Plank Roads

The system of Plank Roads originated n Canada in 1835, and owes its existence to the difficulty experienced by the commissioner of highways to belter the condition of a few rods of qnick sand. After trying various expedienta without succes-, he finally conceived the idea of sinUing heavy and plafiking it, similar to building, except that he filled tho vacancy between the sleepers or sills with stone and earlh. He walched the opera:ion of it with inlerest, and found ihat he had overeóme the quick sand trouble. At the end of two years tho plank still remained soüd. He then tried the experiment over a marshy soil, and it worked well; and f rom this he conceived of efficacy of a common road made of I lank. A company wns formed soon nfter, says a writerin the Merchants' MaRajne, for the construction of a plank road from Toronto to the river Roue, Which was finished tn 1830. It met public ex pectaüon. Another was built from Wbitby to Lake Ontario, one fmm London to Godcrich; another from Cobourg to Rice Lake; one finished from ihe Rapids, on the Si. Lawrence, from Cots de Lac to , about 16 miles long; and one from Longuile to Chombly, commencing three miles below Montreal, which is 15 miles long. They have been sufficienlly tesled to the salisfaction of all, as being the best rordsever made for ordinarv passage, and capable of being used next to Railroads, in e.xpedition to travel. In the United States but little bas been known of them, until Iliree ears ago, excepl by visitéis to Canada, who always bpoke of them in high commendation. T!ie Rochester Democrat, in 1843, contained severnl leiteis in reference to them, written by a gentleman of that city, who was travelling thro' Canada. Tlic letters we re extensively copied by the prees, and the adoption of them urged. Since then charteis have been obtaincd for the construction of three ruads in the Si;ite of New York, viz: one from BufTalo lo Aurora; another from Buflalo t) Lrncoste-; the third from Salina to Brewerton. The last mentioned is the only one now construcled in the U. States. It is 12è milfs long. George Geddes, of Onondaga county, was llic Engineer. As the subject is becoming a topic of ranch intere.-t throughout this State, the mode of construction is of interest. We extract from a leter of GedJes to a friend: "The p'.anks nre of hemlock, eight feet long, four inches thick, luid crossvvise of the roaH, on sills four inches squnre. The earth is broken up and made fino, the sills are bedded into t,ar.d the surface graded smooth: ihe plank are ihen laid on the sills, care being mken ihat the earth is up to and touches the plank at every point. Tiiis is important, for if any space he left forair under the plank, or along side tlie sills, dry rotfollows. I saw, in Canada, a road that had been worn out, and was being rebuill. The sills were good and the pl.ink were sound on the under side, save where air had supplied the place of earth, and there ihey were destroyed by rol. The plank having been laid, the next thing is to grade a road some ten or twelve (eet wide on one side, and two or llireo on t'ne othcr, by taking earth from tlio ditches on each side, and bringing it, by a dilchscraper, just up to and even with the upper side of the plank, sothatifa wheel runs off the track, it passes upon a sm-oth surface of earth. The ends of the phnk should not be laid even, but a part should project fïom two to fotir incliesby the general lino, to prevent a rut being cut just along the ends of the plank. If the ends of the plank are even, and a small rut is made, the wheel of a loaded wagon will scrape along the en's for 8ome distanoe before it will riso up to the top of the plank, unless the wngon moves in a direction nearly across the rond; but ifthe wheel cannot move two fcet forward without coming square against the edgeof a projficting plank, the difficully of getting on ihe road is avoided. It not necessary to pin or spike the plank to the sill. "Perfect drainage must be secured,and to that end the ditohes must bedeep and wide, and good sluices wherever water crosses the road. This is the important point - drain perfectly. "Astothe cost of such a road,I will answer you by giving yon a copy of my estímate of the Salina road, which very considerably exceeded the actual cost. It is pio;ierto nform you ihis road was mad- upon the bed of an old road, (illed in many places with stone and logs. The right of way cosl us nothing. The eslimate was for plank three or fouv inches thick. VVhere we laid two tracks, wc laid one of them with three inch jdrok, but the main track was four inches thick. It is é'conomy to use thick plank if the track ia sufficient to wear out the road, but if t is to rot be'ore it is worn out. then, of course, tliin plank shoulil be iited. The Canada roads are genornlly three ir.ehes thick, and made ofpine, and last nbout eight yrars. "Estímate of the cnst of a single track Plank Road, eight feet widefor one Mile. The Lcngtiii and Chnmbly plank road, in Cannda was retnid the past spasnn, aftera wpar of eight years. Tho income of he rond pwd a divident of 10 per cent. on the cost of the first construrtion, an'J reserved a sufficient s!nkitiR fund to pay for re-building. Fourteen nppücations nre made to thf present session of the New York Legislatu'1?, for char'ers to build roais of ili dpscription - four nt (hem to lead from tl.e city of Rochester.