THE SPRAG INDUSTRY OF EASTERN 

 PENNSYLVANIA 



By JOHN L. STROBECK 

 Pennsylvania Department of Forestry 



IN this day of proper realization of A sprag is a cylindrical piece of hard- 

 the limit to which Nature bestows wood, twenty-one inches long and is 

 her bounty, and of the consequent pointed at both ends. Generally, speci- 

 conservation movement, any action fications call for a thickness of from 

 which tends toward the closer utilization two and one-fourth to three and one- 

 of Nature's products is a boon to the fourth inches. In certain mines, how- 

 conversationist. The fact that the ever, they require a somewhat more 

 fruits of the soil were exposed to the uniform size, namely three to three and 

 exploits of man in an unduly high- one-quarter inch diameter, 

 handed manner, and with the dis- Sprags are used in coal mines for the 

 cussion and agitation attendant thereto, purpose of checking the speed of the 

 left the impression that anything below small cars used therein. When it is 

 a par excellence quality comprised the necessary to check the speed of a car or 

 waste in our industries. Especially is train of cars, a sprag is thrown between 

 this true in the timber industry. two spokes of a wheel. When the wheel 



Business is a matter of dollars and has rotated so that the sprag strikes the 

 cents, and sometimes, a few accessories beam of the car, rotation of that wheel 

 thrown in. Where those dollars do not ceases entirely and the sprag has served 

 come to the surface, the business its purpose in that the momentum of the 

 becomes defunct. In the matter of car or train of cars is reduced. 

 Forestry, no progress has been made Upon a sprag depends the safety of a 

 with the practical man unless he is car or train of cars when running down 

 shown its results in figures. It is true a grade in a mine. The cars are not 

 that Forestry is applied in cases where equipped with "brakes" as ordinarily 

 other motives besides the desire to gain are found on cars above the surface, 

 money value is concerned. Also, there However, if a sprag breaks, it ordinarily, 

 are cases where it is practiced with no precipates no undue excitement, for the 

 particular end in view, but a man who train crew become, by experience, some- 

 looks for his living comforts to come from what expert in placing a sprag even when 

 his lumber industry will not install the the cars are moving rapidly. However, 

 practice of Forestry to his business if consuming companies generally, but not 

 it does not pay any more readily than he always, require sprags of certain speci- 

 will an unprofitable office device. fications so that no undue risk is 



But the fact that timber is being entailed by their use. A case where 



utilized as closely, in the judgment of unusually small sprags were used came 



the operator, as is permitted from a to the notice of the writer recently when 



financial standpoint must be admitted, in conversation with a mine "boss" 



However, in many cases, he lacks some- who remarked with some bitterness, 



what in judgment. In this particular it born of long usage of small sized sprags, 



is the intention to discuss in this article that "this much-talked of conversation 



an industry, though small in extent, yet has a grand basis on which to make a 



serves the purpose to show the extent to claim by eliminating the small sprags 



which timber in certain localitits is from usage and thus prevent the undue 



utilized and how it may be extended to waste, the breaking of the small-sized 



serve the purpose of closer utilization in sprags entails." 



other localities. Also, the species to which the making 



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