LOGGIITG IN THE DOUGLAS FIR REGION. 195 



are also used. In many cases ties 6 by 8 inches by 8 feet are used 

 on side tracks. A large percentage of the sawed ties used in logging 

 roads are culls. 



Common-carrier roads, in purchasing hewn ties in the region, gen- 

 erally demand that the ties shall be made of Douglas fir and be 

 peeled ; that they shall not be less than 8 feet nor more than 8 feet 2 

 inches long, with the ends sawed off square ; that they shall be hewn 

 on two sides, straight and true to an even thickness of 7 inches ; that 

 they shall not be less than 6 inches, nor more than 9 inches, wide at 

 the widest place on the face; that there shall not be less than 56 

 square, inches at the smallest cross section ; and that ties shall be 

 made from sound, live timber, "taken out of wind," and free from 

 splits, shakes, unsound knots, and score hacks. They will, however, 

 accept 10 per cent of No. 2 ties, which are similar in every respect to 

 No. 1 except that they may range from 7 feet 11 inches to 8 feet 3 

 inches in length and may be 50 square inches at the smallest cross 

 section. 



The specifications of hewn logging railroad crossties, here desig- 

 nated as No. 3 ties, sometimes provide that ties shall not be less than 

 7 feet 9 inches nor more than 8 feet 3 inches in length ; that they shall 

 not be less than 6^ inches in thickness; and that the width of the 

 face at the smallest end shall not be less than 6-| inches. 



In one case, a logging operator paid a contractor $0.23 per tie for 

 making and delivering No. 1 hewn ties along the right of way, the 

 contract providing that 10 per cent of the ties could be No. 2's. The 

 contractor was paid $0.19 for making and delivering No. 3's along 

 the right of way. The tie contractor sublet the contract, paying 

 $0.11 for No. 1 and No. 2 barked ties in the string. Where the ties 

 were hewn, barked, and sawed, the tie contractor paid $0.13 per tie. 

 The tie makers received $0,085 for No. 3 hewn ties in the string. 

 The ties had to be skidded an average distance of from 150 to 200 

 feet to the right of way. The contractors, as a rule, received about 

 $0.16 per unbarked logging-railroad tie; that is, for making the ties 

 and delivering them along the railroads. Ties used in the construc- 

 tion of logging railroads in the region are, as a rule, made of Douglas 

 fir and hemlock, preferably the former. The above cost does not 

 include the value of the stump age. 



The number of ties used per mile depends on the character of the 

 roadbed, the size of the rail, the weight of the locomotives used, 

 character of the ties used, etc. In the more or less permanent main 

 logging railroads, 16 ties per 30- foot rail, or 2,816 ties per mile, are 

 ordinarily used. Where the ties are small and inferior, 17 or 18 

 may be used per 30-foot rail. This latter is particularly applicable 

 to the spur lines. Sometimes 14 or 15 are used per 30-foot rail. 



