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Pp. 27. The Financial Problem in Relation to Labor 

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POPULAR MISCELLANY. 



The First Piece of American Hollow 

 Ware. In the first of Mr. Durfee's series 

 of articles on Early Steps in Iron-making, 

 in The Popular Science Monthly for Decem- 

 ber, 1890, "a small iron pot capable of con- 



taining about one quart," which was cast 

 at Lynn, Mass., in 1645, was mentioned as 

 having been the first piece of hollow ware 

 made in America. Mr. Durfee added that 

 " this pioneer of all American-made castings 

 vra.s in existence in 1844, but recent efforts 

 [by C. H. J. "Woodbury] to ascertain its 

 whereabouts have been unsuccessful." We 

 are informed by the Lynn Daily Item that 

 Mr. Durfee's article attracted the attention of 

 F. W. Pope, of Lynn, who happened to have 

 recently seen the pot, and made a photo- 

 graphic picture of it. We give an engrav- 

 ing of it. The pot is in the possession of 

 the sons of Alonzo Lewis, the historian and 



poet, whose description of the Saugus Iron 

 Works is quoted by Mr. Durfee. It is an 

 heirloom, having descended to the present 

 owners through their father from " Thomas 

 Hudson, of Linne," the original possessor. 

 It holds less than a quart, and weighs two 

 pounds thirteen ounces. When photo- 

 graphed by Mr. Pope, it was standing on a 

 common tea-plate ; and there was room 

 enough on the flat bottom of the plate to 

 accommodate its spreading legs and leave an 

 ample border of flat around them. 



Metal Railway Ties. A large share, 

 probably twenty per cent, of the timber cut 

 in this country is used by the railroads, and 

 an important item in this portion is the 

 quantity used for ties. With the purpose 

 of lessening the drain upon our forest re- 

 sources, the Forestry Division of the De- 

 partment of Agriculture is endeavoring to 

 lead the railroads to substitute iron ties 

 for wood. A Report on the Substitution 

 of Metal for Wood in Railroad Ties, made 

 by E. E. Russell Tratman, has been pub- 

 lished by the department, in order to fur- 

 nish the companies with information in 

 regard to the use of iron ties, and thereby 

 facilitate their general adoption. The re- 

 port is introduced by A Discussion on 

 Practicable Economies in the Use of Wood 

 for Railway Purposes, by B. E. Fernow, 

 Chief of the Forestry Division, in which 

 suggestions are given as to seasoning and 

 preserving wooden ties, the use of im- 

 proved tie plates, and also in regard to 

 the use of stone and metal for buildings, 

 bridges, etc., of hedges for fencing, and of 

 metal for rolling stock. The report of Mr. 

 Tratman gives detailed information respect- 

 ing the use of different systems of iron ties 

 in all quarters of the world. Outside of the 

 United States and Canada there are reported 

 25,000 miles of railroad laid with metal ties. 

 The most in any one country is in British 

 India, where there are over 9,000 miles ; 

 Germany has nearly as much ; and the Ar- 

 gentine Republic is third, with 3,500. In 

 the United States, with a total mileage of 

 161,000, or four ninths of the whole mile- 

 age of the world, there are only two miles 

 of metal track. Egypt has nearly 900 miles, 

 and the rest of Africa makes up 400 miles 

 more. In little Holland there are 329 miles, 



