Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1851-07-01
For The Enquirer.
PLANK ROADS-WESTHA PLANK ROAD.


The roads of country ard certain 1ts's o
Inc degree of its civilization Their construction i ~
the first Indications of the cnergrnCc OF people ifoi "
savage sate and their improvement keeps pace win e m
vanccs of the nation in numoers wealth. industry a'
cnce; OF oil which is clement un! an H'utee
The rich mines in the northern part ut tie Siae " W..
York comparatively useless, because the ro'hS 'oS
the mountains are so few and bad that The rNis " ~
transportation of The metal would exceed lis vaa: 90
in Spain il has been KNOWN after succession "i h"'a
hlrrcsts that the wheat has actually been allowed " l"
because il would repay the of carrIage 'uc 'c
The effects OF the almost total of roads. Among osc
which do exist the difference ease rapidly an" te %
OF transportation caused By the various degrees w
and labor bestowed upon them, is much greater .ah .
usually imagined particularly by farmers, waan ''ey tuat
concern Among The remarkable consequent =. ;nc
Improvement of roads is the rapidly increasing
in which their benefits extend and radiae in every
as i,npar!aly and bcnignanty the similarly d'vtinS
rays of the Around every marAcl pHicc We
may conceive number Of conccntc circles 10 DC o'I"
enclosing areas from any part Of which ceih MUS y.
produce may be proftnby taken 10 The town, whale rom as
point beyond each circumference, the expense u the
Of the particular article, would almost exceed lis
Thus the inner circle al the Of which inc oM'
may show the limit in every direction from bryohu "h'ci
pershable vegetables or articles very bulky or heavy ~ ~
portion 10 their value be prulaoly brought 10 mar
ket The larger circle may show The limit q: il"s ana
on. If nuw the roads improved in any way so US IN
any degree 10 lessen the expense of carage the anu' Oh
each circle is correspondingy increased and he area oi
each is enlarged as The sorARE Of this ratio q!
Thus if the improvement enables horse 10 draw "cc s
much travel twice fast did before c1ch o' m
limiting circles is expanded outward twice lis l'cr IA
improvement be tlreclnd the increase o area Is
and All the produce industry and wealth which, oy
these improvements, finds for the first time Ia"e Is DIS Il
creation.
Roads Of earth with the surfaces of the excavations and
embankmen's unimprovrd by art very dchce" ~ 'n
times in the important requisites Of snouhness anu nitI
ness and in the spring almost mpassablc Dat WIN '
their faults, they almost the only roads IN h's
(tle scuntness OF labor and capital yet pe'eni e
adoption Of better ones) and therefore, no ps sho o'
spared to render them as good as ie nature WIZ l
Roads plank have been used in Russia Tor man! !e'''
and thence introduced into Canada 10y oFu S'uc.'
while Governor General Within the last three years. me
Plank Road system has become part of the econnP " c
State of New York Special enactmcnts nave Dec' nl"t
TO meet the circumstance and hence, in ie western pa"
the State private enterprise has been abnnanty cniis III
this species of improvement So satisfactory nave cch c
results that III. neighboring and more remote onur
States, have commenced 10 enquire what are ihe nr"e''
which Plank Roads extend and II would seem a hiS '
proved mode of communication is likely 10 become "eie!
introduced They promise 10 be of especial value III o'ls
stretches OF soft vegetable, or sandy soil, depr'c :" @
when formed The outskirts Z" cities where rom ne ha
ture of the SOIL the roads cut up IN winter rs
TO render hcm At places utmost lmaSsable, ana III su'o
from the Gus and depth of loose SOIL almost ~ 'i. i's
are considered superior MacadanZ2d roads IN cheaphoS
in ease Of draugt in speed and in comfort 10 E"ssehe
Experiment has determined the load which horse IS c"i
Bile of drawing the Plank Rold 10 b. welg la' one
almost hesales ii down from fear OF thr accslt''h
of exuggeroon On the Sana and Central roan, sI'o
time back wager, e huses brought IN, Without
any extraordinary srain six tons Of iron lf"n
distance of twelve miles, Syracuse. One AMI 'il
cords Of green beach is common load "hcn Is
10 80 cwt-i And there is lille iessa:ce' on
properly constructed road that average team can a'e
with this load from thirty 10 try-hSe miles, day a''et Gay
AT tie rnte OF from three four miles an hour.
good instance Of wh. be accomplished mn! NC Ic
lated of the Western road. which commences HI A!ohy
farmer who had large timhcrcd farm having I'D M wo'n
carted il 10 the side the Plank Road and pile" IT. las con-
tract take the wood into Albany distance I" ttVen
miles at 81 50 per cord for hauling WIKI s:"gle ''a' us
load consisted Of cur! and hall! and lt"'G rh4a2' 10
transport plaster for miller at - ccnls tire tom he p!'h
his wagon for the return trip which was weighed IN i"c
usual manner for the nd usiment III the car! in: acroht
The ordinary load Ions. Tive Iri?s Backward an''
forward sily made in day Thus his receipts were
c,,,,rs TX cord Of hard woDd at 81 80 s. Is
Three Uf plaster, - :"