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Dr. Brown said that he had a good deal of experience in 

 roads, having been famihar with them in this State, from the 

 trace marked out with the axe, to the raih'oad. In regard to 

 the improvement of Ellsworth, it was his opinion that the 

 intermediate space between the planks would have to be filled 

 with gravel, else in winter they would be almost impassable 

 on account of the loose nature of our soil. The planks 

 would have to be at least three inches thick, because the 

 travel upon them being lengthwise, they would more easily 

 split. As to the comparative merits of the gravel and plank 

 roads, he believed the latter to be cheaper, and the resistance 

 upon them was not half as great as on the former. The re- 

 sistance on the plank laid lengthwise, was not as great as 

 when laid across the track. 



As to the Governor's suggestion of ditching the roads, the 

 objection was that these ditches would jfill up; besides our 

 winters were such that in the spring when the frost was 

 leaving the ground, the horses would sink down to the depth 

 of at least 12 inches. Our soil he thought was too loose for 

 that kind of road. Our system of working common roads 

 was miserable. Every year we but do over what was done 

 the year previous ; and bridges are built in such manner as 

 to render them but temporarily useful. 



Mr. Bollman said that in strong clay soils, such as is found 

 in Monroe county, the plan of Mr. Ellsworth would not do. 

 The clay is retentive of water, and in a short time the spaces 

 between the cross ties would become so deep with holes that 

 the safety of the horse would be endangered by the cross 

 ties. Gravel would have to be resorted to, and this was so 

 scarce, that the cost would be greater than the plank road 

 as now built. He did not think that plank roads would prove 

 profitable generally. It was only in favored localities, where 

 the plank were destroyed by the wear of travel, that they 

 would prove profitable ; but when the plank decayed by ex- 

 posure to the weather or influence of the ground, more or 



