[1837 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



61 



pense, must necessarily conform, almost rijriclly, to 

 the direction of its crest, which is extremely nar- 

 row, seldom more than one hiinili'ed aiul Ire- 

 (]uenily not more than ten yards inwidili: while 

 its base spreads out to the, Appomattox on one 

 side, and ih'^ Nottoway on the other. It is com- 

 posed of lii^ht sand and <j:ra\el intermixed with 

 reddish clay, easily allecled hy the action of water; 

 and the nund)erless s^mall streams which have 

 their source in the sumnnt ol'liie rid(}:e, at. the very 

 commencement of their course have furrowed out 

 ravines wliich widen and deepen as they leave the 

 crest, and spread into valleys as they approach the 

 rivers. Between these ravines and valleys the 

 suritice is lelt at nearly its original heig'hl, forming 

 ridi2:es transverse to the main one, which are con- 

 tinued to the rivers at its base, where they termin- 

 ate in hiiih blutls. Whenever any deviation is 

 made ti-om the crest of the ridire, these arms have 

 to be cut through and the hollows filled up ; and a 

 very slight departure will, in most instances, add 

 verV much to the cost of graduation and masonry. 

 Fortunately, the ixeneral direction of the ridge is 

 such as it is desirable for the route of the road to 

 pursue, and whenever that direction is changed, it 

 •vill not compel curves of a less' radius, in any 

 case, than nineteen hundred feet. The maximum 

 grade adopted in both directions, is six-tenths per 

 liundred feet, or a little less titan thirty-two fiiet 

 per mile ; and grades of this character are, in no 

 case, continued for a lono; distance, and generally 

 •alternate with a level or descending grade. The 

 undulations in the surface of the ridge are so in- 

 considerable as to admit of (heir being reduced to 

 this limit of grade without an amount of work ex- 

 ceeding an average variation from the natural sur- 

 iiice of 7^ feet. By introducing stronger grades, 

 the line might be made more direct, and the cur- 

 vatures of greater radii, without increasing the 

 cost of graduation. But, on the best constructed 

 roads, and wlien the most approved machinery is 

 used, the friction is one 280th of the load, and the 

 total resistance on a grade of thirty-two ftiet per 

 mile, would be 104th of the load, 165tli of which, 

 is due to the inclination of the plane. Assumiiii}: 

 the power of this engine equal to transporting one 

 hundred tons, including the tender, on a level, and 

 supposing the weight of the engine and tender to 

 be eleven tons, its effective power, or load carried, 

 exclusive of the engine and tender, would be, on 

 a level, ninery-six tons, while on agrade of thirty- 

 two feet per mile, it would be but twenty-seven 

 tons. A stronger grade, thereiijre, than thirty- 

 two feet per mile, against the preponderating 

 trade, or on a road of equal reciprocal trade, is de- 

 cidedly objectionable; and particularly so on all 

 roads constructed of wood, with iron plate rails ^ 

 or 5-8ths inch thick, which is the character of 

 most of this class of roads yet constructed in this 

 country. On such roads, light engines only, and, 

 of course, engines of but little power, can be used 

 ■without serious and immediate injury to the super- 

 structure. There are a few cases, when, to avoid 

 expensive work, strong grades may be eflectively, 

 and frequently with economy, introduced. These 

 are, at either terminus of the road, when on the ar- 

 rival of one engine with its train, another is im- 

 mediately to go out ; in this case, the engine com- 

 ing in, can, at a trifling expense, assist the out- 

 ward tr lin ; or, on a line too long for a continuous 

 working trip with the same engine, when the en- 



gine in wailiniT would be assisted by the one to be 

 detached. To construct a road for the use of, not 

 the higher, but the meilium order of engines, that 

 is, engines of eleven or twelve inch cylinders, 

 would increase their cost, in the item of iron alone, 

 at its present price, Sl^^^^^ per mile: while il" the 

 ijrade was much increased, the effective power ol" 

 the larger engine would be la'ought down to, or 

 reduced beloWj the smaller one, on a thirty-two 

 loot grade. And in this division, the grades can, 

 in every case, be so modified by the necessary 

 curve, that the resistance shall in no case ex- 

 ceed what is due to that grade in a straight 

 line. 



The second division commences near Burke's 

 tavern, where the line leaves the ridge, and fiiiliiig 

 on to its norlliern slope, it pursues a very direct 

 course to Sandy river, passing to the right of, and 

 near to B. Boiling's and A. Dolphin's. The 

 whole distance, from the commeni;ement of this di- 

 vision to Sandy river, is two and a fourth miles, 

 two miles of 'which descends at the rate of 52 8-lOths 

 feet per mile, and theremainderat 31 6-10. Tlie 

 line, upon reacliing Sandy river, immediately 

 crosses it. and pursuing a northerly course, con- 

 tinues on its western bank about one mile, when it 

 re-crosses it, and traverses its eastern bank three 

 and a half miles, when, in the distance of eight 

 hundred feet, it crosses the river twice and re- 

 sumes lis course on the eastern bank, to which it 

 adheres till it reaches Busli river, which it crosses 

 a short distance above its confluence witfi the Ap- 

 pomattox. The Sandy is dignified with the name 

 of a river, but it is a very inconsiderable stream, 

 only six feet wide where tlie line first crosses it, 

 and twenty feet where last. Tlie first and second 

 crossings will be expensive; the siirlace of the wa- 

 ter being depressed below the grade of the road at 

 the first crossing fifiy-ibur li?et, and fifty-two ieet 

 at the second; the other crossings are fifteen and 

 sixteen feet respectively. Several small tributaries 

 of the Sandy are also crossed : the principal are 

 Aikin, Louse, and Marrowbone creeks. The line 

 has to be sustained on ground much broken, in- 

 volving deep cutting and heavy filling, which, 

 with the necessary bridging and masonry, makes 

 this part of the line very expensive. Bush river 

 is crossed at an elevation of twenty ieet above its 

 surface, and the line then follows up tlie south 

 bank of the Appomattox, pursuing a course near- 

 ly west to Farmville, terminating in the main 

 street near Phillips' tannery. Immediately above 

 Venable's mill, the river has a bend so abrupt as 

 to make it necessary either to cross it twice or in- 

 troduce a curve of 600 ibeA radius; by crossing it a 

 distance of 3000 feet is saved in 6200, as also ex- 

 pensive road formation along a rocky bluff. A 

 curve of 600 feet radius would not comport willi 

 the character of the rest of the line, and would 

 seriously diminish the capacity and security of the 

 road. The estimate is therefore made for the line 

 crossinfTihe river, and the location traced according- 

 ly. The curves on this division are the same as 

 those on llie first, and the road will have, in all 

 particulars, the same capacity, with the exception 

 of the two miles of 52 8-lOths feet inclination, iu 

 approaching the Sandy. To make this part of the 

 road equally efficient, it will be necessary to have 

 an engine of equal power with those in general 

 use on the road stationed at this place, to aid the 

 ascending train when retjuired. Tlie iengtli of thi^ 



