Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1852-01-01

was S6 25, being a clear saving to the
employer Of so. and gain to the team.
ster OF dollar per day. after paying &c
per cent. for the use of the road. These
illustrations may be summed up by the
unanswerable and conclusive argument,
furnished by the custom of farmers who
usually drive to the road with two teams,
and then load both into one
Instances like these may be gathered
without number, in the every day
business Of the roads. at Albany, Troy,
Rome. Syracuse, and Utica, in this State.
Over nearly all of which, it is estimated
the number Of teams passing annually,
will not fall short Of 0.000-where
debts have been contracted in the cost Of
these roads, they generally have been
paid off within the first year--and the
dividend of the stockholders are seldom
under ten, and mostly twenty per cent.
per annum.
The advantage of the Plank Road to
the farmer is incalculable, as contrasted
with the railroad. His fare by railroad
will pay the toll ofhis wagon ON the Plank
Road; he takes his own team, which if
idle in his absence, and costing no more
to keep on the road than at home; he saves
all that would be charged for the freight
of his produce by the railroad A curl
Gus comparison may here be instituted be-
tween the comparative costs and profits
of the plank and railroad. To put into
operation two thousand miles OF railroad
has cost the enormous sum Of two hun.
dred millions of dollars; more than this
length of Plank Road has been laid in
single State at a cost not exceeding four
millions of dollars The two hundred mil
lions invested in railroads does not pay
hive per cent. on an average; and the
Plank Road, averaged, has paid twenty
FIVE per cent, or'rcturned in fours year its
original cost. To farmers or manufac-
turers there is no mode of wheeling so
cheap in the end as on the plank. 1t
saves lncalculabe expense in labor, wear
and tear of man and beast, and transports
at a cheaper and more expeditions rate
than even by canal. Many persons have
conscentlously opposed this kind of road
upon the mistaken premises that its cost
and the short time it can be kept in order
will not compensate for the original out
lay. We have briefly above pointed out
the fallacy of these deductions In many
portions of this State farmers are begin
ning to perceive the great superiority of
this road over all others, and are volunta-
rily subscribing under the General Plank
Road Law, granting right of way, and
constructing this most useful of roads
Builders should be carefulin constructing,
as upon this depends much of the dura-
bility of the road In our opinion the
simplest mode is by laying three string
pieces of about SIX inches in width, and
two in thicknes in the earth, to be settled
down even with the surface, by passing
over them heavy roller. The surface
should be kept clean TO permit the plank
to lie close and solid. Plank of eight feet
in length, and three inches in thickness
ought then to be placed across these pieces
at right angles, and forced closely together;
they require no pinning. and when firmly
settled down, will be removed with diff
Guilty even with pry. A thin coat of
gravel when it can be had is desirable, and
a small ridge or cmbankment of earth
along both sides of the roads at the ends
ofthe plank will secure them in their place,
and facilitate the passage Of vehicles into
the road. Where there isa dead level
and no longitudinal drain, a transverse in
clination Of about two inches is necessary,
varying according as the soils moist or
dry. In wet places the road must be
crowned up. an ditch excavated on both
sides. A wet road not resting on firm
and solid foundation, will present by vi.
bration the same resistance as loose
bridge, and is always difficult to travel
Some maintain that moderate grade is
less destructive to horses than dead Level
and that grade Of one and twenty is moi
Objectionable. But it is invariably found
that the wear on those grades is much
greater than on the level road, requiring
such frequent repair as to warrant the ex.
pense of reducing all inclinatons as near
ly as possible to a dead level. This in
crease in the wear of the road may be con-
sidered as decisive Of the question in re-
gard to the comparative labor performed
by the horse.
We have briefly placed before our sub
scrlbers most important subject, and
have endeavored to give them an insight
into the cheapness and importance of the
plank over all other roads. We trust i,
will be found useful to the class with whom
we weekly communicate, and that their
future experience will fully corroborate
the statements put forth. We are indebl-
ed, it is but just to state, for the principal
information We have given on this subject
| to reliable sources.