ART. VIII. PLANK ROADS.

History, Structure, and Statistics of Plank Roads in the United States and Canada. By W. KINGSFORD, Civil Engineer on the Hudson River Railroad. With remarks on Roads in general, by F. G. SKINNER, and a Letter on Plank Roads, by the HON. CHARLES E. CLARKE. Philadelphia: A. Hart, late Carey and Hart, 126 Chestnut Street. 1851. 1851. pp. 40.

PLANK roads have within a few years become an important part of the general system of intercommunication in the State of New York. We believe they have not been extensively adopted elsewhere, though we see no reason why this cannot be done, and with equal advantage. We have thought that a few remarks on this subject would not be out of place in the New Englander. In making them we shall draw somewhat largely upon the pamphlet before us, for which we would make this general acknowledgment.

A plank road consists of two parts. These are the road bed and the superstructure. The road bed does not differ from any well made turnpike road. The superstructure is composed of two parts, the stringers," and the planks. The stringers are thick and broad plank, and should be not less than one foot in breadth and two inches in thickness. The stringers are laid longitudinally with the road; if only two are used, they should be placed so far apart that the wheels of vehicles with the ordinary length of axle, will pass over their center, and if a third is added, which is the best way, it should be so placed as to give some support to the tread of the horse. The stringers are imbedded so that their upper surface is on a level with the surface of the road bed. The planks are laid transversely on the stringers, and each one is settled by mauling till it rests flat and plumb on the stringer, and solid on the ground from end to end, so that no space is left for air beneath. The planks are driven close together, and thus form a perfect flooring. This flooring is then covered with sand or fine gravel, which prevents the calks of the horses' shoes from cutting the planks, and the tire of the wheels from wearing them. The grit, moreover, penetrates into the grain of the wood and forms a kind of protective covering, and by filling up the interstices hinders the passage of water in wet weather. The planks are eight feet long. The whole width of the road should be from sixteen to eighteen feet, of which the planked portion will of course occupy eight feet, and should be on one side and not in the center. As in passing, it is necessary for one of the vehicles to turn off upon the unplanked portion, which is called the " turn-off," it is obvious that that portion should be on a level with the planks,

and should be kept in good repair. To facilitate the return of the wheel, the planks are laid alternately in and out, so as to form a jog, on which the wheel can catch.

The cost of a plank road, including right of way, is on an average about seventeen hundred and fifty dollars a mile. The annual repairs will average for a series of seven years about ten dollars a mile, and the planks must be relaid every eighth year. The cost of repairs and of replanking, however, will depend very much upon the grade and the drainage. The grade should not be over one foot in sixteen, and might be much less, with advantage. The drainage, which is the most important point of all, should be so managed as to allow no water to stand on the planks.

The income of the road in the State of New York is derived from tolls. These, according to the law regulating them, are not to exceed one cent and a half a mile for a vehicle drawn by two animals; and one half-cent a mile for every additional animal; for every vehicle drawn by one animal, three-quarters of a cent a mile, and for each horse and rider, or led horse, half a cent a mile.

The questions of draught, of the rate of travel, of the wear of animals and of vehicles, are important to be considered. Mr. Clarke says, in general, "They are the best roads imaginable, better by far than the best paved or 'macadamized' road, pleasanter for the person riding, easier for the animals, and far less destructive to the carriages that roll upon them. A very little snow is enough to make excellent sleighing, and you can drive in the night as well as in the day, for the horses will instinctively keep the road." Mr. Kingsford makes the following statement:" Experiment has determined the load which a horse is capable of drawing on the plank road to be so weighty, that one almost hesitates to set it down from fear of the accusation of extravagance. On the Salina and Central road, a few weeks back, for a wager, a team of two horses brought in, without any extraordinary strain, six tons of iron from Brewerton, a distance of twelve miles, to Syracuse. One and a half cords of green beech is a common load, which is equivalent to four and a half tons. And there is so little resistance on a properly constructed road, that an average team of two horses can travel with this load from thirty to thirty-five miles day after day, at the rate of from. three to four miles an hour. Indeed, the farmer does not seem to make any calculations of the weight taken. He loads his wagon as best he can, and the only care is not to exceed the quantity which it will carry; whether the team can draw the load is not the question-for those who travel on plank roads affirm that the only danger is that the wagon cannot bear the load, not that the horse cannot draw it." The difference between the common road and the plank road is well and fairly illustrated by the following fact given by Mr.

Kingsford: "A manufacturer of Utica formerly transported from the railroad to his establishment-a distance of seven miles-ten bales of cotton a day, with two teams of two horses each, each team making but one daily trip; but on the recently constructed plank road, one team performs the journey twice, delivering fifteen bales daily. The average weight of a bale of cotton is five hundred pounds; one team, therefore, is now equal to the work of seventyfive hundred, while on the old road it was equal to only twentyfive hundred. These loads must be considered as fair average burdens, without the energy of the horses being unduly taxed." We may place the usual load, for a team of two horses, at three

tons.

The average rate of the stage coach on the plank road is eight miles an hour.

The wear and tear to the horse, harness and vehicle, is reduced at least one-half. Horse-shoes last twice the time. Instead of frequent new shoes, it is only necessary to have them periodically removed. These savings alone, to say nothing of the gain in point of time, will more than make up for the tolls which are exacted.

We

We do not propose to discuss fully the relations which plank roads may sustain to the several modes of communication within any given region, to the canal, the railroad, and the common road. will confine ourselves to three remarks. In the first place, plank roads should take the place of most railroad branches. It is well known that the length of the branches of the Boston and Worcester railroad is about the same as the length of the main line, and that as a whole they produce no income. Here, then, is in reality a railroad of fifty miles long in the richest part of Massachusetts, which does not pay the expenses of running it. The reason why short railroad branches are not profitable, seems to be, that the inhabitants having their own "motive power," prefer to use it for short distances, so that the main line does not get much by the branch road which it did not before get. It seems to us, that the plank road is just what is wanted to complete and perfect the railroad system of any region. It is inevitable that a long line of railroad connecting distant important points between which there is a demand for the most speedy transport, should pass to the right or left of many important places, which places must decline by the growing up of others on the road, unless they can be connected with the main line in some easy way. A village five or ten miles from a railroad could not furnish freight and travel for a branch railroad, which would cost in the one case one hundred and in the other two hundred thousand dollars or more, while it would support a plank road, costing only eight or nine thousand dollars in the one case, and from sixteen to eighteen thousand in the other.

In the second place, there are many regions which have not at any given time business enough to support a railroad, but capacity to do it, if its resources should be developed. But it may take some years fully to develop them. Now in this case a plank road is just what is needed. The business of the region will pay a fair income upon a comparatively small capital, which it could not do upon a larger. Mr. Kingsford estimates that the cost of the railroad is at least twelve times that of the plank road. If we suppose the region through which a more speedy means of transport is required to be twenty miles long, the cost of a plank road would be about thirtyfive thousand dollars, and of a railroad about four hundred and forty-two thousand dollars. This latter sum might in the course of some years earn a fair income, but in the meanwhile it would be unproductive. But the plank road will pay handsomely from the outset and is ready to give way to the railroad whenever the increase of business shall authorize it. In this case, indeed in every other, the plank road should be constructed under the direction of a competent engineer. Its line of direction and its grades should be determined with reference to the fact, that iron rails may at some future period be laid upon the road bed. This conversion of the plank road into a railroad, if it should become expedient, could take place at those periods when the planks shall have become so far worn as to require to be removed. The economy of this arrangement will be further evinced by considering the fact, that in average distances the fare on the plank road is only three cents a mile while on the railroad it is not much less; and that the difference of time in most cases is not more than three to one in favor of the railroad. This difference too is much more important to merchants and travelers going long distances than it is to the inhabitants of any particular region who have to travel short distances in their own vehicles. It seems to us, therefore, that in cases like this, and there are some such even in New England, the plank road finds its proper place in the system of intercommunication, and is to be preferred to the railroad.

In the third place, while attention has properly been directed to costly structures exclusively as the means of facilitating communication between distant parts of the country, it is a little remarkable that no attempt has been made until within a few years to improve the modes of communication between the different parts of the same county, or township, or smaller portions of territory. We have been disposed to grumble if we could not go a hundred miles on the railroad in three or four hours, but have been quite content to take the same time to go a dozen miles in our own vehicles. Now we believe that an improvement in the means of travel and transport for the inhabitants living within small districts of territory, among themselves, would be as great a gain to the country in proportion to

the money expended, as has been secured by canals and railroads. What does this gain consist in? If we trace it to its ultimate source, it will be found to consist in the saving of time. The person who goes by railroad to New York saves an hour or two compared with the person who goes by steamboat, and he who goes by steamboat, still more, compared with the person who goes in his own carriage. The farmer who requires one whole day to transport a given amount a given distance on a common road, will transport the same in onethird of the time on a plank road. Now to estimate the amount of time saved, or in other words, of productive power increased or money made, by a complete system of intercommunication for short distances, would be impossible. If we were to divide the number of miles run by all the railroads in any State within one year, by the number of inhabitants of that State, we should find that each individual on an average, had traveled but a very few miles, and of course had saved but a very little time: but if we were to divide the number of miles passed over by vehicles on the common roads in that State in the same space of time, by the same number, we should be astonished at the difference. If now each inhabitant in going the number of miles he travels in the year, on the common roads, could by any means save two-thirds of his time, and if this amount of time saved, should be made the standard of the actual worth to the community of the improvement, then, we say that such an improvement would be far more valuable to any State than the railroad system-valuable almost beyond estimate, as that has proved to be. We believe that the next great step in the improvement of the means of communication will be in the modes of transport and travel which is and must be accomplished by animal power. And this improvement will diffuse its blessings far more equally among the people than the railroad or canal. The railroad benefits the termini and a few intermediate points, and indirectly the whole region, but in the case supposed almost every householder in any given community would be directly benefited. In illustration of this position we will make a few extracts from Mr. Kingsford, who has collected some valuable statistics on the subject. He has given in specific statement the effects of these roads upon the surrounding country.

"UTICA. One hundred and sixty-three miles of plank road may be said to belong to this city and converge toward it. These roads, further, connect the city with roads leading to Sackett's Harbor, a distance of seventy miles, and to Oswego, a distance of sixty miles. Prior to the introduction of plank roads, during the fall and spring, farmers could not take to the city loads exceeding 8 cwt. At these seasons, the streets, markets, and hotels would be deserted, presenting a painful aspect of depression of industry. In fact, it was only in the deep winter, when the sleighing was good, and in the clear summer months, that active business could be relied upon. The plank roads have equalized the seasons. Farmers can now come in every day in the year. There is a steady trade carried