Macon telegraph. (Macon, Ga.) 1826-1832, December 05, 1826, Image 1

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Newspaper Page TextnTucsAa^, Dec. 5, 1820. BY> MYRON BARTLET. Volume l.v.Vj.Wo. 6. (9B9B**i % The Telegraph is published weekly ^con, Ga.—Office on Cherry Street, near 1 public Square. ' / . pPMS.—TAree Dollart per annum, if j in nilvance, or Four Dollars dt the end the year. Distant subscribers must in all •j ntui in advance. Uhcrtisements inserted at the usual rates. report ! ' Internal Iminrovements to the Board of Public Works, in the State of Georgia, by iUsHCTON Fulton, Chief Cwd Engineer. (restwojsto «to* oc» last.) is to the same cause the Potteries of Staf- dure owe their establishment; however sin- r it may appear, it is a fact, that not one icle in the composition of the immense ty of stone ware and china manufactured iis district, is fouhd on the spot; the whole ought from other quarters by sea coast and id navigation; the only articles which in- id the potters to settle themselves in this of Staffordshire were coal, and a suitable for making seggars, the vessels in which china, dec. is baked—and in addition to e, the facilities of canals for conveying tho materials, to the Potteries, and manufac- d goods to, London, Liverpool, &c. 'hough many canals have been made in at Britain.which have been unprofitable to Stockholders by their direct revenue, yet I I no doubt, the indirect advantages to the is and country in their vicinity, have am- compensated for the cost of the work.— i increased value of the stock in a great iber of these'works is prodigious, nay al- t beyond belief. I saw a share of the New er Water Works which cost £100, or §444 sold by auction for the enormous sum of 200 Sterling, or §27,333 33 cents, bout fifty years ago, numberless objections i started against Canals in England, such ieir waste of land, producing noxious and vapors, destroying the breed of horses, away the revenue pf Turnpike Roads, ...ng the coasting trade, and the nursery for tea, injuring old mines and established si by enabling new ones to be opened, in- >:^g pilfering workmen and boatmen in country, &c. &c. Time lias shewn ,ese visionary fears existed oidy in the of the ignorant and prejudiced, iccpt the tide rivers, almost all the rivets ^gUnd have been rendered navigable, as i* it .< possible to make them so, by dams locks: this mode of improving rivers, in r in stances, has answered extremely well; no only a permanent navigation, but each an excellent^te-far-iL-miU. and KW'strutted th used; for it is found that increasing the speed of a horse reduces his power so much, that his speed may be increased until ho is only able to move the weight of his own body; various for mulae have been recommended to ascertain ihe diminution of the power of a horse by the increase of velocity. Perhaps the most sim ple is, to divide the power he is capablo of exerting in pound weight, when going at the rate of one mile an hour, by tho increased velo city. Thus, if a horse can exert a power e- qual to 224lbs,.at the rate of 1 mile an hour, he will only be capable of exerting a force equal to 112lbs. at two miles an hour, 74 2-3lbs. at three miles, 561bs. at four miles, and so om it is a generally received opinion, that a horse exerting a force equal to 112lbs. at two miles per hour, can draw on a level railway ten tons. By actual experiment it has been found, that a single horse is c&patde of drawing 24 1-7 tons down a railway with an average rate of descent of 1 to 178, and ascend the same in clination with .8 1-2 tons, although part of this inclination is as steep as 1 to 82 1-2, and tra vel with these loads down and up alternately for the distance of 19 miles per day. Some men of eminence have advocated the use of rail roads so strongly as to assert, that under all circumstances, they are superior to canals, but it appears to me this is carrying their predilection in favor of railways, farther than reason will support it. It has been con sidered, that the expense of a double iron rail way is equal, or nearly so, to that of a canal for seven feet beam boats where no locks are required, and where the sod is favo rable for cutting. I should therefore be in clined to give a canal the preference where tho country is level, and particularly where it can be constructed to subserve the purpose of drain ing as well as transportion of goods—There are many articles connected with agriculture, which can be more conveniently carried’in boats than in waggons, such as grain in bulk, provender, manure, &c. &c. and for reasons above stated, unless where expedition is re quired, the load transported by a single horse is sufficient to decide the point. Whore produce requires to be transported from a mountainous or hilly country, and where the trade is a descending one, or. in o- ther words, where a greaterweight is be carri ed down than up, which will bo uniformlv the vast wliers ilw nritciesTor exportation consist of raw materials: in such situations rail roads appear to me to have a great superiority, as the immense expense of lockage is saved and. none incurred in obtaining a sufficiency of water to supply the lockage, leakage, and evaporation of a canal. horses feet from inuring the sleepers. The materials for constructing a work of this kind aroso convenient, abundant, and good, throughout the while of the State, that the ex pense will bo foundlto fall far short of the bene fits to be derived ra the transportation of the staple commodities j of the country ; and when these are transferred from tho existing roads, it will require little attention or expense to keep them in excellent condition for travelling car riages or neighbomood waggons; when the population and tradqof the country will justi fy the expense, it tv*ill be an easy and simple operation to substitute iron rails in place of the timber ones. Tho sleepers may be laid down without any hewing, fexcept a little on the top and a notch on each side for the reception of the first rail; this rail may also le, put down without any hewing, till that is mvessuy is to obtain a tree of the proper size, which, when quartered will produce four rails, the upper rail if sawn square, will admit of tint ng when the inside edge is worn by the frictiop of the wag gon wheels. ’ J I think it may with great confidence be sta ted, that a single horse will be cajjable of draw ing a weight equal to four tons gn the Trans verse Line, and at least six tons dn the Central Line, travelling at the rae of ftvo miles per hour, 20 miles per day—and when an actual experiment is made, I tiavj little doubt but the result will be greater. i Before dismissing the subject of Canals and Rail Roads, it will tend td elucidate the rela tive advantages of the different modes of trans portation, by presen' ing to view a comparative estimate of the cost of Canals, Rail Roads made of cast and mallenlle iron, and' Ruil Roads made entirely of timber; also a state ment of the cost of transporting one ton of goods for 20 miles on each—this last estimate <s predicated on the supposition that, 30,000 tons of produce and merchandise will pass a- long the road in a yeur; tho expense of trans portation includes the hire and expense of a man and horso, the toll dues, and every other ex pense but the hire or tear and wear of the wag gon. Canals of the tide sperifitdfor the Central Line. Cost of making one mile, ‘including lock age, $19,007 68 ..Tier miHrarff sitUtted they aro ccmui «r |vr largely to tho revenue of the navigation ■ills mode of improving rivers in a printi- [country where the trade will justify the Inse, is far superior to sluicing. Nothing [induce me to recommend sluicing, but the of means to effect a permanent nayiga- ■ ihc wing and side dams are a continual [re of expense, ns they are liable to be >i mv iv by floods. he Now Yorkjfcs perhaps the longest artifi- [ canal which Iras been made titty where, I although it has .been on 'y “ &w y oo,-s in ation, his already tes:ed its utility and equence, by tlwrapid increase of revenue Si. annually takes place, is probable that the revenue w : ll not only [date the original expense ; n a short time, provide a sufficient sum for the oxpetuli- [ of the State, and render the collection of s unnecessary. . te other canals which are now in a for- condition, are of great magnitude—A- gst these We the Union C anal .n Penmvl- , the Delaware Canal, the Ohio Canal, nuny. others of minor consequence. RAILROADS. i mode of transporting commodities, lias t ■ become a subject of investigation a- £t men of science and practical engineers, [ipcars that their various experiments and prie.s have resulted in establishing the fact goods can be conveyed more expeditious- png a Railway by mechanical power, than can be on a Canal by animal power— a Canal has a preference as regards the lit transported, until the velocity is increas- J more titan three miles an hour. This n- Ifroiatho great increase of resistance pre- 1 to ho bow and sides of the boat in pass- '“"gb-lha.uutnr, which is wwtty ««!.»»■ i as the squares of the velocity: when ‘ is impelled along »canal at the rate of tile per hour; the exertion is considered ■ at two miles, per hour as four, a^ tin ee per hour as nine, at four m les per hour £*on, at five miles per hour us twenty-five, 1 'odes per hour as thirty-six, and' so on \ the ailwvo reason, why the velocity cun 1 incieused on a canal its on a railway, I s another .insurmountable objection » «, for as tho velocity is increased, it fdl a a matter of course that the agitation > water is increased also; by this increas- tmjtion the banks of the canal are washed |p bottom, and the whole very soon ren unfit for navigation. I remember a tri- " WB® about thirty years ago on the and Forth Canal, of steamboats for in an< ^ ol her largo vessels, but in quenco of the groat agitation of the water * on the banks, thev were laid a* the banks, they were laid a* velocity of a waggon tmr 1 1 r ‘ ncrcare d resistance than M..... Pvia w h’ c ,h i* but trifling, except I <x d. head winds prevail, the friction I 0,.. alert'd tho same or nearly »o, at ■ 1 1/0 pf voloeity ihe waggon moves—, good whetrtnceitanictiijioww "l so whcij animal power it rued Instead of Canals in a southern climate, 1 mile of annual expense in keeping the a- bove roads io repair," superintendence, oC. .1 mile interest on the original cost,’ $403 61 171 60 $573 21 For transporting 1 ton 20 miles, 771-2 cents.. Expenses of transporting 1 ton per 20 milu, by the dif. _ _ ferent modes. By Canals §i jj By Cast Iron Rail Road, stone supports, 1 03 " By Cast Iron Kail Road, on timber, 99 By Malleable Iron Rail Road, 75 By Malleable Bar Iron Rail Road, 61 141 By Timber Railways, 77 l-jj By Road Waggons, 4 48 By tho abovo calculations of tho expense of transportation, it will be seen that a ton of pro- diiceur merchandise can be conveyed 100 miles on a Rail Road made of timber with malleable iron plates, for three dollars 5 5-6cents per ton. On a Rail Road made entirely of timber, three dollars 871-2 cents which by the present mode of transportation byroad waggons, costs twenty- two dollars forty cents. Where iron is used, the value of it may be considered as so much money sent out of the State; where timber is exclusively used, the whole of the expenditure Is retained withiuthe limits of the State. TURNPIKE ROADS. The cost of Turnpike Roads depends very much on tho scale and in the manner they are made, the soil over which they are carried, the convenience of nkiterials for their construction & some other minor circumstances/ In red clay or sandy soil, and in swamps and marshes, where neither rock, gravel, nor any other earthy ma terial of a proper consistency can be found, timber is the only substitute which can be used. On red clay soils a tolerably good road may bo made of 32 feet in width in the clear, by coveting one half of this width with puncheons, or timber split in the manner of fence rails, or timber hewn on the upper and two lateral sides, covered with the most retentive soil which can be got. This part of the road ought to be used exclusively in the winter season; the other half of the road requires nothing else but level ling the native soil, which ra ordinary dry summers makes an excellent road. Where ihe soil is loose sand, and no gravel tq_hc . convenient, I am not awa«‘- / ' an y other mate? Cost of annual repair-, snpenntenitnncc. ,wi rfuioer, which can be used with pro- imcrpst on th-ongmaJ cost. .i "V « pri et v . I„ swaraps and marshes it becomes ne- ccssary to dig two capacious ditches, and throw the soil therefrom on the intended roadway in order to raise it above the adjacent surfaces; if the soil from the ditches is not sufficiently re tentive, recourse must be had to timber.as be fore stated. On all soils where the.road is car- —». ■ • dopte where stagnant waters are certain of producing sickness; they are likewise better adapted for climates subject to severe frost, as they can be as well used in winter as in summer, if proper care is taken to clear them of snow. When a line of communication is required hrough a part of the country running trans versely to the different rivers, streams, and valleys, a Rail Road can easily be made to o- vercomo ihe undulations, where it would be mpracticuble to carry a canal, at almost any expense whatever. Those immense loads transported on a Rail way, as may naturally be supposed, aro not cilrried in one vehicle, but distributed in'o a number of waggons, contain'ng according to the strength of the rails, from 1 1-4 to 6 tons each, there is of course never more than one fourih of tho weight of one of these waggons pressed on any one of the rails at the same time; these waggons are fixed to each other by a shaft chain, and the horse is attached to the first wag gon, the others following the same track in a line; when the waggons are properly arranged it is not necessary that the norse should over come the inertia of tho whole at once; he puts the first wiiggon in motion, and when the chain by which the second is attached to the first is straightened he puts it in motion, and so on uutd the whole are moved along. I have dwelt thus much on the subject of Canals, Iron Rail Roads, for animal power and Iron Rail Roads for mechanical power, or Lo comotive Engines, more particularly with the view of conveying information on these sub jects generally, to the public than to recom' mend the adoption of either in the contempla ted improvements of Georgia; and instead of Canals or Iron Rail Roads, submit a propose* «ian (o> making /Timlun'. Railways,, which 1 consider better adapted to the present popula< tion, trade, and probably, the resources of tho State, than any substitute which can bo offered. These will afford much greater facilities to inland communication than turnpike roads made on the best principles, and at a much less expense. Though I have never seen Hny T.mber Railways, I find it was the matcrial'first used for their construction at the New Castle Col lieries, in England, and are sard to have ans wered very good purposes; timber was aban doned and iron used as a substitute, probably as much from the scarcity of the one material and the abundanco of tho other,,as from any other cause. Tho Timber Railways were first made with transverse sleepers at certain distances, upon which rails on each side were laid at the distance of four feet with a trenail through the rail into tho sleeper—but it was found in sup plying tho place of a defective or woruoutrail, that the frequent perforations through the sleep ers rendered them.unless before they had sus tained any decay 5 in order to remedy this im perfection, on improvement was. ndopted, by placing a second rail o^ .tho top of the first, to which it was fastened by trenails passing through both rails. This S'-hente admitted of another improvement by al.o'v.g" the horse pa|h to be hlled up with gr? .’el or tttttpr snjia. hid soil, of o sufficient f L- '' ‘ f ._itp prevent the $1,139 84 For transportation of 1 ton for 29 miles. It J cents. Single Cast Iron Rail Hauls on S'one Bhrhs. 1 mite o. Stone liaicki.it SI riper yard, $1,936 1 mile Iron Rails nnd Chairs, including passing places, 7,865 1 milejrf tonning thejatnd, _hr<j | dined planes,&c. 800’ $10,601 1,060 10 10 per cent, for incidentals, superintend- ancc, &c. $11,66110 Cost of annual repairs, superintendance, &«. $386 62 Interest on the original cost, at 8 per cent 932 88 Transportation of 1 ton for 20 miles, 1C $1,319 50 > cents. Cast Iron Roads—single. | mile of forming tho road, tightwa d sleepers, and timber, under rail, ciittl’g earth, bridging over creeks and bran hi es, machinery for inclined planes, & . $1,265 34 1 mile Cast Iron Rails, aud Chairs itolls each=70 per yard>4l760 1232'VtlbssJ 55 tons at $130, with passing places, . j 7,865 00 10 per cent, for contingencies, ; $9,130 34 913 03 $10,043 37 Annual expense in keeping the above rojd in repair, Interest on original cost at 8 per cent. Transportation 1 ton 20 miles 99 cent9. Malleable Iron Hails, Carl Iron Chair Sl-cycrs and Rails. 1 mile of forming toad, lightwood sir i* tiers, and timh. r.jimterruil, cutting car i, bridging over creeks nutl branches, 11- chinery for inclined planes/ &c. 1 mile malleable iron' rails, l'.tlhs. each i 3.520,=:io,2;K) wifli passing places, Chairs 2 per yard, at $ 1 each, 10 per cent for contingencies, $1,264 32 on Wooden $1,265 34 2,079 00 3,520 6o $6,864 31 686 43 $7,550 77 $303 55 604 06 Annual expense in keeping the above ro: in repairs, Interest on the original cost, $9J7 61 For transportation of 1 ton 20 miles, 75 c it*. Malleable Iron Plates, on IVooilcn Railsi lyleeptrt. 1 mile of single Wooden Rail Road wi Sidelines, 1 mile of Malleable Iron Plates at 20ll>s. the yard, 1760 yards—35,2001bt. at $1! per ton, $4,192 65 410 26 1 rajlo of 10 per cent, for Sidelines, 1 mile of Spikes, and fixing of Piates at • 1-2 cents per yard, with 10 per cent. (< sideling, 1 mile of 10 por cent, for contingencies, & , $1,611 91 1 mile of annual expanse in keeping the bove road in repair, supcrintendance, 4 $267 88 1 mile of interest on the original cost, 368 95 .,*$636 83 cents. For transportaPon of 1 ton 20 miles, 611 Timber Rail Roads, (Double.j 1 mile of mil Road, 1 mile of average cost for cutting eartl bridging over creeks and branches, mt [ chides for inclined planes, ropes, 4c 1 idle 10par cent, for incideuUlr, $1,179 75 2,079 00 20? 90 706 00 $1,500 00 450 00 cious ditch must be dug on the upper side, and the soil taken froth the ditch thrown on the lower side; in such situations when the road is first formed, the lower sale bf the road must at least be raised one foot higher than the upper, so that tho whole of the water col lected on tho surface may ntn into the ditch. It must appear evident to every one who thinks at all on the subject, that a rqad made of timber lying transversely, to the line of road, must require a greater increase of power for a certain load than where the timber is laid lon gitudinally, as in the case of the timber Rail way. VVhere rock is used as the material, road-ma' king becomes very expensive, as the rock re quires quarrying and breaking into the proper sizo, which is generally stipulated to that of a hen’s egg; to reduce the materials to [this sizo even by negro labor, Will cost about a dollar a cube yard of 27 cube feet. If a road is made 30 feet wide in the clear, 18 feet at least of this width ought to be covered with materials 9 inches in depth, which will requite ono .iube yard of material for every t wo l ne:»l yards, making the expense of materials equal to $SSO per mile, where little or no carriage is required. In addition to this sum the cost pf th6 ditch es, forming the road, making cross, drains, and small bridges, and clearing and grubbing, the average expense cannot taken tit less than $1600 per mile. "F • PROGRESS OF SURVEYS. Immediately on my arrival in Milledgoville, His Excellency Governor Troup." culled a mooting of the Executiv'e Committee, but in consequence of tho indisposition of Wilson Lumpkin, Esq. ho could not attend. As a meeting of the’Committee could not take place for some short time, I proposed to Governor Troup and John Sidy, Esq. ibat in the mean time, to forward operations as much as possi ble, I should oxploro the country from Mil- ledgeville to Macon, and from thenco to Flint River. On ray arrival at M tCQn, I instructed. Mr. John Couty,oneof the Assistant Engineers, to ascertain the elevation of some of the ridges between Miaou , and Milledgeville, while I went on to explore the country to Flint River. On my return to Mr Coaty, I found he had not accomplished all that was necessary; I there fore remained with'him to assist in, and expe dite the completion of it; tho result of this ex amination satisfied me of the impracticability of constructing a canal from Flint river to Mil ledgeville, in consequence of which, before -leaving Mr. Couty, I wrote out instructions for him io proceed immediately to Flint River, and coinmenco a survey for a -Rail Road from thence to Macon, and on my arrival at Mil: ledgeville, made out further instructions for the extension of tho surveys from Macon to Mil ledgeville. . Supposing I should havo sufficient time be fore tho meoting of tho Exccutivb Committee, l proceeded to explore tho remainder of the Mr,Lumpkin in atrendancyvMr.Shly was pic- businoss, and did no*, arrive until after the de parture of Mr. ‘Lumpkin; lltheugb these gen tlemen did not meetjtberc was nothing oCt^ir d to retard the progress of business. Mr. \ in discharge of his duty as one of the Comics- sioners appointed to superintend the »urvey\ the transverse line, proceeded to Knoxville, i Crawford county, to afford Mr. Couty whi assistance he coutd to facilitate his operation nnd politely took on farther instructions fol? Mr. Couty to survey a tine of Rail Road front Milledgeville to Augusta. The reasons why a Rail Road was prefer red to a Canal for the transverse line will be given under that head. The object to which my attention was next called-, was to ascertain the practicability of uniting the waters of the Tennessee river to the Atlantic ocean. From an arrangement made w4th Mr. Lump kin, I went to his house in Morgan county; from-thence he accompanied me to Mr. Daniel Ross's; after remaining at Mr. Ross’s for a day, it was thought advisable to move the men, horses and waggon to the banks of the Chicka- m tuga, near the Missionary establishment at Brainurd, where meal aud corn could be ob tained during the abserfeo of Mr., Lumpkin and myself. On the morning of tho 8th of June, I pro ceeded along with Mr. Lumpkin to the Chero kee Agency on our way to examine the ridge between the waters of Highwassee and Conne* sauga. While at tho Agency, wo received a letter from Charles Hicks, iite principal Chief, stat ing, that he and some Indian Chiefs he had an opportunity of consulting, disapproved of nty proceeding with the survey. To this letter Mr, Lumpkin wroto an answer. Notwithstanding this refusnl to assent to the survey going on, I determined to prosecute it, unless further steps were taken to'prevent me. On the evening of the 9th, we travelled to Mr. Hildebrand’s, near tho banks of the Omo- aH,' who wo were told, could afford us mo e in formation about the Valley between the Onto- ah, and Connesauga than any one else, he be ing in the habit of hauling over bouts and their Cargoes-frqiq tlie or-rtoihe other. On the morning of the lOtli, rre vury -oMigingly redo with us over the Valley and commuuicnted freely what he knew on tho subject. After finishing this examination, we rode to M’Nair’s, where we remained all night; on the 11th and 12th we returned to Brain trd; on tho 13th we moved tho tent to commcnco the survey on tho summit of the Main Ridge, but in consequence of the wetness of ihe day did not travel farther than Nathan Hicks; on tlio 14th Mr. Lump- Jtn returned liumo, ail'd in 'lie eVeniug-J -pti}"" ceeded with tho men to ihe Ridge, Where I en- cumped; tho 15ih and 16th wore spent iit ex amining the Main Ridge fob a suitable situation to cross it; on tho 17tn I commenced the sur vey at what I considered a very favorablo place. On tho 38th (Sunday) two Indians and a son of the principal' Chief, came to the tent, stating that they had orders from Mr. Hicks to prevent me from going on with the survey any' farther; and unless I desisted, they would take away my instruments. As they had no written orders, I told them I would not movo from tho spot, but concluded to go with them to Hicks* to enquire whether they had ordors from h'm to the abovo effect. After spending somfe- •irae with him in attempting to explain the ob jects in view, stating it as my opinion, that it would bo advantageous'\to the Nation to permit the survey to proceed; he however remained inflexible, observing that neither b msolf nor th&other Chiefs would assent io ihe survoy without ait order from the General Govern ment, and gave a written order to stop pro ceedings. Finding it would be impossible to , prosecute the survoy without molestation, I re solved to return to the Chutnhouchec until { could receive farther instructions from Gov ernor Troup, or tho Committee appointed for the survey. On returning, I met with Mr. Burritt near tho High Tower river, on the 21st of Juno; on the 22d I rode along with him in the $nplo horse waggon to tho Shallowford, leaving the men with the two horso waggon to come on leisurely; on tho *Q3d I rode to Lnurenccvdio to forward letters to Governor Troop, Mr. Lumpkin aud Col. Pitm in,« informing them of what had taken place, nnd returned next morn- nlng to Mr. Gates. -- On Monday monrtng, I put M'. Gurfattlo make a survey from tho top of the dividing ridge between the Chattahoochio "ivor and one of the brunches of Beaver Ruin creek. This part of tho ridge is near Mr. Green's hoiiie, and was believed tq. be as low as any oilier higher up the country; but in order to satisfy myself, I rode with Capt. Worthy and Sir. Green as high up as. the SoWnnuie creek, and returned by the river road. Even after this examination, I could not dotermme on the low est point, without taking running levels. Next day I proceeded to take levels for6 or mile- i- long the Hog Mountain road, and (band int the ridge could be crossed 50 foot lower :it fllr, Israel Chapman’s house; in consequence of this fact being discovered, the surve y wMck was commenced at Mr. Green’s was abandoned. On Wednesday morning, I pat Mr, Burritt to survoy from Mr. Chapman’s io the mvi and commenced myself at tho same point wAi a survey along tho valley of one of the tyo- U'aries of Sweet Water creek-after carr/jBp this survey to near Mrs. Parkin's, on theyo-'d from La'urcncevdlc io the Shallow Ford, • waf under iho necessity of proceed ng tc tort Mitchell, inconsequence of a letter 1 received from Governor Troup, by Mr. l$nrrit-’,request ing me to meet the Comniissioneiy " io run the boundary hue beiwet*;

Georgia Historic Newspapers

Macon telegraph. (Macon, Ga.) 1826-1832, December 05, 1826, Image 1