Washington telegraph., 1850-05-29
PLANK ROADS.

There is general misconception of their
adaptation to practical and every day pur-
poses-the cost of construction, and their
duration. Many think that plank roads
are only adapted to the transportation OF
merchandise In parts of the country
sparsely settled, and where the hauling
and travelling are light aud unfrea uent-
III other words they are good substitutes
tor what is called country or settlement
roads. This is mistake. Experience
has proved, that plank roads are admira-
bly adapted tor the most frequent avenues
OF trade, and for even the streets of popu-
lous cities. The original cost of con-
s1ructlon Is also very much exaggerated,
and the wear and tear entirely misappre-
hend ed. The following extract from
recent report of the Secretary of the
Board of improvements of Kentucky,
| furnishes US with some useful information
by making an allowance for the differ
ence of price of lumber, we can as easily
calculate the cost of making plank road
here as in Kentucky making at the same
time, due allowances for the advantages of
topography, where there are no hills to
cut through and no valleys to fill up-in
fine, where the grading is already com
pete and perfectly. 0. Bulletin.
l. The system of plank roads, which
originated in Russia, has since been adopt
ed in Canada, and in many of our north
ern States, entirely superseded the Nc
Adam and Teiford rock or gravel roads,
The great success and value of the plank
road consists in the cheapness, in case of
draft, in speed, and in comfort to passen-
gers.
2. The approved mode of construction
thereof, is as follows: For a single track
the planks or pine, hemlock, oak, red elm
black walnut or sweet gum, should be
eight feet long, and from three to four
inches thick-they should be laid across
the road at its line. These planks are to
rest on two longitudinal sills or sleepefs,
each four inches square, bedded in the
earth to their full thickness. The earth
should be fully kept up to the planks at
every point, IN order to prevent confined
air resting in any vacant space beneath
the planks no pin or spike is needed to
confine the plank to the sleeper, their
weight being sufficient to keep them firm.
There should be placed on the upper sur
face a coating OF sand an inch thick.
There should be provided for single
track turnout places-and TO effect this,
an earthen road must be banked up ten or
twelve feet wide on one side, and two or
three on the other-each embank ment
should be made flush with the ends OF the
plank, and thence sloping outwards so as
to carry Oft the water, as perfect drainage
is the great secret in the construction of
any kind of road. The plank should be
laid even, with part thereof projecting
two or three inches beyond the general
line of the road, in order to prevent ruts
made by the wheels at the junction of
the plank and each turnout And if the
bed on which the planks are to be laid is
a new one, it would be better to be travel
ed one season before they are laid down.
One track, with the suppIeme ntary earth
road thus formed, will be sufficient tor all
ordinary travel And, if the tonnage
| transported on the road be chiefly in one
direction. the track should be laid on that
side of the road which will enable the
loaded teams to keep it, and thereby force
the uhloaded ones TO do all the turningout.
g. To make a double track, all that is
needed will be to make two tracks each
eight feet wide, or one sixteen feet wide.
The former is preferred For the sixteen
feet tracks, three or five longitudinal sills
are required, each to be four by six inches,
and laid edgewise and embedded in
trenches six inches deep. These timbers
should be from fifteen to twenty feet long.
Great advantage is obtained in the con-
structon of the double track with long
plank, by giving the road bed slight
convexity of two or three inches in the
GENRE, and springing the plank road to
the outside siIs, and attaching them there
| TO by half inch spikes or nails three inches
long.
4 The duration of plank roads is from
eight to twenty years, this matter. how
ever, depends entirely upon decay from
rot, and not by the surface wear of the
plank-the sand which is spread upon
the track when finished protects the
wood from the shoe soles of the horses
(Which causes most of the wear) and soon
penetrates the grain of the plank until
with the wood fbres and the deposites on
the road, tough elastic covering is FORM
ed, whereby the plank is saved from the
further wear. Experience teaches that
one-half of the wear and tear of seven
years occurs in the first year. Therefore,
1t is matter of great importance on these
! roads 10 hovo email foliage, iu UTuer To
invite such an amour: of travel as will
promote their wearing out instead of
rOtling.
5. The cost of the plank road greatly
depends on its locality But it will be
| found the following estimate will approx
innate to an average valuation, TO wit:
For one mile of road with a single
| track, made with the plank eight feet