still more marked, and during 1887 there were 6,000 metal ties laid. Metal ties of the " Coblyn" type, for light railways, have been defi- nitely adopted by the Soci^t^ Anonyme des Chemins de Fer ficono- miques, and have also been tried on the lines of the Soci^te Nationale des Chemins de Fer Vicinaux, the Netherlands lines, the Liegeois and Luxembourg division (on Belgian territory) of the Netherlands State Railway, and on the Liege and Seraing line. Metal ties have been tried on the Belgian division of the Northern Railway of France, including 5,500 ties of the "Bernard" type. Germany. — On the State Railways a number of difiereut systems of metal track of longitudinal and transverse types have been tried for several years, and some types have been regularly adopted on certain divisions. The investigations and trials are still in progress. In 1887 the State Railway system had a length of about 13,193 miles, with about 23,062 miles of track j of this amount about 5,530 miles had metal track — 3,131 miles being laid with cross-ties and 2,399 miles with longitudinals. Very careful records of the trials have been kept. In the year 1SS0-\S7 there were laid 868,262 new cross ties and 64,094 longitudinals. In Feb- ruary, 1888, 500,000 "Post" ties were being made for Germjm lines. For the Rhenish Railway system 308,000 ties (10,775 tons) were pur- chased in 1877-'79. On the Left-Bank-of-the-Rhine Railway, which comprises 1,681 miles, there are 943 miles with metal cross-ties and 211 miles with longitudinals, the balance being on wooden cross ties. The first cross-ties were laid in 1876 and the first longitudinals in 1872. Since 1879 metal sleepers only have been used. On the Elberfeld di- vision of the Prussian State Railways (1,646 miles) there are 790.5 miles laid with wooden ties, 762.5 with iron ties, and 93 miles with iron lon- gitudinals. They were laid in different years between 1869 and 1880. The experience with iron longitudinals and cross-ties was very favor- able, but still better results have been obtained since steel was intro- duced. Wooden ties are still used in great numbers, partly on account of their lower first cost and partly on account of the policy of the Prus- '^ian Government to keep up the supply of timber by domestic cultiva- tion and forest management. Austria.— 1\\ this country, longitudinal systems of metal track have been extensively used. The Northwestern Railway has a total of rm miles of track laid with the " [loheiiog^a'r" system of longitudinaLs and the economy over wood is reported to be noticeable. TUese longi- 14 tndinals liavo been laid in small sections year by year since 187G ; the earlier ones were of iron, bnt the hitter ones are of steel The " Heindl" system of longitudinals is in use on a number of roads ; tlic first were hiid in 1883, and at the end of 1887 there was an aggregate of about J 41 miles laid with this system of track, a considerable portion being on mountain divisions and including (jAVM miles on the Arlberg tunnel line. Stcitzerland-^The Central Kail way had 100,000 metal ties in use at the eiul of 1884, and proposed to lay 30,000 per annum till its whole system had been thus laid. The Western and Simplon Railways began using metal ties in 1883, and have been very well satisfied with them. The Gotthard Railway uses them very extensively, and they have also been adopted on the Mount Pilatus Rack-Railway. In February, 1888, the Hoerdci Works reported that they were delivering 100,000 "Post" ties to the Gotthard Railway and 100,000 to the Western Railway. //rt///.— Metal track has been used very little, if at all, and oak ties are obtainable in am[)le quantities and at a moderate price ; aud as there are extensive timber resources such track will not be necessary for many years. It has been proposed, however, to lay steel ties on some sections of the Mediterranean Railway system. The Government has used steel ties for short military railways in its African campaigns. ^^a/>i — The line from Bilbao to Las Arenas has 7.1 miles laid with steel cross-ties, and it is believed that they will prove jnore economical than wood. The line is 1-metro gauge. The Almaiiza, Valencia and Tarragona line has 2j1 miles laid with the De Rergue system of cast- iron plates connectets" or bowls. In the English campaign of 1S85 a short lengtli of light rnil- way of 18inch gauge, with corrugated steel cross ties, was laid at Sua- kim, but the line was soon taken up. AZ^ericf.— Metal ties are used on the Algerian lines controlled by the Paris, Lyons and Mediterranean Railway Company (France) j 10,000 ties were laid in 1870, and have given good results. In 18J7-'G9'the Algiers and Oran line put down 90,000 iron ties of the "Vautherin^^ typej the B6ne and Guelma line put down 3,500 ties of the ^'Severac" type and 2,500 of the '' Boyenval-Ponsard" type. It is estimated that the use of metal ties has saved one-fourth of the labor formerly required for maintenance, or about $60 per mile per annum. * ASIA. Jndm.— In this country, steel cross-ties and cast-iron bowls and plates (the latter types arranged in pairs) are very extensively used, and the use of metal track is extending very rapidly, large contracts biing \m quently awarded for the companies' and the Government lines. Ev e;j in Burmah, where wood has been generally used till recently, steel tics are beginning to be introduced. About 525,000 tons of steel ties have been sent out from Englaiul during the last few years, and there are nearly 300 miles of (he State lines now laid with this form of track ; a large number of miles of private companies' lines are also laid with steel ties. The general results are reported to be good, and the ties give, on the whole, much satisfaction. They are used for lines of 1 metre and 5 feet G inches gauge. There are over 1,600 miles laid with cast-iron track of different types, and these also give satisfactory results in general. Such tracks have been in use for twelve or fourteen years. Of the " Denham Olpherts " type alone more than 2,000,000 pairs have been made for double headed rails and about 600,000 pairs for flange rails. On the East Indian Rail way there were 1,311,000 of these " Denham-Olpherts" plate sleepers at the end of 1887, and the breakages since 1885 had averaged oidy 0.81 per cent, per annum. They give good results in reducing the work ol maintenance, there being a saving of about 6J per cent, of renewals pt r annum. In some of these sleepers wooden cushions are used for the rad^ to rest on. On one division of the Indian Midland Railway the i)ercent- age of renewals of the ^' Deidiam-Olp'ierts" plate sleepers wasO.;{!. e/ajoaw.— A few cast-iron '' pol " sleepers were laid when the first lines were built, about 1871, but they have nearly all been taken up again and hardly any now remain in the track, while for new lines timber ties are used exclusively. 16 China, — Steel cross-ties are to be tried as an ezperiment on the new railway which was opened last year. AUSTRALIA. Queensland.^The first metal sleepers ever made in Australia have been tried in this colony, an experimental section of a few miles long having been laid with the " Phillips " type. This is a steel cross-tie intended for prairie work, where the track is laid on the surface of the ground 5 it is designed to be used without ballast, being simply packed with surface soil. Some years ago about 1,000 wrought iron ties were laid, but they only lasted about five years, as they generally fractured under the rail-seats, owing, it is said, to defective fastenings ; they were laid in broken-stone ballast. In regard to the "Phillips" type, Mr. Phillips kindly reports to me as follows, under date of January 2, 1889, and it is especially interest- ing as showing that metal track is adapted for other lines than those with heavy traffic: I have just rctnrned from North Queensland, where I havo !»oen constructing a section of railway 36 miles in length on my system. The country I am dealing with is between the port of Normanton, in 17^ 45' S. lut. and 141 10' E. long., and a new goldfield by the name of Croydon, situated about 83 miles E. S. E. from Normanton. The country is almost uniformly even, and the Norman River is the only important river crossed. The first 4 miles are over gravel ridges, when a descent of 1 in 70 for half a mile brings the line down to the level of tho river flats ; the soil is dark clay with a slight admixture of alluvial sand. This description of country extends to 14 miles, where the river is crossed with a low level timber bridge (principally 20-feet spans) on a sandstone rock bottom. Thence to Croydon the country is very uniform in character— fine sandy soil, covered with a more or less thick forest of inferior and stunted timber, sometimes dense enough to be called brush or scrnb. There is no forest timber of suflBcient dimensions in the district available for ties or bridge work, neither is there any stone for ballast, except by quarrying below the surface, and that is sandstone of an inferior and very soft description. The country is almost uniformly even, except at the 4-mile peg, where there is a cutting of about 5 feet and an embankmeut of equal height. I commenced track-iaying July 7, and completed 3i miles on December 29 ; fully seven weeks were lost through non-delivery of ties, so that the average rate of progress was IJ miles per week of six working days. The number of men employed in (a) clearing track GG feet wide, (6) grubbing, (c) ploughing, harrowing, and rolling central width of 10 feet, (d) track-laying, (e) lifting and packing ties, and (/) straightening track, never exceeded G5, with one team of bullocks (12) and one horse. Cost per mile for labor only, $GoO; wages for laborers, $2.50 per dayj gangers, $3.15. The ploughing, harrowing, and rolling cost $75 per mile, and is included in the $630. The total cost was under $15 per lineal foot. The best day's work was .525 mile, and the best week's work a little over 2 miles. No ballast has been provided and no side or cross drains cut; the only water- ways are at well-defined and water-worn channels. The total timber bridging on the 3G miles is 1,108 lineal feet, and only one box-drain has been put in. From 20J miles to 36 miles there is not a single water-way of any description. The cost is under $15 per lineal foot. The material train has never failed to run to the head of the road daily, from the commencement of track-laying, although there have been some very heavy thunder- storms with 1 to 2 inches of rain-fall in an hour. The track is laid with steel flange rails, 41^- pounds per yard, 26 feet long, fastened to mild steel cross-ties, weighing 84 pounds each, 11 ties to a rail length. The average gross load of the material train, 17 100 tons. The locomotive employed is a six-wheeled engine of English buikl. The country passed through is believed to be the softest in wet weather to be found in Australia, but so far no trouble has been exi)erienced with the line. The country is infested with white ants (termites), and ties of the best hard woods of the colony will not last more than 3 years in the form of tics. The government now in power are not very favorable to my system, but I hope to be able to induce them to complete the Croydon Railway on my system. I believe my system might be applied Avith advantage to your prairio country subject to heavy rain-falls. Neic SoutJi Wales, — About 1,000 steel cross-ties were laid in 18S2. In 1887 it was reported that they were in bad condition, but this may have been due (if correct) to the fact that the manufacture of steel ties was in its infancy in 1882. JSouth Australia, — In March, 1888, the agent-general in England re- ported to me that metal sleepers were being laid on a new line 145 miles long, not then open to traffic. SOUTH AMERICA. Argentine Republic. — In this State, cast-iron "pot'' sleepers are used almost exclusively, except in the far west and north. The Buenos Ay res Great Southern Railway, which began operations in 1805, has 135 miles of double track and 81 9 J miles of single track laid with cast- iron sleepers of an improved design. They are adopted on account of tlie difilculty of procuring good hard-wood ties in sufficient quantity and the greater expense of these wooden ties; also because they give {> more rigid and satisfactory track. The Central Argentine Eailway lias 246 miles laid with cast-iron track. The Santa Fe and Cordoba Kailway ordered 20,000 steel ties in England in 1888. Chili. — Steel ties have been tried to a small extent, but the type was considered too heavy and expensive. Previous to the award in No- vember last, to an American syndicate, of the contract for building about 780 miles of railways for the State, proposals had been invited by the Chilian legation in France for the supply of 739,400 metal ties feet long and 725,100 ties 4J feet long. United States of Colombia. — There has been some talk of adopting metal ties on the Bolivar Kail way. MEXICO. The Mexican Railway (Vera Cruz line) is using a large number of steel ties of the type in general use in India, and has obtained very good results with them, especially at times when the road has been flooded. These ties were first used in 1884, and at the end of June. 1888, there were 46J miles of track laid with steel ties. The Mexican Central Railway has been contemplating the adoption of the same typo of tie on the mountain division of the road, the advantages beinjr that they last longer than wooden ties and keep the track in perfect gauge. The above report is respectfully submitted for consideration. E. E. Russell Tratman, February 1, 1889. Jnn. Am. Sac. C. E. 18680— Bull. 3 2 18 19 Appendix A, THE *'POST" TIE. This tie, of which so uuicU has been heard, is probably the most suc- cessful of all the various types of metal ties that have been put iu serv- ice, and the success is largely due to the care which has been taken in noting the results obtained and in making such improvements as expe- rience has shown to be desirable. Consequently, the present form of the tie is the result of many improvements, and represents several years of experience and careful study. It is a cross-lie rolled from mild steel (Bessemer, Thomas, or Sieinens-Martin); its section is that of an inverted trough, with flaring sides forming a section of a polygon; it is narrow and deep in the middle, the ends are closed, and the bottom edges are thickened to form a rib. One of its special features is its varying thick- ness, giving an ample thickness of metal at the rail seat, where the greatest strength is required, and a less thickness at the middle and ends. Thus the weight of the ties as now used is from 110 i)ounds to 121 pounds each, corresponding to 12G.5 and 139.15 pounds if they were of uniform section. This feature represents, therefore, an economy of 15 per cent, of metal as compared with a tie with a uniform thickness equal to the maximum thickness of the *' Post " tie. In the operation of roll- iug, the varying thickness is given and also the shape of the tie, while the bending of the ends to give the rails an inward inclination of 1 in 20 (in accordance with European practice) is done during the same opera- lion. The shape of the middle portion of the tie is designed with a purpose, as it is claimed that by narromng this i)ortion the ballast is kept from working away from under the rail seat, and in this way a stable road-bed and track are secured, thus diminishing the work of maintenance. It prevents the tendency of the ballast to work towards the middle and form a ridge on which the tie would rest, giving a rocking motion to the track, but gives it a tendency to pack well under the rail seat. The in- creased depth of this portion gives additional strength to resist bending and also offers increased resistance to creeping. The following are the principal dimensions, given in the original metric measure and also reduced to feet and inches: Length over all, 2.55 to 2.65 metres (8.304 to 8.692 feet) ; width over all at rail seat, 235 millimetres (9.40 inches) ; width over all at fniddle, about 5.30 inches; width of rail seat, 110 millimetres (4.40 inches) ; width of end, 280 milli- metres (11.20 inches); depth under rail, 74.5 to 75.5 millimetres (2.98 to 3.02 inches) ; depth at middle, 125 millimetres (5 inches). Thickness of cross-section at rail seat varies as follows: Thickness at bottom of flauge, 6 millimetres (.24 inch) ; thickness at upperpartof flange, 7 millimetres (.28 inch) ; thickness at rail seat, 9 to 10 millimetres (.30 to .40 inch) ; thick- ness at bolt-holes, 12 to 13 millimetres (.48 to .52 inch) ; thickness at middle and ends, 6 to 7 millimetres (.24 to .28 inch). The rib on the lower edge of the iianges has a depth of about 18 millimetres (.72 inch) and projects about 13 millimetres (.52 inch) beyond the outer face of the flange. For narrow-gauge and light railwa^^s the dimensions would be re- duced in accordance with the weight, and for such lines a weight ot 72.(1 to 77 pounds is considered sufficient. For rail fastenings reliance has been jflaced upon bolts, and the re- sults have been entirely satisfiictory ; the fastenings keep tight, pre- vent vibration and rattling, and require little attention after the track has become well settled. The bolt-holes are oblong, and hive rounded corners. The bolt used is 91 millimetres (3.64 inches) long and 22 mil- limeters (.SS inch) iu diameter; it has a J-head 38 by 46 millimetres (1.52 by 1.84 inches), and a cam shaped or eccentric neck 22 by 30 milli- metres (..S8 by 1.20 inches), for the purpose of allowing an adjustment of gauge at curves, switches, etc. The bolt passes up through the tie and through a **crab'^ washer which bears on the flange of the rail and the face of the tie; a Verona nut-lock is then put on and the nut screwed down upon it. The upper face of the washer and the lower face of the nut are indented, so as to give a good hold.on the nut lock. The ties are sent out to the track with the fastenings separate in kegs, or with the bolts in place and the nuts loosely screwed on, according to the wishes of the division engineers ; some of whom prefer one plan and Gome the other. This tie presents the following advantages : First Economy in material ; owing to the maxinuim thickness being given at the rail seat and a less thickness at the middle and ends, this effects a decided saving in weight and first cost. Second. Economy in manufacture; owing to the shaping, bending, and varying of the section being all done in the operation of rolling, ttius reducing the shop-work to a minimum; which is an important con- sideration. Third. Economy in maintenance; owing to the little care and atten- tion required, as shown by years of actual service. Fourth. Efficiency in making a good track; as also proved by years of actual service. Fifth. Adjustment; owing to the arrangement of the fastenings per- mitting the gauge to be widened at curves and narrowed at switches ; which is an important feature when a tie is adopted on a considerabh' length of tra^ck. E. E. II. T. 20 21 Append i.v B. SOME AMERICAN METAL TIES. ThelnternMfional tic-Thi^ is a rolled steel tie, the section of which rP.ai«bIesa priutei^s " brace '^ (^^)j originally it was made in two pieces, riveted together at the middle flange, but it is now to be rolled in one piece. The dimensions are as follows: Length, 8 feet; width, 10 inches; side flanges, 2? inches deep; middle flanoe, 2 inches high; thick- ness, from yi.-inch at the lower partof the side flanges to f, inch at the mid- dle. Xbe middle flange is cut away in two places for the rails. The fastenings consist of flat wrought-iron clips, one on each side of the rail, which are bolted to the flange of the tic and have projections which bear upon the rail flange. Some of these ties have been in use for more Uiaii two years on the Boston and Maine Railroad and the Maine Central Kailroad ; the Long Island Railroad is now giving them a trial The Hartford //^.-This is a rolled steel tie, of inverted trough sec- tion, with a channel or groove along the whole length of the top table ami having the emls curved down to hold the ballast. The dimensions are as follows: Length, 7 feet G inches; width at top, 8 inches ; width at bottom, lOi inches; depth, 2J inches; thickness, % inch at sides and To inch at top; the channel or groove is 2i inches wide and 5 inch deep The weight is about 120 pounds. The fastening for each rail consists of two clamps |-inch thick, with a hooked projection at the broad end which holds the flange of the rail ; these clamps are wedge shape1 an ordinary 7-inch ckannel iron (i 1) 8 feet G inches long; the cuds were closed by a piece of angle-iron riveted on, and a cross piece ot angle-iron was also riveted inside the channel, just under the outer flange of the rail. The fastenings for each rail consisted of a piece of angle-bar riveted to tlie face of the tie (the rivets passing through the angle-bar, tie, and inside angle-iron) on the outside of the rail, and a loose flat clip on the inside of the rail, fastened by bolts. Writing in 18SG, Mr. Brown, the chief engineer of the Pennsylvania Railroad, said ; These tics cost from $3 to $4 each. As long as wo cau get good oak ties for not ex- ceeding; $1 each, I woul'.l not recommend making the cban<];e, although they give perfect satisfaction and are no more troubliJ to keep in line and surface than wooden ties. E. E. R. T. 22 THE DUEAND TEE. Tbis tie, among the latest patented in this country, has been in use on a private trial line in the French Alps. It resembles most nearly the " Post " tie. It is produced by converting old rails into metal sheets, from which the fie IS stamped out by special machinery, requiring no further slioi. xvork than the fasteningof the bolts, which are welded to the tic while hot The cross section is of the " Vautheiin" or "Zores" type, like the l-ost t'o, narrowed, and depressed in thecentefandslightlycurvine towards the end., as well as to the middle of the tie. LeuKthwiso co.^ rugations on the face of the lie under the rail-seat, and if deemed ncc essary, vertical corrugations on the sidefaces, are intended to give ad- ditioiial strength, allowing a saving of metal as against the '< Post" tie The width on top under the railfopt is 10 inches and across the lower edges 12 inches. The ends are open bnt can be closed if desired by a special cap, which IS put on after the tie is placed and'cau be easily removed if necessarv l.ermitting access to the lower side, bolts, etc., without removing the ti' entirely Experience, however, with the openend type seems t.. have proved thot the curvature of the ends is sufficient to prevent the blow-' ing out of ballast. The fastening of the rails is eflected by means of four bolts with snc- cially.fltted Theads, which are inserted and partially welded to the tic fron. below during its manufacture, and are prevented from turnin- b^ a shoulder in the tic. A washer of soft metal is so adapted as to p.;. vent any loosening of nuts above, an indentation on the lower side (ittiiig into a similar indentation in the tie, and one flange beinsr bent upwards after screwing down. Per curves switches, etc., the adaptation of shape, inclination, and . gauge 18 effected in the manufacture by iuterchaageable pieces in the stamping apparatus. The placing of the tie is effected by laying it on the ballast and bury- Hig It m the same by means of a rocking motion with the help of levers inserted into holes made at the ends of the tie in manufacturing. No digging of a tie-bed, no tamping is needed. The draihage, a verv im portaut requirement is well provided for. " The weight of the lie is made variable by either rolling the metal- sheets to three-sixteenths of an inch, which gives a CJ pound tie, or five- sixteenths of an inch, which will make it about 100 pounds The cost is claimed to be $1 or $1.35 respectively, if man,;factured in the United States. The cost of manufacture is calculated at 30 cents allowing a railroad company to use up the old rails. The plant for roll' Z!^° 51'lVnn ""''"' *""' '^^'"P'"^ **"" "" '^ «''"Pl«5 *'« «o«t isosti- mated at ^i>,uOO. The Dnraud tie, with less metal, promises to give the same streDgth and 18 more easily j)lace(l tbau the " Post^^ tie.—B. E. F. METAL TIE NOTES, The following matter has been appended as of interest in the discus- sion of the desirable change from wooden to metal ties. These notes originate in part with Mr. Tratman, or else are copied from other publications. The ephemeral literature on the subject is growing rapidly, and by the time Mr. Tratmau's final report will go to press, it will have become desirable, with it, to present in abstract the useful information which has thus accumulated. By that tim^it is hoped that more experiences from trial tests ou railroad lines of our own country may also be re- corded. As this Bulletin goes to press, two interesting items of news on the railroad tie question have reached this office. The one relates to the remarkable durability of lignum-vitae cross-ties on the Panama Rail- road— thirty- five years. Tliat there is any likelihood, as some papers seem to anticipate, that this discovery will in any way influence the use of metal ties by possible competition of this wooden tie, I am in- clined, for various reasons, to doubt. Perhaps of more influence on this subject may become the introduc- tion of stone sleepers in combination with the "Elastic Tie-Plate," which was originally intended to improve the track on wooden ties, but has proved itself of service on rock sleepers in an experiment made by the Ystad-Eslof Railway in Sweden. Yet we are inclined to think that even this kind of substructure, if found as efficient as is claimed, would not threaten as much competition with the metal track as it might at first appear to do, except under special conditions. The theoretical requisites for a perfect metal tie arc now quite well understood and have been discussed at length in Bulletin I, from this Division. The task of inventors henceforth must be, while complying with these theoretical requisites, to do it in such a manner as to reduce the cost of the manufacture to its lowest possible figure without loss of required strength. With the extendeg experience before us there can not longer be a doubt that it is possible to construct a metal tie which will be superior in all respects to wooden ties; yet to bring its first cost down to such a figure that the future saving in its maintenance need not en- ter into consideration, but may bo taken as au agreeable surprise in 23 24 the costof management— this is what railroad companies are most bent on obtaining. Especially in our country, where the present account- lU'Toutweighs in importance all future possible profits, this considera- tion alone, of reduced first cost, may be sufficient to work a revolution m the use of railroad ties. On the other hand, the bugbear of cheap- ness, which is often mistaken for an equivalent of economy, is apt to mislead the inventor into risking the factors of safety and strength iu order to attain cheapness. *' Ifa man wants a < cheap 'track he had better continue to pay 50 and 75 cents for wooden ties. And if he wants an economical track ho must use steel ties with enough metal iu them to insure permanency." There is also no doubt that the metal tie which is suitable for one set of conditions is not suitable for others. The amount of traffic, and es- pecially the condition of track and ballast, will dictate changes in shape weight, etc. , ' It had been the intention to review all the patents which had con- cerned themselves with introducing metal for railway tracks, but the large number— not less than 256 patents so fiir, very many of which are obviously impracticable— made the task too laborious for the prac- tical result to be expected from it. Therefore, only a brief reference list to these patents has been prepared by Mr. Tratman. The first suggestion for the use of metal track seems to date back to the year 1839; a patent by J. Stimpson, proposing a construction of metal and wood combined, similar to a construction now much used in street railways. The next attempts did not follow until 3857 1858 and 1861. ' The flood of patents begins with the year 1883, the last five years hav- lug produced not less than one hundred and sixty devices. Some of the more prominent devices, which have been actually manu- factured in the United States, are briefly described in Appendix B. B. E. Fernow. 25 MAINTENANCE-EXPENSES OF TRACK AND METAL TIES. ON WOODEN By J. W. Post, permaneut way engineer, Netherlands State Railroad Coiiipauy. Head at the annual convention of the American Society of Civil Engineers, July 2, 1888. Though the track of European railroads shows in material, construc- tion, and maintenance a great difference from the^rack on American lines, tlie following data concerning the use of steel cross-ties, gathered methodically since 1865 on the lines worked in Uolland, Belgium, and Germany by the Netherlands State llailroad Company, may be of some interest to American railroad engineers. The first trial of metal ties oq the Netherlands State Railroad dates from 18G5, in which year 10,000 Cosijns ties* were laid. In 1880 these ties, of a system now considered poor, had given satisfactory results as to the metal part during their fifteen years of service, but the oak blocks had to be frequently renewed. Moreover, the following consid- orations induced the company to search for a good metal tie: First It was feared that prices of timber would gradually rise, owing to the increasing devastation of forests. Second. Even with the wood deemed best for ties, viz. oak, it was (liflicult to secure satisfactory results j some lots of oak ties, severely in- spected, appeared first-rate when new, but had to be renewed after only one year of service. The time of felling seems to be of great importance, and cannot be determined at the moment of i^urchase even by the sever- est inspection. Third. Even the best methods of impregnating proved unreliable; of ties coming from the same boiler some were quite saturated, others only on the surface ; some lasted one year only, others twenty years. Uniformity in this respect is desirable for the track. Fourth. No timber merchant guarantees his ties ; whereas steel lies are generally guaranteed for two years. Fifth. There is a great loss of interest during the time timber ties are piled in order to dry ; whereas metal ties are often iu the track before being paid for. Sixth. There is a great loss of timber ties by bursting, caused by sunsiiine, water, frost, driving the spikes, etc. Seventh. Timber ties being heavier than metal ties, the transport to the place where they are put in the track is more exx)ensive. Eighth. The difficulty and cost of the respiking and readzing of tim- ber ties, and of the replacing by new ones, increases with the daily number of trains. Ties of more durable material are desirable also from that point of view. *This tie consisted of 'an I beam laid horizontally, thus H, with a wooden block under each rail. 26 Ninth. The selling price of old liietal ties is cousiderably higber than the price of old timber ties. Tenth, A calculation* of the total annual sum required for purchase, laying, inaintainin;;, and renewing tracks on timber and on metal ties gave a favorable result for the metal. f All these considerations induced the company to charge the writer in 1S80 to study, both at home and abroad, the difterent systems of metal ties then in use, both from the point of view of manufacture and of maintenance, and to propose a method of trial enabling the company to get the most complete information possible on the subject. This chnrge resulted in the following diflferent systems of ties and iiisteuings being laid in the track from 1880 to 1888 : Potimls. Typo I, Vantheriii section ; iron 88 Tvpo 11, Vautherin 8t>.ction ; iron 103.84 Type III, Haarinaim section; mild steel HO Ty[»6 IV, Haannauii section; mild steel 114.4 Typo V, flaarmann-Lichtliamuicr section; mild steel 95.48 Tiea. In 1381, type 1 4,133 In 1882, type II 4,001 In 1883, type III 2,081) In 1883, typo IV 2,090 In 1884, typeV 11,680 And from 1885 to 1888, about 120,000 ties, types VI, VII, VIII and IX, making about 150,000 tics often different types (including Cosijns). Of eacli ot the tyiHJs, trial lengths, under different circumstances of grades and curves, were )>ut under special observation, every hour of mainte- nance work and every renewed piece being scrupulously noted. As a base of comparison 1,120 first rate new oak ties were laid in the track, the rails being fastened with the ordinary spikes The plate shows the different types of ties used. At the same time different systems of fastenings were tried on the metal ties. By trying the best improvements in shape, material, and maiuifacture, and by eliminating every year the faults of the preceding types, Mr. Post gradually arrived at types of ties and fastenings which, having shown great advantage in every respect over the preceding types, have now been adopted as standards for this railroad.J (Types VIII and IX.) * For raetUcds of calculation see Bulletin I of Forestry DiviHion ; also the valuable report of the American Society of Civil Engineers, June, 1885, on t'lo "Preservation of Forests." t Many important improvements introdaced since have increased the advantage of metal over timber. t Other railroads have, to their great satisfaction, followed this example. A total of about 457,300 ties (about 23,800 tons) of the Post types VI, VII, VIII, and IX is DOW ia service on different lines of Holland, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, 27 Oalc: pn -rwn- Section of Tie^^^^ in Trial No. I Vautheriu r i.ao I Iron-.dSlbs. Vuulherin. 1.20 n Iron'lO-dJhs. Baarmcmn. HI MUd Steel-llOlhs. Hjcuxrmann^ W Mild Steei:il4V>s. T Vba*Hierirv LicMhammen c MiM Steel: 05.5 JJba. Pressed. Preeeed'. Post, tn IT Post A A ^^ A Strengthened-. A^B CD n A B c n VI vn StrencfiheneA. Post A A _f\A_ ^ F , StrenqtJierted^^ 6.36 to 6.70' ^ ► DEVELOPMENT AND TYPES OF THE "POST" TIES. 28 29 Types Vr, VII, VIII, and IX are in mild steel rolled to a variable section, strengthening at rail seats and tilt 1 in 20 being obtained di- rectlj by rolling, thus preserving the steel from damage at the vulner- able spot (rail seats) by bending or pressing. These ties weigh 50 to 55 kilograms each, corresponding to 57 to 63 kilograms i)er tie of uniform section BB (economy 15 per cent.). Type VI, without the nar- row waist, like all preceding types, had not quite the same stability as the later tyi>es with narrow waist; indeed, this reduction of breadth in the middle causes the principal reaction of the ballast to work at the rail seats, eliminating the balancing action of the track which takes place when the support is in the middle, particularly on badly ballasted roads or with neglected packing. Moreover, the increased height at the center gives greater rigidity to the tie. The wedge waisted tie VII is, unfortunately, of difficult manufacture, and so types VIII and IX are practically esteemed the best, and all agree that they give remark- able results. The ends are closed and project downward 2 inches into the ballast. The tests prescribed for inspection are very severe. The author exe- cuted a series of tests to ascertain whether annealing the ties after punching the holes does pay or not; his conclusion was, that with mild steel annealing is not necessary, but is desirable if it can be done at smal> expense. The ties are tarred if they have to remain a long time beside the track. The price, including two years of guaranty, varies from $22 to $26 per ton. The fastenings show the following improvements, gradually intro- duced and tried by Mr. Post. The surface of nuts and clips is rough- ened to facilitate the grip of the Verona nut-lock. The clips, if rolled (mild steel annealed), get three fillets for the same reason ; if stamped (iron or mild steel), they are indented like the nuts. In both cases the clip has a large contact with the surface of the tie in order to reduce the wear. For the same reason the head of the bolt (iron or soft man- ganese steel) is large. The bolt must not be less than J inch diameter. The collar of the bolt, which is eccentric, to enable widening of gauge on curves by turning the bolt 180 degrees, fits tight into the tie hole; this hole being rounded in the corners to avoid cracks, the bolt collar is rounded accordingly. The Verona nut locks are of the very best quality, severely tested as to elasticity and sharpness of points, and are guaran- and Asia (colonies).- About 272,700 more (about 12,700 tous), comprising the nanow- gatige and rack-road ties for Sumatra, are ordered. and being manufactured now, making a total of about 730,000 ties (or 36,500 tons). See on this subject : (o) Mr. Bricka's official report to the French minister of public worka (6) Mr. Kowalski's official report to the Milan Railroad Congress, 1887. (c) Report of Viucennes Exhibition, 1887, highest award to Netherlands State Rail- road Company and to the Avritcr. (d) Annual Report, 1887, of the French Society for the Advancement of Industry • silver medal awarded to the writer. ' teed. The price of these improved fastenings does not exceed 24 cents per tie. The statistical results as to cost of maintenance gathered to January 1 , 1888, on twenty -four trial lengths, are shown in the accompanying table. Columns 1 to 14 give the particulars of sections, condition ot laying, types, etc., and columns 15 to 22 the expense of maintenance per day and per kilometre in francs. The statistical data gathered to January 1, 1887, and the close and scrupulous observations of the trial divisions, allowed the company to report seventeen conclusions to the Milan Railroad Congress in 1>87. The service from January 1, 1887, to January 1, 1888, having fully confirmed the opinions of the company on these seventeen points, the following conclusions are still applicable to the statistical data gathered to January 1, 1888, as contained in the accompanying table : (1) Trials 11 and 14 are on curves of 350 metres radius and IG milli. metres per metre grade. Oak ties occupying tliis place previously had to be respiked every year, causing great cost of maintenance; the rail flange cut the spikes 3 to 4 millimetres, thus giving every year a gauge widening of G to 8 millimetres. Several ties of type III, on the con- tiary, taken from the track for inspection after 1,555 days of service, showed only a widening of 2 millimetres, the exterior bolts (of the old type *'A") being worn only 1 millimetre by the rail tiange. The tie sur- face only showed a slight amount of corrosion, and the holes were not in any way enlarged or ovalized. Considering the unfavorable conditions under which these ties svere, these are very good results ; in no year did the expense amount to 2 francs per day kilometre, and the avi rage day kilometre is only 1.30 and 1.40 francs (columns 18 tc»22). (2) Trials 3 and 9 being on marshy ground, the result may also be considered as favorable; in no year as much as 2 francs per day kilo- metre, and average day kilometre 0.05 franc and 0.88 franc (columns 15 to 22). (3) As to consolidation (about 2,300 days), the only trials comparable t-o the base trial No. 1 (oak ties) are trials 2, 3, 4, and 5. Though two of these four trials are under unfavorable conditions, jhere is no sensible difference between the average day kilometre of trials 2, 3, 4, and 5, and the day kilometre (0.G05 franc) of trial 1, a very favorable result indeed, considering the following facts : (a) Type I is now considered a poor system, each of types II to IX being great improvements. Had one of the more perfect types been used on these trials, still better results would have been obtained. (b) Kespiking and re-adzing of the oak ties of trial 1 had begun in 1886, and has to be continued in 1888 and following years, increasing the cost of maintenance with the age of the wood. [e] AVith the trials on metal ties, on the contrary, there is a tendency shown of a decrease of expense as the permanent way becomes set. I 30 (d) On trial 1 only ten oak ties had to be replaced bv new ones since 1881 ; this rcMiewing, however, will go on increasing wi\h the age of the wood, thus increasing, apart from the cost of purchase, the daily ex- pense (work) of trial 1. The renewal of ties on the other twenty-three trials, on the contrary, was nil since 1881 (not one metal tie being bro- ken), and will be nil for man y years. (4) The day kilometre of trials G, 7, 8, 12, and 17 does not exceed 0.88 franc; those of trials 10, 13, 15, 10,18, and 19 are below 0.60 franc, though these eleven trials date only from 1883 and 1884. (5) The time of observation for types VI, VHr, and IX (trials 20 to 24), has been too short to form any definite idea of the mean day kilom- etre; meanwhile everything tends to show that these types will give even better results than types I to V. (0) The average expense for laying and maintaining the twenty-three Jnal-lcngths 2 to 24, has not been greater than would have been occa- sioned by. the timber ties laid on the same places. The supplementary expenditure for these trials, apart from the trouble of statistics, etc is therefore nil. ^ The close observation of the permament way and of the manufacture of ties and fastenings led the company to the following conclusions : (7) A part of the road near Liege, twenty-five trains dailv, curve of 530 millimetres radius, 16 millimetres per metre gradient, atler having been carefully packed, was left for forty months without any other work than occasional nut-tightening. This shows that a good road, with steel ties, once properly packed, requires no more scrupulous attention and maintenance than one laid with timber ties; on the contrarv, it would have been dangerous to have left a track situated as this was, and laid with timber ties, for a period of threetand a half years. (8) The diagrams of the self-registering gauge-measure show that the gauge IS much more regularly kept on metal ties than on timber (even new oak) ties. (9) The position of the rail, which often changes on timber ties, is not variable with the metal ties. (10) The lateral/lisplacement of the track is insignificant with metal ties, even on curves of short radius, providing that the tie is closed at the end. (11) The breadth of the ballast bed may be made a little smaller with the narrow- waisted metal ties (types VII, VIII, and IX) than with ordi- nary metal or timber ties. (12) The respiking and re adzing of trial ^^o. 1 necessitated to 1888 the replacing of two bearingplates and 1,081 spikes by new ones. The renewal of fastenings on the metal ties is insignificant, especially with theadopted type "C." (13) Iron isnotrecommendedfor metal ties; mild steel is superior to It in every respect, viz. manufacture, inspection, rigidity, and dura. bility. 31 (14) Alternating joints have given satisfactory results, especially in corves of short radius. (15) Suspended rail joints have given the best results on metal ties, providing the angle splice-bars be strong and the distance between joint-ties small. (16) Types VII, VIII, and IX fulfill all conditions for properly im bedding the tie in the ballast. If the packing is done properly, and does not exceed 1 J feet from each side of the rail, the track can never become balancing, through the ballast working towards the middle of the tie and leaving the ends unsupported, for the shape of the tie drives the ballast towards the rail seats, both transversely and longitudinally. Generally the ballast soon forms into a compact cake, adiiering to the interior of the tie, thereby augmenting both the base and the mass of the track. (17) The track men, who generally abhor novelties, have soon learned, owing to practical instructions, to appreciate the steel ties and to make a;i excellent track with them. The company closed these seventeen conclusions by quoting at the Milan Congress the following statement from the annual ivport of Mr. Charles Renson, resident engineer of the Liegeois section, which will be received with great appreciation on account of the distinguished and impartial manner in which this engineer has organized the trials of metal ties on that section : A single track with ties, Typo VIII or IX (latest form), having twenty-five trains per day with cnrves, gradients, ballast, etc., as the Liege-Hasselt section, can be, af- ter four years of consolidation, maintained in proper order at the rate of one hundred working days per year— klloractre. A gang of four men, working two hundred and fifry days a year, of which fifty days are given to other work, are able to maintain in good condition 8 kilometres of permanent way. The Netherlands Stale Railroad Company, having expo'.i need the great advantage of practical experiments made on trial sections of track, has continued experiments as follows, in order to gather infor- mation on other points: Between Tilbnrg and Breda, four parts of equal length were laid in 1880 on the same track, to compare the cost of Jiiaint-enance and of re- newal between: (I) Ordinary steel rails (33 kilograms per meter) on timber ties. (2) Heavy steel rails (40 kilograms per meter) on timber ties with two Post's steel, toothed bearing-plates on every ti<'. (3) Heavy steel rails (40 kilograms) on heavy Post steel lies. (4) Oidinaiy steel rails (33.7 kilograms per meter) on ordinary Post sleel ties. The time of observation is yet too short for any conclusion. Between Tilburg and Breda, four parts of equal length are being laid now in the same track to compare the cost of maintenance and of re newal between: (1) Ordinary steel rails on ten timber ties per 9 meters of track. (2) Ordinary steel rails o:i eleven timbLU" ties per meters of track. (3) Ordinary steel rails on twelve timber ties per 9 meters of 32 track. (4) Ordinary steel rails on twelve timber ties per 9 meters of track, with alternating joints. Between Wenrno and Helmond the same four comparative trial lengtLs are beinoflaid on ten, eleven, and twelve Post steel ties per 9 meters of track. Tbc information gathered by these methodical researches will be of great value, not only for the Netherlands State Railroad but for rail- roading generally; the best remedy for scanty net earnings being a re- duction of the expenses of maintenance and renewal. Cotft of maintenance on trial tracks with wooden and metal ties, Netherlands State Jhiilroad Company. 1 2 *:« r> 7 H n! It' 17 2: 10 I 1 l» 1 2t 2*' •I'l • 5 u s «> a C. a w m— a ■a « H' ^ Section of line. 25 2* 25 25 25 25 25 2V 25j 25, 14! ul u' 1^ Hi II u\ h' 3 Li^ge-Tongres . do From — To— Hili»eu-IIas8ott.. liit'ije-Tou^ires . . Liurs-Fiainnlle.. Ton<:res-Bilspn . Iiil8cu 3 Kilom. 15. 620 4 Kilom. 14.612 a 15 a 9 a o« .2 « o o 12. a _ •*^ "^ ao 0) <^ t> .-^ h a ^H S 2 '♦- u 0^ Cu o <-> a C 00 B 43 3 -f U rs a a « ^ 6 10.666 15.020 12.0 '.00 750 \ 14 14. 141. llassett -Wvelimael Wychmai'l-Achcl. Iliasort-Wvcliniai'l do ..". d«» Acliol-Eindliaveii . do • •■«•> III/ ■••••••*> >*>. ....do ....do — do 41.093 7. 940 1.831 2.5.031 43. 625; 3. 790 12.707; 4. 002, 3.640' 12.528 4.412 4.765 a oco: 22. 238: 32. 6731 8. 408 1.5621 1.218 47. 334 47. 795 46. 808 09 n-7 7i '57.342.50 57.425.95 40. 170 7. 432 1..393 24.570 43. 3-19 3.6i0 12. 528 3. 790 2. 836 12.315 4. 302 4.748 9.000i 21.130 31. 940 7.301 1.218 0.765 47. 795 48. 256; 47. 334; 52. 032! 56. 425. ! 57. 509. 10; 1.2 10.0 level. 8.0 4.0 10.0 l.{. Oi I 16.0 13.0 \ ^^- 0' 16. OJ 2.9, 3.4 3.9 6.5; 0.5 0.8] level. 0.8| ..•o:j 1.0 1.01 ; straight .«itiaiirlit. 1,000 1,000 straight. straight. 3.50 500 350 5(0 S 1.008 i.oiel 0. 923' 0. 5!4 0. 438 0.401 0, 276l 0. 1.50 0. 2.':9 1.010 0.215 530 0.117, 1,000 straight. straiglit. straight. 500 500 2, 000 straight, straight. 2, 000 \ straight. S 2, 000 0. 2, 00 I 0. l.COCi 1. HiS 0. 733 1.107 0.344 0, 453 0.461 0. 461 1 0. 460; 0.077! 083. 40' -3. 1 .-, 0; Cm O U CI e 'A 8 1.1:0 1, 133 i;o(o 000 .500 r,oo .'too 201 300 1. 328 250 200 1,081 1, 20( 8(0 1,200 40(1 500 ."■.oo 50 50.. 735 93 Types. Tie.--. O Oak. I. I. II. II. II. 11. II. II. TII, IV. IV. VI. VI. T. I. IF. II. III. IV. HI. IV. V. VI. VIII. IX. * Ma rsb y grou n d . Fasten- ings. 10 Spikes. A. A. JJ. \\. 11. ». JJ. 11. A. C. C. A. A. B. U. A. A. A. A. C. C. C. 33 Co»i of maintenance on trial tracks with wooden and metal ties, efc— Continued. u a a a •-> •c I When laid. 1 to .Sa 'a a a ,a o s o CS ■<-• p Days in service. 11 1881 1881 1881 6 1882 7 1882 8 1882 *9 1882 i 11 1883 12 1885 14 1885 17| 1883 21' 1885 22 1887 1881 1881 10 1882 13 1883 4 *5 15 1883 10 1883 18 1884 19 1884 20 18H5-'8C 23 1887 24 1887 13 July 1,1881 do Sept. 1,1881 Jan. 1, 1883 do do do Oct. 1, 1883 . . do . . do do Apr. 1,1885 June 1,1887 June 15, 1881 Sept. 1,1881 Jan. 1, 1885 Sept. 15, 1885 . do Mar. 1,1884 ....do ...do Juno 1,1886 Sept. 1,1887 do a g a • 4; , 2, 375 2. 313 1. 8261 1,8201 1, 8261 1,826 1.553 1,553 1, S.'iS 1,553 1,005 2141 2, 390; 2,313; 1,826 1, .569! 1, 569; 1,401 l,40l| 1,4011 579 1221 122 1881. 14 365 305 305 305 3G5 365 365 365 365 365 365 365 214 365 365 365 365 305 305 365 365 365 12i 122 15 0.!59 1.120 1.930 1882. 1883. 10 0.217 0.423 0.829 1884. 17 1.226 0. 570 1.881 1.214 1..582 0. 6635 1.584 0. 505 1.027 676 68 0.614 0.790 1.077 1885. 18 0.396 0. 195| 0.256 0.489 0.277 0.533 0.861 1.084 0.891 1.647 1. 132 0.198 0. 326 0. 475 0. 433I 0. 246 0.311 0.290 0. 551 1686. 19 0.493 1.086 0.901 0.638 1.160 1.253 0.953 1.974 0. 405 1. 792 1.111 0. 036 6.i56 0.5:36 0. 329 0.438 0.412 0.143 0.372 0.897 1887. 30 1.101 0.538 0.383 1.112 0.494 0.118 0.278 1.187 0.264 0.867 0.498 0.078 o.'iis 0.569 0.503 0.879 0. 258 0.329 0.553 0.277 0.144 o o i tJD ©.-<. ee a > ® o w a-r- E? a 31 0.423 0.842 1.135 0. 552 0.573 0.046 0. 625 1.660 0.746 1.610 1. 000 0. 983 0.297 0.227 0. 590 0.5a3 0. 4*29 0.802 0.651 0.492 0.252 33 0.005 0.650 0.952 0.801 0.817 0. 725 0.881 1.389 0.587 1.392 0.879 0.495 0.407 0. 632 0..596 0. 543 0.313 0. 421 0.471 0. 554 .212 * Marshy ground. l:EMAUKS.-Thcse trial -length.^ arc on siugletrack road. Fir.st group, 2.5 to 29 trains P^t d-'^.V : »^-^- end aroiin 14 trains per dav. Kails, 38 kilogr.inis per meter ; steel angle splice bars. Ballast-gr-iyol Zl an^cinder. Heaviest engine on these lines, 50 tons, with 13^ tons on the heaviest axle ; heaviest en"ne on other lines, 6S tons, with 13.9 tonn on the heaviest axle. Speed up to 50 miles per hour (on some mrte 60 miles per hour) A day's maintenance per man costs 2. 19 francs ; the results ot columns TsTofemtv be transformed into days by dividing by 2.19. The ligures in columns 15 to 22 g.vo the expense for work of maintenance, not the expense f.)r purchase ot new spikes. ^«lj«'/tc- .^^n U of the metal ties in this table, nor of the 124,000 steel ties m use on other Imes of the Netherlands State Railroad Company, has broken in the track. DI8CUSSIOX. E. E. Russell Tratman, Jun. Am. Soc. C. E.— Having received from Mr. J. W. Post, only a few days before the convention, the paper on ''Maintenance Expenses of Track witli Steel and Wooden Ties on the Netherlands State Railroad," which I have trans- mitted to the society by request of Mr. Post, 1 had not time to give as much attention as I would like to have done to this discussion. The subject of metal railroad tics is one in which I take very much interest, and for some time past I have been engaged in making extensive investigations and col- lecting information with regard to practice and experience in foreign countries. In making my investigations I have been surprised at the great extent to which metal ties have been actually adopted for service, for while I knew that experiments had been made in many countries, in some cases on a quite extensive scale, I had no idea that, as a result of some of these txperiments, many railroads had practically adopted the.se ties for regular use; this, however, I found to be the case, and several European railroad companies are now gradually substituting metal for wooden ties on their systems. I think few engineers who have not paid especial attention to this matter realize that metal ties are in actual service, the general impression seeming to be that while many experiments have been made and are still being continued, yet that no practical results have been obtained. To this lack of appreciation of the results of foreign experience may be attributed to a considerable degree, I think, the general 18689— Bull. 3 3 34 35 iiKlifference of American engineers to the question of metal track. The fact that the luestion of the future timber supply is one of serious import does not seem to be realized, although the reports of the forestry division of the United States Depart- ment of Agriculture show that use and waste are playing havoc with a supply that cannot, under the present system.(or want of system) of forestry in this country, be renewed in proportion to the demand. It has always seemed to me surprising 'that American engineers, who are usually in the van of any great step in the profession, should have paid so little attention to this very important matter ; important both as to the financial economy and the practical efficiency of the track. In my opin- ion steel ties should be used as the standard for first-class track, and not merely as a substitute for timber when the latter becomes scarce or expensive. For in- stance, on such a road as the projected New York and Boston Rapid Transit line which IS intended to be an independent line, and which will probably, when it ma- terializes, start out with a heavy and rapid traffic, steel ties should be laid down in the first place. The same holds good for existing trunk lines, on which steel ties should be introduced, as an advancement in railroad engineering and a step towards econ- omy. Taken as a whole, the results of experience have been satisfactory, and the type which has been found to be the best is the cross-tie of the familiar reversed trough sec- tion. Cast-iron " bowl " sleepers are much used in new countries, and longitudinal iron sleepers are still used to some extent in Austria and Germany, but the cross-tie of trough section is the best type, as has been proved by experience and careful tests In consequence this form of tie is being more and more widely adopted, numerous va- riations of section and various styles of rail fastenings being used, in accordance with the ideas of different engineers. In England several railroads are using steel cross-ties to a greater or less extent, but in consequence of the engineers keeping to the double- headed rail in chairs the track is very complicated and expensive, representing money wasted and lying idle in much useless metal, whereas with a good flange rail a metal track might be obtained more economical and more efficient than the present style of rails and chairs on wooden sleepers. Experience has shown that the ends should be closed, but in quite a number of cases open-end ties are used. With open ends of course, the ties are more liable to lateral displacement, as they do not present the area of resistance presented by a wooden tie or a closed end. As will be seen by Mr. Post's paper, the Netherlands State Railroad Companv has made a systematic series of trials of different types of metal ties, and the verv valua- ble and important result of these trials has been the designing of the mild steel rolled tie of trough section, with varying thickness, now well known as the *' Post "tic which has been adopted to a very considerable extent on European lines Mr Post has been fortunate in having charge of a road owned by a progressive and far-seeing corporation, which has grasped the economic purposes of metal track, and encour- . aged its engineer in his work of investigation. The comparisons of the different sys- tems wore gone into most thoroughly, account being taken of the amount of labor time, and expense involved in maintenance, renewals, and repairs, and therefore Mr! Post has been able, gradually but steadily, to improve the form of tie, until he has ar- rived at the present form, which is correct in theory and successful in practice; it is easily manufactured, and has proved in service its advantages in point of economy . and efficiency. The trouble experienced with early forms of ties was that they failed by cracking, generally between the holes for rail attachments, and if made thick enough to prevent cracking they were too heavy and expensive. With the "Post " tie the thickness is increased at the rail seat, giving ample strength where required, but without any undue excess of weight. This strengthening is secured in the operation of rolling by the use of special machinery, and in the same operation is secured the inclination of the ends which gives the rails an inward cant of one in twenty in ac- cordance with European practice. Many European steel works have orders on hand for "Post "ties. The question of rail fastenings is one almost as important as that of the type of tic, aud many different plans have boon tried, some simple, but the majority very com- plicated. All riveting causes an extra expense, but a very favorite plan is to have a " clamp" or " crab" rivetad to the tie to hold one side of the rail flange, the other side being held by a bolted clamp. Mr. Post, realizing that all extra shop-work is neccssariTy expensive, has adopted bolts exclusively, with entirely satisfactory re- sults. It will be noted that the first type of metal tie experimented with had wooden blocks for the rails to rest upon, the idea being that the rail required an elastic seat. This seriously impaired the general efficiency of the tie, for the wood rotted and gave constant trouble, so that this form of tie was soon abandoned. It has been conclu- sively proved by experience with various types of ties in different countries that such a wood-bearing is not only unnecessary, but a positive disadvantage, and that the track is satisfactory to railroad men and travelers when the rail is fastened di- rectly on the metal tie, and therefore no wood should be used at all, but a metal track should be entirely of metal. The introduction of metal ties has been hampered by the attempt to secure a " cheap " tie. The objects in using metal are to obtain econ- omy in maintenance and efficiency in operation, and neither of these objects can be obtained by using a tie which is " cheap." Every desirable feature can not bo com- biued in one piece of steel, and if the tie is to make the track safer, reduce the main- tenance expenses, keep the road in better condition, and far outlast the wooden tie, it must have sufficient metal to insure these advantages. You need to have, and to pay for, enough metal to make an efficient tie ; but you need not have, and need not pay for, extra metal that is mere dead weight. With ties, as with rails, the design and manufacture are equally as important points as the weight, and the rail fasten- ings no less important. Two points need to bo considered in designing or adopting a metal track, viz, economy and simplicity. Cheapness is very far from being economy, being in fact directly opposed to it. ' Simplicity is necessary, both for economy and efficiency, as the track which, while possessing ample strength, is the most simple in its construc- tion, will give the least trouble, and consequently involve the least expense for main- tenance. A good metal track, once well laid, is in itself a source of economy in main- tenance and operation, and it is to be hoped that this type of track will soon be a feature of first-class American railroads. Ill nearly every largo country but America, and in many of the smaller countries, metal ties have been experimented with, and I would strongly urge that more prac- tical attention should be paid to so important a matter by American engineers, rail- road men, and steel manufacturers. At the International Congress of Hailroads, September 17 to 24, 1887, the following resolutions were the outcome of its discussions: (a) The opinion of the Brussels Congress that iron ties are of equal value to wooden, has liot been negatived during the last two years; the application of iron tics is rather on the increase. (6) The question whether the use of wood or metal ties is cheaper depends on the local conditions and the state of the iron market. (c) Regarding cost of maintenance and renewal, not yet sufficient data arc on hand for lines with large and rapid traffic; for medium traffic and slow trains Ihe iron ties ofler advantages, especially when after some time the track has consolidated and the fastening has settled well. (d) For the " Vautherin " form the use of a homogeneous metal is desirable. 36 37 PATENTS RELATING TO METAL RAILWAY TRACK. By E. E. KussELL Tratman. The followiug list of Uuited States patents rclatiug to metal railway track will be found useful by persons interested in this subject. It could not practically be made anything more than a descriptive index, giviug sufficient information to enable any one who wishes to investigate more fully to fiud the specifications. No. l,->6,>; date, July 20, 1839; J. Stirapson.— Transverse frames resting on lou«i- tuillnal timbers, with inclined braces to bold tbem in position, and sockets at tbo top to receive the web of a rail with a very narrow flange. No. 16,898; date, March 24, 1857; H. Carpenter.— A short hollow post under each rail, connected by a tie-plate; T-shaped fastening fitting into hollow of post. No. 18,494; date, October 27, 1857; S. A. Beers.— Continuous longitudinal structure with transverse tie-plates. Saddle rail of J\, section. No. 19,704; date, March 23, 1858; S. H. Long.-Cross-ties of channel p"] section or T section (the latter made of two angle irons). Continuous flat plate under ordi- nary rail. No. 20,020; date, Juno 22, 1858; W. Bryent.— Combined longitudmal grooved rail and iron pavement. No. ;J2,794 ; date, July 9, 18G1 ; B. C. Smith.— Wide longitudinal channel sleeper and rail combined, with transverse rods. A raised rib lengthwise of the sleeper forms the rail. No. 30,579; date, September 30, 1862; B. C. Smith.-Longitudinal cast-iron con- tinuous bearing, of channel section, connected by transverse tie-rods. Rail secured to chairs. No. 53,507; date, March 27, 1800; Franz Vcster.— Flat cross-tie, with two deep corrugations along its whole length. Ends turned down. No. 00,711; date, July 10, 1807; It. M. HolIand.-Cross-tie of A section. Flange cut away for rails. Hinged wedge fastening. No. 70,731 ; date, November 12, 1867 ; Henry McCan.— Broad flat transverse base- plates, with longitudinal girders held together by tie-rods. Rails resting on top of girdcra. No. 71,003; date, November 19, 1807; Leonard Repsher.— Wrought-irou flat cross- tie, bent up at ends to embrace flange and web of rail, angle-clamp bolted to tie on inside of rail. Bolt through clamp, web of rail, and end of tie. No. 83,880; date, November 10, 18GS; J.- Potter.— Flat transverse base-plate, with two uprights which support continuous stringers, to which flangeless T-rails are bolted. No. 109,504; date, November 22, 1870; C. Fisher.— Cross-tie of inverted trough section, with closed ends. Two pockets for wooden bearing-blocks. Rail fastened by flat plates resting on tie and rail flange, screwed to the wooden blocks. No. 112,805; date, March 21,1871 ; S. M. Guest.-A railway joint chair, combined with an iron cross-tie of T section. No. 121,950; date, December 19, 1871; J. Newtou.-A rail fastening for iron ties. Flat tie with end turned up ; wooden wedge between rail and end of tie ; vertical gib and cotter fastening (with serrated cotter) on inside of rail. No. 123,526; date, February 0, 1872; L. E. Towne.-Cylindrical cross-tic with a flat base plate at each end, and a rail chair on top at each end, secured by a strap passing round the tie. No. 124,521; date, March 12, 1872; R. M. Upjohn.— Longitudinals under each rail, of 1 section with very high vertical web. The ?ail is of _f\. section and rests upon the flanges of channel irons bolted to the vertical web of the longitudinals. No. 134,418; date, December 31, 1872; James Calkins.— The continuous longitudi- nals of channel sections have lugs to hold the outer flange of rails ; transverse plates project over the inner flange and are bolted to the longitudinals. No. 1:30,007 ; date, February 18, 1873 ; J. W. Kern.— A continuous roadbed of A sec- tion, with the rails laid on the horizontal flanges. Transverse base i^lates at inter- vals. The bed to be of i-inch boiler-iron. No. 133,518 ; date, June 3, 1873 ; W. Peck and H. C. Richman.- Two chairs con- nected by a horizontal flat tie-plate. Wooden bearing-blocks in the chairs. No. 140,411 ; date, July 1, 1873; C. W. Gulick.— A flat wrought-iron cross-tie with ribs to form a channel for the flange of the rail. Fastenings of iron -/g inch diam- eter under tie, passing up through holes in the same, with ends bent over rail flange. Ties about 5 inches wide and ^ inch thick. No. 143,407; date, October 7, 1873; P. S. Devlan. — A cross-tie made of two iron plates on edge, fastened together at the middle and widening out to hold a wooden block at each end. No. 144,207; date, November 4, 1873; George Keech.— Longitudinal plates under each rail, with lugs to hold outside of rail flange. Tranverse tie-plates project over the inner flange and are secured by horizontal bolts passing through lugs on the base plate. No. 145,991; date, December 30, 1873; II. L. De Zeng.— Wrought-iron cross-tie of p-], "^j" \ff or other section. A clip stamped out of the metal holds outer flange of rail ; loose clip secured by vertical key or cotter holds inner flange. (See 1513/309.) No. 140,370; date, January 13, 1874; G. II. Blaisdell.— A cast-iron cross-tie of A sec- tion with wide, flat, deep emls, having sockets for wooden blocks. A bolt passes through both blocks and the whole length of the tie. No. 147,503; date, February 17, 1874; P. Kendrick and J. Stokes.— A cross-tie made of two old rails laid parallel, with a wooden block between them at each end, and base plates if desired. No. 148,242; date, March 3, 1874; George Potts.— Continuous bearing of wood held between two continuous iron stringers of _L section, the top of the web being bent over to hold the rail flange. Bolts pass through the three pieces. No. 1.55,309 ; date, September 29, 1874 ; H. L. De Zeng.— A cross-tie of inverted trough section, with open ends, but with projecting wings at ends to prevent lateral displacement. See No. 334,096. No. 103,187 ; date, May 11, 1875; S. H. Hamilton. — An ironorsteel cross-tie of square hollow section throughout, or only at ends. Fixed lugs hold the inner flange of rail, and bolted plates hold the outer flange. No. 103,254; date. May 11, 1875; H. Reese. — A rolled iron cross-tie of T section; lugs stamped out while hot from the rolls. Bent cliji and horizontal wedge fastening for outer flange of rail. (See 214,192.) No. 104,793; date, June 22, 1'575; Ramon Baiiolas. — Cross-tiesof I section, carrying longitudinal stringers of X section, to which flangeless rails of "] section are bolted. No. 100,025; date, August 10, 1875: R. E. Nichols. — A continuous hollow bearing, section similar to lower half of letter /\ ; bottom closed; top open, with horizontal flanges to carry the rail flange ; cross-tiesof \ | section. Longitudinals and cross- ties filled with broken stone. No. 171,422; date, December 21, 1875; John Quigley.— A cast-iron cross-tie with chair combined, for street railway track. No. 172,041; date, January 11, 1870; E. E. Lewis.— A cross-tie of + section, with the top vertical flange cut away for the rails, which are secured by wedges. (See 183,700.) No. 170,213; dale, April 18, 1870; George D. Blaisdell.— A cast-iron cross-tie, with i H 38 39 wide ends and loose bearing blocks, all held together by a bolt running through the whole length of the tie. No. 182,984; date, October:?, 187G; Leonora E. Yates.— Cross-ties of 1 f, ~S/^ , or "Xf section, the latter being semi-cjlicdrical, with flanges. Tlie rails are fastened by bolted clamps. No. 183,763; 183,767; 183,768; date, October 31, 1876; E. E. Lewis. -A cross-tie <;f + section ; rails of diflferent forms. Also a joint tie of J,x section. (See 172,041.) No. 185,808; date, December 26, 1876; D. S. Whittenhall.— A cross-tie of y\y\y^^ section; the rails resting in notches in the top ridges. No. 188,087; date, March 6, 1877; H. S. Wilson.—A cross-tie of J section, with fixed and movable rail clips. No. 188,710; date, March 20, 1877; N. S. White.— A continuous bed-plate under each rail, with cross- ties. No. liK),739; date. May 15, 1877; A. H. Campbell.— A cast-iron cross-tie, with sockets for wooden bearing-blocks. No. 192,842; date, July 10, 1877; A. W. Serres.— A continuous bearing of .^A^ section (in two pieces) under each rail, with transverse tie-bars. The web of a flange- less rail lies between the two vertical webs. (This track has been used in Europe. See Engineering News, New York, January 29, 1887, page 73; also Railroad Gazette, New York, August 19, 1887.) No. 198,0t0 ; date, December 11, 1877 ; John 13. Ward.— A longitudinal iron pipe (for conveying water) under each rail; the bottom of rail curved to fit pipe. No. 198,464 ; date, December 25, 1877; E. E. Lewis.— A cross-tie consisting of an old rail with two notches cut to the level of the flange to admit the track rails. Two rails with wooden bearing-blocks used at joints. (See 172,041.) No. 198,618 ; date, December 25, 1877 ; D. Horrie.— A transverse truss of cast or wrought-iron. Horizontal hook-bolt fastenings. No. 201,667 ; date, March 26, 1878; H. A. Haarmann.- Continuous bearing for each rail, with cross-ties. This track has been extensively used in Europe. (See Engi- neering News, New York, January 29, page 74.) (See 219,856.) No. 206,647; date, July 30, 1878; T. W. Travis. -A hollow cross-tie, with boxes at the ends open on top. The rails are held between two c1 clips; tbe groove holds the rail-flange ; the upper web lies against the rail web, and the lower web is wedged into the box. No. 207,242; date, August 20, 1878; J. A. Bonnell.— An inverted trough cross-tie, with closed ends and corrugated top. Bolted clips or angle-bar fastenings for rails. No. 207,320; date, August 20, 1878 ; J. H, Thompson.— A cross-tie made in two pieces, dove-tailed together in the middle. The rails rest on wood blocks. No. 207,719 ; date, September 3, 1878 ; W. E. Curtiss.— A wrought-iron cross-tie of inverted trough section with flaring sides, having a brace of the same section inside under each rail. The ends are open. Rails secured by bolted clips. No. 210,774; date, December 10, 1878 (patented in Germany, January 18, 1878); F. B. Freudenberg.— A wrought-iron cross-tie of somewhat similar section to the preced- ing one. Hooked clips are riveted on for the inside and outside flange on alternate ties, the rails being sprung into place. Long ties for double tracks. No. 214,192; date, April 8, 1879; H. Reese.— A cross-tie of T section, with the ends of the horizontal table turned down at an angle. Clip and wedge fastening. (See 163,254.) No. 215,675; date. May 20, 1879; H. Reese.— Improvements upon the preceding one. No. 216,846; date, June 24, 1879; L. A. Gouch.— A cross-tie of — f— section, the longitudinal web being the widest and having its edges turned up or down. No. 218,559 ; date, August 12, 1879; S. Nicholls (of England).— A continuous broad bed-plate under each rail, for street railways. The rail is formed of two channels, leaving a space between for the wheel flange "^ Q No. 218,603; date, August 12, 1879 ; A. P. Whiting.— A cross-tie of H section, the top flange cut away for the rails. BolterO, 240,2:1 ; «l5ite, Novoinbcr 8, 1.^81 ; E. H. Tobey.— Cr«»ss-tit's of I V auction; the rails are held in chairs resting on wooden blocks. No. 249,503 ; date, November 15, 1881 ; J. CMark.-A cross-tie of semicircular section ^ \ ^ *^i*^ bottom fastened to a flat bed-plate the whole length of the tie. The top of the arch cut away for the rail. (See 256, 199, 259, and 095.) No. 2r>l,251 ; date, December 20, laSl ; C. F. Krenz.~A flat cross-tie with thickened ends to hold the outer flanges, of the rails ; and a flat cross-tie with another flat piece rt-.^ting on it to hold the inner flanges ef the rails. These ties placed altematelv. (Mv 263,919.) No. 254,802; date, March 14, 1882; J. Conloy.— A flat cross-tie in two pieces, with th«> inner end of each turned up so as to bo bolted together. Under the rails the sitles arc turned down. Clips are sta-nped out of the metal. (See 332, 384.) No. 255,5.54 ; date, March 28, 1882 ; F. A. Williams.— A cross-tie of shallow inverted trough section, with broad ends. The rails are held against fixed clips by plates the whole length of the tie, placed on edge, underneath, with a hooked end to hold the rail flange. These plates arc secured by a horizontal key in the middle of the tie. No. 256,199; date, April 11, 1882; J. Clark.-Improvements upon No. 249,503. No. 257,437; date. May 2, 18S2; 11 Do Zavala.— A cross-tie of A section, with U bolts passing nnder the rail and having nuts screwed dowu on the rail flange. No. 257,572; date. May 9, 1882; Levi Haas.- A cross-tie consisting of two cast-iron bed-plates, with bearing blocks to which the rails are bolted. A tie-bar connects the two bed plates.— See No. 247, 248, 315, 771, 389, and 464. No. 259,095; date. June ti, 1882; J. Clark.— Further improvements on Nos. 249 ,503 aiid 256,199. (See 270, 637 ; also August 5, 1884, and 358, 144.) ' No. 259,82:3; date, June 20, 1882; A. L. Cubberlery.-A flat cast iron cross-tie, with concave bottom, and dove-tail grooves on top for sliding rail -fastenings into place. No. 259,891; date, June 20, 18-52 ; J. H. Meacham.— A cross-tie of x section, with end boxes foif wood blocks, to which the rails are secured by hook bolts. No. 200,231; date, June 27, lh82; J. Parr.— A cast-iron cross-tie with fixed and movable lugs for the flanges of the rails, (See 277,333.) No.2C3,919; date, September 5, 1832; C. F. Kreuz.-A cross-tie of H section, the rails resting on the web and secured by wedges. An improvement on No 251 251 No. 265,760; date, October 10, 188-; M. I. Cortright.-A cross-tie with two grooves or corrugations in its length, and with notches toreceiv ; the flanr^e of the rails No, 267,930; date, November 21, 1882 ; G. L. Putnam.-A cross-tic of square seel ion hollow or solid, with hooked spikes put in place from the bottom and tanerin.r „„! wards. (See 285,842.) " ' No. 269,442; date, December 19,1882; R. B, Meeker.-Cross-ties of J section, with broad table. Flat horizontal bars with turned-up ends, used alternately with the ties. The rail to be of extra height, bolted to chairs No. 270,637; date, January 16, 1883 ; .1. Clark.-A flat cross-tie with archfd bearing, plates and chair?. See No. 259,095. " No. 272,850; date, February 27, 1883; T. Breen.-A flat cross-tie twisted spirally in the middle and having the ends turned up. (See 294,191.) Nii. 274,309 ; date, March 20, 1883 ; W. H. Gibbs and George Snook.-A cross-tie of 1 section, with supports for a rail-chair of inverted-trongh section, with a wooden block, to which the rail is secured by hooked clamps. No. 276,414 ; date, April 24, 1883; E. B. Hungerford.-A cross-tie of shallow chan- nel section I f . The flanges are cut away and notched to hold the rail-flani»lt at the middle of the tie. (See No. 260 231.) 41 No. 280,110; date, Juno 26, 1883; S. B. Wright— A cross-tie of inverted-trough section, with the iusido of the top arched. (See 298,539.) No. 280,200 ; date, June 26, 18S3 ; J. Mahoney and D. W. Shockley.— A cross-tie o^!_iJL section, with wooden bearing-blocks. (See No. 370,634.) No. 231,800; date, July 24, 1883; A. R. Spaulding. — A cross-tie of channel section I I to which the rail is fastened by a series of flat horizontal keys or wedges in dove-tailed grooves. No. 283,076; date, August 14, 1883; J. L. Chapman. — Cross-ties of shallow channel I I, or of two flat plates, one above the other, separated by distance-blocks. Each rail is secured by bolted clips to a bed-plato. No. 283,230; date, August 14, 1883 ; H. F. Flickiuger.— A cross-tie of I section, to which the rails are secured by n bolts with the nuts on the under side of the top flange of the tie. No. 284,157; date, August 28, 1883; J. W. Young.— A hollow, open-sided, elastic cross-tie of 3 section ; to be filled with ballast or earth on surface lines. Two or more of these plates to be placed inside one another, with one side open, or to form a closed tie. It is claimed to be adapted to elevated roads. No. 285,833; date, October 2, 1883; John Newton. — Channel-iron stringers | | with flat cro.ss-ties fastened to the top. No. 285,842; date October 2, 1883; George L. Putnam.— A cross-tie of T section, depressed in the middle to hold a water-trough for supplying locomotives. The rails are secured by bolted clips. See No. 267,930. No. 285,986; date, October 2, 1883; Clark Fisher.— A bent-plate cro.ss-tie, of f| sec- tion in the middle, with flat ends. A U bolt passes under the rail, and washers are screwed down on the rail flange by the nuts. No. 287,418; date, October 30, 1883; J.J.Clarke (of Peru).— A flat plate tie for port.ible railway track, with special joint fastenings. (Assigned to A. W. Colwell, New York.) No. 289,806; date, December 11, 1883 ; T. J. Brouson and A. Armstrong. — An iron or steel cross-tie of approximately semi-cylindrical section Q, with lugs struck up Irv means of dies. No. 290,793; date, December 25, 1883; L. O. Orton.— A flat inverted trough cross- tie, with wedge-shaped boxes projecting above and below to hold the bearing blocks and fastenings. No. 291,514; date, Januarys, 1884; II. II. Holbrook.— A hollow cross-tie of oval section, with thickened portions under the rails; rails secured by bolted clips. No. 292,421; date, January 22, 1884; J. J. Du Bois.— A cross-tio, with dove-tailed groove for rail and a wedge fastening. No. 293,194; date, Februarys, 1884; J. Reven.— A flat tie-bar to keep rails from spreading; one end bent up to hold rail, the other end having thread and nut, with movable clamp. No. 293,302; date, February 12, 1884; George W. Bloodgood.— Bolted clips for fast- ening rails to ties of inverted- trough section. No. 294,191; date, February 26, 1884; T. Breen.— A crois-tio made in two pieces, lengthwise; placed side by side, holding the rail-chairs and fastenings between them. (See 272,850.) No. 296,725; date, April 15, 1884; W. T. Carter.— A hollow cross-tie, with flat top and bottom and concave sides. No. 298,539; date. May 13, 1884; S. B. Wright.— Fastening rails to inverted-trough cross- ties by clips and T- headed bolts. (See No. 280, 110. ) No. 299,557 ; date, Juno 3, 1884 ; J. Lockhart.-A clamp or tie-rod, to" be used in connection with wooden ties. A tie-rod, running across the track, has damps to hold the rail flanges, the inner clamps being held by set-sc?ews. It is claimed that soft-wood ties can be used, as there will be no tendency for the rails to spread (See 327,285.) ofl 42 No. 302,965 aud No. 302,9.>G ; date. Angiist 5, 1884 ; C. S. Westbrook.-A cross-tie ' ' I section, with parts of the horizontal table cut away. The rails are held by riveted and keyed angle jdates. Nos. 10,504, and 10,505 (re-issnes) ; date, August 5, 1884 ; J. Clark.-Iniprovemeuts in No. 249,503. No. 303,373; date, Angust 12,1884; E.G. Holtham (of England). Patented in England, December 22, 18S3.-Broad longitudinals under each rail, with transverse tic- rods, and with additional side plates to increase the bearing on the ballast. No. 304,746; date, September 9, 1884 j G. W. B. Neal.-A cross-tie made of* trian- gular section, with the rails carried in and bolted to chairs fastened to the apex of the tie. t ■ No. ;306,0[K) ; d;»to, October 7, 1884 j Robert Moffly.-A cross-tie made of three pieces the full length of the tie, bolted together so as to form a 1 slot along it in which the rail fastenings slide. ' No. .300,139 ; date, October 7, 1884 ; B. W. De Courcy.-A cross-tie of J-^A section, with the rails resting on the top and secured by hooked clamps bolted together below the rail. No. 309,428; date , December IG, 1884; J. H. Williams. -A cross-tie of U section with wooden blocks to which the rails are spiked. No. 310,269; date, January 6, 1865; Abraham Gottlieb.— A cross-tie of inverted- trough section, with a groove along its top table. The rail is fastened by bolted clips or a special form of locking-plaloor chair. No. 312,566; date, February 17. 18d5; W. H. Kuowlton.-Cross-ties of different sec- tions. No. 312,717; date, February 27, 1885 ; E.N. Higley. -A flat cross- tie with sides and ends tnrned down and with a vertical rib along the middle. This rib cut away for the rails, which are fastened by bolted clips. General section thus, ^ — ' > ^. See No. 334,228. (Manufactured by the International Railway Tie Co., of New York See Appendix B of report on metal track.) No. 312,881 ; date, February 24, 18S5 ; W. McVey.-A metal cross-tie in two pieces mortised together at the middle and secured by a bolt. ' No. 313,072; date, March 3, 1885; A. A. Harrison.-A combined flat longitudinal and cross tie; the cross-tie having plate at right angles and being laid so that these plates of adjacent ties meet. No. 314,757; date, March 31, 1885; C. H. Van Ordeu.-A cross-tie of T section, with a rail chair at each end, the rails being secured by bolts which have hooked ends passing through the top of the tie. No. 315,047 ; date, April 7, 1885 ; M. A. Martindale.-Longitudinals of inverted-trough section with rails forming a part of or bolted to the top table. Connected by trans- verse tie plates. Claimed to be adapted for laying along highways. No. 315,771 ; date, April 14, 1885 ; L. Haas. -A cro.*s-tie made of two pieces the full length of the tie, with the section of figure 1, having wooden-bearing blocks to which the rails are spiked. See No. 257,752. No. 317,244 ; date, May 5, 1885 ; H. Thielsen.-A cross-tie of T section, the sides of the top table being turned down. (See No. 242,850.) No. 317,763; date, May 12, 1885; M. A. Glynn (of Cuba).- Cross-ties of Fl or l section ; also longitudinals of inverted trough section. No. 319,010; date, June 2, 1885; A. J. Moxhani.-A 'cross-tie made of two an-le- irons, with distance-plates at the ends and middle | 1 ; the rails are bolted to high chairs. The tie is intended for street railways, and is shown with a center- bearing girder-rail. No_319,813; date, June 9, 1885; G. C. H. Hasskail.-A hollow box cross-tie, with ^ 7^ -siiapcd web inside ; the small middle space receiving the T heads of the track- bolts. It is also to be used as a longitudinal sleeper for street railways, the two Urge side spaces being used as conduits for telegraph wires, etc. 43 No. 320,231 ; date, Juno 16, 1885; E. D. Dougherty and George B. Bryant. — A cross- tie of rectangular section, with an opening in the top table to receive a smaller cross- tie to which the rails are fastened, and which rests on springs placed in the larger box. No. 323,356 ; date, July 28, 1885 ; G. Murray.— A flat cross-tie thickened under the rail, and having a rib at the bottom under each rail, and in the middle ; the rails se- cured by bolted plates. No. 323,430 ; date, August 4, 1885 ; J. K. Lake. — A combined metal stringer and cliAir for street railways. No. 323,809; date, August 4, 1885; William B. Henning.— A longitudinal plate lies under each rail ; with cross-ties having deep ends with J[ slots to receive the web and flange of the rails. (See 376,884.) No. 325,020; date, August 25, 18S5; R. R. Shepard. — A cross-tie of channel section I I with one outer and one inner lug for each rail, and two | slots for clips of I -shnpo with eccentric heads. No. 326,874; date, September 22, 1885 ; P. Kirk (of England).— A cross-tie with in- ereuse, 1886; J. Gearon.-A continuous road-bed made ol channel cross-ties placed alternately j j and | f , with the vertical flanges over- lapping one another. ^o. 339,275; date, April 6, 1886; J. DeMott.-A cross- tie with a rail chair at each end. The end of the tie is rounded on plan, and is embraced by a C clamp with the ends turned np to hold the rail flange. No. 339,938; date, April 13,1836; F. F. Scott.-A cros.-tie with a chair for each rail; one half of chair fixed, the other fastened by bolts. Pins driven through the web of the rail prevent vertical movement. No. 340,118; date, April 20, 1886; H. Howard,-A deep channel [ f cross-tic for street railways. The rails are keyed to chairs resting on the top of the llann-es. No. 341,416; date, May 4, 1886 ; F. V. Greene.-For street railways. A continuous cast-iron hollow bearing (preferably 10 feet long and weighing 140 pounds per yard) nnder each rail. The rails are grooved, and are screwed to the top of the lonnritn- dinal. " No. 342,987; dale, Juno 1, 1886; A. N. Warner and T.J. Dcakin.-A cross-tie of channel soctiou I 1 with T-shai.ed rail chairs fitting into it. The rail secured to chairs by bolts with hooked ends, the nuts being under the flange of the chair . No. 344,011; date, June 22, 1886; C. H. Sayre.-Flat or arched /— >^ cross-ties with i.ieces punched out of the top and bent to embrace the flange and web of the rail. No. 344,185; date, June 22, 1886; W. Kilpatrick.-A cross-tie of ^'^^T' section, with a slot along the flat top to receive the bottom of the rail chairs. No. :i44,826; date, July 6, 1886; I. F. Good. -A flat cross-tie thickened and widened at the ends to form rail chairs, and having flanges projecting down under the chairs. The rails secnred by keys. No. 345,733; date, July 20, 1886; C. Sailllez.-A cross-tie of channel section | 1 with lugs to hold the rail flanges. The flanges are cut away at the ends to allow of woo«len stringers being used nnder the rails. No. 346,998; date, August 10, 1886; D. Kaufman.-Flat cross-ties with chairs at the ends, and longitudinal continuous flat plates beyond the chairs. The space between the rails is covered by a continuous arched plate. No. 349,524; date, September 21, 1886; E. Schmidt (of Prussia).-A cross-tie made of two ohl flange rails laid flat, head to head, forming a tie of H H section The rails rest on the web and are fastened by bolted clips. (Patented in Germany ) No. :ir.0,69i; date, October 12, 1886; T. L. Mumford and II. Moore.-A cross-tie of inverted trough section, wider at the ends, with fixed lugs and movable clamps for fastening the rails. Nos 351,498 and 351,499 ; date, October 26, 1886 ; E. C. Davis. -A cross-tie made of two old rails placed side by side. Each track rail rests on a bearing-block in two pu'ces, with a lip at the end to engage the rail flange. The blocks are slid into place between the tie-rails and bolted through the tie. No. :J.V2,r02; date, November 2, 1886; E. F. Reynolds. -A cross-tie of |AAAI sec- tion, rhe rails rest in notches cut in the top, and are held by hinged clips and lock- I ng clips. •lif ^f ^'^^1^^!^ ^''''''"^^' ^'^' ^®®^' ^- ^- Higl«y.-I"»Provements upon Nos. •yo4y^^n aucl .>12, < u. No. 3-,:m>91; date, December 7. 1886; S. D. Locke. -A channel cro.ss-tie | 1 with inclined ends and a transverse rili in the middle. The rails are fastened by bolted clips. (See 3a6,002.) ^ No. 354,250; date, Decemb.-r 14. 18H6 ; R. S.Sea.-A cross-lie of J section with en- larged ends forming rail chairs. -:( See 379,005. ) No. 354,433; date, December 14, 1886; K. Morrell.— A cross-tie made of a plate bent to form a hollow rectangular box, with the top and bottom cut away at the middle. The rails are fastened to wooden bearing-blocks placed inside the tie. (See 365, 932.) No. 356,002; date, January 11, 1887; S. D. Locke.— An improvement on No. 353,691. No. :J58,144 ; date, February 22, 1887 ; J. Clark.— A cross-tie of channel section, with chaiis for the rails. ^See No. 249,503, etc.) No. 358,981 ; date, March 8, 1887 ; J. C. Lane.— An iron bridle-rod, made in two pieces, bolted together at the middle, to prevent rails from spreading at the curves. No. 359,115 and No. 359,117 ; date, March 8, 1887; W. Wharton, jr.— A cross-tie of X or L section, with the bottom flange bent up (o make a chair for the rails. To be used on street railways with girder rails. No. 359,440; date, March 15, 1887; T. Gleason.— A cross-tie of trough section | f, with interior cross-pieces or webs to which the rail clamps are fastened. No. 360,397 ; date, March 29, 1887 ; M. Y. Thompj^ou.— A flat cross-tie, with a U shaped depression at each end to receive a wooden bearing- block. The rails are fast- ened by keys. No. 361,199; date, April 12, 1837; H. P. Adams.— A cross-tie of T section, with chairs keyed to it. No. 361,330; date, April 19, 1887 ; P. J. Severac, of Paris.- A cross-tie of I section, with the horizontal flanges bent at the ends. In some cases a broad plate is riveted to the bottom flange. The rails are fastened by clips or keyed to chairs. (This system is in use in Europe.) Patented in France, Belgium, England, Italy, and Spain, in 1864-'85. Nos. 362,786 and 362,787 ; date. May 10, 1887 ; J. Riley (of Scotland).— A cross-lie of inverted trough section, with the rail chairs stamped or pressed by dies, the rails being secured by wedges. (Patented in England and Belgium ; 188.5-'86). No. 36 ',020; date, May 17, 1887; L.Taylor.— A hollow box cross-tie, with outward- flaring sides and concave bottom. The rails are fastened by hook bolts with the nuts inside the tie. ^___^ No.36',350; date, June 21, 1887; A. Roelofs.— A cross-tie of channel | | or in- verted trough section. The rails are fastened by fixed lugs on the outside, and a tie- bar which is sprung into place on the inside. Also a flat tie with a rib under each rail and a slot along the middle for the bent tie-bar. No. 365,511 ; date, June 28, 1887 ; F, X. Georget.— A cross-tie or longitudinal, of chan- nel section L_ I, built up of a base plate and two concave side plates with the tops flanged outward horizontally. The ties or longitudinals are connected by tie rods. (See 381,125.) Nos. 365,932 and 365,933 ; date, July 5,1887; R.Morrell.— A hollow cross-tie, made of a plate bent to an oblong section, with straps around it at the rail fastenings. The metal is cut away to let the rails rest on a wood block inside the tie ; the metal straps keep the spikes from working loose and allowing the rails to spread. Also a tie for elevated roads, made of two plates on edge, fastened together at the middle, and flaring apart to admit wooden bearing-blocks between them. See No. 354,433. Ho. 366,546; date, July 12, 1887; N.S.White.— A cross-tie of channel r I or in- verted trough section, with a base plate at each end, with a bearing-block of wo< d or other material inside under each rail. The rails are fastened by locking clamps. No. 367,325; date, July 26, 1887; John Splane.— A cross-tie of p— f channel section, with the bottom of the sides flanged outwards. The rails are let into apertures in the top and rest on the hooked ends of two tie-bolts, the inner ends of which are connected by a turnbuckle which is tightened by a wrench, there being a hole in the middle of the top table of the tie. No. 367,383; date, August 2, 1887 ; J. Fitzgerald.— The rails are fastened to a cast- iron cross-tie by hook-headed spikes, which are secured by horizoatal keys fitting into corresponding notches in the tie and spike. No. 369,591 ; date, September 6, 18Sr ; J. IT. Coflfman.— A solid tie with a groove III II 46 along Iho top juid lugs for the inner Uanjjfes of the rail ; hooked roils hold the outer flange, and the inner ends of the rods ar j attached to a spring at the middle of the tie. No8. :^9,75r> and 369,756; date, September KJ, IS61 ; William L. Van Harliugeu, sr.— A box cross-tie made of an inverted trough fastened to a base plate; inclined and closed ends. It incloses a wooden tie or wooden bearing blocks. The rail is fastened by wood-screws with wide heads. Also a metal tie with end boxes to contain springs on which the rails rest. No.3:e,07'2; date, September 20, 1887; R. C. Lukens.— A cross-tie of T section, with slots in the web for attaching weights or anchors to keep the track in position. The rails are fastened by lugs and bolts. No. 370,192 ; date, September 20, 1887 ; D. C. Heller.— A hollow box-tie of rectangular section, with the top cut away under the rails. The tie is tilled with concrete and has two wooden blocks to which the rails are spiked. No. 370,22^ ; date, September 20, 1887 ; C. W. Yoe^t.— A flat tie with lugs, and a sep- arate bed-plate, with lugs, for each rail. No. 370,634; date, September 27, 1887; J. Mahoney and D. W. Shockley.— A cross- tie of I I section, with a saddle plate for each rail seat. The plate has a lug for one flange and a clip is bolted on the other. See No. 280,200. No. 371,110 ; date, October 4, 1887 ; W. H. Troxell. —A cross-tie with raised rail seat and outer lugs. Hooked bolts, with nuts on the outer side of the chair, hold the inner flange of the rail. No. 371,780 ; October 18, 18^7 ; J. Moser and E. Moeckel.— A cross-tie of J section, w ith a chair at each end ; each chair has an inclined rail-brace and two hook-bolts. No. 372,230 ; date, October 25, 1887 ; A. McKenney.— Cross-ties of channel | 1 sec- tion, with one end cut off at an angle to allow of a diagonal tie to the next transverse tie, each set of three ties making a letter N on plan. Arranged continuously. No. 372, 525; November 1, 1887; J. A. Dunning. —A hollow rectangular cross-tie, with open inclined ends; bottom and sides have corrugations, transverely and verti- cally. Bolted clip fastenings. No. 372,703 ; date, November 8, 1887 ; I. A. Perry.— A cross-tie made of two old rails, with saddle chairs fitting over the heads of these rails. Track rails fastened by chair and sliding wedge, being held by flange and web. No. 372,864 ; date, November 8, 1887 ; C. Netter.— A cross-tie of T section, with the ends beyond the rails bent down vertically and then horizontally. Rails fastened by bolts having hooks, which take hold of the bottom of the web of the tie. No. 372,879; date, November 8, 1887 ; J. H. StuU.— A cross-tie made of a plate bent to a semicircular form N w , ^ X. and semi-cylindrical at the ends o. Rails fastened by clamps. Open ends. No. 373, 656; date, November 22, 1887; W. P. Hall and C. C. Barnett.— A cross tie of semi-circular section /^~^, with open ends. Shoulders pressed out to prevent spreading. Rails fastened to saddles or straps. (See 375,996.) No. 375,005; date, December 20, 1857; R. S. Sea.— A cross-tie of channel section, with closed ends. A strengthening plate is bolted to the under side of the top t^le, and the side flanges are deeply notched to give elasticity. A metal block is bolted under each rail, and the rails are secured by bolted plates. No. 375,856; date, January 3, 1888; R. T. White.- A cross-tic of i section, with high chair at each end to receive the web of a girder rail. Intended for street rail- ways. (See 385,395:) No. 375,996; date, January 3, 1888; W. P. Hall.— A hollow cross-tio, made of a plate bent almost cjiindrical, but with the bottom open and flat on top. The rails r-re fastened to saddle straps. (See 373,656.) No, 376,214; date, January 10, 1888; J. W. Smith.— A hollow rectangular cross-tie, with holes in the top to admit the rail chairs, which rest on coiled springs inside the lie. 47 No. 376,884 ; date, January 24, 1888; William B. llcnning,— A flat bar, bent up at the ends to embrace the flange and web of rail. Loose angleclamps on inside of rail. (See 323,809.) No. 377,162; date, January 31, 1888; G. Kelton. — A cross-tie of channel section I I, with a separate bottom, having projections on its inner side to give a hold to the pulj) with which the tie is to be filled. The rails are fastened by hooked bolts, with nuts inside the tie, cavities being left in the pulp filling. No. 378,280 ; date, February 21, 1888 ; F. L. Barrows.— A cross-tie of inverted trough section, with clips struck up on the outside of the rail to hold its flange, and clips lengthwise on the inside of the rail to hold a rail fastening. No. 378,930; date, March 6, 1888; J. Hill. — A flat cross-tie, corrugated lengthwise top and bottom. The rail is keyed to a chair. The inventor proposes to use a double- headed rail. No. 379,312; date, March 13, 1888; S. B. Jerome. — A hollow rectangular cro&s-tie, made of a bent plate. It is to be filled with straw, sawdust, etc., and has a narrow bearing-block along the underside of the top, to which the rails are spiked. The ends are closed by wood or cement blocks. No. 379,399; date, March 13, 1888; J. Jacobs. — A cross-tie of channel section \ | with closed ends ; a top plate is bolted on by side clamps to form a rail seat. The tie is to be filled with concrete, etc. No. 379,574; date, March 20, 1888; C. P. Hawley.— A cross-tie of J section, with the top flange bent to make a rail brace. A longitudinal bridge is used under the rail at joints. No. 379,576; date, March 20, 1888; C. P. Ilawley.— A cross-tie of x section, with slots for the web of a T girder, forming a rail seat, or which can bo made a longi- tudinal bearing. No. 380,623; date, April 3, 1888; H. L. Do Zen g.— Improvements upon Nos. 334,696 and 348,550. No. 381,125; date, April 17, 1888; F. X. Georget.— Improvements upon No. 365,511. No. 381,860; date, April 24, 1888; E. R. Stiles.— A cross-tie of channel section | f, with a wooden block under each rail. No. 382,134; date, May 8, 1888; W. H. Britton.— A cross-tie of T section, with the vertical web corrugated vertically. The rails are secured by lugs and clamps. No. 382,394; date. May 1, 1888; J. B. Sutherland.— A cross tie of approximately Y section; curved like the section of a yacht, and with the top edges bent in to form horizontal flanges for the rail chairs. No. 382,855; date, May 15, 1888; F. Barhydt.— A hollow box cross-tio, with closed ends. There is a w^oodeu block the full size of the face of the tie at the top, and another at the bottom ; both inside. Coil springs are interposed between the top and bottom sections. No. :i83,ll8; date. May 22, 1888; M. Fitzgerald.— A cross-tie of channel section I J, with solid ends. Fixed lugs and hooked spikes are the rail fastenings. No. 384,785; date, June 19, 1888; Jacob Reese. — A cross-tie of fl; section, with a grooye along its top table ; rail seat bolted on top. The rail is secured by a bolt passing under it and through the chair, having f washers to hold the rail flange. It is to be rolled from a plate of No. 7 steel 24 inches wide ; bedded in ballast. No. 385,395; date, July 3, 1888; R. T. White. — A channel cross-tio of U section, with rails secured to saddles by bolts and clips. (See 375,856 and 386,420.) No. 385,492 ; date, July 3, 1888 ; D. Y. Wilson.- A cross-tie made of two angles J L., with a base plate and channel plate for rail seat at each end. Rails bolted ih rough top and bottom plates. No. 386,1J9; date, July 17, 1883; R. W. Flower, jr., and S. L. Wiegand.— A hollow cross-tie of rectangular section, with part of the bottom cut away and turned down lo prevont lateral movement. The rails are spiked to wood blocks inside the tie. 48 No. :.H(; 15(; ; aato, July 17, 1888 ; J. A. Ogden.-A crosa-tic of cbaimcl section I wulo at the bottom, xvith b.-aring bb.cks uiul book-fastenings for tbo rails Nos 380,356 and 3.S(»,357 ; date, July 17, 1888; H. Shultzen.-A cbannel tie I I w.tb tbe^middle part of tbe bottom cut away and turned np to prevent lateral uZZ- ment. fbe rail is fastened to a wooden block by Z-clips and a longitudinal bolt under tbe rail, or by diagonal bolts. (Now being mannfactnred by the Stan<]ard V Z.^^T^' ""^ ^^"^ ^'^"'^-^ ^^"" Appendix B of the report on metal track.) No. .Wvi89; date, July 17, 1888; A. Durand.-A cross-tie of inverted trou.^K .sec- tion, with clips and channels stamped in it. (See description on p 25 ) No. : 8JM20 ; date July 17, 1888 ; K. T. White. -Hollow box cross-ties of different Hectmns made of bent plates. Cross-section intended to give elasticity. (See No. 388.277; date, August 21, 1888; A. J. Hartford.-A Hat cross-tie, with end turn^Hl np and a bent plate tie bridge, arched in the middle, bent to form a shoulder for inner tlange of rail ; the rail rests on this plate and the end is tamed over the outer flange and secured by a bolt through both plates No. 380,464; date, September 11, 1888; L. Haas.-A cross-tie of rectangular sec * '"^' ' 'Z'nlV'^f ^ ^^ ^°'^' '"""^ °''*^^^^*^- ^**'^^^"'" ^^«^^ ""^^^^ ^^'^ ^ail. (See 391,704. ) ^o. 300,014 ; date, September 25, 188.8; R. P. Faddis.- Wooden stringers, with Hat H-on t,e plates across top and under rail, with U bolts embracing the strin-^ers lor street and steam railways. ° No^SUOSTO; date, October i, mS; I. G. Howell.-A erosB-tic of chunuel section r— 1. w,th blocks uuiler the rails. The to,, is cut away for tho rail, and tho lail claiupsarc fastened by hooks. So.m,m: .late, October 23, 1886; W. J. Stiller.- A Hat cross-tie with diagonal ^'.ooves on the under s,do near the ends to receive the heads of the bolts of the two plates, each With a lug, which form one rail scat. No. 391,704 ; date, October 23, 1888 ; L. Haas -A cross-tie of channel section I r higher at the rail scats, with notched flanges lor tho rails. (See 3i-,7 7V2 ) ^o. :i;iI.;TO ; date^„ber:», 1888 ; A. H. Araes.-A flat cross-tic, Jvith flarin.-e„d, X "i':> -Kf ' v' '^' ^"'"'^ "'"'""' *'"' ^"'"^'' "''"'' '•™ ™i' '^"tenings. " ^o .ffl>,84;); November 13, 1488; J. Cabry and W. H. Kinch (of EDgland).-A rolled .tecl cross-tie of inverted trongh section, with Ings stamped out. ai^ "al'Tn ix'land )'"" " '''"""' ""' '""• ''" "" "" '"« Northeastern Rail! No :K)3,515; date, November 27, 1888; D. M. McEae.-A wooden or iron tie with metal sockets at ends forming rail seats. ' No. 391,738; date, December 18, 1888; G. W. Thompson.-A hollow cross-tie of "il "'en'ingr""' ""' " °"""' "e-ing- block inside nnder each rail. Bolted clip No. :!9r.,134; date December iK, 1888; M. llagarty.-A cross-tie made of two channels placed back to back 3C, inner Ing on one, enter Ing on the other The t 30- ^rT, "n" '"7'""e'"-' •»="'<>- '■"> <=•'»-«■« to be shifted to let rail in. N... .i9..,30t; date, December 25, 1888; C. F. Yarbrongh.-Hollow cross-ties of rectangi. ar section, with open ends and openings at sides. Wood blocksn v be u.«d, or the ties may be Qlled with ballast . r!lsti!!;f*^w"' 'T"' ''; T' "^^ "'""'"^ ^"^ England).-A stamped metal iu EnlraniC:; """'"'' """ '""^ ""' '"' """'"'''■^ ""* "' *"P *«"'- (P»*-t- 1 l°;t!!!!'''wi;h t"'r "T"'"; ^''T' ""■ *'• E»l'i"»«se (of Franee).-A cross-tie of No^ 398 004°; date, February 19, 1889; S. U. Smith.-A cross-tie of channel section r— . with closed ends. The rails rest on the ends of a separate cross-nlate^ilh fixed Ings inside, and bolted plates ontsidc ^ ' ^'** TREATMENT OF RAILWAY TIES IN ENGLAND. Tbo iuformation given below is taken from a pai>tir on " English Kail- road Track,'^ by Mr. E. E. Russell Tratmau (Transactions of tbe Anier- ioan Society of Civil Engineers, June, 1888). Tbe matter referring to tbo Great Nortbern Railway (of Ireland) was taken by Mr. Tratmau from a bigbly interesting paper, " Description of a Oreosoting Yard for Railway Purposes," by Mr. W. Greeubill, read before tbe Institution of Civil Engineers of Ireland, in May, 188G: tbe paper contains very full i)articulars, in detail, of tbe plant and process, results of tests, cost, etc., and is especially interesting in tliat it describes work done by a railway company in treating timber for its own use. The ties aie usually of Baltic red wood, 10 by 5 inches by feet, spaced 2 feet 9 inches to 3 feet center to center. They are almost invariably creosoted, with about 7 pounds of oil per cubic foot. Some roads have the creosoting done by contract, oth-^rs have their own plant for the work. Among tho latter may be mentioned the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway and the Great Northern Railway (Ireland), both of which have very large and complete plants, and pay careful attention to tho im- portant point of tie preserving. [Sec also paper by Mr. John Bogart, M. Am. Soc."C. E., entitled "The Permanent Way of Railways in Great Britain and Ireland; with Special Reference to the Use of Timl)er Preserved and Unpreserved," and reas, F-rom information furnished by Dr. Mohr, of Mobile, Ala., an expert in forestry ,ta IS tics and agent of this Departmett^ it appears that from U.e line of the To . v 'J and ^ashvIlle Railroad, south of the Tennessee River, between r,,000 and 7 000 cords 10,000 .o 13 000 trees which are consigned to useless destruction, while capable Z yielding not less t han 100,000 first-class railroad ties As to the lasting quality of the timber of chestnut oak, experiences are reported f«,m Cullman, Ala^, to the effect that posts of this oak outlast tUose made of whf.^ oak partly, probably, becanse the timber is peeled. One reliable report states .hll tan bark-oak posts were found to be sound after twelve years, whileThose of wh^t' oak in the same construction had to be replaced several years looner. Reports from railroad companies where this wood is used for ties give their life as from five to ten years, while the reports for white oak give from three to twelve vea.; In he seven ana eight years in the road-bed. .nd^f I^i "T "' "''' "'"' ""^ ^ """* '■"^ ™"™'"i construction interchan.-eably ™iroad tie, the following table, compiled from the Census Report, mav serve to show The column of specific gravity will allow an estimate in regard to adlfesion o "p^.Ts' while he column of indentation allows an estimate as to re^sistance to cuttUg o^raa: DeBCiii>iion. Range. Weight por cubic foot. Specific gravity. Resistance to in- dentation. Elasticity. Trans- verse strength. White oak (Quercus alba, ( ; hes t n ut or rock-chestnnt o.ik {Qiierctifiprinwi, L.). H.isliet or cow oak (Qtter- t-m Michaxtxii,, Nutt). Jlurr, iuOi»y-cnp, or over- cup oak . (^uercus nmcro- earpa. Iliehx). Post or iron oak (Qiiercus obfusiloha, M^chx). ('ii.ifornia whi1« oak ( Qucrcijs Garryana, Dotigl). East of the Rocky Mountains. Northeastern and in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama. Southeastern Northern United States. East of Rocky Mountains. Pacilic Coast 46.35 40.73 50.10 46.45 52.14 46.45 0. 7470 (-4) 0. 7499 (3) 0. 8039 (2) 0. 7453 (G) 0.8367 (1) 0. 7453 (5) 3388 (6) 3688 (5) 3725 (4) 3730 (.3) 4415 (1) 3840 (9) 97089 (2) 125473 (1) 96373 (3) 92929 (4) 83257 (5) 81109 (G) 905 (4) 1031 (3) 1118 (1) 982 (3) 872(0) 879 (5) From these figures it would seem that, contrary to the accepted notion, the white oak, par excellence, is inferior in all particulars to the chestnut oak, and in general not superior to any of the others. Trusting that Iho above information will be of value to you, and that, so far as your conditions enable you to make use of it, you will do so, and thus to some extent aid in economizing timber supplies. Yours, respectfully, Norman J. Colman, Covimissioner of Agriculture. NoTi5.— The objection to the injurious influence on their durability of cutting trees in the sap, which is done to obtain bark, is met by leaving the trees full length, with limbs and leaves uutrimmed for a fortnight, when by the action of the leaves a more thorough seasoning will be accomplished than can otherwise be obtained. This practice is common abroad wherever summer felling is a necessity, and has proved itself so satisfactory ihat preference is given to cutting timber in the leaf. CORRESPONDENCE IN REPLY TO THE CIRCULAR ON CHESTNUT-OAK TIES. Louisville^ New Orleans and Texas Railivay Company. — My own experience confirms fully the facts stated in your circular. (.Tames M. Edwards, vice-president and gen- eral manager.) Richmond and Allegheny Railroad.— Ihave ranked chestnut oak with white and post oak for thirty years past, and in the middle sections of the State the impression is that, cut under similar conditions, it rather outlasts the white oak. (R, D. AVhit- corab, chief engineer.) Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway Company. — 1 have soon your circular concerning the value of chestnut oak, and am glad that you called attention to the subject. We have had its use specified for our cross-ties on the Cincinnati Southern Eailway since the first construction of the track, in 1876. (G. B. Nicholson, chief engineer.) Nashville, Cliattanooga and Saint Louis Railway. — Please accept my thanks for your circular letter with reference to chestnut oak for cross-ties. Our chief engineer ad- 54 fei .or to white oak for cro.s-ties. (J . W. Thomas, president. ) riet ";' Lstlut oak anVl" T'^^'' "'^*' " '^""' chinquapin oak, which i« a va- timLr for cro s ; - M "'^"^"^ ^?'^ recognized to be one of the best varieties of umuer lor cross-ties. (James Dun, chief engineer. ) oral thttnd ;; O ^^^^ "' ^"'f ''"''^^"^ Co.^a«,.-We have bought «ev- .Z , ir V ''''''''^'' '^ '''^'^' wayequal, if not superior, to the Quercus nlha t.es It you can direct me where the bark of the Prinus is being used I Vu at Rpring atttr the trees are barked. (J. N. Mills, superintendent. ) Jfex^can Central Railway Company.~Wo are using on our railroad now so far as we rsoZrn C r' ''T^ '" ^'^ "^'" ^^"^' '^'"'^ ^'^^-^ - uorthe;;:'; ^hillo Crsujp", ''^'' ^"^' ^^^ '^^" ^'^^^^^^ ^«"^-^^-' ^- M00,000 tiesforn:xt We have also bought 25,000 white-oak ties. These are the only oak ties th.t have nule'ttf ' ""'^ '''\r'' ^'' "'' ^"" '"'"'^ ^ lierctoforo we have used on curves u,es- ^H:::r^'' " '^"^'' ^'^ suPPW wasnevc. plenti..!, and it had maler";,; SPECIFICATIONS FOR WOODEN CROSS-TIES. PROPOSED GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS FOR CROSS-TIES. TIMBER. Cross-ties will be accepted of the following varieties of timber: Oaks of the vari- ous kinds known as ''white," "black," ''yellow," "rock," or "chestnut," "burr," and " post," red cak, black locust, second-growth white chestnut, beech, red elm, cherry, maple, butternut, tamarack, and yellow pine of the long-leaved Southern hard pine vnriety cut from untapped trees, white and red cedar. Hemlock may bo accepted but only uuder special contracts. 61ZK. First cla^s. Eight and one-half feet in length, 7 inches in thickness, and not less than 7 inches width of face on both sides at the small end. Second clas^. Eight feet in length, 6 inches in thickness, and not less than 7 inches width of face on both sides at the small end ; and in each class there must be at east oao- fourth of the whole number that will be not less than 10 inches in width of faces. MANUFACTURE. All ties must be male from sound, thrifty live or green timber, free from loose or rotten knots, worm-holes, dry-rot, wind-shakes, splits, or any other imperfections affecting the strength or durability of the timber. Not more than 1 inch of "sap wood " will be allowed on the edges or corners, and none at all on cither fiicc of the ties ; they must be hewed or sawed with the faces perfectly true and parallel, of the exact thickness specified; the faces must be out of " wind," smooth, and free from any inequalities of surface, deep score marks, or splinters ;' they must be cut or sawed square on the ends to the exact lengths given and be generally straight iu all directions, and will not be accepted if more than 3 inches out of straight in any direction ; and must bo peeled or stripped entirely free from the bark before being delivered. No " square ties," either hewed or sawed, will be accepted excepting uuder special contracts. No split ties will be accepted under any circumstances, and "culls" only at the option of the company, and at such prices as may be agreed upon from time to time. DELIVERY. All tics delivered along the line of the railway must be stacked up in neat square stacks of fifty ties in each, with alternate layers crossing each other, and on ground, wherever possible, as high or higher than the grade of the railroad, and in such posi- tion as to admit of being counted and inspected with ease and facility. Ties deliv- ered at suitable and convenient places, acceptable to the company, will be inspected, and bills made for all received and accepted up to the last day of each mouth, and payment will be made for same on or about the day of the succeeding month. Chief Engineer. 55 56 SPEOIFieATIONS FOU CUOSS TIES USED BV NEW ORLEANS AND NOKTIIEASTEEN UAILROAD. cJ^JT^*' "■""' ^," "'"'" "''"'■• '"«'■ •'""■ "'■ ■'''^■»t""t «'»'', ■"ulberrv black lo wiodS^'ZtrZ: bc^^ '"^ r? ^^J-^--^^« B~rH and not be accepted "'' "^^ '"' '^^""'^ ^"^ ^^'^ ^^^^ -«"»«ved. No sawed ties will The ties must be delivered on the ri.'ht of w-iv of n.« ...n grade, and not higher than 8 feet above ^.^dr' '"'' ' ""* '""^^^ '^"^ ^^'« They shall bo scattered for inspection Tn sucl. a manner that ill n.rt. nf « can be seen and measnred by the inspector. ^^'^' '^'^ ^''^'^ *'« All accepted ties mnst be arranc^ed in nilps fnrmAj «f i ciiiau„tu in piles lonned ofla.vris s<'para(ed by two ties. PROPOSAL. rate of cents per cross-tie. ' ^^ ^ '"' The undersigned farther propose to connnence work within - I.ereof. and complete the dolivory of ties on or before i^ Signed this day of , 18— . ' days from date Name of firm ; - By Reference : Post-office address : REPORT OF EXPERIMENTS IN WOOD SEASONING. Chemical Laboratory, Aurora, III, January 9, 1880. Mr. G. W. Ehodes, 8u])erintendent M. P., Chicago and Burlington R, R. Co, : Dear Sir : Herewith is submitted a report on a second series of "experiments in tbe fluctuation of moisture in wood during seasoning," a report on first series having been submitted March 2, 1887. Accom- panying .this are diagrams showing the weekly fluctuation of the moist- ure for every piece used during the experiments, based upon the exact percentages of moisture in the tables given herein. In the diagrams the nearest to a whole per cent, was ttjken. The object of this second series was to corroborate, if possible, the conclusions of the first series, viz: (1) To determine the time that out- door seasoning begins and ends as indicated by the moisture ; (2) to ascertain whether the wood will again take back moisture during the wet seasons of the Ml and spring; (3) effects of size of wood; and (4) whether one season is sufficient to season wood. To determine these questions, fifteen pieces of unseasoned timber, as wet as could be obtained, were placed out of doors in a latticed shed, and loosely piled with cleats between and a board topping, all to pro- tect from direct dripping and rain, and yet to be under the same condi- tions as outdoor seasoned lumber. All of the oak was from Kentuck}^, the pine from Michigan, ash from Arkansas, white-wood from Tennessee, and elm from Michigan. The first lot of lumber, including all but the pine, was received Wed- nesday, December 29, 188G, and the first determination of moisture made Monday, January 3, 1887. The four pines were received later, the first 57 f 58 moisture determination being made April 18, 1887. The following are the determinations and the kind of material : Letter. A. F. 1). E. J . K. a. I.. B. C . H. L. M N. O. Kind. For what used. Oak. do do do do do do do Ash White-wood Elm Hard pine . . Soft pine Hard pine .. do Draw wood . , do- ... Eod plate... End sill do Comer post. Draw beam . Side brace . . Corner post. Outside Brake beam Flooring Rooflus Side sill Side plate... Cross di- mensions. In. In. 4i by 14 4iby 8 3i by 124 5 by 9i 9 by - 4 by 9iby 3 by 4 by 3 by 12 4iby 6J 2 by 10 1 by 6 5 by 9| 2Jby 5 9i 5 9J 4i 9 Length. Ft In. 17 8 2 9 9 10 7 12 7 16 16 12 18 16 30 30 3 6 4 2 t There arc yet running two pieces of pine (N and O), and when they are finished a third report will be made on ** fluctuation of moisture in wood and miscellaneous experiments in wood seasoning." On every Monday morning the amount of moisture was determined. Following is the method employed in the estimation : From the same end of each piece, exactly 3 inches was sawed, and from this piece on the end freshly sawed, and exactly in the center, borings of the wood were obtained, using a |-inch bit. These borings or chips were transferred, as quickly as they left the bit, to a previously weighed drying tube, and when about 2J inches had been bored, the tube is quickly and securely stopped and again weighed. The amount of chips of the wood is then known. This tube containing the chips is placed in an air-oven for one hour, at a temperature of 230 degrees Fahrenheit ; then taken out, cooled and weighed. This is repeated, drying fifteen minutes each time, until the weight begins to increase (due perhaps to oxidation of the resinous matters), when the lowest weight obtained is taken as the cor- rect one. The determinations were all made by the same person, except a few during March and April, 1888, and thus any "personal error" avoided that might arise from different persons doing the work. COMMENTS. Oak.— It will be noticed in the tables of percentages of moisture that determinations were made in eight pieces of oak of different dimensions, only one of which (A) was of suflacient length to last more than one year. In this piece the moisture fluctuated very much, although there is noticeable decrease commencing in April, and being the lowest the latter part of November, when it increased from 30 per cent, to 35 per cent, and then went down again until it ended in March. I do not attribute the 5 per cent, increase in December to the wood absorbing moisture, but to the fact that the per cent, of moisture in the center or heart of green oak would amount to this difference. An experiment was 59 • made on oak to determine this point, a report of which will be given in the third series. In oak G (dimension 9J inches by 9J inches by 12 feet 2 inches), the moisture at start in January was 43 per cent., and com- menced to drop in March and April and in the following months until the end in November, fluctuating between 38 per cent, and 41 per cent. The remaining oak (K, F, I^ D, J, and E) all commence to decrease in percentage of moisture during March and April, and show a continual decrease toward the end of the pieces. Unfortunately these pieces were not of sufficient length to allow the moisture to reach the lowest limit, but from them we can tell the spring months which the seasoning be- gins. Pine. — Experiments with the pines were not commenced until April 18, 1887, and two test pieces (N and O) are still under observation. In these there is an almost immediate decrease in percentage of moisture. In N, the moisture dropped from 28 per cent, in April to 12 i)er cent. October 1, when it increased to about IG per cent., remaining at that through the full winter and spring, and in the following May again be- gan to decrease until 13 per cent, was reached, where it remained with slight variation. In O, the moisture in April, 1887, was 20 per cent., and by the following August, 1887, had dropped to 9 per cent., then increased to about 14 per cent., where it remains with the exception of a slight drop in the summer. Months of 1888 : The piece of roofing, 1 inch thick, had 14 per cent, of moisture in April, 1837, and which decreased to 10 percent, by August, but the following fall and winter months it increased to 16 per cent., and did not decrease during the winter and spring mouths, until Au- gust, 1888, when it commenced to drop, and by June, 1888, the percent- age was about the same as the summer of 1887. This piece took up moisture during the wet seasons. The pine L (2 inches by 10 inches by 18 feel) when first commenced in April contained 18-20 per cent, moisture, but immediately began to decrease and reached the lowest percentage of moisture in the following July and August, then increased during the fall and winter, amount- ing to 17 per cent, during February and March of 1888, and again be- ginning to decrease in April and continuing to do so until the piece ended in the middle of July. The piece also took uj) moisture during the wet seasons. Ash. — Only one piece of ash was used during the experiments, wliicli contained about 22 per cent, of moisture during the months of January, February, and March, but during April the percentage began to de- crease, being the lowest in August (11 per cent.) and remained at about 12 per cent, during the following fall and winter months, and until March, 18vS8, when the piece ended. Mm. — The one piece of elm, II, showed a steady decrease of moisture from 20 per cent, in January, 1887, to 10 per cent, in November of the same year, when the end of the piece was reached. ,1 60 White wood,— Thin wood, C, had 10 per cent of moisture iu January, 1887, and began to decrease in April, reaching the lowest (10 per cent.) in July and August, and varied but 1 or 2 per cent, during the re- mainder of the period of observation, which ended the middle of No- vember of the same year. Percentages of moisture. Date. 1887. Jau. 3 10 17 21 31 Feb. 7 14 21 28 Mar. 7 14 21 28 Apr. 4 11 18 24 May 2 9 16 23 30 Jane 6 13 20 27 July 4 11 18 Oak. 33.G6 30.53 38.72 40.73 40.50 41.85 42.99 43.13 43.78 42.11 42.81 42.83 43.14 43.61 42.85 41.83 43.02 40.08 40.65 39.80 39.95 39.52 45.44 35.96 39.39 40.10 39.78 40.67 37.76 25 41.40 Au^.l 40.81 7 I 37.81 15 22 29 8«pt5 39.15 40.49 38.43 38.65 12 37.37 Asli. It Oct 3 10 17 21 31 Kov. 7 14 21 28 12 19 26 1888. Jan. 1 9 18 23 34.94 S6.ll 36.37 36.51 35.66 34.32 34.07 32.77 32.28 33.44 30.26 31.43 33.03 33.00 34.46 34.21 34.81 34.82 34.22 33.58 B; 19.79 22.31 22 35 22.42 22.C0 22.44 22.37 22.59 22.49 21.67 20.84 21.02 21.24 21.26 23.26 19.08 20 61 18.76 18.32 17.31 16.88 16.42 16,34 15.87 14.30 13.91 13.31 13.21 12.61 13.00 11.32 13.15 12.69 12.36 12.45 11.37 12.23 11.18 12.43 12.69 12.43 12.10 12.25 12.34 12.04 11.95 12.23 16.68 12.70 13.03 12.80 12.80 13.09 13.56 13.71 13.23 12.69 White wood. Oak. D. 16.21 14 80 15.78 15.52 14.31 15.11 15.72 15.89 15.03 15.45 15.33 15.32 15.54 15.21 13.98 13.30 14.06 12.26 12.01 11.51 11.10 11.78 12.47 12.19 11.19 10.40 11.34 11.05 10.46 10.95 9.26 9.81 10.55 11.56 11.2:2 10.73 10.80 10.35 11.11 12.84 12.44 11.81 11.93 11.81 11.29 11.50 8.39 End. 46.56 46.09 40.8:j 40.25 43.33 45.57 46.47 46.38 46.20 43.64 43.04 45.11 46.62 44.57 45.50 43.77 40.53 40.03 40.43 39.59 40.08 41.45 42.62 40 97 40.50 40.49 35.51 34.70 32.47 34.19 31.57 33.42 30.56 29.50 25.06 23.77 End. E. 44.23 45 07 4 5. GO 45.41 43.90 43.&0 4:5.79 42.92 4.J.31 42.88 4:i.l9 43.82 41.08 43.88 42.26 42.27 41.57 41.85 41.81 42.11 41 34 41.81 41.31 41.01 40.15 40.41 41.12 41.72 41.22 41.68 39.66 39.67 39.68 38 92 36.38 36.88 34.70 End. F. 38.75 40.00 40.:i7 40.28 40.08 39.18 41.03 39.29 3948 38.47 38.20 38.4 1 37 82 37.37 38.50 38.61 39.37 S8.04 38.40 38.21 30.82 37.24 37.38 37.71 37.06 37.28 36.56 35.52 35.89 34.93 31.46 21.17 End. G. 43.21 42.94 42.22 42.68 44.32 4:1 5 1 42 92 42.30 42.80 42.10 40.29 40.28 40.97 40.05 39.62 «9.62 40.30 38.81 38.38 39.45 38.34 37.61 38.70 38.94 06.66 35.39 39.03 38.C0 40.65 40.06 39.21 40.31 40.58 40.44 41.29 40.52 40.07 38.68 40.02 40.42 40.86 89.34 38.46 38.58 35.09 36.68 37.11 32.36 End. Elm. H. 28.51 28.21 28.59 27.83 27.12 27.35 28.03 27.51 27.39 26.85 25.57 24.40 24 42 24.28 23.00 23.47 23.14 22.67 22.91 22.34 21.09 22.12 21.58 21.23 20.50 20.16 20.20 19.4H 19.23 18.94 17.64 18.50 17.92 17.31 17.65 10.93 16.38 16.25 16.61 16.53 16.12 16.75 16.26 16.36 16.25 15.15 15.58 12.70 End. Oak. I. 47.23 44.33 44.67 41.63 43.80 44.50 44.69 43.93 44 59 42.70 42.31 42.61 42.85 41.65 40.70 40.57 41.49 39 87 40.97 39 W 38.94 39.06 38.44 36.«3 34.71 33.11 32 50 31. 2^ 24.43 29.48 21.98 21.98 Eud. 37.75 37.98 38.74 37.77 38.99 35.69 37.89 37.93 38.85 39.00 37.23 37.50 35.87 35.74 37.09 36 03 38.15 36.55 38.19 38.72 3842 37.67 36.95 36.11 34.20 33.63 34.65 36.56 34.76 34.83 35.13 37.72 36.80 36.09 37.32 36.94 35.96 30.60 26.00 End. K. 42.90 43 00 43.07 43.26 42.17 42.17 42.66 42.18 42.C9 41.36 40.65 43.83 40.31 40.48 40.22 40.18 40.52 39.62 39.55 39.41 39.51 39.19 38.93 38.22 38.16 37.07 35.57 32.:32 24.57 End. Pine. M. K. 17.58 19.50 17.09 15.47 13.50 12.69 13.88 15.21 14.65 13.29 12.72 12.79 12.48 11.50 12.43 10.89 11.01 11.02 12.60 13.02 12.03 12.62 11.90 12.90 13.86 14.01 16.62 13.14 13.29 12.70 12.99 14.48 13.23 13.09 14.00 13.6i 13.99 14.46 14.97 15.11 15.43 15.42 13 58 14.11 12.52 12.42 11.22 12.04 8.99 14.25 12.17 11.71 11.36 12.54 12.70 10.31 (*) 10.82 9.70 9.88 11.63 11.12 11.86 11.10 11.83 11.10 12.01 16.26 15.43 13.72 13.94 13.26 12.54 12.43 13.12 13.59 13.77 14.73 14.78 14.20 14..'i3 16.10 16.32 liS.e} 10.31 23.37 29.18 28.61 28.32 26.27 22.77 27.42 25.19 24.24 19.00 19.82 19.05 20.80 16.67 21.28 19.47 19.59 17.73 15.83 16.65 15.84 14.70 13.44 14.18 12.25 15.04 14 34 14.91 14.C0 13.73 14.78 14.93 14.94 14.88 15.12 14.78 14.47 13.30 l.^-.'iO 15.:{8 l.-)..39 ir..79 O. 21.21 21.27 18.34 l(i.:i2 14.11 14.22 14.32 15.15 13.29 10.00 10.52 11.25. 9.01 0.43 9.98 8.64 8.82 10.55 lo.ris 10.8!) 10.40 10.92 10.16 11.29 1:5.38 12.98 12.07 12.95 13.01 15.03 1264 9.39 13.79 13 58 14 (;7 13.57 13.48 14.00 14.78 U.VJ 14.25 H.17 61 Peraentagcs of moisture — Continued. Date. Oak. Ash. White wood. Oak. Elm. Oak. Pine. i*^- A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H. I. J. K. L. M. 10.35 16.48 11.48 15.78 15.19 14.65 15.80 15.22 15.03 13.51 13.38 13.50 11.00 11.80 12.27 11.71 12.18 11.46 11.36 10.30 End. N. 1888. Fob. 5 33:jo 32.65 32.01 30 60 30.08 28.69 22.32 £Dd. 12 97 13.20 13.20 12.85 12.57 End. 16.20 16.61 15.95 16.17 16 65 15.72 16.20 13.58 1.^.89 16.14 15.79 15.41 1>.61 16.18 15.29 14.95 15.54 15.22 15.79 15.95 15.90 15.49 14.23 14.29 13.39 13.14 K.16 13.98 12.71 12.30 12.56 12.32 13.25 12.67 12.90 11.79 11.34 12.63 12.70 11.87 12.09 If-. 53 1 1 14 01 13 14 'Afi 20 13 98 27 11 18 Mar. 5 14 08 12 16.47 16.01 16.13 13.89 1.3 43 19 26 13.79 15.26 12.80 12.62 12.95 14.07 i:? 47 Apr. 2 9 15.85 15.84 16.00 14.19 15.04 15.07 14.64 13.99 13 81 16 23 30 Muy 7 ...... ;;.".•• 14 12.72 r» 8' 21 28 12.53 1'> 14 Juuo 4 11 13.86 12.97 14.42 12.63 12.95 12.73 11.93 12.11 12.21 11.24 11.68 End. V2 VQ 18 11.38 11.25 11.44 12.:J2 11.87 11 4(> 25 July 2 U 16 w ■ • • • 23 30 11 <»2 Auj:.6 1 1 r>7 13 11 .I'i 20 27 11.54 11.91 10.84 10 81 Sept . 3 10 - ■ • « B . 17 •J4 11.16 12 60 (Kt. 1 12 04 . 8 15 12.70 11 hO 1 1 Note.— lu the account of knot, cf'utages up to Oct b"r29. 18S8. ' starred" porcentase on y. pine " M," the cut was matle 1 foot from previous cno on Ph!Co.s " N " and " O " have 10 feet yet to be cut. The diagraoia were made on per- per- CONCLUSION. Out door seasoning depends a great deal on the character of the weather during the year, that is, as to an early or late spring or fall, hot or cold summer months, or severe winter, etc., but during the ex- periments it may be considered to have been average Illinois weather. The result of this series of experiments shows that the month during which the seasoning begins varies with the kind of wood. (1) That for oak the seasoning commences in March or April j with pine the exact mouth can not be decided, as they were not placed under observation until late (April), but all test pieces showed a loss of moist- are within a fortnight after being exposed. Ash and white- wood commenced to lose moisture in April, and elm immediately on being exposed in January. No law can be deduced from the experiments as to the exact time 62 that seiisouiii^' cutis, as the woods all vary, but as a geueial rule it may be stated that in all woods (except perhaps clui) seasoning virtually ends with the end of the summer mouths. (2) All woods take up moisture in slight amounts during wet weather of the fall and winter months. (3) Pine of small dimensions (such as 1 inch flooring «' M ") will ab- sorb moisture during the wet months. Other woods of small dimensions were not experimented with. (4) As shown by these experiments one season of average weather is generally sufiacient to season woods for purposes of construction. Yours truly, G. n. 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The report of the Commissioner of Agriculture for 1887, recently published, contains an interesting but brief report from the Chief of the Forestry Division, and this report refers to the Government inter- est in the development and maintenance of the forests ; a matter which is of far greater importance than is generally understood, and which is especially important on account of the rapid destruction of forests through the legitimate demand for timber, through reckless use, and through wasteful practices of burning, herding, etc., while very little practical attention is paid to the question of forest planting or reforest- ing, although the forest under proper management is capable of fur- nishing continuous crops. The question considered is, " What is the first duty of the General Government in regard to the forestry ques- tion?" It is stated that the natural forests are being rapidly reduced by an increased demand for timber and by reckless use and wanton destruction, and that the annual consumption of wood and wood prod- ucts is at least double the amount reproduced on our present forest area. The national interest in this question is shown from four points of view : (1) Because the forests properly managed would be the source of a constant supply of timber ; (2) because a sound land policy demands attention to forest management to prevent the deterioration of forests and forest lands ; (3) because a rational forest policy demands atten- tion to the disturbance of the distribution of water flow by forest devas- tation and by the denudation of mountains and hills ; and (4) because forest planting is a means of ameliorating climatic conditions and mak- ing certain regions more habitable. Other nations have recognized the importance of the forestry prob- lem and have the matter under State administration ; for private in- terest is not sufficient to protect the forest property, since to the indi- vidual it is the existing timber alone that is valuable, and he has no care for any but pecuniary considerations. Consequently the State must undertake the management and protection of the forests. 68 69 The General Government of the United States owns about 50,000,000 to 70,000,000 acres of forest area, principally in the far West and on the Pacific ranges, and mostly on land not fit for agricultural purposes. The water supplies for the valleys and the agricultural areas of these regions are regulated and influenced to a great extent by the forests, and it is therefore obvious that the matter of preservation and protec- tion of the forests is one of importance to the national prosperity ; whereas, in fact, the timber is recklessly used and wasted, while the attempts to prevent the waste are practically ineffectual. A bill to protect the Government forests has, however, been submitted to Con- gress. The report referred to shows very forcibly the need of legisla- tion in this direction, and of proper management to regulate the cutting, to attend to the maintenance and protection, and to undertake the planting of new forests to furnish a future supply of timber. Of course these remarks apply to the consumption in total, but the railways are responsible to a considerable extent, both on account of the immense amount legitimately consumed for ties, bridges, trestles, buildings, etc., and on account of their waste and the amount improp- erly acquired. The report states as follows : Every land-grant railway, in addition to its sliare of the land grant of 75,000,000 acres and tlie light of way, is permitted to cat timber "for first construction, adja- cent to the line of its road." But the railways do not consider ''construction" and " adjacent" exactly in the sense in which the lawgivers did, and they have cut wherever, whenever, and for what purpose they chose. Kailway men as a rule do not give much attention to the sources of supply for ties, but, with others, believe blindly in '' inexhaustible '' for- ests, or if they do look forward at all to a diminished supply, they usually consider it as too far in the future to require any special atten tion now. In point of fact, however, this is even now a very important matter, which becomes more serious every year. Forests, although they can be made to furnish regular annual crops, can not be grown in a year, and while present resources are being recklessly drawn upon, few steps are being taken to provide future resources. There are four ways in which the railways may help to economize the present supply : (1) By taking more care in the selection, cutting, and storing of timber; (2) by the more general useof ifou, steel, stone, brick, concrete, etc., for bridges, trestles, buildings, and other construc- tion works J (3) by the introduction of some efficient and economical preservative process ; and (4) by the introduction ot metal cross-ties. These four methods ot economizing will be considered separately. 1. By taking more care in the selection, cutting j and storing of timber. — Sufficient investigation has not been made of the availability of dif- ferent kinds of timber for railway work. For instance, there are prob- ably other kinds ot timber besides those now used which are suitable for ties, and, in fact, a circular was issued some months ago by the For- estry Division* showing the advantages of the hitherto unused chestnut *See Circular ou p. 52. m I 70 oak, a species of timber of which the bark was used, but the wood itself left to rot, its value for railway ties not being known or appreciated. As a resnlt of this circular, large numbers of ties have now been made from this wood. Certain specifications for ties which have been pub- lished name only the following varieties : Oaksof the various kinds, known as "white," " black," "yellow," *' rock/' ''burr," and •' post " (no red oak will be received), second-growth white cheetnut, red beech, red elm, cherry, maple, butternnt, tamarack, and yellow pine of the long-lenved sontbern bard pine variety, cut from nntapyied trees and grown nol north of South Carolina. Hemlock may be accepted, but only under special contracts. But it has been suggested that red oak, black locust, and white and red cedar might be added, and probably others, besides the chestnut o^k already referred to. This part of the question is iojportant also in con- nection with the third part, as the use of })reservatives may enable other kinds of timber to be used. It is sometimes specified that there is to be no sap-wood on the face of the ties, which excludes all ties cut from such trees as give only one tie, often the best. With regard to cut- ting, although over this the railway has often no control, except in the case of new roads through timber country, there is undoubtedly much timber wasted in high stumps and by careless felling, etc., which with a little care might have been available for ties or lumber. In storing, the ties are oft^n stacked up in close piles, without any air-spaces be- tween adjacent ties, and left till wanted, by which time many, will prob- ably be found, especially at the bottom of the pile, to be rotten and useless. If they were thrown into a pond or brook, of course under proper supervision, their life when put in the track would be longer than if they had been stacked. Bridge timbers and other lumber should also be properly cared for in storage. 2. The more general use of iron, steel, stone, brick , concrete, etc., for bridges, trestles, buildings, and other construction works. — On this point much need not be said. Iron and steel are becoming mc.o and more generally used for bridges and trestles, and many large and some small stations are now built of masonry. There is, however, room for very luuch greater economy yet to be practiced in the use of timber for rail way structures, and it w ill be practiced moie as companies grasp the idea that a heavy outlay iu the first ])lacc is often economical. This, of course, applies only where the heavy first cost can be afforded ; but it applies extensively to wealthy corporations, which continue to spend money and use timber in building and repairing timber trestles, sheds, wharves, etc., instead of laying out a good round sum on permanent works. In this respect much might be learned from European j/ractice. 3. The introdnetion of some efficient and economical preservative pror ess. — Numerous preservative processes have been experimented with and large quantities of preserved ties, piles, and lumber used : but con- sidering the enormous quantity of timber in use on the railways of tliis country, the step towards economy in this direction is a very insignifi- 71 cant one. The trouble is to find a good process and to get it thoroughly carried out. Different species of timber and different pieces of the same timber absorb different quantities of the preservative, thus producing an undesirable want of uniformity. This is specially troublesome m the case of ties, some ties lasting for years and others having to be replaced in a short time, which means considerable expense for maintenance of the track. In England, where the creosoting process is generally adopted for ties, some railway companies have their own plant and creosote their own ties, sometimes also sawing their own ties from logs delivered by contract. Some of these plants were described m my paper on *' English Eailway Track," read at the annual convention of the American Society of Civil Engineers at Milwaukee, Wis., in June, 1888. Too little practical attention has been given to this question, though it seems as if some slow progress was being made. Creosoting is very generally used in England and is very successful, but the kind of creosote used is more expensive in this country. Some very valua- ble and useful information on this subject is contained in the report of the committee on the preservation of timber, American Society of Civil Engineers, June, 1885, and in Bulletin No. 1 of the Forestry Division for 1887. ^ ^, 4. By the vitroduction of metal cross ties.— This subject, one ot the most important in railway matters, from the point of view of the econ- omy and efficiency of the track for operation and maintenance as well as from that of economy in timber, is not given much practical atten- tion in this country. Comparatively little is known in detail of what has been done and is being done in other parts of the world, though it is usually understood that quite a number of experiments have been made in foreign countries. Experiments certainly have been made and are still being made, but the matter, on the whole, is beyond the experi- • mental stage, and metal ties have been regularly adopted on hundreds of miles of track, with most satisfactory results. The reason why the ^ matter has been so neglected in this country, may probably be found in the undeniable cheapness of so many of our railways ; the fact being frequently overlooked that cheapness is expensive, and that what is saved in construction is paid out over and over again in maintenance and expenses. By this it is not meant to suggest that every road should at once put down metal ties, because there are many cases iu which this would be inexpedient if not impracticable, since many West- em roads must of necessity be built at as low a rate of first cost as pos- sible ; and as the construction of these roads (I refer here only to legiti- mate enterprises) is absolutely necessary for the development of cer- tain districts, for the benefit of those districts, and incidentally for the benefit of the country at large, there are cases in which, for the present at least, wooden ties may be used and their use put under the head of *< legitimate consumption." But there are other classes of railways : there are the roads which, having been cheaply built in the first place, I 72 have built up the district they serve and are being improved to meet the requirements of increased trafific— on many of these roads metal ties might be laid to advantage ; then there are the wealthy trunk lines, which instead of consuming great quantities of wooden ties every year for maintenance and renewals, should gradually introduce metal ties on their tracks ; and finally there are the new roads in busy parts of the country, which are built in a first-class manner to accommodate a heavy traffic from the beginning— theselines should be laid with a metal track in the first place. In these four ways the railway systems of the country might aid greatly in economizing the present supply of timber, but, in addition, they might help to restore the forests by establishing plantations and encouraging forestry. This has been done to a small extent, but the length of time necessary for the growth of a ** crop " is a hinderance to any movement of this kind. In Pennsylvania, railways already have to go outside the State for their oak ties, and the mining industries in the once heavily timbered coal regions of the same State have to import the props, etc., for the workings. In Europe, steel is coming into ex- tensive use for mines, both for props and beams, and for ties. Some idea of the consumption of timber by railways may be gathered from the following particulars, which are abstracted from a Keport on the Forest Condition of the Kocky Mountains (Department of Agricult- ure, Forestry Division, Bulletin l^o. 2), by Col. E. T. Ensign, forest commissioner of Colorado : Union Pacific Railway.— Baling 1886 there were used iu Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado, 686,827 ties and 8,450,969 square feet of dimension timber. Denver and Bio Grande Bailway.— The following native timber was used in Colorado and New Mexico in 1886 : 60,000 broad-gauge ties, 740,000 narrow-gauge ties, 3,000,000 feet, B. M., of dimension lumber. The approximate amount of timber required for an- nual renewals and repairs was 1,023,376 ties, and 5,625,000 feet, B. M., of sawed timber. Colorado Midland Bailway.— The number of ties for the construction of 250 miles of " main track and the sidings, was estimated at 900,000, and the number of feet of tim- ber for bridges and other construction work at between 6,000,000 and 7,000,000. Atlantic and Pacific Bailway.— Dunng 1885 the consumption of native pine was 937,240 feet in New Mexico, and 2,028,959 feet, B. M., in Arizona. In 1886, 47,456 ties of native pine and 298,755 feet of native pine dimension lumber were used in New Mexico. Another form of timber destruction, and one for which the railways are largely responsible, is that of fires ; on many lines through tracts of timber there is abundant evidence of this fact in strips of charred stumps and logs along the track, sometimes spreading off Into large patches. The spark arresters on many locomotives, especially on lines of minor importance, are very inefficient, and on some little lines in New England over which I have traveled, the wood-burning engines, although fitted with spark arresters, throw out continuous showers of sparks. Some interesting notes in respect to forest fires may be gath- ered from the reviews of the forestry interest in each State and Terri- tory—given in the annual report of the Division of Forestry for 1887, 73 by Mr. B. E. Fernow, Chief of the Division, which report, as well as other publications of the Division, I recommend for perusal to all per- sons interested in this important question of our timber supplies. In most cases there are laws and penalties relating to starting #res, etc., but the laws seem generally to be a dead letter ; they are rarely en- forced, and consequently little heed is paid to them. In New Jersey, the loss from fires for the last fifteen or twenty years is said to have averaged, on a low estimate, $1,000,000 a year, an amount which would nearly pay the entire taxes of the State. In Maryland, the loss by fires, " largely from locomotives," is estimated at between $30,000 and $40,000 a year. The total losses by fire form in the aggregate an enormous amount of timber, representing a wicked waste of material, and conse- quently of money. On the other hand, the steps taken towards plant- ing are few and insignificant, being almost invariably on a very small scale. Street railways, too, consume a great amount of timber, and it is probable that the ties, from their being covered up but not i)rotected from moisture, have a short life compared with that of ordinary railway ties. When we reach that station of progress when we shall begin to follow the European precedent of building city railways of iron and concrete, we shall materially reduce one item of consumption of timber. But proper street construction must come before, or at least with, proper street railway construction. In conclusion, the close relations of railways to the timber supply of the country have, I think, been clearly outlined in this paper, and I sincerely hope that at no distant time the railways will, in effect, co- operate with the Government in the conservation and protection of the timber resources, while at the same time they greatly improve the effi- ciency and value of their own works. II INDEX. PagA. Algeria, use of metal ties in » 15 America, South, use of metal ties in 17 American metal ties 20 Area, forest, of the United States 69 Argentine Republic, use of metal ties in -. ^ 17 Ash, experiments in seasoning 59 Asia, use of metal ties in - 15 Australia, use of metal ties in 16 Austria, use of metal ties in 13 Belgium, use of metal ties on railroads of 12 *' Berg-et-Marche " type of tie, France 11 *' Bernard" type of metal ties, Belgium, France 12,13 Bogart, John, on permanent way of railways in Great Britain 49 ''Bowl" sleepers: Africa 14 Japan 15 Argentine Republic 17, 21, 34 Boyenval-Pousard type of tie, Algeria 15 Cape Colony, use of metal ties in 14 Channel tie, Pennsylvania Railroad, description of 21 Chestnut-oak, qualities of, in comparison with other oaks 53 Chestnut-oak ties, circular in regard to durability of 52 correspondence in regard to 53 Chili, use of metal ties in 17 China, use of metal ties in 15 "Coblyn" type of ties, France, Netherlands 13 Corgress of railroads at Brussels, opinions as to use of metal ties 9, 35 International, Milan, opinions in regard to metal ties 9, 35 Consumption of timber by railroads ^. 72 " Cosijns " tie, Netherlands 25 Cost, comparative, of wood and metal ties 9 Cost of maintenance with wood and metal ties 25,32 Creosoting railway ties 49 Cros>s-ties, wooden, specifications for 55 "Do Bergue" systenj of iron plates, Spain 14 "Denham-Olpherts" type of tie, India ,. 15 Denmark, use of metal ties in 14 Discussion of use of metal ties before American Society of Civil Engineers 33 Double-headed rail, English 6 75 i 76 Pftga Durability of ohestnat-oak ties 32 of trees, effect on, of cutting in the sap (note) r>3 "Durand" railway tie, France, description of 22 Economy of timber supply, how promoted by railroads 69 Egypt, use of metal ties in 15 Elastic tie-plate, Sweden 23 Elm, experiments in seasoning 59 Engineers, American Society of Civil, discussion of use of metal tracks 33 England, preservation of railway ties in 47 use of metal ties in 11 English system of track 8 Expenses of maintaining track on wooden and metal ties 25, 32 Experiments in wood-seasoning 57 Femow, B. E., letter of submittal 5 Notes on metal ties 8,23 "Durand" metal tie 22 Forest area of the United States 69 Forest fires, connection of railroads with 72 France, use of metal ties in 11 Germany, use of metal ties in 13 Great Northern Kailway (Ireland), mode used by, for preserving wooden ties.. 51 "Hartford'^ tie 9 description of 20 ''Heindl" system of track, Austria 13 **Hohenegger" system of track, Austria 13 India, use of metal ties in 15 *' International" tie, Boston and Maine, and Maine Central Railroads, descrip- tion of 20 Italy, use of metal ties in 14 Japan, use of metal ties in 15 Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, mode of preserving wooden ties 50 Lignum-vitsB ties 23 Maintenance expenses of track ou woodeu and metal ties 25, 32 Metal tie, requisites for a perfect 23 considerations in favor of 25 notes 23 Metal ties, use of, in the United States 8 some American 20 diiferent systems of 26 resolutions of railroad congress at Milan in regard to the use of 35 Metal track, use of, for railways in foreign countries, report on 11 first suggestion of 23 discussion of, before American Society of Civil Engineers 33 patents relating to 3^ use in Europe 11 Africa 14 Asia 15 Australia^ 16 South America 17 Mexico 17 Mexico, use of metal ties in 17 Netherlands state railways, use of metal ties on 12 diflferent systems used 26 experiments with 25,31 New South Wales, use of metal ties in 17 77 Page. Oak, chestnut, circulars in regard to ties of 52 quality, compared with that of other oaks 53 correspondence in regard to -. 53 Oak timber, experiments in seasoning -^ 58 Patents relating to metal railway track, list of 36 Paulet-Lavalette tie, France 11 Pennsylvania Railroad, trial of steel ties 8 "Phillips" type of metal tie, Australia 16 Pine, experiments in seasoning 59 "Post " metal tie, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Asia. 12,25 description of 18 advantages of 19 figures of various types of 27 result of use compared with that of oak ties 29 cost of maintenance 29,32 ** Pots" tried by New York Central and Hudson River Railroad 9 Preservation of railway ties in England 49 Queensland, use of metal ties in 16 Rail, double-headed, English 8 Railroad, Pennsylvania, trial of steel ties by 8 Boston and Maine ., 8 New York Central 9 Railroads, international congress of, at Milan, opinions of, in regard to use of wood and metal ties 9, 35 consumption of timber by 72 and forest fires 72 Railway, Lancashire and Yorkshire, method of preserving ties 50 Great Northern, method of preserving ties 51 Railway metal track, patents relating to 36 Railway ties, treatment of, for preservation, in England 49 Railways, relation of to the timber resources of the United States 68 how economize the timber supply , 69 land grant, rights and privileges of 69 in foreign countries, metal track for 11 English, permanent way of, Bogart - 49 Report on experiments in wood-seasoning 57 Resources, timber, of the United States, relation of railways to 68 Russia, use of metal ties in 14 Sap, remedy for evil of cutting trees in the (note) 53 Seasoning, wood, effect on, of cutting in the sap (note) 53 experiments in..... 57 diagrams illustrating 63 Senegal, use of metal ties in 15 "Severac" tie, Belgium, France 12 in Senegal, Algeria 15 South America, use of metal ties in 17 South Australia, use of metal ties in 17 Spain, use of metal ties in 14 Specifications for wooden cross-ties 55 English 49 "Standard "tie 9 description of 20 Stimpson, J., first suggestion of metal track 23 Stone ties, Sweden 23 Sweden, use of metal ties in 14 I 78 Page. Switzerland, use of metal ties in 14 "Taylor" tie, description of 21 Tie-plate, elastic, Sweden 23 Ties: ** Berg-et-Marcbe," France 11 ** Bernard," Belgium, France 12, 13 **Bowl" sleepers, Africa 14 in Japan 15 in Argentine Republic 17 on New York Central Railroad 21 ** Boyenval-Pousard," Algeria 1^ Channel tie, Pennsylvania Railroad 21 *'Coblyn," France 13 "Cosijns," Netherlands -* "• 25 *'Da Bergne," Spain 14 "Denham-Olpherts," India 15 "Daraud," France 22 "Elastic tie-plate," Sweden 23 "Hartford" 9,20 " Hohenegger," Austria — 13 " International," Boston and Maine, and Maine Central Railroads 20 "Phillips," Australia 16 "Post" 11 in France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Asia 12,25 "Pots"(»ee "Bowl") 9 " Severac," Belgium, France 12 in Senegal, Algeria '- 15 "Standard," United States, description of 9,20 " Taylor," New York Central Railroad 21 "Toucey," New York Central Railroad 21 "Vautherin," France H in Algeria 15 "Webb," England H on Pennsylvania Railroad ^ Wrought-iron plate 8 in Egypt - 15 Timber, amount consumed by railroads 72 resou rces of the United States, relation of railways to 68 " Toucey " tie. New York Central Railroad, description of 21 Track, metal, ior railways H expense of maintaining on wooden and metal ties 25 patents relating to 36 Track, English system of (note) 8 Transmittal, letter of, E. E. R. Tratman 7 Tratman, E. E. R., report on use of metal track for railroads in foreign coun- tries 11 discussion on use of metal ties -*- * 33 list of patents relating to metal railway track 36 relation of railways to the forest resources of the United States 68 Treatment of railway ties in England 49 United States, forest area of 69 use of metal ties in ..\ ® 79 Page. "Vautherin" tie, France 11 in Algeria 15 "Webb" steel tie, England 11 on Pennsylvania Railroad 8 Whitewood, experiments in seasoning 60 Wood-seasoning, report of experiments in 57 diagrams illustrating 63 general conclusions in regard to 60 Wrought-iron plate ties 8 inEgypt 15 COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES This book is due on the date Indicated below, or at the expiration of a definite period after the date of borrowing, as provided by the library rules or by special arrangement with the librarian in charge. OATS BOMROWCO MAft23l »S DATK DUE DATC •omiowio DATK DUB cas(n4») tooM H5H 0/385 APR 1 51934 NEH 0041406273 I I ili(i".l' 1. i. if I D630.62 mmmmmjll^^^^^^ ^sSKW^m lesL _ Tra tman ____„«-. 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