Glasgow weekly times. (Glasgow, Mo.) 1848-1861, 1851-02-20
PLANK ROADS.

OF Plank Road from 81. Louis TO
Glasgow. From his second article, we
make the following extracts, which
embody information that will be found
interesting and useful a, this time:-
The kind OF road now generally adopted
in this country is called the single track
road, the double track road being rarely Ie'
qured. This consists Of single track Of
plank, feet wide, with an esr,hern turn out
track OF IL feet This gives 90 fee! for the
last width necessary between the inside top
lines OF the bitches, the width Of which is 10
be added; making in all about two rods or
33 3 feet on level ground. II extra cut
tings or Filings should be required. the
width occupied by their slopes must be adj
ded 10 this. The bitches are Is inches 10
two feet below the roads surface, cut with
true slopes and given free outlets, so as 10
drain perfectly. The grades are allowed as
great as foot in 20 in billy places.
The lumber required for such road COM
sis,s Of sleepers, stills, or stfingers. Shorter
sleepers TO be placed under the joints Of
these, and plank for laying the road. The
sleepers should be OF least ~ feet long, !
foot wide, and three inches thick, the shor,
sleepers, one Of these cut in two. the planks
are feer long, 10 16 inches in width, and
three inches thick.
After the road is graded, and The bitches
made, the timber is laid down, as follows:
The stringers are laid about five feet apart in
longitudinal line along the road. well i'm.
beded in the earth, so that their surface
barely shows above The earth's surface, un-
der The ends OF these 10 break the joints, one
Of the short sleepers is placed crosswise to
The line OF the running stills, they are placed
SO as TO break The joint only on one side, the
other end being under the opposite sill about
midway its length. This done, the planks
are then laid across the stills, at right angles
TO the line Of The road, the ends Of The planks
ore not placed over, but projec! three or four
inches alternately on either side, to lacili.
tate the ascent Of wagons upon the plankng.
All this being done. the plank are then Cow
cred with sand, gravel or clay about an inch
thick and The road is then ready for use.
Here is the road ready TO travel, now
what does il cost? L. is impossible without
an actual survey, and engineers estimates,
for the cost Of grading, bridging, making
culver,s, and gs,e.houses, and other contin'
gences, TO get q. anything like accuracy as
10 the cos, OF building plank road over
any particular section Of country. still il we
find that such work in other sections Of coun.
try not differing materially from this,
generally 10 have cost certain sum per
mile, it is reasonable to calculate that with
the same prices for labor. the face of the
country in The Two sections being the same,
The results would be the same. With this
conclusion | will proceed TO examine the
cost of several roads 10 different sections OF
the country.
The Syracuse and Central Square road,
l6 miles long, cost S14s9 per mile. 1858
Tor lumber at S. so per NJ, and 1881 for
all other expenses per mile. Il has single,
S feet track except over few spots of yield
ing sand. The Rome and Oswego road cost
within fraction Of $1,000 per mile. with
lumber a. a to s5 per M. Say "a so on an
average. this gives $7s4 for lumber and
SIG dolls. per mile for all other costs. This
road is 81 miles long. laid with hemlock
plank, 8 feet long 3 10 inches thick the
grade is cut down to in 20 near Rome,
and al It's western end where it 10 billy to
in l6l, The Utica road % miles cost 1900
dolls. per mile, price oil lumber not given.-
A short road near Detroit. eigh, feet wide,
with plank laid on a travelled road, way cost
with lumber at S6 per NJ, 1900 dolls. per
mile, giving for cost OF lumber 1045 and
455 dolls. for all other expenses. From
these facts we see that the whole cost OF
preparing the ground and laying The plank
was on the Syracuse and Central Square
road 53l 90 dolls; Rome and Osweso road
SIG 90 dolls, Detroit Plank road 455 90
dolls. The average OF these is about 500
dolls, but to be liberal in our calculstions,
let us add for the same work on the road
under consideration so per cent. which
makes the sum Of $50 dolls. for all the cost
per mile, less the lumber. which can be oh.
tanned on the route for less Than 6 dolls. per
NJ, making the cost per mile 1000 dollars.
We have then for the cost per mile 1850
dollars.
That this sum per mile wild build plank
road from St. Louis to Glasgow. have moi
a doubt. /. might cost some more near ST.
lIOnls Where finn hat il ho,h sca,oa 81