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

tha. teams must be loaded with view
TO the hills Gf there be ony,) up which
they must haul it; certainly there could
no advantage arise from hauling more
10 hill than could be hauled up it. This
principle becomes Of the more impor.
tance in proportion as we increase the
amount a horse can haul, by diminish.
ing The friction, and is at its maximum
in railroads, while plank roads would
hold medium between railroads and
mcadamised roads.
The road should be laid off some 40
fee, wide, tho hills graded down, and
the holows filed up as level as pracii
cable, with turned arches of stone
across the streams; deep bitches should
be dug upon either side with the dirt
thrown to the centre of the road, and
nothing neglected that will insure per.
feet drainage after The grading is made
as firm as possible by passing over it
long roller; two parable Sleepers Ia feet
long, IL inches wide and inches thick,
should be sunk 4l feet apart from cen
tre TO centre, ,ha, The wheels of wagons
may pass along the middle, their top
surface should be upon a level with the
dirt between them, so that the plank,
which are s feet long and 8 inches
thick, when placed directly across them
should also rest in their entire length
firmly upon the ground. The plank
should have an inclination to one side
of of an inch to the foot, 10 drain
them, they should be well driven up,
and strongly spiked down, and then
covered . inches deep with coarse sand
or gravel.
Upon either side of the feet plank
trunk should he feet of macadsmised
road, elevated slightly above the plank.
in order lha, when two wagons meet,
each may run one wheel upon the mac.
adamised part, leaving the greater por.
ton Of the load upon the plank. Bul
some will ask, if there must be s feet Of
macadamised road, why not make il al!
of this kind? or why no, lay down Is
feet Of plank at once? The answer to
their enqires is, that the entire travel
will be upon the plank track, (upon
which team can haul so per cent.
more than upon macadamiscd road,)
the macadamised portion only being
used when teams meet, can never wear
out, as it will rarely ever happen that
Two wagons will turn out in exactly the
same place; and would consequently
need but little repairs for 500 years,
while macadamised road, besides the
diminulion of in the amount in which
q team can haul, demands constant re.
pairs. The objection to the l6 feet
plank road is, that the entire travel
would be upon the middle s feet, which
when worn out would leave 4 feet up,
on either side that had not even lost The
marks Of the saw. This loss Of 6 feet,
or one half the road every l2 years
would soon treble the cost of the mac.
adamised portion, which as before OBJ
served last for ages.
But will this road pay7 what divi.
dend will it yield to the stockholders
This practically, is the most important
point connected with the road, as its sa
Iisfactory solution is alone likely 10
build il. For though thing may be
very pretty, comfortable and even de.
srable, it is no, TO be supposed that cap.
itolis,s will invest money in il unless il
will pay.
Suppose the road 10 cost $4,000 per
mile, or $4,000 from this place 10 Glas
gov, and that so teams pass over il dai.
ly al 80 cents per team, this would give
yearly 'S5,475 or nearly 25 per cent. up.
on the capital employed. Thus sup.
posing the plank to last ~ years (and il
will last this long with no repairs) will
yield 10 the Stockholders upwards OF
$50 per cent; f; one.lhird the original
cost will keep the road in good repair
for centuries. Thus enabling those
who invest their money in this enter
prise to receive at least Is per cent
per annum above all expenses, for al
least 500 years, should they conclude
TO hold their shares this long and thai
TOO without allowing anything for the
increase in The amount of.travel in this