116 



USE OF WOOD BY RAILROADS. 



EemarJcs upon the Icinds and qualities of timber used as ties, tJie time of 

 cutting, preserving processes, &c. 



[The numbers at the beginning of each paragraph, refer to the railroad aa numbered in the preceding 



table.] 



1. White and burr oak used, lasting 8 years. 



2. White and burr oak used, lasting 9 years. Experiments have been made with 

 cedar and catalpa, but no results yet obtained. Ties cut in the vrinter last a year 

 longer, and we add another year of life by peeling the bark. Used a creosoting i)ro- 

 cess for some hemlock ties, but it did not appear to make much difference. 



3. White-oak ties accounted best. They last 6 to 7 years. They are cut at all seasons, 

 but best from October to January. 



4. White oak and chestnut used, lasting about 7 years (with steel rails, which require 

 less changing of spikes than iron). The ties are cut at all seasons, and no observations 

 with respect to durability have been made. 



5. Chestnut ties will last about 8 years. They are mostly cut in the winter months, 

 and are better than when cut at other seasons. 



6. Ties chiefly white oak, chestnut-oak, and walnut ; mostly cut in winter. 



7. Ties made of ash, rock-elm, cottouwood, and red elm, lasting 5 years, except Cot- 

 tonwood, which lasts but 3 years. They are best when cut from Jauuary 1 to March 1. 



8. White and rock oak and chestnut are used for ties. The oak is superior in durabil- 

 ity, lasting 8 years ; chestnut, 7 years. They are cut in winter, but no comparison has 

 been made as to durability of ties cut at different seasons. 



9. Ties in use of oak and hemlock, lasting on an average 6 years. They are best 

 when cut in December and January, but no experiments have been made to test dura- 

 bility. 



10. White and burr oak principally used ; red oak and red elm to some extent. The 

 two former will last about 8 years; red oak, 4 to 5 years; and red elm, 6 to 7 years. 

 The ties are cut principally iu winter. Have begun to take off the bark before using. 



11. White oak used for ties, and found more durable if cut in January rather 

 than any other month, so far as observed. They decay soonest if cut in June, July, 

 or August. 



12. This company classifies the timber used for cross-ties as follows : 



First class. Second growth chestnut, white oak, burr oak, rock oak, yellow oak, 

 black locust, and mulberry. 



Second class. Butternut, cherry, red cedar, white cedar, yellow cedar, southern 

 cypress, black elm, rock maple, black oak, pitch pine, and black walnut. 



Third class. Black birch, first growth ; chestnut, northern cypress, red elm, white 

 hemlock, soft maple, red oak, tamarack, and yellow pine. 



In purchasing, they are classified according to size (6 by 8 or 6 by 7 inches), and as 

 sawed or hewn, and the bark oft" or on. They are all 10 feet long, the gauge of the road 

 being 6 feet. They cost according to locality, and grade from 25 to 75 cents. 



Average ntimler, pi-ice, and life of cross-ties used in (he track of the Erie Railway andiranches 

 amd season for cutting ties, as reported by the Division Superintend^ents, Ajiril, 1877. 



• Oak, 8 years; chestnut, 6 years. 



t This estimate is so large that it is not considered in making up the average. 



J Cherry and chestnut, 7 years; ash, 6 years. 



