CHAPTER XII 

 CROSS TIES 



GENERAL 



WITH the rapid expansion in American railway development in the 

 past fifty years there has been a great concurrent demand for cross ties. 

 It is estimated that in 1880 about 35,000,000 new ties were used; in 1890 

 64,000,000 were used; in 1900 over 83,000,000; and, at the present time 

 between 130,000,000 and 145,000,000 new ties are annually demanded 

 both for renewals and for the construction of new track. One large 

 railway system uses new ties at the rate of five every minute. Many of 

 our larger railway systems use between 2,000,000 and 4,000,000 new 

 ties every year. With a total railway mileage of 434,500 miles in this 

 country and 2640 ties per mile, there are 1,147,080,000 ties constantly 

 in use. The average life of untreated ties is only about five years and the 

 average cost is estimated l at about 70 cents per tie. 



Altogether the production and utilization of cross- tie material in 

 this country are characterized by the following: 



(a) Rapid rise in values, due largely to the growing scarcity of 

 available material and especially of the most desirable species. 



(b) Production by farmers and cutters, who work chiefly through 

 the winter months and sell directly to the railroads or indirectly 

 through tie jobbers. The source of material, therefore, is 

 largely woodlots, small scattered holdings or larger tracts 

 already cut over for saw logs. 



(c) As a result of condition (b) most of our ties are hewn. The 

 waste of raw material incurred in hewing ties is enormous. 

 It amounts annually to about 285,000,000 cu. ft. 



(d) Marked tendency to use treated ties, due to rise in price 

 values of durable woods and availability of cheaper and non- 

 durable woods which, when treated, give service equal or 

 superior to the untreated durable woods. 



1 During 1917. 

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