Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1833-09-13

the system. while common roads are the minute ranniica-
tons that in,igoratc every part Of the community.
Yours. respectfully. JOHN $. WILLIAMS.
ToJ. HARTMAN, Esq.
ANSWER TO THE AnovE)
ScoTTsvILLr, Aibemsrle. Aug. 9th, 1888.
Mr.. John g. YiHioms,
On. Sir: Yours Of tn. 9Th July has been rec. ived,
stating your having invented before ms and used the plan
OF wood in road making. But owing TO my absence i,om
home, have not had it in my power before to reply TO it.
u you have preceded me in a PATENT Tor the Improvement
embracing my plan, have nothing more to say on tina,
part oil the suhject-assuiiug you, however, that never
heard a word about the discovery until after I had depo-
sited a model aud specification in the Patent Office. Mr..
L. w. Viewer told me, in Baltimore, that a plan some hat
similar to mine had been proposed In Ohio. 1t is strange,
that i have found no one here who ever heard a word OF
such an invention. l feel assured, that under many cir
cun,sianccs. the plan will be useful. aud I have been using
every effort 20 Introduce il m this rrgion oil country; and
l ha''-r myself, my Efforts will he IN part successful: n,
least, upon a short piece OF road from our village but.
virginia. so Lost to every thing tina, mskes to her inter.
est, IA the shape OF Internsl Improvement. that we have
no tight TO expect any thing Tor halt a century TO come
bh' a continued retIog aiding and deprecisiion: A State,
,hongh twice AS old as Your Ohio, is vet no, half az lar adj.
vauced In any thing that makes her great or causes pros
perity. CoulI we but remove the curse under which we
are doomed 10 live, and get our dormant capital and en~r-
sies into action, We might again perhaps stand foremost in
rank-hut will this ever be! Too far of, I fear, for me to
see. l therefore write more particularly to know the re-
suit Of your eXPermnents-presuming you eau give facts.
from the length Of time since you introlue-d the plAn-ss
to cost, probable loss, and u,ihty-aud to know upon what
terms you will dispose Of the %ght-how much a mile, or
m what wsy-or what you would expect Tor a county, or
State right-or, have you moi sold any! Ii might suit my
convenience TO aid in the introluciicn and saIr OF The
right in Virginia, if il can be done al, all. . E =
should be pleased TO hear immediately from you on this
subject, that In my rounds l might collect information, aud
remove prejudice against the plan.
Yours. respectfully. JOHN HARTMAN.
After the receipt Of which. 1 wrote 10 the Patent Office
receiving il. I wrote to Mr.. Villains. in answer, dated 6h
August. from which the following are extracts:
C~INc!NNArI, (ohio) Aug. %, 1888.
My DEAR SIR; Your very aniable and truly inter.
esiing letter oil the 9th instant, is just received, after an alb.
sence OF some days. AS 10 my having preceded you in
the discovery, | have little question, and that ! can sub.
stantlate my right more than two years old know. l
have, however, never suffered a thought TO enter my
breast, that you have taken the idea from my discovery,
although a knowledge OF il was disseminated throughout
The O"'on: am an attentive reader OF "The Journal Of
the Franklin Institute" and know the same thing to be pa.
tented over and over. l will never allow myself to be so
suspicious, as TO believe evil intended in il.
i replied at some length 10 your piece published In the
Rail Road Journal.-I presume, my reply TO you is about
to be published, and that you will receive that az soon as
this: you Will see by that, that my specific alton covers the
whole ground. Let not this break any friendship between
US: hope we may act in concert. l believe you to be
just such a man as would like to have for the President
OF a Company, TO which | might be Engineer. We both
aim al the improvement OF the country, aud not al personal
aggrandizenent. AZ to experiments OF The lasfingness Of
wood, as to wear, they are encouraging; there are several
short ones belonging 10 manufactures here, which have
given the most satisfactory results. There is one upon
which a wheel runs TO propel a mill, aud from the calcu-
iation l made of the turns the wheel had made, since any
wear could he perceived, $40, 600 OF toll would have been
collected from an equal number Of passings Of q wagon
wheeI-We have laid none-we have heretofore en-
ployed all our means in Matchmaking. We are gradual.
ing, and preparing timber for 8 miles-have got nearly
hall prepared. The contract for hewing and saving
asnnder The four tracks, and delivering, not exceeding a
mile from the place where the trees grow, is nine cents
per foot OF road laid, or 2 l A per track, hewed and sawed
as per plate. Then, there is the Throwing or gullering-
the cross blocks and laying yet TO he accounted Tor. l
will keep you spprised of every information 1 acquire on
the subject. AS TO my mode of selling rights, i propose
to ask a certain price per mile, as the fairest way for all
parhes-ibe rates shall be such rs shall be no barrier 10
the Introducing Of il. As TO the price, i have thought
m tftla nf IL that mot h.inu . prin.ru nIt.,t. r;,I, 49,.
To those who 20 first into the experiment, or the frs, ex-
periments made, ii ought TO be low, and never to deter any
from introducing 1t. propose to collect further inforMa.
ton on the subject-have further illustrative engravings
made, as soon as our road is done and az, sir, | verify be-
Iieve your ideas original with you, OH that subject, he
pleased TO accept from me-, a general agency for the ex-
tension Of IL in the State OF Virginia, aud for your uou.
BILE, be pleased 10 accept Of one halt of the proceeds; I
shall leave the price per mile. entirely with yourself for
the present-just take from them, what may seem right
yourself. | make you. as far as respects Virginia, equally
interested with myself. II you will accept Of the agency,
will you be so good as 10 inform me, whether you will nc.
cePt an agency or partnership tor that state. or whether
you would be willing TO include any other States, in which
you could establish sub-sgencies? 1 will greatly enlarge
your sphere OF action, il you are willing TO accept OF il, or
Can attend TO IL.
l write upon the back of a prospectus for publishing a
practical treatise on laying out and constructing McAdam.
lied roads-togerher with general obseI yations upon
making and improving other roads, for the purpose Of
Introducing myself TO you more fully, aud for no other
purpose; and should you enquire, whether l ain going on
with the treatise, answer, that have not get received
sufficient encourag cement, but still continue to collect in
formation.
As to the curse OF which you speak, know what you
mean ] have seen its efecisi in North Carolina, my native
State, and in Kentucky-bu but. sir, you speak too de<pond-
ingiy Of Virginia. have ever looked upon her with y
kind OF reverence ! know she has produced the best men
of any country. She has always acted with what thought,
a noble and bigh-minded integrity. thought she appre.
ciaied talent more than any other 5 ate in the Union. I
have almost been tempted TO wish myself one OF her cii.
Zens.
BY This mail, | send you a trihe or two, in one or two
slmsnacks, which | have composed by way OF amusement,
while the direfUl scourge, the Cholera, rendered useless
my attention TO the two roads ] superintendent, by driving
the hands from the works-please TO accept of them
You will hear from me further on the track road, through
the columns Of the Rail Road Journal, il not Otherwise;
and hope you will not be backward yourself. | am willing
to lock arms with you IN This business.
send you also a universal traverse table" with Illus.
tfations anil explanations; they are very incep,ive. | shall
greatly enlarge upon, and systema'iset the Illustration, he
fore pmhIish. have sunpresseh the present edition. 1 can