The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1849-09-05
Cotton.
Marleston.-Prices from Z 3-4 to
8 1-2 cents per pound.
Plank Roads.

We have already called the attention Of the
South to the value ef Plank Roads rs conncc-
ting links between towns and villages where
the travel would not warrant the moro costly
project Of Railroads, and we are pleased to
see that tho public mind has been aroused
and that projects are rife in various portions of
the State for their erection. In a section o!
country like our own, SO full Of majestic for
csts, where tho land is generally level, they
can be made cheaper than in any other state
in the Union. Railroads of timber wsrc lonr
in use in Russia before iron was substituted.
and they have been successfully introduced
into Canada, where there are 500 miles of
them constructed at various points, and all
paying handsome interest. Plank Roads
were introduced into the state OF New York
IN 1916 and rose SO rapidly in public favor
that, under general incorporation law, there
arc upwards of 200 miles of road in use and
now companies daily forming. Some of the
roads arc run parallel to railroads. A line of
stages on plank road can perform nine miles
an hour with single pair OF horses, and car
ry passengers twenty miles for i(ty-ccnts-
The drivers unite i'll declaring that there is
10 class OF roads OH which horse can travel
with so much ease to himself. The plank at
the North is generally OF soft pine; we should
have adcciicd advantage in the hard pine of
the South. The average expense Of grading
with slecpcrs and the whole complete is
that the best quality Of plank roads can be
made at the South for $500 per mile. Tnc
general Plank Road Law of New York sets
forth that an application Of any number of
persons, not less than five, 10 The supervisors
OF county Tor pcrmssi OH 10 build road, a
meeting OF the people ls called by public no.
ticc, and, # a majority arc in favor of il, the
road is commenced and to!l-gates ercctcd-
The rates of toll are, three -Iourths of cen,
per mile for single horse vehicle and one
and-a-hnlt cents for one with Two horses. and
hiIi-a-cont per mile for every additional horse.
This would be three and half cents prr
mile Tor n SIN horse team, and on these roads
there would be 10 lu.s, sand, upscts or stick
ing in the mud, and double the weight of pro-
ducc can be carried on them as on the common
roads; IN some cases six time the weight have
been transported over them. Some of these
roads have paid, in the state of New York,
twenty-five per cent, The average. however,
IS a i!it!c above ten per cent. In the South,
between towns and villages, plantations and
water couscs, they viii enable the planter TO
become almost his own factor, to drive his;
crop 10 market in less time and at half the
expense now incurrcd-hc will make quick
sales and returns with less injury TO cat,lD
and Wagons and with less attendance and
labor. The smaller producers will also have
great facilities in reaching market towns
promptly. We hope that general PLANK
hoad Law will he introduced at the next scs
sion OF the Legislature and that a short pro-
Ject may be completed as an experiment. and
we have no doubt that they will become so
popular that ina short time plank roads will
intcrscct every portion OF the state so as 10
meet the various rail roads On tho North
Carolina and Georgia borders heyarc arita-
ting the building of them. Can we not have
one in our vicinity!
W We are indebted to the Columbia
1tlcgr"M fora copy containing the Foreign
news.
The Southern C"hiraior and American
AgricutariSis for the present month have boon
received They are both very valuable works
ana should be sustained by the public
az North Carolina is abou, TO loose ono
OF her best presses by the removal Of the
"adosboro ARGUS TO Chcraw, where il viii
be published on the LIST of November ncx,
under the title of THE Pee Dee ArcUs--
VIC welcome the Argus to this State and
trust the interests of that District will have
a faithful advocate.