Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 122, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 May 1915 — WOULD SERVE TWO PURPOSES [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

WOULD SERVE TWO PURPOSES

Claim That Btael Tla Will Prevent Wrecks and Help to Stop Depletion of the Forests. A steel railroad tie has recently been perfected which the inventor claims will do away with a large percentage of railroad wrecks. The new tie absolutely prevents rail spreading, the most frequent cause of wrecks, and on account of its peculiar surface it makes an excellent cattle guard also. For the same reason, human trespassers would have a difficult time following a railroad track on which these ties were used, and consequently the yearly death rate of 5,000 persona from that cause would be greatly diminished. Careful tests of the new ties on a railroad in Oklahoma show that they have wearing properties at least five times as great as wooden ties. No spikes are necessary, and for the reason that they are self-gauging, the working gang can be decreased to one-

half its usual size. In large quantities the steel ties represent a saving to the railroad of $320 per track mile. A strong argument in favor of the new tie is that the enormous depletion of the American forests could be checked to a large extent. —World’s Advance.

If the Claims of the Inventor Prove True, This Steel Tie Will Eliminate Railroad Wrecks Due to Defective Rails.