The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1851-05-06

Every view Of he question results in this /:
that roads that are not greatly travelled re
qu're but single eight fee, track, save over
very soft ground, and that roads that re quire
more than one fuch track, should have two
narrow tracks, in preference TO one wide track
II is sale to say, that whenever Two track.
are demanded, for the accommodation of ira.
VEL tun'ess the necessity grows ou, Of the fac,
,ha' me earth is very unsuited 10 road ma.
klng,) that the demand will surely Justify the
investment Of the money the second tract will
cost ior /. must be a very great amoun, OF
travel that will not be accommodated by a
s'hg'e eig.is feet TucK, with csrefuly cared
tor earth road 10 turn out upon alongside of il.
Experiments have been made to test the
proper mode Of laying the plank "On the
Chambly road The planks are twelve fee,
long, bu, laid dIagonaIly, so as to make the
road but eight feet wide. The weight Of
hall the vehicle and load coming suddenly
upon one end Of the plank, and the other end
mol being kept down at the same time, traffic
constantly tends to disrup, the Dad, and the
panks are loose, and spring from end to end. "
a." At Quebec, p.rt of the roa d
has been planked, the plank being laid lensth
wise IT was considered that the panks ould
stand better the friction, and. when necessa.
ry, could be more easily taken Up, and the
road repaired. One strong objection TO this
mode OF laying the plank is found 10 be, thai,
The horses cannot keep their feet hen much h
weighted, and are much exposed to falling in
consequence. Under all those clrcumstan
ce', most have approved the manner 10 which
the planks are laid on the Toronto road"
Pdtent Office Report, ls43. p l29.
10 construcing plank roads il is necessa.
ry TO have the earth upon which the plank
are 10 be laid, broken up and made fiae, that
lhey may touch the earth at every point.
This IS important, for if any space be left for
a'f under the plank, or alongside the sllls,
dry rot follows. The slls should no, be
large four inches square is Sufficient. They
should be perfectly bedded into the earth IN.
der them, care being taken that they should
not rest firmly upon The rocks or other hard
substances, thai will no, allow them 10 settle.
All the earth formations Of this nature i'll
settle some, aud the sills must be permitted
10 90 down when the rest Of he structure sci,
ties, or space ior air would be left between
the plank and the earth, and the sils would
support the plank; whereas the plank should
rest upon the earth q; every point. Moth
ing is gained by wide or deep slls, and The
whole support Of the road is the earth that
IS covered by the plank, and The amount is 10
10 wise increased by wide sllls. The chief
use oi sls is 10 grade by, and to keep the
road IN form until The earth become. settled
There is, IN the vicinity Of Toronto, a short
plank road that has no sllls at all under it,
and the grade is very nearly as exact as those
roads where sills ale used.
The plank having been laid, the mex, thing
Is 10 grade a road some Ten or twelve feet
vide on one SIDE, and Two or three on the
other, by taking earth from the bitches on
each SIDE, and bringing i, by ditch scraper
Iust up and even with the upper side of the
plnnk so that II wheel runs Of the lreck ii
passes upon smooth surface of earth. The
ends OF the plauks should not be laid even,
but part should project from Two to four in
ches by the general line, TO prevent rut be.
lng cut just along the ends Of q plank. II
ru Is made, the wheel OF loaded Wagon
viii scrape along the ends for some distance
before !, will rise TO The top of the plank, un
less the Wagon moves 10 direction nearly /
across the road; but it the wagon cannot
move two feet forward without coming square
against the edge OF a projecting plank, the .
difficulty Of getting on the road is avoided. I
II Is not necessary 10 pin or spike The plank
10 the sllls.
Perfect drainage must be secured and to
hat end, the bitches must be deep and wide,
md good suices whenever the water crosses
he road This is the important, point
,R,IN rERrrCTLY.
The thickness Of the plank mus, be deci,
led by the amount Of travel u il is sufli,
Ient 10 insure The menrins out. and not rot,
ing out, OF the timber, four inches is the
h'ckncss Il that thickness is not justified by
he travel, then three inches should be used,
nj no less. The kind Of timber is, too, a
ont that must be controlled by circumstan.
es Pine is used at Toronto; hemlock on
he Salna toad in some OF the Western
'tates II is likely that oak nigh, he procured
a reasonable price. The number of fee,
board measurc) of lumber required for sls
our inches square, for one mile, l4,0S0;
'ank three inches thick, for single track
ight feet wide, will measure l26,720 feet. ,
he grading and laying track will vary in ,
os', according to circumstances. When an
Id road is used and hills are no, TO be Gu: ,
own, OF valleys filed up, it will no, vary
much from fifty cents a rod for one track.
In those sections of the country where
nmber is cheap, plank roads must 90 into We.
y general use ; and in some localities, it is ,
ho only road that can be made to endure The q
hanges Of climate with any reasonable out. ;
ny Of money. Less power is reqslred to r
raw loading over them, and they are supe. r
ior in every respec. 10 McAdam roads /
While they last