Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1851-04-17
Plaak Roads,


to the prosperity ofour town. We sho,lld
have Plank Roads to Pitsylvania. Frank
lin, Patrick and Henry. If these roads
are not made 10 these points. rely upon il.
they viii be made after awhile, 10 take The
trade fran as. For proof, refer TO the
Legislation Of last winter.
A law was passed to make Plank Road
IRON lSarm,iile to some point in Halifax,
near Coles Ferry, believe. and also a
charter granted TO build Plank Road in
Appomattox county, the certain efiec. of
which will be to send the trade Of the ND
per part OF that county to the Canal al
Bent Greek. Hitherto, we have had n
very important trade with all that part of
Appomattox which was once Campbell !:
and even lower down in old Buckingham
Here is the article referred 10
The amount of money expended in New York
State, the las, four years. for Plank and Rail oads
Is nearly forty millions; and the cGec. has been
greatly TO increase capital. Plank Roads are
new feature. It appears that the frs, Plank Road
| 20 Canad1 was hid down in $50. and in New York
IN 1887 but i Is cnly withia tue last four years
that they have been much prosecuted
Plank RoeGs IA opera tn.
tanada AZ miles, average cost 1880
per mile <-yz snn
n, York, 2,loe miles, average cost ST.
S33 per mile. .---....-...e a. $40 9gs
Very nearly four millions Of dollars have been *
pended in New York upon these roads. and the re-
suiting advantages are Immense. The roads hay.
all been subscribed Tor by individuals and MI I'm,
handsome dividends. For instancr lie Trcv and
Lansngburg road pays 10 per cent serni.annuailv !;
tne Utica and Burlington 20 per cent and We be-
res upn ts4.. 3
and none OF the Stocks can be bought IL tic mar
| kct
The importance Of Plank Roads, in farming re-
gions, becomes sclfevidcnt when it il stated thar
| ON the Saina Road two-horse tear, drew sir fs,s
of iron twelve miles, without unusual strnir -Four
and half tons is ordinary load, and a team will
travel with il eight hours per day, four miles an
| hour, day after day. farmer in a heavy conn
try, stated that the tolls paid saved themselves in
the iaboar 81 cleaning horses. In ALLEGATIONS where
these roads in operation land rises greatly in
value. Ga the Saliaa road farm land rose from 50
to SO per acre; on the Syracuse road the Increase
was $40 per acre.
| twill be observed that an amount Of propertv
equal to si,000,0o0, bearing high rate Of inter
est has been created and that property has added.
in addition several millions to the value Of the land
through winch 1t runs. and that all this property Is
the mere saving from the old ofransporiution
| hope our Southwestern friends viii be-
gln IN advance off the coming to them of the
rail road, to prepare for it by constructing
Flank Roads to bring the tonnage from re.
mote points TO the e. eat trunk line For
complete development of this country,
we need the minor improvements quite as
much as those of a more imposing charac-
ter. The graded road, the McAdamizcd,
the Plank Roads, good ncighbourhood or
cross roads. as we sometimes call these
humber lines Of communication, arc al
important adjuncts, and should not be for
gotten IN efforts TO accomplish even great
er works. ID.
We take pleasure in publishing the
above, from . gentleman who has paid
much attention to the subject Of in
iernal Improvement, and whose opino IS
IN this community are Justly entitled to no
small weight. We are happy to have his
endorsement Of the views we have several
times presented, and urged with some car
nestness, in these and other columns, touch
ing the importance and usefulness Of good
country roads, and especially of Plank
roads. These we regard as scarcely Sc.
cond to Railroads themselves, in point Of
value to the agrlculturalist, whenever they
can be made toeonnect with some superior
improvement, or with market; because
they are cheaper and simplcr,and therefore
within the reach Of almost every farming
community to build them. They are, in
TACT, better adapted to the wants Of such
community generally. particularly in our
State, than railroads arc--wc incan that
plank roads are preferable, as branccs CON
Meeting distant neighbourhoods with the
man line Of an Improvement, to railroads
themselves. And why! Because they are
public highways, open TO all, 10 be used at
pleasure, free from the rules and regula-
tons that are absolutely necessary fer the
management Of railways. The planter
can put such team upon them as he plea
SOS; he can travel when he wishes, and al
such speed as lie chooses; and he thus has
an opportunity to become his own carrier
and thereby to save the freight onthc trans
portaiion of the products of his farm; and a
dollar savedis dollar made" Railways
are the thoroughiares Of the world; the
plank road is domestic improvement, for
home use, magnifying the comforts and
conveniences of the farm, whilst it adds
greatly to its value and materially augments
the income of its owner. But the advan-
tages df this kind of improvement are, posi-
lively, too obvious to need argument.
And now, will the people take this mat
ter in hand and go to work with some de
gree ofoarncstness1 Can they fail to see
their interest; and seeing it, can they fail to
pursue it! A tythe Of the zeal they mani
fest in the chief business Of the State, to
wit, the discussion of Federal politics,
would secure the construction ola road in
every neighbourhood where il is needed
Whilst we would not diminish the force
Of" IDS" appeal 10 every section where
such a work can be advantagcously con
structed-and there arc many sucl-we
desire, especially, again to call the attcn-
ton ofour readers To the importance of
having a plank road from this place to
Rocky Mount, via New London, and ano-
Their to Pitsylvania G. III. These schemes
we regard as highly important to the pros
pcrity Of Lynchburg, as they arc cssenial
to the convenience and development Of
the sections they will penetrate; and
though we have nothing more, Al present
TO urge in their favour than what we have