444 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



breaking the joint, the lower piece is made to act as a con- 

 tinuous support or bearing to the rail-head throughout the 

 whole line of rail. The sides of the flange throughout its 

 whole length are bent at right angles to its face, and in op- 

 posite directions. This device leaves an upturned edge of 

 about a half-inch of metal on each side, its object being to 

 aflbrd a brace to the rail-head, to enable it to resist the obvi- 

 ous tendency to lateral dis23lacement which will be brought 

 to bear upon it by the turning out of carts, wagons, etc., and 

 likewise to give the flange a tirmer hold upon the stringer. 

 When the flange is worn upon the upper surface, it may be 

 taken out and reversed, thus exposing an entirely new sur- 

 face to wear. The compound feature of the rail likewise 

 permits difierent materials to be used in its construction ; 

 the upper piece, for example, may be made of steel and the 

 flange of iron, or both may be of steel. The parts of the 

 rail are attached firmly to each other and to the wooden 

 stringer by clamps and keys of peculiar construction. By 

 this means the employment of spikes in the head of the rail, 

 which would be open to grave objection, is rendered unnec- 

 essary, and the rail is more securely fastened down than would 

 be possible by the use of the ordinary spike. The inventors 

 claim that their rail does away with the hammering down 

 of the rail ends by aflbrding for the head a continuous, stiff" 

 support ; that it is far more rigid and permanent than the 

 common rail ; and that its wearing qualities are greatly su- 

 perior. A line of this rail is about to be laid down near 

 the entrance to the grounds of the Centennial Exhibition in 

 Philadelphia, where the claims of the inventors will be most 

 thoroughly tested by the enormous traffic that must pass 

 over it. 



IKOX SLEEPEES. 



On the railroad lines of Alsace-Lorraine efforts are being 

 made to create a system of steel rails with iron sleepers. 

 Cross-girders of broad section are used to support the rails; 

 and these are strengthened at certain distances by tension- 

 rods, which give a steadiness of support which permits of 

 the use of a lighter style of rail. In the same connection, it 

 is worth recording that M. Loigne has patented a system of 

 U-shaped grooved cross-stays of iron to replace the wooden 



