The Ottawa free trader., 1851-03-08
Plank Roads,

II has been well said that the greatest of alI
civilzers Is good road No man, at any rate
can question the Influence Of good roads iu en.
HANGING the value Of farms The better the road
the nearer the market A flrm, within fifty
miles Of a great town, with good road i, nearer
n market than farm, but twenty miles of, with
roads almost impassable. Hitherto the costly
Macadamized turnpike has been the only subs,i-
tute for the ordinary country road, But in The
plank road, u comparatively lato discovery, II
substitute at once cheaper and better than the
best MacadamlSed road, has been invented
Mr. A Hart the well known bookseller Of this
oty, has Just pbblshed n comprehensive little
volume on on the subject Of plank roads, under
the title Of the History Structure, and Stats.
tics of Plank Roads in the United States and
Canadas, by W. kingsfo;d" The treatise has
the merit Of beng both short and compendious
All that is really worth knowing in reference to
plank roads is here set forth: aud no one can pc.
ruse the booe vi;hou, being convinced Of the
extreme usefulness Of these roads. We advise
all our farming friends, who wish to improve the
roads in their vicinity. to send for this little vol
umc, which can he obtained for the sum Of fifty
cents; and meantime to fulfil our purpose ns
vehicle for useful information We shall give Q
few facls, respecting plank roads, derived iruT
the book
The first road, it appears, was laid on the road
leading east from Toronto, in Upper Canada
and al 80 mpardtvely late period as 1896. Il
was found to be efficient that plank road,
were afterwards introduced into he State Of \
/ York, where about 2l06 miles Of this kind o
road are already laid down These roads hav,
been constructed at an average cost Of Sls3;
per mile, which is about one half the orlgina
cost Of n Macadamzed road The cheapness o
the plank roud is not, however. the only advan
,age it possesses. In the volume before us III,
question Of draught, as between plank roa,
and Others is considered thus
Experiment has determined the load which
horse is capable Of drawing on the plank road t,
be so welghtv, that one almost hcsi;a,cs to set
/ down from fear OF the accusation Of exaggcra
tIon. On the Salina and Central road few
weeks back, for a wager, team brought IN
without any extraordinary strain. six tons of iror
from beaverton, u distance Of twelve miles, (,
to Syracuse. One and half cords of gree,
beech is a common load. which is equivalent L
30 cwt-ii tons. And there s so little res.t
ancc on n properly constructed road that ~
average team can travel with this load from 8,
tn 35 miles per day, at the rate uf from three 4
four miles an hour. Indeed the farmer does no
seem TO make anv calculations Of the weight Ia
ken. He loads hlS wagon ns best lie c H. AN
the orly care is not to exceed the quantity w-icl
it will carry; whether the team can draw tn
load, is not not conSidelation--ilr those VII,
travel on plank roads affirm that the only dan
ger Is that the wagon cannot bear the load, nv
that the horses cannot draw it.
A good instance Of what can be accompli,h.'
may be related Of the Western Rad which
commences at Albany. A farmer who had
large timhercl farm having sold the wood, cart
ed it to the side of the plank road, and piled il
His contract was TO take the wood into Albany
distance of eleven miles, at 81 80 per cord 70
hauling. With single team his load cuusis'e
of n cord and half and having engaged to trans
I por plaster for a miller, at rs cts. the ton, h
loadc! bis wagon for the return trio which wa
weighed ~ the usual manner for the adustmen
of the carrying account The ordinary load wa
three tons, The trips bakward and forwar
were easily made in day. Thus his receipt
were
Cartnge ! cord Of hard wood at 81 So. s2 2
3 tons Of plaster at Is cts. ...... 50 q