The Democratic pioneer. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1845-1853, 1849-07-13

TO carry the water OH freely. 1hey
should be ID two pieces six BIZ saree 50
as TO break Joints. The ends Of the
prJect a few inches on each side alter,
nalely so as 10 maks it easy TO make it
easy for wheels 20 60 on the track, aud
to avoid forming rut alongside. They
need not be fastened down, but would
recommend splking down, say every ffth
or tenth, the rest being well driven home
against these. The strlngers are now
made heavier than formerly and the plank
lighter. When hemlock planbs get woro
down two inches, the knots project so as
to make the read too rough, aud to re
qHre renewal. Allow one inch more to
hold them in, and we have three inches
thickness. Hemlock is generally uscd
as cheapest, bat pine or oak would be
better.
A single track viii! be suficient for all
most any amount OF travel. The turu
inga out upon tho earth road by the sid e
Of il are al such varied points, that its
surface, # made property crowhing, will
always remain in good condition. l60,.
| 900 teams passed over a Syracuse road
III two years, averaging more than 200 a
day, and for three days in succession 7tO
a day passed over it, and all this was on
single track.
Cost - Tie coet of the road win of
course vary with the price Of lumber
On the plan recommended it will require
l2I000 feet of plank, and $500 feet OF
strngGrs per mile, In all say 100 600 f..
board measure. Other itdms of cost are
levslling the road.bed aud laying tie
plank, which cost from so cents to IS per
rod, The excavations and emb Is
grades, and The bridges and sluices can
not be estimated without the data of
survey. Omitting thess as also gate
houses, we will give the following ropgh
estimate Of cast per mile:
Lumber, 100 900 #, at 80 per M. $1,44o
Leyeliog and laying at IS cents
per rod 240
Eng gneering and supernteud-
ence 10O
81 ,G5s
Add for contingencies, 10 per cent It's
Total $l,95s
Or say $B2, 600 per mile, with lumber a
entertainments and gate houses The dit
ference of IS per NJ, 10 tie price of lum-
Der makes difference of s 100 per mile
Duration, As To durability, seven
years would be safe estimate, thongh
our experience is as yet very limited
One set of strlpgers wills out last t'"a
ar three coverings Of plank. But to be
profitable, the plank must have SO much
stravel as to wear them out before they
roiout. The wear and tear of the first
year equals that Of the following six, as
tough elastic coating Of woody iures
is soon formed, and protects the plank
from wear. And the sooner they wear
out the.oetter, for the sooner will their
cost bdt repaid On one road the pas.
sage of 100000 teams wore the plank but
one inch.
Profis. Before bemlock plank have
been worn out, they will earn 10 the
rate Of tolls established by the general
plank road law from s. 500 to $4,000 per
mile above repairs and expenses, or doub
le their original cost, which they will
thus reimburse, and leave as much more
for dividends, which will of course be
more or less large, according to the
wearing out or econcomttant earning is
done 10 shorter or longer time. On
the Syracuse and Central Square Piaak |
road, the tolls on eight miles for two
years, ending last July, were Sl2 ,00O;
the expenses of salaries aud repairs were
$3.50, leaving $l1,400. The planks
were half worn out Zone inch) SO that
their net profits before renewal would be
S., 500 for the eight miles, $3.50 per
mile.
.8dUaaiages. In improvements of this
character is difficult to say who gains
the mast-whether it is the stockholder,
the farmer, the city merchant, or the I
consumer of the produce brought in. The
farmer caa bring his potatoes, apples,
grain, pork, wood, Sc, to market at
seasons when he would otherwise be inns
prisoned at home by the state of the road |
and could not there work to advantage
lie could also carry twice as heavy |
load as ever before and therefore at half
the former cost. He could sell cheaper
and yet make higher profits. The con-
sumer would consequently get the ar
ticles that he uses at lower prices. Wood,