Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1850-08-24
gaton Rouge and Clinton PLANK Road,

L. 80 1Stc1tt'N' ChG ENR' N~ G
ton Wing, in his piper Of the 18th instant,
in an elaborate article, takes ground
agninst tie construction ofstl,e proposed
P1aah R1tI between This city and Clin'
ton We propose to take tip his obJee-
tons, ssriatem. thinking that we can
very easily overthrow them by the p%rolnc-
ton Of applicable statistics and a little
ootnnlon-seuse reasoning
Our friend sktPvifH thinks the rough
estiliate we published n few weeks since
founded ON ''incoffect data and, there's
fore, "tttiihtentionally fa%llaciots.' We
think We can demonstrate the general oors
rectness Of that crude estimate. lie asks
chow wide Is the road to he made T. and
then proceeds TO "asslime MI average ui
twenty-five feet - lie then assume that
264 900 feet of two inch plank lumber will
be required for every mile@-tliat it will cost
$15 per 1000 feet, which would make the
cost Of lumber alone $4,000 pat mile, in
volying m outlay. in lumber alone, "be.
fore a plank is laid" of 1895 7O. lie
then estimates that the cost Of spikes,
timber, i l-hotises, tolaaates, and bridges,
would swell the amount 10 5000 600,
In regard to the width Of the road we
will inform orr contemporary that it il to be
Hine fritz width amply sufficient for all
useful purposes. A "~twenty-fve' foot
plank roal has never yet been'khown. o
is il likely that srch a one evet will be.
| 10 show that nine feet is a width fully
sufficient to answer al necessary en1ssHe
| will proceed to quote from d work written
by the lion. Robert Dale Owen, of In
| diana, entitled "Owen ON Plank Roads"
On this subject MI. Owen is high author
ity, and his statements are entitled to full
eredence. Speaking of Plank Roads III
New York, Mr.. Owen says:
The width Of that portion Of the road
which is laid with plank is usually eight
feet and tliis is found sufficient for all
practical purposes, even on ronds much
travelled Over q single truck, III the
vicinity Of syrbcnss, upwards Of 100000
teatns pissed in twoeyears; makidg an
average OF about 2o0 teams per day.
From the above It will lie seen that
-tr,, rrs,-tr is :, e,,H;ei,,t ,,,,ifh F1r =, fln,l,
Road in New York. over which there is
mt least ten fimrs the amount of travei,
Will, ms henvy loads certainly, per day, as
there will be, for a long time to come, over
the proposed road between this city and
Clinton. 1t is to have q width, however,
of nine feet. We think we have shown,
briefly, that the "twenty FIVE" foot cal
c~uIation is altogether too extensive for this
utilitHriau age.
AS our contemporary may desire eulight-
eminent OH the subject Of att,rn OUTS we
will give him another extract from the
same author, promising that he will under.
stand TINT the earth is to be graded up to
the level of tbs road.
On the other hand it should he rcnern-
bered, that thu eartii-road used to turn ont
on, commonly remains in mitch better or
der than an ordihary road. BY the rule
Of plank roads, light teams always give
way To heavy ones, and this saves IL on.
siaerabty. Again, Ms a team merely turns
out upon it to return again immediately to
the plank, there IRE 10 continuous wheel
ruts, to receive, and become Il channel for
the rain, and, besides, it IL unlikely that
any two wagons, in turning out, will strike
precisely the same track.
Instead Of there being $4,000 feet Of
tftv inch pianh lumber required per mile,
a reliable calculation, made by the Secre-
tary of the Board Of improvement Of Ken
lucky, for n truck eight feet wide) shows
that Of planh, 10000 feet, three inch
board measure, and of stills, $4,000 feet,
per mile, is amply sufficient The differ
Gilte VI Dlp tbJb III Wlubl WDtlla iIOb ian
n pcJy tremendous alteration, The above
plain statement, from such high authority,
completely dissipates the wild calculations
of the amount of lumber required.
Instead Of the lumber costing $15 per
1000 feet, as responsible u gentleman as
there is in the country has offered to take
the whole lumber contract for 30 per
1000 feet, and to build two miles OF the
road, taking the value Of the work aud
materials furnished, in stock. This fact
takes away an important support from our
n%eiglber's premises.
We shall Spite the spike" gun Of our
contemporary by informing him that spikes
are not used at all in the laying of the
planks--at least none OF the works we
have seen on the subject make mention Of
them, in that connection. The cost Of
excavations, ~toll-houses, toll-gates, and
bridges, will come within the estimate
made by the Messrs. Waller, Civil En-
gineers, published by us on the goth July
last-as will be guara1uecd,# should any
one show a sufficient reason for such an
extreme measure.
We believe that. we have now shown
that if our contemporary will only base his
calculations upon correct data that Our
estimate of the probable cost Of the foad
will not vary much from the mark.
But, says our worthy contemporary, in
continuation. cit nluat not be FORGOTTEN