Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1849-06-25

e. e Ii Ia
hemlock plank and if they are any thicker, it isl
lat useless expense. Stringers four inches sQuare|
lwere used ON the Syracuse road. Experience has
shown that more strength should be given to theI
stringers and that they should be laid five feet|
apart from outside to outside, so that the wheels
may pass as near as may be directly over them
lit the plank are but three inches thick the string
|ers should be foot wide and three inches thick i
Ito give strength to the road in the direction of its
length. The stringers beingtwelve inches wide,
here will be but three feet OF space between hem
i and the weight of the horse as well as the wag-
on will pass over them. If the stringers are laid
1 pear the ends of the plank the plank will spring
aln the middle, and by the ends being heldup they
Twill become bent down, thus making a depres-
asion i'll the middle of the track. If the sringers
smeet at the ends, without any lap or any thing to
splice the Joint, they settle, and gradually be-
4 eome bent down at the places of their meeting,
4 70 avoid this, the stringers should be made 81
Two pieces each piece SIX inches wide and three
anches thick and laid side by side, so that here
he ends OF one set OF sticks meet each other they
3will be in the middle OF the stick by the side Of
alhem, thus breaking joints. This could not b.
4 lone without having the stringere sawed in two
apieces.
( In Canada il has been found that the stfingers
sbeing excluded from the air. do not decay as
Mast as the plank, and that two coverings of plank
jcan be rsed upon one set OF sringers. Thus ii
Ms economy to strengthen the road by strong
astlingers rather than by thick plank.
The great difficulty with plank roads is te
keep the water from floating the plank The
rain falling upon the top of The road, unless tn,
! water is allowed TO run off freely, will pas
d trough the cracks between the plank and then
rs the earth is banked up to the top OF the planl
Hlt both ends, thewater cannot escape unless thu
Hsoi is SO loose as to allow it to settle dow
athrough it. The effect of the passing of tn,
aIoads over the road is to press the timber lpol
q he EARTH and very soon il becomes packed yer,
shard and if any water is allowed to get unde
sthe plank, great injury artists from it, for it i
Hare that it will diam away before the teams tina
pass over the road will cause it to fly up between
dthe plank, and bril- & with it fine particles o
aearth, and deposite them on the top of the road
ssSand thus excayate cavity under the plank
athen the loads will spring the plank down, nn
I Tess the stringers are strong enough ard nea
,aenough together to hold every thing up. When
! lever the plank are allowed to become loose AM
{ moveurider the loads, they 60 to pieces wit
aI3great rapidly This is shown most fully upo
athe Syracuse}plank road. In such places as tn
|aawater has settled under the plank and hoate
sthem, they are nearly destroyed, while in thos
aparts OF the road that the water has been keE
from under the plank, they are comparativel
abut little worn.
y In single ack road the plank should b
Eight feet lorg, and should be laid on one side c
Sthe centre of the road and they should be O
q hat side of the road that is used most by til
|aIoaded teams. The ends OF the plank that are i
q he centre of the road should be three inehe
3hlgher than the ends Of the plank next the diicl
No that the water may run freely off from tn
Acenter Of the road towards the ditch. The cart
ssshould come up to the top of the plank at tn
Saardss, 50 that the teams may pass on and OF
afreely, and the ends of the plank should be al
Bowed to project, once in two or three feet by tn
ageneral line, two or threeinches. that the wheel
amay the more easily rise on the top of the plan
Hin case rut should be made at the ends. Th
aearth should fall off at the rate of three niche
Ato the foot from the ends of the plank toward
}lhe ditch which should be at least one foot lowe
4 han the top of heplank. The other side of tn
Acentre Of the road there must be a good cart
#track, tenor twelve feet in width, for hlrnin,
sout upon. This track should descend from tn
lends of theplauk in the centre of the road at tn
Arate of nine inches i'll twelve feet, so that tn
awater that falls upon the earth road shall not rul
saoyer the plank.
Plank roads are more easily drained when the
I run over and undulating country than when the,
run over a;level, and hills are less oblectionabl
Hon plank roads than they are on any other road
SThe plank makes better surface than any othe
%thirg that has been tried, and the power require
Ito draw load up a hill is less onplank than
;'Hais On gravel or broken stone.
a A single track will generally be sufficient 70
.athe business The Syracuse road has but sin
agle track, except where the soil is SO sandy tina
Athe wheels would.sink deep into it, and for
asshort distance i'll the town, ard it rs computes
athat over 100000 teams have passed over tn
Height miles next to the city within two years
SFor three days in succession the passage of team
ssat the first gate have equalled one in two min
T utes for the whole twenty -four hours, and thi
! Twas done upon a single track. The cases are fey
Awhere one plank track will not be sufficient
accommodate the travel, if the earth road alon
athe side is carefully kept in order. The frs
aroads that were constructed in Canada We're mad
awide, but latterly no plank more than eight fee
Hong are laid there, except i'll villages and cities
s The quantity of lumber required for 'singl
5track of three inck plank, eight feet long; an
lasringers three inches by twelve, will be for on
samile 1876 720 feet of plank, board measure, an
a31. $50 feet of stringer-in all 1853. 400 feet.
n The cost for laying single track will var
3sfrom fifty cents to one dollar rod, as the soil
1easy or hard to work. This will cover the ne
acessary cost of grading up the ends Of the plank
,aasand making the track to turn out upon, and tn
Unnecessary bitches where gil old roadway is uscC
lWhen the bed is to be formed, the cost of ii
4 Information must be added. Ifhil1s are TO be Gu
Adown and valleys filled up, and forest to be CT
land grabbed out of the way, the cost OF doing S
l Unjust be calculated upon as additional to the sun
a3named for laying the road.
n
q SHENANDOAH BOATING.