OF RAIL-ROADS.

37

deep, according as the levelling of the groundrequires. There are afterwards arranged,along the whole breadth of this excavation,pieces of oak wood, of the thickness of four,five, six, and even eight inches square : theseare placed across, and at the distance of two orthree feet from each other; these pieces needonly be squared at their extremities ; and uponthese are fixed other pieces of wood, wellsquared and sawed, of about six or seven inchesbreadth by five in depth, with pegs of wood ;these pieces are placed on each side of theroad, along its whole length ; they are com-monly placed at four feet distance from eachother, which forms the interior breadth of theroad.”

Fig. I. Plate I. II. represent a plan and elevation of thiskind of Rail-road, which was called the “ single-waya a, a a, are the rails laid parallel to each other, upon thesleepers or transverse bearings, b b b b; the mode of fasten-ing them together was by means of pins or pegs of wood,shewn at c c; holes being bored through the rail and sleepers,and the pins driven through the rail and about half waythrough the sleeper. The rails six feet long, and the sleepersabout two feet apart. The ends of the rails meet upon thesleeper, as atc'c'; two pins being driven into the same sleeperfastens them down, and prevent them separating from eachother.

This kind of Rail-road was very imperfect,and had many disadvantages, though probably