Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1849-01-25

| grain, pork, wood, &c. to market at sea
sons when he would otherwise be impris
oned at home by the state Of the road, ant
could not there work to advantage. HI
| could also carry twice as heavy load a!
ever before, and therefore at halfthe former
cost. He could therefore sell cheaper ant
yet make larger profits. The consumer
would consequently get the articles tina
he uses at lower prices. Wood, for ex'
ample, would be greatly lowered in cos
by being brought from distant forests now
inaccessible to us. So with other articles
Every inhabitant would therefore be ben
Gifted, for every one must be warmed ant
fed. The merchant will find his ole
country customers and many new one.
coming at all times, and will share theil
larger profits. The stockholder, beside hi:
gains as member of one of these three
classes of producer merchant or consumer
will in addition receive his dividends from
tolls. 1t is one Of those rare bushes.
transactions by which all the parties gain
w. NJ. GILLESPIE.
The following article chronicles some
improvements in the construction of these
roads, by which the expense is much les
sened. The article is by Geo. Gcddes
Civil Engineer Of the State Of New York
"1n case it is expected that usry grec
amount Of travel is TO pass over the road
two tracks, each eight feet wide, will be
required; but it is not probable that any
road coming into your town will require
more than one track; at any rate for more
than few miles out of town. 1t is diff
cult to persuade man who has not seen
the thing tried, that one track is entirely
sufficient, except III cases Of an ertraordi-
nary amount of travel; but it is so, and the
road out Of Salina has but one track, ex-
cept over places where proper earth could
not be obtained with which to make road
along side of the plank. Over the light
sand plains, where, in dry weather, wa
gon would cut into the sand, we laid two
tracks; but over clay or common earth,
we laid but one; and during the very rainy
autumn just past, our road has constantly
been in good order for teams to turn out.
In case there is so much travel that COM
mon earth cannot be kept in good order
for turning out-then the tolls paid by that
travel will compensate for the cost of the
second track; so that the interests of the
public and the owners meet, and the thing
will regulate itself. If the second track
is required, then its cost will be good
investment.
There is another particular in which
the public interests and the interests of the
owners 60 together-the tolls. The char
ter of the Salina road allows the directors
to regulate tolls within certain limits; in
summer we exact three fourths, and in
winter one hal! the sum allowed us from
vehicles drawn by two animals. tits our
interest to encourage such an amount of
travel as to insure the wearing out, rather
than the rotting out of our timber, and by
taxing the travel lightly, We increase the
amount.
The track is laid on one side of the road,
so that teams coming into town keep it,
and teams going out yield it in passing
The tonnage being chiefly in one direction,
it is generally the unloaded that have to
do all the turning out.
AS to the cost OF such a road, will an
swer you by giving you copy of my es-
Innate of the Salina road, which very con-
siderably exceeded the actual cost. 1t is
proper to inform you that this road was
made upon the bed of an old road, filled in
many places with stone and logs. The
right Of way cost us nothing. The esti-
mate was for plank three or four inche $
thick. Where we laid two tracks, we laid
one of them with three inch plank, but the
mainstrack was four inches thick. II is
economy to use thick plank if the travel
is sufficient to ,rear out the road, but if it
is to rot before it is worn out, then Of course
thin plank should be used. The Canada
roads are generally three inches thick, and
are made Of pine, and last about eight years.
Estimate Of the cost Of single track
plank road, eight feet wide, for one mile:
Stills in. by inches. 14,0O0 n. board meas.
6 II. width Of plank in. thick, 126,1sO"