The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1850-05-29


our citizens, that it is not necessary to use
ballast in the construction of our Railroad,
we lay before our readers, the following ex-
tracts from letters, addressed to the President
of the Board of Directors, on the subject:
Extract from letter, from Jesse L. Will
hams, Esq, formerly Chief Engineer of the
State of Indiana, and now principal Engineer
on the Wabash and Erie Canal, dated at
Terre- Haute, Nov 7, 1849.
81 would, however, recommend the use of
ballast, if your means will justify the ex-
pense. Could you not, without great cost.
procure gravel from the Ohio River, by
commencing the track at that point, and
conveying it by the road, as the rails are
laid down?"
Extract from letter from James Brooks.
Esq, President of the New Albany and Sa-
lem Railroad Company, dated New Albany,
Oct s, 1849.
SIN relation to the superstructure for your
" Railroad, l think If you design putting
down T rail, that you ought to get bal
=" lasting of gravel, or broken stone, to lay it
OH Wy GLtt HI6uftSj II IL Cdu NC lIdu DIT dlly rcd
e sonable expense"
Extract of a letter from Hon. A S. White.
President of the Lafayette and indianapolis
Railroad Company dated Lafayette, Oct. 9,
1849
'At indianapolis, the other day, was adj
" vising with Capt. t. F. Morris, who said
they would gravel their road bed, if posi-
be-"
Extract from letter from Alfred Kelly,
Esq, President of the Cleveland, Columbus
and Cincinnati Railroad Company, dated Co.
lumbus, Feb. IS, 1850
"From enquiry and observation, am led
10 believe that where good gravel for bal
last can easily be procured, it is best tc COW
er the road he'd with gravel, say, in our
climate; 8 inches deep, below the bottomsof
the .cross-ties. On the Cleveland and Co
lumbus road, where gravel cannot be pro,
cured, we have, after much reflection and
enquiry, concluded to use plank feet long,
and 4 inches thick, laId close together, cross
wise the road"
The report OF VIM. G. Armstrong, Esq
President Of the Jacksonville and Ohio Rail
road Company, shows that gravel is taken
from the banks of the Ohio river to ballast
that road.
The following extract is taken from wori
on Road making" written by w. M. Giles
pie, Professor Of Civil Engineering, Unior
College,
"BALLAsTING.-The tops of the embank
, ments, and the bottoms of the excavations
are brought to height called the Forma
ton level" about two feet below the intended
level o. the rails, and there shaped with
fall from the middle to each side, as in com
mon roads, in order to drain off the waite
which falls upon them. The remaining spac,
Of two feet (more or less, according TO cir
cumstances) is filled up with ballasting'
composed of some porous material, such a
broken stone, gravel, quarry rubbish cinders
&c. through which the water of rains ca
j. readily pass. Upon this "ballast are lai
the supports Of the rails. Without this pre-
caution, the water absorbed By the earth
materials of the road-bed would render it sol
+ and spongy in ordinary weather, and by freez
n ing IN winter would disturb the position an
: the levels of the rails. On many railroad
the neglect of this safeguard against the e
# fects Of our Northern winters, render thel
. very unsafe at high velocities in the earl
/ spring, when the frost is coming out of tn
% ground. Ships ballast was first used for tn
purpose on the early railroad at Newcastl
# and from this circumstance the substitute
,r have retained the original name Gillesp
i on Road making page 266.