Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1849-01-19
From he D,roi Free Pres.
Plank Roads.
DsrRoIr, March Is

DETROIT, March 10.
Dear Sir AT your request, ] have
thrown in form and herewith hand you a
somewhat loose description OF the manner
of building, cost, durability and beneficial
effects OF Plank Roads. Ia so doing re-
greet that have TO draw entirely upon mem
DRY or recollection for most of the data, but
from my practical experience in the matter,
| am in hopes that no material error will
be thu result Of the absence Of my home
memora nda.
The first thing to be done in the slruc-
ture Of plank road is TO grade the bed for
the plank in so doing nigh, well pre-
mise that there is not that urgent necessity
for attention TO leng,hwise grading which
TO the iheorist would seem Indispensable
1t would Of course be agreeable and some.
what desirable 10 the teamster or traveller
to have the road continuously level or near
ly so, but il is matter Of very great doubt
whether such road would be as good for
the horse as one rolling. Experience has
taught that so far as regards the drait, on ell
ovation Of one in ten feet. is overcome
without difficulty, when not over twenty TO
thirty rods in length, with as much OF road
as u.s. or so far has been drawn, on Plank
Roads while the expense of construction
is very much diminished by 6isregarding
the line grade, when the land dues not ex.
coed that degree Of elevation; and where
the elevations exceed that degree, with a
ravine between, narrow in width as is CON-
mon in your State, would recommend as
the most economical method, the bridging
Of the ravines and for another reason
would | recommend that plan your land
generally extends for greater distances lev.
ell or nearly, and by bridging these depress-
ions, you will be enabled 10 keep the road
way in them above the action Of the wa
ter, and at the same time by conducting
the side drains Of your roads into them,
get rid, through these natural sewers. OF
that water which would otherwise be a
source Of great trouble and expense.
Crosswise grading must Of course vary
and change in its character with the change
Of the surface Of the ground over aud con-
tiguous to which the road line passes hut
as general rule, the earth should not be
broken where il can be avoided except TO
get the trench for the stringer. The GEN.
ire Of the roadway being determined, the
outside edge Of the ditch on each side
should be marked off at a distance Of
fourteen feet from such centre; this width
on each side will Of course vary with the
necessity Of change in the size and width
Of the ditch the inside ditch lines should
be twenty feet apart. The roadway being
twenty feet wide, should be raised If not
naturally high enough so that the water
standing in or running through the bitches,
would be at least six inches below the dirt
surface of the road at all tines so Of course
I the height would necessarily change with
circumstances, but on an average the track
should be elevated above the natural sur
face eighteen inches. For the purpose o
eleyaiing the road bed, the earth from The
bitches can he thrown into il, and as usual
ly that would be the least expensive, thu
size Of the bitches would vary with the de
mand for earth on the track. When the
track is thus prepared, one s,r;nger shonl'
$ be let into trench, made generally by
r pillow, the necessary distance from the diicl
: on the side Of the road intended TO b.
o planked, say two feet, so that the top sur
i face Of the slringer is level with the sur
y face of the earth. Then by means OF
I level constructed with one leg longer thai
s. the other by two inches, such legs bein
E. 90 feet apart, the other stringer is la
two inches higher than the first: thes
stringers being embedded by carefully jan
/, ming the earth round them with the blad
~ =, Of a shovel. The earth should be grade
between them and outside to the width nee
essary TO receive the plank, great care b.
up ing taken TO have plain exactly even wit
- the top surface Of the siringers, and inclil
be ing 10 the ditch two inches from level
The plank are then laid on, and broUgl
in as close contact as may be with eac
other by dropping crow-bar in the cart
10. in front of each plank, and forcing II
se plank back by purchase against IFS edg
is The plank being thus laid, the earth {
IN the dirt side is brought up to the top Of Il
as. plank, and rolls off toward its ditch with
fall about four inches in the twelve fee
=. the shoulder on the ditch side of The plar
~ should be broueh, up just even with 4
top surface, and so wide as 10 avoid Z
Ns' earth being Carried away from the plan
j, but slightly incining so as 10 offer no @
siruclion TO the easy and rapid passage
mis- fallen water from the surface Of the roi
- Wherever necessary, sluces or culye
- should be built, so as 10 ensure as qul
! and perfect drainage as possible and
: il may be well here TO remark, that pla
th; road, to be well made and seryicable shot
'ity he thoroughly and efficiently drained, 9th
J Is wise the planks are lifted from their b,
uch the earth underneath becomes almost liq'
and BY the action Of the teams passing o.
pm is forced out, leaving hollows under
''"' plank, rendering the road unstable, a
causing lis wear 10 increase in three {
: proportion. Persons building these ro
-, cannot be too strongly impressed with
necessity Of so grading the plank Ut
that the plank when laid shall at oil poi
rest either upon The earth or stringers
The durability, beauty, and usefulness
ali the road, depend in great degree ~
land faithfully following out the above sugl
iage lions in reference both To drainage
and grading. | had almost forgotten to n
''Her lion the size and width Of the string
rms aud planks, for the reason that Their
sails now but one opinion or practice in reg
~ 10 the matter.
In the first instance. in Canada, pl
N roads we're made Of plank twenty-four
~ long, laid transyersely on FIVE siriDgers