April 1902.] The Hardy Catalpa. 121 



From this it is apparent that there is a considerable range of varia- 

 tion in the cost of ties in track. While the yellow-pine ties cost the 

 Louisville & Nashville road only 35 cents in track, the same kind of 

 ties cost the Philadelphia & Reading 81^ cents apiece. The differ- 

 ence is seen to be due almost entirely to the primary cost of the ties 

 delivered at the distributing points 23 and 65 cents, respectively; 

 the cost of distributing and laying being nearly the same in both 

 cases. From the same table it will be seen that oak ties vary from 

 32 to 56 cents delivered, or from 40J to 71J cents in track. In view 

 of the disappearance of the white oak as a source of supply, the ques- 

 tion of substitutes becomes a vital one. It has been found that the 

 life of ties has been greatly lengthened by injection with various 

 chemicals. 



On page 5 of the report previously quoted, the subject of the 

 preservation of ties by chemical processes is discussed. 



"Creosoting is the standard mode of tie preservation in England. It is much 

 the best, but it is expensive. It costs there from twenty-five to sixty-five cents 

 a tie, in accordance with the quantity injected, and would cost still more in this 

 country, giving a life of from fifteen to twenty- seven years in the track. Ameri- 

 can roads can hardly afford to apply this process to ties, costing, untreated, about 

 one-third as much as the European ties, but may be contented with inferior 

 processes. These are chiefly 'burnettizing' and 'zinc-tannin,' giving a life of 

 from ten to fifteen years ; but there may be advantages to the ' zinc-creosote ' 

 process, worked in Germany since 1874, which there costs 19.2 to 20.4 for each 

 first-class tie, and it is said to give them a life of from twelve to eighteen years. 



" It is to be expected that, having made much the same class of mistakes as the 

 Europeans did in the beginning, i. e., imperfect work, for lack of knowledge, we 

 shall now gradually improve our practice and obtain better work than we have 

 done. There is nevertheless a marked economy obtained by the pioneer roads. 

 Let us take the Southern Pacific as an example. The untreated pine costs about 

 fifty cents each when laid in their track in their natural state, and last four years. 

 This produces a charge of twelve and one-half cents per year per tie; while 

 if, when treated, they cost, say, sixty-six cents each when laid in the track, and 

 last at least 8.25 years, they produce an annual economy of eight cents per tie. 

 The economy will vary on different roads; on some there will be none at all. 

 Some railways are able to obtain white oak ties costing forty-eight cents each in 

 the track, and lasting eight years, or six cents a year per tie ; while others obtain 

 cedar, cypress, or redwood, to cost, say, sixty-six cents each when laid, and last- 

 ing eleven years, thus again producing an annual charge of six cents per tie; but 

 on many roads the durable woods are so far exhausted that they must resort to 

 the inferior woods and treat them chemically to prolong their life. Each railway 

 must consider the problem for itself, and the present report can only report gen- 

 eral facts. The annual tie renewals vary greatly on different lines. Data recently 

 compiled by the Texas Association of Superintendents of Railways show that 

 the ties replaced on an average for nine years in that state run all the way from 

 160 a year per mile for cypress, thus indicating a life of sixteen years, on a line 

 6.7 miles long, to 555 a year for oak, or a life of about five years, on a line 192 

 miles long. The latter road pays twenty- five cents apiece at the distributing 



