169 



Weight of Monkey 17 cwt. Drop Four Feet. 



1st 6 ton. 2nd 6 ton. 3rd 6 ton. 4th 6 ton. 



A. Upright Yellowwood 



B. Outeniqua 



F. Colonial Fir ... 

 M. Colonial Fir 

 Baltic Fir 



A. Upright Yellowwood 



B. Outeniqua 

 F. Colonial Fir 

 M. Colonial Fir 



Baltic Fir 



3 



1*5 

 ^4 

 32 



3*2 



split at the end. 



1st 6 ton. 2nd 6 ton. 3rd 6 ton. 4th 6 ton. 



TS2 m * 18 ln> 3:2 m * 8 m> 



_? ll 3_ -L 



' > ** 3 * 1(1'? '>"*/? 83? 



32 J> 16" 3> 8 



i 



Broke under the 

 iron plate from 

 the blows. 



split at the end. 



Experiment No. 5. Taking the strength of timber by Hydraulic Press, an iron 

 plate in front of ram, 10 in. x 7 in., bearings 3 ft. 8 in. apart : 



A. Upright Yellowwood stood before cracking 11 tons 10 cwt., bending If in. long, 

 sloping crack extending about 18 inches. 



B. Outeniqua Yellowwood stood before cracking 7 tons 10 cwt., bending 1 in. 

 appearance of fracture generally similar to A. 



F. Colonial Fir stood before cracking 10 tons, bending If in. long sloping fracture, 

 starting near a larger knot. 



M. Colonial Fir stood before cracking 5 tons, bending 2 ins., the fracture being 

 nearly straight across and extending about 10 ins., rather short grain close to a knob. 



Baltic Fir stood before cracking 11 tons, bending 3 in., straight crack side away from 

 rain extending about half way through. 



Experiment No. 6. Dog spikes driven into sleepers without boring 1 ft. 5 in. from 

 the end : 



A. Upright Yellowwood. Slightly split on bottom side 5 inches each side of 

 dog spike. 



B. Outeniqua Yellowwood. No signs of splitting top side ; timber driven out by 

 point of dog spike on the bottom side of the sleeper. 



F. Colonial Fir split top side for a length of 3|in. towards the end and 4 in. into 

 the rail bed, bottom side 3^ in. towards the end, 4^ in. towards the centre. 



M. Colonial Fir. No sign of split. on top side towards the end, 1 in. into the rail bed 

 on bottom side about 1 inch each side of the point of dog spike on bottom side." 



Mr. H. Wakefield remarks, with reference to the foregoing, u that as regards holding 

 power of bolts, clips, spikes, and fastenings, and the resistance of the rail beating into the 

 sleeper, the Colonial sleepers show very satisfactory results. In resistance to breaking 

 force the experiments show that the Colonial sleepers do not bend so much before fracture 



as the Baltic sleepers Taking, however, into consideration all the other 



good points of the Colonial wood sleepers, and bearing in mind that the sleepers are 

 bedded in the ground, 1 do not anticipate any prejudicial results will occur in practice 

 owing to the deficiency of elasticity as compared with Baltic Fir sleepers shown in the 

 experiment." 



p. 37. Mr. C. Besley, G. W. Ry. Inspector, to Mr. 8. Aitken : " Having witnessed 

 the experiments made by you with the red wood sleepers, I must say that I never saw 

 during my 30 years' service with the Great Western Railway Company a more successful 

 experiment with timber under the process of creosoting. 



" That the wood you have experimented upon will readily absorb creosote, both under 

 ordinary and extreme pressure, is borne out by the fact of its having freely absorbed a 

 quantity of creosote sufficient for all practical purposes. I am very much inclined in 

 favour of the closer grained wood [ Yellowwood J, from the fact of its being so much like 

 American -Pine, which the Great Western Railway Company have universally adopted for 

 their permanent way for the past half-century. 



