Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1850-05-15
REPORT ON PLANK ROADS.
By E. G. Wal, Esq, Chief Engineer Of the Junction
Valley Turnpike Company.
To the President and Directors of the

Gentlemen I'm obedience 10 your wishes, wen'
10 New ork for the purpose Of examining the Flank
Roads of that State; and now beg leave to submit
10 YOUR consideration the following report
Before drawing comparison between the Mead
am and Plank Roads, it may not be unneresung 10
YOU TO have short sketch oil the history oil tianA
roads in New York The first road introduced INTO
the United States from Canada, was the one extend
inc from Syracuse to Central Square, New ork.-
This road was thrown open Tor travel Ill July, loto'
Since that time, the people OF that State nave pro-
iected and made nearly 1000 miles OF plank road
From Utica, plank roads radlale IN dltleren o.ftc-
TONS as follows, viz Down The Soulil sue OF uie
Mohawk. and parallel to Albany ana builalo Nall
road and Erie Canal 10 Mohawk village distance
of II miles two roads slersect this from lhe ln'e-
rior. Another runs up the Mohawk ana Paraliel 10
the Railroad and Canal to Rome, ID miles; this road
continues on in Westerly direction, on The North
side Of Oneida Lake 10 Oswego on Lake Ontario: 62
miles long. making Il miles and is inlerseced by
other plank roads From Rome there is one extend
inc Norherly to Turin, % miles From Utica, the
Norb road extends to Sackeits llarbor distance OF
95 miles: running through Marensburg, at which
Mace the road branches, passing through Lowvlile,
Denmark. Champion, &c. TO WatertoWn, this road
being parallel to the other, and from hail mile to
three miles from it, Al Denmark there is another
branch running more Northerly TO OgdenSburg on
the ST. Lawrence river this is not wholly completed;
when finished it will be l24 miles long. One is IN
nrocress Of construction on the old Syracuse luri-
,;ke 70 Syracuse. distance of 50 miles; rs miles
are already in use this ROAD is parallel TO the Utca
and Rome plank road, and also TO the Railroad ana
Canal. Another runs along the Chenango Cana
souhery to Hamilton, in Madison County, ~ miles
fnisbed.l this will be extended down the Chenango
Valley There is another running from Utica through
tho southeast mart of the town of New Hartford up
the Sangwoit Valley to Bridge Water, Is miles IN
length this road is in progress OF construction down
the Unadilla Valley As you will perceive have
only mentioned the roads radiatlng from one CITY,
From Syracuse to Rochester plank roads extend IN
different directions and as passed through Albany
heard that the people of that city hal organized
company to construct plank road
All the above roads that have been completed are
declaring good dividends. The Uuca and Rome roao
divides 10 per cent among the Stockholders ana lays
no Is per cent. for repairs. The Utica anu wafer
town declares dividend OF 80 per cent AS lar as
have heard, there is no plank road in New York
declaring less dividend than 20 per cent. For the
construction of plank roads, refer you to Prof
VIM. NJ. Gillespie's Civil Engncer) work on engl-
neerinr, who has deduced his information from works
actually constructed in New ork and Canada
CONSTRUCTION OF PLANK ROADS.
WIpru.-"A single track Of plank, eight ieet wide,
with an earhern turnout track beside II OF IL lee',
will in almost all cases, be sufficient This gives
twenty for the least width, necessary between lne
inside top lines Of the ditches, the width OF which Is
TO be added, making about two rods on level ground
If extra cuttings or Filings be required the width oc
cr,;eJ bv their stones must be added to this. An
earthen road of eighteen feet wide on each side OF
the plank track, has sometimes been adopted. Inc
New Y ork general plank road law ilxed iour rooS'
(66 feet, as the least permissible width that plank
roads might be laid out. This provision has since
been repealed. =, r,.
Wider tracks were at first employed, In Canada
sp0Ie tracks were made from nine TO twelve eet wioe
Rut II was found on the twelve eet Toronto roau al
fer seven years use, that the planks were worn
onv ~ the middle. seven or eight feet, and that the
remaining four or five feet OF the surface nau lo'
even lost The marks of the saw One-thlrd oil me
lonL;,r WAS therefore useless, and one-!hlrd oil the
expenditure wasted
A double track will rarely be necessary. No one
without experience in the matter can credit the a
mourt of travel which one such track can accommo-
Ia,e Over single track near Syracuse lol,OOO
loans nassed in two years, averaging 22o teams per
Jav. and during three days 72O passed daily The
oarhep track turnout must however be kept IN good
order and this is easy if it slope of fproperly to The
d;,ch for il is not cut with any continuous length
wise ru,s but is only passed over by The wheels oi
tho waU,ns which turn off from the track and return
- i, Tbey thus move in curves, which would very
rarely hit each other and this travel, oeihg spread
noarjv uniformly over the earth, tends 10 Keep II
in shane rather than disturb H.
Gp.nryc.-The ditches shoudbe al least eighteen
inches or two feet below the surface Employ 'he
earth from the bitches if good materal rejecting the
oLa ,o raise the road beds. Give the bitches Tree
r,los cut their bottoms with true slopes, make ui-
,r >, aims. of cobble stones and brush across the
road in wet places and use every precau'ion 10 en-
sure thorough and complete drainage. his Will oe
more difficult in a flat than in hllly country IL
he effected however, the plank VIII last liuch o"ge
and the road be always III better conoIloh' on 'he
Rome and Oswego plank roads, the graue' III places
is three and half degrees
sLEEpERs, SlLLs OR SrRfNGERs.-.hdIeT'@S'-
Pine. hemlock, tamerack, oak and walnut nave oee'
rsed in Canada Hemlock has been mostly USED III
New York from its abundance anu cheapheSS' i"e
would be the most durable
Nr,Iprp AND slzE.-At first five or SIX, each SIN
inches sorare were placed under sixteen feet plank
Tba Canada Board Of Works specifications lo4o' al,
roc,s fonr TO be out under sixteen leet road anu
,hreo nnder ten feet road the outer ones to be hVe
inches square, and the inner ones to be SIN m lnenes S
Wide and two inches thick, laid flatwlse Oh 'he
New Y ork roads of egh, feet planks 'wo seeperS
c,ur inches square, have been generally employed
Thev have however, been insufficient and the eSpe'
renced engineer of the original Syracuse roaoi
strongly recommends sleepers. twelve by three lalG
on ,beir fiat Sides and for an important road woulo
make them twelve by four, or even twelve oy sN
They should be large and strong enough 10 nolG ~
the plank road, in case OF soft place. for lew ICE.
LENGrH-The sleepers used should be as Slrais" Ts
and true as possible. On the Syracuse road none i''s
than thirteen feet were admitted.
LAyINe.-Their distance apart centre 70 cen..s
should be such, that the wheels OF Loaded wasp". ha
nav mass directly over the middle, or somewhat
vooror tho outer than the inner side. This distance
will therefore vary in different sections OF the couh