75 



manner. Perhaps the most constant and serious drain on their part 

 is in connection with the demand tor cross- ties. For tliis use it is cus- 

 tomary to cut the smaller and rapidly growing trees, which results in a 

 wasteful consumption of the trees themselves and a great diminution 

 of the source of future supply 5 or else much valuable timber is left in 

 the woods, the tie cutter taking only such parts of trees as will most 

 easily yield him ties of the required size. 



The information collected with .respect to the railway mileage of this 

 region, and the amount and kinds of native timber used by the sev- 

 eral roads, is not sufficiently complete to warrant the presentation of 

 the same in tabular form, and is therefore embodied in the condensed 

 statements following. 



By the courtesy of Messrs. Poor, publishers of Poor's Manual of Eail- 

 roads, we are enabled to give, in advance of publication in the usual 

 way, the following estimate of the railroad mileage in the Eocky Mount- 

 ain region at the present time. In a letter received from them they say: 



From careful exaiuination of the data now in our office, our estimate is as follows 



It is possible that before the end of this year there will have been added to the 

 mileage of the six St ates and Territories named an additional 300 miles of new rail- 

 road, making the total increase for the year about 1,650 miles of railroad, to which 

 will be added at least 400 miles of sidings and other auxiliary tracks, or a total of 

 over 2,000 miles of track within the year. 



Assuming this estimate to be correct, there will be in the Eocky 

 Mountain region at the close of the year 1887, 10,008 miles of railroad 

 track. This would bring the demand upon the forests up to the present 

 time for construction to not less than 200,000,000 cubic feet, and the 

 annual demand for renewal and maintenance to 25,500,000 cubic feet. 



Union Pacific Railway. — Consumption of native timber. Statements from S. T. Smithy 

 general superintendent, Omaha. (Leugth of road in Colorado, 965 miles.) 



August 20, 1886. We have used during the last twelve months in Colorado about 

 200,000 cross- ties, about 5,000 posts, 2,700 cords of slabs for fuel purposes, and 1,500,000 

 feet of mountain pine for various purposes. 



February 1, 1887. Number of cross-ties and feet of dimension lumber used in the 

 year 1886 on the following divisions : 



New Mexico 

 Utah 



Montana . 

 Wyoming- 

 Colorado 



Idaho 



Miles. 



850 

 1,575 



850 

 3. 650 

 1,238 

 1,145 



State or Territory. 



Idaho 



9,180 

 41,844 

 355, 980 

 279, 827 



1,084, 827 

 401, 221 

 1, 800, 282 

 5, 164, 639 



Montana . . 

 Wyoming 

 Colorado . . 



Total 



686, 827 



8, 450, 969 



