LOGGING 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 stumpage. 
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. 
