146 Hudson and Mohawk Rail Road. 
The rails are pieces of wood from twenty one to twenty four feet 
long, and six inches square, hewed out of Norway and white pine* 
brought from the vicinity of Seneca lake, and which, in its quality, 
is considered, by the engincer, equal to yellow pine. These rails 
are placed in the iron chairs, and are wedged with wooden wedges 
on the outer side into a perfectly true line. On these lie the iron 
rails which are made of the best of wrought iron, and were manufac- 
tured at Wolverhampton, Staffordshire. 
They are are two inches and a half wide at bottom, and rounded 
off to one inch and seven eighths on the top. Their thickness is 
only nine sixteenths of an inch. The weight is twenty one tons 
per mile. These bars are tongued and grooved, and are secured 
to the wooden fail by iron spikes driven through oval openings. 
The expansion and contraction of the metal are provided for in 
these openings, and also by the tongues and grooves. Where the 
bars join, an iron plate is placed underneath and it is remarked that 
although additional strength is gained by this, yet the iron rails seem 
to wear faster at these places than at any others. After the road was 
used, these bars upon examination made by the writer, were foun 
to be magnetic. 
- At the distance of twenty one feet, tie pieces, as a farther security, 
are laid down, to bind the rails to each other and keep them? 
proper parallelism. Broken stone is also laid down between, and at 
the side of the rails, and this is again covered with earth. 
Upon the embankments stone bJocks have not yet been put 
order to give time for them to settle. When any settling is 0b8 
the timbers, on which the rails at present rest, are pryed up “ “ 
cured, and the level is maintained. AL 
The other track, which is on the south side of the one now in Uses 
is in a state of active preparation. | é 
Passengers are carried upon this road in coaches, drawn by horse 
and by the locomotive engines, whose powers are not yet CO 
sively tested. The DeWitt Clinton, on the plan of Mr. Hallie? 
merican engine, from the West Point foundry, and the Robert * 
ton, an English engine, is from the shop of Robert Stephenson. 
former is about eleven feet six inches in length, and mounted on 108 
wheels of four feet eight inches diameter. ‘The boiler contall® 
one hundred and fifteen gallons of water, and will sustain 4 PP 
down, ia 
pserve 
: : : the 
* Pinus resinosa and Pinus Strobus of Linnzus, the latter known 10 England # 
Weymouth pine. : : 
