ANNOUNCEMENT RELATIVE TO PHOTOGRAPHING THE CONVENTION.

The Secretary announced that the delegates would be photographed in a body at the works of the Short Electric Railway Company.

Mr. Wm. Richardson: I move that the paper presented by Mr. Baumhoff this morning be the subject for discussion at the proper time this evening.

The President: I think that will come up in the regular order. The discussion of the report of the last committee will be the first order of business at the evening session.

RECESS.

Mr. Perrine I move that the Convention take a recess until eight o'clock to-night. Carried.

LUNCH.

ACCOUNT OF LUNCH TENDERED BY THE SHORT ELECTRIC RAILWAY COMPANY.

The Short Electric Railway Company had issued, with its compliments, a card of invitation to all in attendance at the meeting, to visit their works and accept of the Company's hospitality in the form of a lunch.

Agreeably thereto, special cars were provided to the number of ten, and the weather being delightful, the party had a very pleasant ride to the Works over the Prospect street line of the East Cleveland R. R. Co. The cars used were six of the special cars on exhibition, supplemented by four from the East Cleveland Com

pany.

Upon arriving at the Works, the party first passed through the office of the Short Electric Railway Company, where they met the officers, and enjoyed the elegant floral decorations there. displayed, each gentleman receiving a boutonniere, while each lady was handed an artistically arranged box of bon-bons.

The works were then fully inspected, both those of the Short Electric Railway Company and the Brush Electric Company. The lunch was very thoroughly enjoyed, for there had been

sufficient exertion in the sight-seeing to stimulate the appetite, and the bountiful table that had been spread was a welcome sight. The table was replete with delicate and toothsome dishes that were enjoyed to the full.

Following the lunch the inspection of the works was continued, and the manufacture of the incandescent lamps by the Swan Lamp Manufacturing Company was found to be especially interesting. The party was photographed outside the works, and the cars were again boarded, and an interesting trip was made over several lines, past the Garfield Monument and through handsome residence streets to the Hotel.

Every one was highly pleased and heartily enjoyed the excursion and lunch that had been so ably planned and happily provided by our host, the Short Electric Railway Company.

MINUTES CONTINUED.

WEDNESDAY'S SESSION—EVENING.

The President called the meeting to order at 8 o'clock. The President: The business before the Association is the discussion of the report presented this morning by Mr. Baumhoff.

APPOINTMENT OF NOMINATING COMMITTEE AUTHORIZED.

Mr. Hardin H. Littell, of Buffalo Before making arrangements to discuss the report, I move that the President appoint a committee to consist of seven members, to nominate officers for the ensuing year, and to select a place for the next meeting.

Mr. Payne: Is that the customary way?

The President: Yes, sir.

Mr. Payne: I second the motion.

Mr. Littell I am told by the action taken this morning, the selection of the place of meeting had been left to the Executive Committee. I will withdraw that portion of the motion and make it simply for the nomination of the officers.

The President: At the last meeting of the Association the matter of selecting the place was left to the Executive Committee, and the Committee reported this morning that Milwaukee had been selected for the next meeting; and the motion, as I understand it, is for the nomination of officers. The motion was carried.

DISCUSSION FOLLOWING THE REPORT ON A MODEL

ELECTRIC STREET-RAILWAY ROADBED AND

UNDERGROUND WIRING.

Mr. Francis M. Eppley, of Orange: I should like to have the views of some of the old and experienced track builders in reference to the merits and demerits of the railway chair, as compared with the recent girder rail-nine or ten inch rail. I should like to hear from some of the gentlemen who have been laying the new rail, and who have also used the chair which has been in use for the past six or seven years.

REMARKS OF MR. HENRY C. PAYNE.

Mr. Henry C. Payne, of Milwaukee: While I do not know much about rail for railroad construction, not being familiar with that branch of the business, yet we have had that experience in our city. Up to within a year we used the girder rail on chairs; we have been operating about twenty miles of road over that rail. About a year ago we commenced to lay an eight inch rail spiked directly to the ties; the ties laid twenty inches apart between centres. The rail on the chairs has not proven satisfactory, and we are replacing it in some places. The other rail is very satisfactory, indeed. You can hardly tell where the joints are. It is in every respect entirely satisfactory. We feel that we have the best track in the world.

Mr. Richardson: What weight?

Mr. Payne: Eighty-eight pounds to the yard.

Mr. Richardson: As to the chair?

Mr. Payne I cannot give you any particulars about the chair; only that it was not satisfactory.

Mr. Richardson: What I meant to say was the weight of the rail used in connection with the chair.

Mr. Payne: I cannot give you any particulars about that. I am only speaking of the eighty-eight pound rail as the rail we are now using. It is eight inches high, and has taken the place of the other rail which was only down about two years, and has been to a great extent discarded.

Mr. Eppley Do you find that depth sufficient to pave?

Mr. Payne: We have no trouble with the paving blocks used in our city. They are Belgian blocks, and not quite as large as some I have seen?

Mr. Eppley You have no trouble on account of the rail being rigid?

Mr. Payne: No difficulty whatever.

REMARKS OF MR. HARDIN H. LITTELL.

Mr. Littell: I want to state for the benefit of the Association, that the road I am connected with has lately contracted for a large amount of rail-some twenty miles-with the privilege of increasing it ten more, and we are going to use a girder rail nine. inches deep, without chairs. The splice bars will be threequarters of an inch thick, and thirty-two inches long; twelve bolts one inch diameter. The rail weighs ninety-three pounds to the yard; we will use tie rods every five feet. The ties will be

five by seven inches, eight feet long, two and one-half feet apart. Mr. Richardson: Chestnut ?

Mr. Littell: No chestnut. We will use yellow pine or oak. My experience with chestnut ties is that they are not fit to put in the ground.

REMARKS OF MR. WILLIAM RICHARDSON.

Mr. William Richardson, of Brooklyn: I would very much. rather listen to gentlemen who have had experience in this question of track construction and track wear than to say anything myself, but I recognize there must be give as well as take in a convention of this kind, and that he who would have friends must show himself friendly, and if any of us has any information that may be of value to others we must consider it as common property. I felt especially gratified to-day, sir, to listen to the very thorough and carefully prepared paper of Mr. Baumhoff, of St. Louis, with reference to track laying. Perhaps I felt more pleased, in that it ministered to my own vanity, from the fact that I had, from my own observation and by getting the experience of others mainly on just those things which he mentioned as being especially important in the question of track construction, practiced most of the methods laid down by him.

The company of which I am President obtained from eleven to twelve miles of girder rail, known as section 85 of the Pennsylvania Steel Company. Perhaps different numbers by others, but about the same pattern, is gotten out by the Wharton Co., the Pennsylvania Steel Co., and the Johnson Company, in 70

pound side bearing rails. They are 6 inches in depth and 4 inches wide at the base, laid on chairs. As the substructure of this we used what we described in our specifications, and we held the contractors to it, most painfully, perhaps, in some cases, for ties of long leaf, untapped, Florida pine, free from sap or any other defects, five inches thick, nine inches wide, and seven feet long. We specified this, sir, and we got them in accordance with our specifications.

These were laid two feet six inches apart, from centre to centre, and under each joint of rail we laid a special support of about thirty-six inches in length, of forty-pound T rail reversed, properly supported by chairs. I thought at the time we laid it that we were going to have a track as nearly perfect as one could be built. We have not yet tried it, therefore we can only judge somewhat from the experience of others. We tried, however, to get something better when better was offered. We believe we have it. We are now laying a rail weighing 90 pounds to the yard, a girder rail nine inches in depth and five inches across the base. We lay it on the same kind and size of ties as I have described, with this addition, that at each rail joint we put in the same description of yellow pine tie of a larger size 6 inches thick, 12 inches wide and 7 feet long, all thoroughly tamped and laid as well, as regards solidity, as they can be laid.

Mr. Littell: I should like to inquire if the gentleman finds that he gets sufficient support for the rail by spiking directly to the tie; whether there is any difficulty in tamping the ties sufficiently to provide a good support for the track.

Mr. Richardson: In the first place our soil is good and solid, and as a rule we find no difficulty; in places where the soil may not be so favorable we shall try to get at it by putting in a solid bed of broken stone. At each joint of the rail we have side plates, twenty-six inches in length, three-quarters of an inch in thickness, supported by two rows, four each, of bolts. I think. the size is an inch and a quarter, or larger, thoroughly screwed up to their places.

One thing I am in doubt about, that was mentioned in the report; that was where the author of the report said that if laid in hot weather the joints may be placed closely together; if not, there must be a space.

Mr. Littell: There is nothing in that.

Mr. Richardson: I think, as the gentleman has just remarked,