New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1848-12-22
Plank Roads.

- ABOUT 70 De QUIZ i~tter rom fFOI
LEsPr author Of the Manual Of Road maktas) which
was read q, recent public meeting in Schenectady
and published IN the CobiHst contains much valuable
Information this important subject and from II
extract passages Of general interest in relation
this Improvement the most valuable aid 10 locOmOton
since the invention Of Railroads
ITO inland towns roa1s substitutes for navig gable
rivera The more widely they radiste Ia every rec
ton and the better their condition the greater will be
the consequent spery. Their comparative value
determined by the different weights which horse ran
draw upon them al any uniform speed or by the differ
speeds which be draw the same load. OF All
modes ~ improving their surface PLANK Roads are he
eiectua Al the smallest cost il we take the 0sd
drawn on n gravel road Is our standard Of com
parsOn. experiments show that on good broken
stone Macsdam road, horse draw Joar times IS
much and on smooth Plank road ,9h times as much.
OF fuics ss much as on good Nscsdam road
Plank roads therefore, enable hOrse b do more
than any other arrangement except Railroads But 10.
valuable ~ the latter the hurryng traveller the
ordinary roads on which every farmer can drive hs
own team when not needed for the farm iaoofs are IN
comparsbiy useful % the community AZ large
aud Of al such Plank roads arc the perfection. They
are the F5rm,r's Railroads.
MODE or CONsrRUcTIOS.-Tne best mode Of con
siructng them is briefly this Lay out the intended
line with great 10 avoid steep inc snstiOns never
ascending than foot in going thirty forty,
and winding many feet around rather than 90 up one
Grade the road bed vide enough FOR two wagon track
coming towards city. for teams generally come IN
heavy and 60 out light and this arrangement mskeshe
heavy keep the track and the light ones do al The
turning out Lay down nstwise two strngers, twelve
by three four feet apart center. imbed them
well in the earth across them, az right anges, lay
three inch hemiock plank eight feet long The length
and skewing methods OF laying them are now
abandoned Pack the esrth well up 10 them slopet the
earth track toward the bitches (which should be wide
and deep and your Plank road Ia made.
Many minor psnts must, however be attended o.
40. 10 rf.ur 81 rf.efQ nos
stringers should be- higher than the outer 10
carry the water OF freely They should be IN two
pieces. each ~ 3 so ss % break Joints The ends
Of the pauks should not be laid 20 line but project
few inches on each side alternately, so as - make
II easy for wheels 10 get on the track, and 10 avoid
forming rut alongside. They need not be fastened
down. but | would recommend spiking down. say.
every NTH tenth plank the being wei driven
home against these. The striDgers are now made
heavier than formerly and the plank lighter When hem
lock plank get down two inches the knots project
90 A. 70 make the road too rough ank b require
newal. Allow one inch more to hold them in aud w.
have three in hes thickness. HenOck Is generally
used ~ cheapest but pine mr. oak w0nld be better
single track will be sufficient for almost any amount
OF travel The turniues upon the earth road by the
side If il such varied points that its surface 80
made properly browning, will always remain ia good
condition 10000 teams passed over syracuse road
in two years averaging more Than 90 day snd Tor
three days IN succession zoo day passed over u and
AL this was on single track-
Cosr-Tbe cost OF the road viii of course vary with
the price of lumber Onthe plan recommended 10 Will
require l2 0O0 feet Of plank sud 1000 feet OF srngers
per mile in all say loe 00o feet board measure Ohrr
items OF cost the eveing the road bed and laying
the plank, which costs from 30 cents to - per roo
The excavations and embellishments necessary TO give
the road proper grades and the bridges and sluicei
cannot be estimated without the data of survey -
Omiitng these. also gate houses, will have the
following rough estimate Of cost per mile
Lumber l600O0 feet al 3 per $40
Lcveing and laying al l5c per rod 2iO
Engineering and superniendence -------------- 100
In al. .----. .-.-..-----.---.. 1850
Add for contingencies. 10 per cent ..---..--.. o.
Total -.......... ...-........ 81 q5-
Or say - O0O per mile with lumber Al - and onittn
cxtrs excavations and emb menis and gate house,
The difference of dollar per NJ in the price of lum
Der, makes difference Of slt0 per mile.
DURATIoN--As IN durability, seven years Tor hem
lock would be a safe estimate though our experience
10 Ms yet very limited One set OF stringers VIII ont
sst two or three coverings OF plank But 20 be pronia
ble the plank must hsye 90 much travel as 10 Nfcr
them out before they rot out The snd tear Of
the nrsi year equals thsi Of the following six, as
tough elastic coating OF woody hbres sc 10 form
ed and protects the plank from And the sooner
they wear ont the better for the will their cost
be thus repaid ON one rosd, the passage Of l60o00
teams the plank down but one .uch.
PEOFITs--Before hemlock plank have been worn
out they viii at the rate OF tolls established by the
general Plank road law from - 800 10 = OC0 per mile
above repairs aud expenses double their original
cost which they will thus reimburse and leave "A much
more for dividends which will OF course be more or
less large according as the wearing out and cOncOmi
tent earning IS done IN snOrer or longer time On the
syracuse and Central Square Plsnk road the toll. IN
miles, for two years ending last July were si2 40
the expenses of salaries and repairs Al 90 lcAv
ing sllsOo The pAnks hall worn out lone INCH
80 that their net prohts before renewal would ba
So. 800, for the eight miles. or - SO per mile.
AnyANTAGRS-ln Improvements OF this character 4
Is difficult TO say who gains the WORCESTERSHIRE II il
stakeholder, the farmer the city merchant the con
sumner of the produce brought IN. The frrm can bring
his potatoes, apples grain, pork wosd Sc TO market
- seasons when he would othe. wise be imprisoned az
hume by the state OF the road and could not there
sDrk 10 advantage Tie could al carry twice as heavy
load ~ ever before sud therefore 1t bait the former
ctst lie could therefore sell cheaper and yet make
lager pronts. The aorsume' would consequently ct
tie articles that b uses al lower prices WOOD Tor
example, would e. greatly lowered 10 cost by being
brought from distant forests inaccessible 70 Us 20
with other articles Every inhsbitsnt would therefore
be benet ID, for every enc must be warmed snd fed
The msIoAaH Will md his old country customers and
many new ones coming 1T al times and viii share their
larger profits 1hs sfookholaSr. beside his gains a.
member OF one o. these three classes OF producer er
chsnt consumer will IN addition receive his dividends
from tells il e one Of those basness transactions
by which Al the parties gain. w NJ GILLESPIE