70 



oakj a species of timber of which the bark was nsed. but the wood itself 

 left to rot, its value for railway ties not being known or api^reciated. 

 As a result of this circular, large numbers of ties have now been made 

 from this wood. Certain specifications for ties which have been pub- 

 lished name only the following varieties : 



Oaks of the various kinds, known as '' white, "' " black,"' '^ yellow," " rock," ''bun,'* 

 and " post *' (no red oak will be received), second-growth white chestnut, red beech, 

 red el.m, cherry, maple, butternut, tamarack, and yellow pine of the loug-leaved, 

 southern hard pine variety, cut from untapped trees and grown not north of South 

 Carolina. Hemlock may be accepted, but only under special contracts. 



But it has been suggested that red oak, black locust, and white and red 

 cedar might be added, and probably others, besides the chestnut oak 

 already referred to. This part of the question is important also in con- 

 nection with the third part, as the use of preservatives may enable 

 other kinds of timber to ke used. It is sometimes specified that there 

 is to be no sap-wood on the face of the ties, which excludes all ties cut 

 from such trees as give only one tie, often the best. With regard to cut- 

 ting, although over this the railway has often no control, except in the 

 case of new roads through timber country, there is undoubtedly much 

 timber wasted in high stumps and by careless felling, etc., which with 

 a little care might have been available for ties or lumber. In storing, 

 the ties are often stacked up in close piles, without any air-spaces be- 

 tween adjacent ties, and left till wanted, by which time many will prob- 

 ably be found, especially at the bottom of the pile, to be rotten and 

 useless. If they were thrown into a pond or brook, of course under 

 proper supervision, their life when put in the track would be longer 

 than if they had been stacked. Bridge timbers and other lumber should 

 also be properly cared for in storage. 



2. The more general use of iron., steely stone^ hriclc, concrete, etc., for 

 bridges, trestles, buildings, and other constrtiction loorTcs. — On this point 

 much need not be said. Iron and steel are becoming more and more 

 generally used for bridges and trestles, and many large and some small 

 stations are now built of masonry. There is, however, room for very 

 much greater economy yet to be j)racticed in the use of timber for rail- 

 way structures, and it will be practiced more as companies grasp the 

 idea that a heavy outlay iu the first place is often economical. This, of 

 course, api^lies only where the heavy first cost can be afforded ,• but it 

 applies extensively to wealthy corporations, which continue to spend 

 money and use timber iu building and repairing timber trestles, sheds, 

 wharves, etc., instead of laying out a good round sum ou permanent 

 works. In this respect much might be learned from European practice. 



3. The introduction of some efficient and economical preservative proc- 

 ess. — Numerous preservative processes have been experimented with 

 and large quantities of preserved ties, piles, and lumber used : but con- 

 sidering the enormous quantity of timber in use on the railways of this 

 country, the step towards ecouomy in this direction is a very insignifi- 



