FARMERS' REGISTER— RAILVt' AYS— AGRICULTURE, &c. 



2G3 



are about IS miles built on this plan in the whole 

 road. 



One considerable advantage attending this plan 

 of construction, is the facility of repairing it, and 

 renewing the decayed supports. Another impor- 

 tant consideration is, that timber will last longer 

 horizontally placed than vertically — as in the pile 

 construction. 



Pile Construction. — In this construction the 

 posts are generally of lightwood or of the heart of 

 the pine tree, round — with the butt end in the 

 earth, and from 10 to 15 inches in diameter. The 

 posts are in no case allowed to be less than 4 feet 

 in the ground — 6 feet apart transversely, by 6^ 

 feet longitudinally. Where the ground is soft the 

 piles are sometimes driven to a depth of 25 feet — 

 the distance in earth being entirely governed by 

 the descent, under a given weight, at the last blow 

 of the hammer. 



The weight of the hammer used, varied from 

 600 to 1000 pounds. The best piling machines 

 were 15 feet in height on large wooden rollers, 

 with moveable ears of disconnecting the ram block, 

 at different heights, secured by bolts and nuts to 

 the uprights. Under a hammer of 900 pounds, 

 with a clear fall of 20 feet at the last blow, the pile 

 was allowed to sink two inches. As the success 

 of the road in a great measure depended on the 

 stability of the piles, competent testers, under the 

 pay of the company, compelled by their presence 

 the faithful execution of this important part of the 

 work. 



Holes were generally dug about 3^ feetdeep into 

 the soil, before the pile was introduced, by means 

 of tongs — a kind of double spade, made for the 

 purpose. In hard soil this previous digging is a 

 great saving in expense, and by allowing the pile to 

 be intx'oduced with nearly its full size at the end, 

 is a material aid to its permanency. 



The piles, being sawed off and tenanted on the 

 true and even line of graduation established by the 

 levels of the engineer, are connected transversely 

 by caps 9 feet long, 6 by 9. 



The rails, 6 by 10, and never less than 3 stretch- 

 es or 19^ feet in length, are let into the caps 3 

 inches, and secured by wedges, driven on the in- 

 side of the rail in each cap. About ^ of an inch 

 is taken off the inner sides of the rails by a cham- 

 fer four inches deep, to a line, on which the edges 

 of the iron plates are laid precisely 5 feet apart 

 across the road, in the clear. Great care is neces- 

 sary that the top surface of the rail be perfectly 

 smooth and uniform, so as to afford the iron a solid 

 bearing. 



The confidence which the projectors and advo- 

 cates of the pile construction felt in predicting the 

 economy and stability of the plan, is entirely jus- 

 tified by the result. So far, the settling of the road 

 even in parts which have been in use 4 years, is 

 confined to a few points,— and then the introduc- 

 tion of a few additional supports, remedies the 

 evil. Not the slightest yield is observable in any 

 part of the road where the driving was properly 

 attended to. 



The cost of our pile construction has been from 

 S1900 to §3000 per mile, averaging about 8 2300, 

 the bracing being extra. The piling machines, 

 with blocks and gearing, are furnished to the con- 

 tractors b)^ the company, at an expense of about 

 SlOO, for each complete. 



We have some pile construction 15 feet in 



height — strengthened by outside braces, supported 

 against short piles driven about 8 feet from the 

 road on each side of the main track. 



Mo bracing is i-equisite v^herc the height is un- 

 der 7 feet, if the sod be firm. From 7 to 10 feet, 

 one brace of 4 by 5 scantling between each pair of 

 posts, is sufficient. Above 10 feet, 2 braces be- 

 tween each pair of posts, placed somewhat in the 

 shape of a letter X, are introduced. 



One mile of single bracing, average height, costs 

 about ^150; of double bracing, S400. 



Truss Construction. — Where the bottom is bad 

 and the work over 12 feet in height, the truss con- 

 struction is adviseable. 



A foundation must first be made of piles, well 

 driven, supporting a large bottom sill, 12 by 12, 

 which may be embanked on the top, or a founda- 

 tion of transverse and longitudinal sills, firmly im- 

 bedded in a solid sand embankment, may be used. 

 This last plan we have frequently had occasion to 

 adopt in the 7th residency. Four posts, 8 by 10, 

 making something the shape of an inverted W, 

 connected at the top by a cap 10 by 12, are mor- 

 tised into the bottom sill 12 by 12. The trusses or 

 bents may be put 12 or 13 feet apart, when the 

 size of the rail should be 12 by 12. Ten feet apart 

 with rails 9 by 12, is a convenient distance. The 

 cost of this constiuiction, the solidity and strength 

 of which has given great satisfaction, is very va- 

 riable, depending on the difficulty of the founda- 

 tion, the price of the materials, and the height 

 of the work. It varies from 86,000 to #10,000 

 per mile. There is one connected piece of road 

 on this plan, almost half a mile in length, the 

 height of which is from 18 to 25 feet. There is al- 

 together about 5 miles of the truss construction. 



REFLECTIOIVS OJf THE 13IPnOVEJMEXT OP 

 AGRICULTURE. 



To the Editor of the Fanners' Register. 



No species of literature affords more useful in- 

 struction, than that which leads to the knowledge 

 of extracting from^iie earth, in the easiest and most 

 abundant manner, a supply of the best food for man 

 and beast, and v/hich shall leave it in a situation to 

 make similar returns. Allow me to congratulate 

 you, upon your success in arousing the hitherto dor- 

 mant feelings of lower Virginia, which promises to 

 enable us to reach the desirable object of resuscita- 

 ting our worn out lands. We owe you much, nor 

 should the sons of lower Virginia withhold acknow- 

 ledging it. For years it has been lamented by the 

 intelligent, that ue were neglecting the advanta- 

 ges within our reach: but no individual has boldly 

 come forward to remedy the evil ; some fliint efforts 

 have been made, but none wliich ever promised' ag 

 does your publication. Should your efforts fail, we 

 may hang up our agricultural harps upon the wil- 

 lows, with a fear that before another such era shall 

 occur, they will be so far unstrung as to require 

 immense efforts to tune them again up to their 

 present melody. By the friends of your underta- 

 king, every effort should be made to sustain you. 

 You acknowledge, that without aid, you must fail: 

 this is evident; and from that consideration alone, 

 am I prompted to make this communication, which, 

 in the absence of more useful, may be used by you : 

 not that I imagine myself able to throw any new 

 light upon the subject, or even to afford matter, 

 gathered from those who have preceded me, that in 



