\ OF ALL A 'li.iili < ritii.in '
WO of the greatest industries in the
world are railway building and the
preparation of hides and skins into
leather. For the former the sloop-
era ou which the rails are laid are
essential and coatly factors ; for the
latter nothing can take the place
of some vegetable extract which la
the tanning substance of the trade.
Sleepers cau bo made of glass and
metal , but thcso do not give the
satisfaction of those made of wood.
The oak and the hemlock have for
ages supplied tannin by which
leather is cured ; in fact , the very word , tann implies
by its derivation Its relation to the oak , by which
name the tree was called In old Breton language.
Railway sleepers have been made' froni the oak , but
tho-expenso grows higher year by year. No wonder ,
therefore , that the earth in scoured for trees to fur
nish either the one or the other or both of the sub
stances , and no wonder also that manufacturers and
builders hailed with delight the announcement a few
years ago of the availability for both purposes of the
South American tree called "Quebracho. "
Quebracho is a contraction of the colloquial Span
ish and Portuguese term qulebra-hacha , originally
applied to many trees In Latin America. It means
"ax breaker , " and the character Is implied in this
meaning. The wood is hard , flno grained , and tough
and had been used by the natives for ages in their
primitive construction work. Of recent years , however -
over , quebracho is restricted In the arts and Indus
tries to a particular tree found only In South Amer
ica , and even here only within broad Hints of the
drainage basin of the River Parana. In Cuba there
is a "quebracho , " so-called locally , which Is a mem
ber of the Copaiba family. In Chile a quebracho Is
rather of the Cassia lamily. and probably in other
parts of Latin America the name Is indiscriminately
given to any hard wood that has tested the metal of
the native's ax. No such Indefinite use of the word ,
however , can be permitted toJay , because the tree of
Of A
QL/JE&RACHQ EXTRACT
FACTORY o o
A SAWMIL & TWJt "WE WACO"
AMD C/VMZAT/OJi
the South American Chaco has become so commer
cially important that it must be understood to signi
fy only that one tree and nothing else.
The genuine quebracho tree is found In Brazil ,
Paraguay , and the Argentine Republic. There are
two important varieties and a third has been dis
tinguished , althoucu It has no creat significance
botanlcally or value commercially. Locally and In
the trade the names given are Quebracho Colorado
( red ) , and Quebracho bianco ( white ) . Quebracho
Colorado has the scientific designation of Lox-
opterygium lorentzll , and belongs to the order of
Atmcardlaclao. This Is the particular tree from
which both the sleepers and the better quality of
tanning extract are derived. The other , Quebra
cho bianco , is neither so straight nor so service
able as the red variety , but IH nevertheless of
definite commercial value , as it furnishes some
tanning extract and the logs can be used for
fence posts and axles. From It Is taken also a
drug extensively used for bronchial diseases ; In
fact , as a plant It was studied for this purpose
long before Us other advantages were exploited.
The scientific name IB Aspldosperma quebracho.
Railways must have sleepers on which to lay
their rails. In some instances wooden ones are
imported at great expense , or substitutes there
for are used if climatic conditions are favorable.
As a rule , however , it is preferred to take sup
plies from native timber whenever procurable.
This was the case In the Argentine Republic when
railway building away from the coast had begun ,
and no more fitting wood could bo discovered than
that recommended by the natives , both by the
name and by the experience of those who had
used it. The quebracho wood proved by far the
most serviceable for sleepers on South American
railways , and its reputation grow so steadily that
today many miles of European rails are supported
by sleepers brought from the River Plato.
In one respect quebracho resembles rather ma
hogany than oak or pine. The trees do not grow
in clumps or groves , but are dispersed through the
forests and the less dense woods , singly . or lii
groups seldom more than four or live to the acre.
The tree itself is tall , about two or three feet in
diameter , and is crowned by a rather thin , oval ,
or V-shaped , mass of blanches and leaves. The
white quebracho Is somewhat smaller than the
red , and begins to branch lower to the ground , so
that it Is not hard to distinguish them from each
other. The leaves are oval , or lance shaped ,
smooth , eomowhat shining and leathery ; they do
not fall completely in the winter , but cling to the
branches In company with the fruit. The tree
seems to thrive best on a sandy soil , where the at
mospheric moisture is not very great , but where
abundant water is provided for the roots , either
by dews or sufficient rain. It is neither a moun
tain nor a river growth , but lives best In the sub
tropical stretches between water courses. Al
though the age of the tree has been given as
measured by hundreds of years , It Is well enough
established that at ten years from planting the
first small shrubs are big enough to use for posts.
The future promises , therefore , an opportunity
for the actual cultivation of quebracho , because ,
although savage Inroads have been made Into the
supposedly Inexhaustible forests of the Chaco , it
Is not too late to restrict the cutting of the tree ,
or oven to adopt modern forestry methods of
planting and conservation for the supply of coming -
- ing generations. In fact , the Argentine Republic
has already passed suitable laws in this direction ,
and It is moro than probable that under the wise
.dminlstraUoa of that government there will bo
developed an arboricultural industry to proceed
hand in hand with the preparation of quebracho
posts for fences and construction work , sleepers
for railways , and of tanning extract , the three
Industries for which this unique tree is at present
utilized.
"RolHzos" Is the Spanish word commonly em
ployed In the trade for the rough and untrlmmed
logs ( which the word means ) , from which only
the bark has been removed. They are still sup
plied by smaller camps from dwarfed under
growth not great enough for other purposes than
posts , beams , cabin pillars , or cart axles. When
the forest was first Invaded those logs were the
only product brought out of it , and the stories told
of the primitive methods adopted by the natives
for transport carry ono back before the days of
steam and machinery. A popular way of loading
the logs was to lay them on the ground on ropes ;
then the animals were unharnessed and the cart
was tilted bodily upsldo down over the logs ;
these were then made fTtsl to the body of the cart ,
after wh'lch maneuver fl was brought back to Us
normal position. Of course only two-wheeled carts
were used. As soon as modern methods were in
troduced , and better carts or wagons became
known , these primitive and cumbersome habits
disappeared , although in the far interior even to
day rolllzos are still brought to market in this
manner. "Durmlentes , " according to the Spanish ,
or sleepers , In the English Idiom , nro probably the
most important product of the quebracho of the
Argentine Republic.
The Industry of making sleepers has assumed
huge proportions. The dlfllcultles of former days
have been largely overcome by the introduction
of modern machinery , especially saws , and some
of the mills many miles distant from any main
railway are equipped and organized in a manner
which would reflect credit on any similar plant In
the United States , Special saws are needed to
penetrate the wood , but they are furnished from
the factories of England , France , and America.
This mill business is carried on by many com
panies , although the tendency Is to concentrate
the management Into fewer but larger organiza
tions. Ono company owns a tract of land of about
4,000,000 acres , and is prepared to cut timber ,
fashion It into logs and sleepers , prepare tanning
extract , and utilize every other resource which the
land provides. Another company can turn out
20,000 to 30,000 sleepers n week. This number , however -
over , can by no means meet the steady demand
for railway building which is characteristic of this
portion of South America , Sleepers are laid at
about an Interval of two feet fiom center to cen
ter. Assuming , therefore , only 2,000 sleepers for
every mile , it will be seen that 30,000 are enough
for only 15 miles. A year's supply at fullest capac
ity will consequently build only 750 miles of rail
way. But the Argentine Republic , Uruguay , Chllo
and Bolivia , nil contiguous to the Chaco , are con
structing moro than this mileage , so that it is
easy to see that every sleeper tinned out from
modern mills cau at once mid a local market.
These sleepers are now. finished at the mill , and
the mill is situated nt the spot in the forest Itself
most convenient for carrying on the process.
Quebracho extract prepared for tanning skins
and hides into leather is , however ,
the most serviceable product of
the tree. All the timber com
panies are adjusting their plants
so as to utilize the wood , either
in Us entire output , or in that
portion not reserved for posts and sleepers , for
this extract. In Paraguay and areas in the Chaco
remote from good roads , so that the cost of sup
plying timber is excessive , every particle of the
wood Is turned Into extract , because the demand
is usually in advance of the supply , and it Is there
fore moro prolitablo to manufacture the moro
concentrated article , which can be easier and moro
economically carried to market.
One feature of quebracho , In which it Is su
perior to other sources of supply , is that the bark ,
the sapwood , and the whole of the central part
of the tree produce the extract In considerable
quantities. The bark contains 0 to 8 per cent , of
tannin , the sap 3 to 5 per cent. , and the heart 20
to 25 per cent. As the heart represents two-thirds
and often three-fourths of the total quantity of
wood , the amount of tannin in the Quebracho Colorado
rado Is seen to be considerable. It is merely a
chemical question whether this tanning material
Is equal or inferior to that from the oak , but later
methods of preparation point to a full justification
of the claim that the leather from quebracho extract -
tract grades up to that resulting from any other
tanning substance. So serviceable is It , however ,
that since its discovery , the tanning Industry of
the Argentine Republic has made noticeable ad
vance , because , with both hides and extract as
great natural products of the country , the govern
ment Is making every effort to foster the leather
Industry within its own border.
"Quebracho extract , " as It is called In the trade
is easily manufactured when the machinery is
once Installed. All the wood Is passed through
a machine that cuts it into shavings or the small
est possible chips. , It Is then collected into im
mense kettles , In which it is treated by chemical
processes until all the tannlri Is removed ; after
this the fluid preparation is reduced by evapora
tion to a thick , jelly-like mass , which is poured
Into sacks , where it is finally dried into the sub
stance sold in commerce.
The difficulty of gathering the raw material far
outweighs the preparation of the finished article ,
especially a s the extract Is no longer to be con-
B.ldered a by-product , but is coming to have more
Importance and value than posts and sleepers. In
Paraguay particularly , where all the wood is util
ized for extract , the hardest part of the business
lies in gathering wood for the factory. The trees
are cut in the heart of the virgin forest and
hauled by ox teams to the nearest clearing. Only
native Indians have proven themselves suitable
for the work , as they are thoroughly acclimated ,
understand the wilderness , and can withstand the
plague of Insects which make Ufa at night mis
erable for the foreigner ; and exposure for nights
as well as days Is unavoidable , because the cut
ting stations are usually remote from any settle
ment.
In 1803 the first real exportation of quebracho
extract from the River Plato was recorded. The
increase has been rapid from 400 tons In the Hrst
year to 0,000 tons in 1902 , 120,504 tons in the next
live years , and 28,105 toils In 1007. Of this quan
tity the United States received 17,733 tons , or al
most G5 per cent.
NEBRASKA IN BRIEF.
News Notes of Interest From Various
Sections.
A now bank has been organlzcd nt
Wymore.
The new ? 1G,000 Methodist church
at Wymoro Is about completed.
The livery barn of W. W. Graham
Belcgrnde , was destroyed by lire.
Lightning killed three head of
.cattlo for n farmer In Pawnee county.
Over SOO pioneers and settlers at
tended the picnic of the pioneers of
Ouster county.
The school census of Nebraska
City shows 1,748 children as against
1,641 last year.
The corner stone of the proposed
now Presbyterian church at Heaver
City has been laid.
Leo Allison , living near Union ,
Cflss county , Is In a critical condition
from the kick of a horse.
While digging In the sewer ditches
at Ilartlngton E. L. Fleming , laborer
was Instantly killed by a cave-In.
Mrs. Kleanor Homo , widow of
Colonel O. Homo and a resident of
Syracuse for over twenty years , died
last week.
Thci ten-year-old son of B. a. Chap
man died from blood poisoning su
perinduced by an accident on the
Fourth of July.
Win. Swain , a civil war veteran , Is
in the hospital at Beatrice suffering
from bruises Inflicted by his daugh
ter. The latter Is mentally unbal
anced.
J. W. Armstrong , perhaps one of
the oldest men In that part of the
state , celebrated his ninety-first
birthday anniversary nt Nebraska
City.
Joy riders ran down n boy nlno
years of age , Gainer Ilubbell of
Waterloo , who was tliKown thirty-five
feet , and Ills skull fractured. He will
probably die.
Mrs. John Scluucckpepor , n widow
woman living four miles northeast of
Hloorullelil , had eight head of horses
killed by lightning. The barn and all
Its contents wore also burned.
John Downs , aged 3G years , an em
ploye of the Ntlonal Roofing com
pany of Omaha , missed his fotlng
Mid fell from the roof of the Union
Pacific shops in Grand Island , receiv
ing fatal Injuries.
Finnic F.UIO was hound over to dis
trict court of Adams county for trial
on the charge of killing Roy Hodges.
Lin shot Hodges three times during
a quarrel over a trilling mutter on
July It and Hodges died on July 8.
in a runaway at Nebraska City ,
caused by a heavy team becoming
frightened by an automobile , ono of
the line horses was caught on a
heavy Iron hitching post , which ran
him through , and ho had to he killed.
A new bank was organized at' Wy
more by F. M. High of North Loup ,
Neb. , and Sherman Taylor of Wymore.
The Institution is capitalized for
$35,000 and will operate under the
name of the Farmers' and Merchants'
bank. ,1
The first Presbyterian church of
Craig has extended a call to Rev. C.
M" . Jnnkln to become pastor of their
chin eli. Rev. Mr. Junkln has been
dividing hlfi tlmn between Bancroft
and Craig , but residing in the former
place.
The Missouri Pacific passenger
train , south bound , was wrecked
four miles north of Manley. The en
gine and three coaches were derail
ed and the track torn up for 100
yards , caused by the spreading of
rails.
Benjamin Austin , a well known
farmer who lives west of Tccumseh ,
was taken to the Lincoln asylum for
Insane for treatment. Mr. Austin be
came overheated In the field and be
came mentally deranged , in fact ,
violent.
Word was received at Red Cloud
that Elmer Knley had committed
suicide on his ranch In Idaho. No
reason for the act can be given as
lie was in good circumstances and had
no serious troubles. He was born
and brought up at Red Cloud.
A total of 138 automobiles In
Seward county on April 1 , was
valued at $73,835. Two thousand ,
one hundred and sixty-five dogs are
valued by the county nssesor at
$11,250.
Victor 13. Wilson of Stromsburg ,
Polk county's representative In the
last legislature , has decided to be
come a candidate for the nomination
of state railway commissioner on the
democratic and peoples' Independent
ticket at the coming primaries.
Four days after he had left Dodge ,
where ho had been working on a
farm , Joseph Kyslko was.arrested In
New York city charged with the
murder of a hotel clerk who refused
to Insert a nickel In a music box nl
his request. Kyslko had saved up
money while working near Dodge to
go back to the old country. He wen !
to the Farmers' State bank ant'
ordered a steamship ticket to Europe
When the ticket arrived lie decliled
ho did not want to go by that route
and acted ugly when the ngunt de
manded his commission on the trans
action. Ho paid It , however , and left
for the cast , only to get Into serious
trouble.
The body df a murdered man was
found half burled In some straw
back of a shed near the Union Pacific
depot nt Lincoln. As the Inside of
-tho shed was blood bespattered , It Is
the supposition he was killed In a
fight and then the body carried out
side and covered.
Not In years has the crop prospects
in Stnnton county been so good us
at the piesont time. Corn Is looking
extra fine , while the acreage Is 20
per cent larger than last year. The
lack of rain In May and June will
decrease the hay crop about one-
third.
She Lives In Dlngvlllo.
A south Missouri paper ( a carrying
this ad , : "Attractive woman , not u day
over thirty , would bo pleased to correspond
spend with ullglblo man. Not abso
lutely necessary that ho should bo
young. Would prefer ono with prop
erty , but ono with a good paying posi
tion would bo satisfactory. The young
lady la of medium height , hax brown
hair and gray eyes , not fut , although ,
most decidedly , nho Is not skinny.
Her friends Hay nho IH n duo looking
woman. Object matrimony , Reason
for this advertisement , the young
woman lives In n llttlo dinky town ,
where the best catchon uro the boya
johtml the counters in the dry goods
and clothing stores , and ovcry QUO of
horn is spoken for by the Uuio ho
s out of bin short pantn. Address
Hanoi Eyoo , Box 23 , IHugvlllu. Mo.-
Canaan City star.
SOFT , WHITE HANDS
May De Obtained In Ono Night.
For preserving the hands aa well
an for preventing redness , roughness ,
and chapping , and Imparting that velvety -
voty Boftnons and whiteness much do- *
elrod by women Cutlcura Soap , nsslst-i
cd by Cutlcura Ointment , In believed ,
.o bo superior to nil other skin soapa (
for those who work In corroslvu
Iqulds , or at occupations which tend
to Injure tho'handa , it la Invaluable.
Treatment Bathe and soak the
hands on retiring In n strong , hot.
creamy lather of Cutlcura Soap. Drr
and anoint freely with Cutlcurn Glut-
ntont , and in severe cases spread tht\
Cutlcuni Ointment on thin plocoa oC
old linen or cotton. Wear during the
night old , loose gloves , or a light ban
dage of old cotton or linen to protect
the clothing from slain. For rod ,
rough , and chapped hands , dry. QH-
aurod , Itching , feverish palms , and
shapeless nalla with painful linger
ends , this treatment la most offectlvH.
Cutlcura Remedies nro sold through
out the world. Potter Drur : & Chotii.
Corp. , solo proprlotora , Boston , Masa.
VISIONARY.
Jlggnon If a man could only Hull
coal at the north polo or ice in hodcm !
Wlggson But that's out of the ques
tion.
Juggson I know ; but , goo ! juot
think of the prices ho could got !
Novelty.
"I ( bought you told mo you had
something original in this libretto , "
said the nmnngnr , scornfully. "Hero
at the very outset you have a. lot of
merry villagers singing , 'Wo are hap
py and gay ! ' "
"You don't catch the Idea at all , "
replied the pool , wearily. "Th 'g' Irt
soft. It should bo pronounced 'happy
and jay. ' "
Awfully Busy.
Jim A stitch In time saves nlno.
Tom Who said that ?
Jim Gee ! Ain't you read your
Bible ?
Tom Nope ; I nln't even hul tlmo
to read the sporting page thhi mornIng -
Ing yot. Cleveland louder.
HARD TO PLEASE
Regarding the Morning Cup.
"Oh how hard It was to part wltu
coffee , but the continued trouble with
constipation and belching was such
that I finally brought myself to leava
it off.
"Then the question was , what should
wo use for the morning drink ? Tea
was worse for us than coffee ; choco
late and cocoa were soon tired of ;
milk was not liked very well , and hot
water we could not endure.
"About two years ago we sfruclc
upon Postum and have never been
without it since.
"Wo have seven children. Our baby
now eighteen months old would not
toke milk , so wo tried Postum and
found she liked It and It agreed with
Her perfectly. She Is today , and luia
been , one of the healthiest babies la
the State.
"I use about two-thirds Postum and
one-third milk and a teaspoon of sugar ,
and put It Into her bottle. If you coultl
have seen her eyes sparkle and hear
her say "good" today when 1 gave it
to her , you would believe mo that
she likes It.
"If I was" matron of an Infants'
homo , every child would bo raised on
Postum. Many of my friends say.
'You are looking so well ! ' 1 reply. * I
am well : I drink Postum. I have no
more trouble with constipation , and
know that I owe my good health to _
God and Postum. '
"I am writing this letter because I
want to tell you how much good
Postum has done us , but If you know
how I bhrlnk from publicity , you
would not publish this letter , at least
not over my name. "
Read the little book , "The Road to
Wollvllle."in pkga. "There's a Reason. "
Ever reml < lif nbove IMtwrT A. nevr
one npprnm from ( line < o HUMS Tlier
are Keuulnp , true , mid full of hutuua
lull-rent.
