1837.] 



FARMERS'REGISTER, 



681 



post, and the other end resting on the boat, and 

 by the as^stance of half a dozen men, jolting up 

 and down on it, the post is soon driven liome ; an- 

 other is then set down opposite the last, and when 

 done, they are secured to eacli other by a h\rge 

 piece of" timber called a cap, morticed to suit the 

 tenons of these posts, and raised up and put on 

 them. Thus the labor of setting', driving, and cap- 

 ping these posis is continued until these two rows 

 are completed. Auer that, a single row o{' louix 

 slim logs, (I liave used many from fifty to seventy 

 feet in length,) are to be bolted to the inside of 

 these posts, so near low water mark as the work 

 can be perlbrmed. And here [ would observe, 

 that all pieces of large timber used in the con- 

 struction of the dam, and which cross the current, 

 or run parallel with the dam, are called lies. 

 All pieces of timber that cross the dam and rest 

 on the posts, are called caps. All pieces of large 

 timber driven into the mud, and connected by 

 caps, are called posts. All small timber that a 

 man can handle, such as poles, hoards or plank, 

 which are forced down by the weight of nieii into 

 the mud to secure it from slipping, are called 

 pilings. The long ties beinij bolted to the posts, 

 prevent them rocking about by the rapidity of the 

 current ; and they are also the main support to the 

 lops of the pihngs which rest against ihem, and 

 confine the mud to its proper place. Another set 

 of posts, much shorter and lighter than the former, 

 are driven midway in the space between the large 

 posts, and pressed hard against and inside of the 

 long ties. Opposite to these, and furthest from the 

 long posts, other short and light posts are driven 

 down and capped, on a range with the surfidce of 

 the marsh. These outside posts are secured by a 

 single row of long ties bolted to them ; a second 

 row of lonir ties are then put on the inside of the 

 large or middle rows of posts, and directly over 

 the in-ends of the caps of the outer posts, fbrminii 

 for these two middle rows of posts two complete 

 rows of long ties, which are bolted to the larnre 

 posts, and the in-rows of small posts are bolted to 

 these long ties. Thus there will be three distinct 

 apartments or spaces for the mud, and four sepa- 

 rate rows of pilings to secure it within, so as to re- 

 ceive the body of the dam to its proper heitrht in 

 the middle apartment or space between the hiijh 

 posts, while the two outer spaces are to be consid- 

 ered as supports or footings to the whole ; so that 

 by packing the hardest mud in these outer spaces 

 against the pilings of the inner rows- it is apparent 

 that the whole pressure of the weight of mud will 

 be directly downward ; nor can the body of mud 

 incline either to the right or left of these middle 

 rovvs of pilings, because a like quantity of mud 

 being thrown into each of the outside spaces, will 

 produce a like pressure upon the centre of the 

 dam. For these pilings I would prefer two-inch 

 plank, sawed to suit the varying depths of the 

 water, because they are more easily pointed and 

 more quickly driven to their proper places by three 

 men using a plank, as prescribed in laying down 

 the sluice. In filling up these spaces, (particular- 

 ly the middle one,) it will be necessar_v to observe 

 that no more work is to be laid off for the day than 

 can be secured and completed, so that it mav not 

 be swept away by the current at night. In doinir 

 this, no greater distance along these four rows of 

 ties should be piled than can be filled up by the 

 hands durins the day ; and as preparatory to fill- 

 VoL, IV— 86 



ing up the day's work, three light ties or sticks of 

 timber, about six inches iri diiimeter, and of length 

 sufllcient to reach across each of the three s[)aces, 

 should be laid across the long ties and rested for 

 support against the posts. Wiiliin and aoainst 

 these moveable ties, <rood plank should be siuclc 

 down close to each other, and as much mud should 

 be thrown within, as would support them firmly to 

 their places, and enable them to resist the impetu- 

 osity of the tide. Without these precauiionsj the 

 rapidity of the current would carry away the mud 

 as fast as it was thrown in. This process, called 

 cribbing, is necessary to be refieated at every lay- 

 off of the work. From these cribbings, in the 

 middle space, the mud is to be sloped backward, 

 towards the top of the bank that had been pre- 

 viously finished ; and before these cribbino; planks 

 can be safely removed, there must be another set 

 of cribbing planks put down, and the four rows of 

 long lies piled all in the same manner as the for- 

 mer. Thus we continue to draw up these crib- 

 bings next to the bank, and advance tiie new Crib- 

 bings as the work progresses, until the breach be 

 completed. To accomplish such work to the best 

 advantaixe, substantial wheelin^r plank should be 

 laid over the middle row of caps, for the men to 

 run their barrows on in safety ; and when it is ne- 

 cessary to briuir their mud from a greater distance 

 than about eight v leet, another gangway should 

 be formed, that all the loaders (or, as they are 

 sometimes called, shovel men,) may be kept con- 

 stantly at work. There should be two sets of 

 wheelers for one set of shovelmen ; one set of the; 

 former to wheel up the mud half way to the dam, 

 and there to meet the other set returning: with 

 their empty barrows. At this place they exchange 

 their barrows ; those who came up loaded, return 

 with their empty barrows to be again filled, while 

 the others, turning about, proceed to discarge their 

 loads in the breach. That all parts of the work 

 might advance ariyht, there should also be two 

 Jaro;e flat-bottom boats, (scows,) which could be 

 very advantageoutsly employed ; the one within 

 the dam in the creek, and the other on the out- 

 side, with hands sufficient to work them. Their 

 business shotild be to brinsr mud from the sides of 

 the creek, and discharge their loads into the two 

 outer spaces, viz. the footinirs, by throwing the 

 mud with force against the pilings of the two in- 

 ner rows. During ail the time th'»t tiie labor- 

 ers are employed, a few trusty men should be sta- 

 tioned in the mud at the dam, and should be or- 

 dered to pack every wlieelbarrow load as it is de- 

 livered. Should the nmd happen to be soft and 

 inclined to slip, it will then be necessary to spread 

 over it occasionally very thin layers of fine brush, 

 or, what is equally, proper, three-square young 

 reeds, or anv long grass. Alternate layers of such 

 materials being incorporated with the soft mud, 

 give it such tenacity, as that the workmen can 

 cnrry up the dam to its proper height and shape. 

 The width of such a dam would be from thirty to 

 thirtv-four feet, and the work when completed 

 would exhibit a view, from the edge of the water 

 at low tide to the top of the bank, a slope at or about 

 an angle of fit'ty degrees. Before the work of fill- 

 iniT lip the breach is fairly entered upon, I con- 

 sider it safest to guard the opposite side by run- 

 ning off a crib, some ten ortwenty feet, and secur- 

 ing it by good mud packed within ; for as the work 

 , advances and the width of the breach leseensj so 



