Chav. X.
VALUE OF ARTIFICERS’ WORKS.
897
The price of transport varies with the number of horses employed ; during the time ofloading the horse is unemployed, and this evil is increased in proportion to the size of thecarts, and to the shortness of the distance ; the carts should be made in proportion ; andsmall ones used where the distance is not great. A cart with one horse should be employedwhere the distance does not exceed 313 metres ; two horses where it does not 1104 metres;three horses to 2111 metres ; and four horses to 3873.
Supposing each horse to draw half a cube metre of earth, the following estimate maybe made:—
me- f
0-5 <
Time of loading a one-horse cart containingmetre
Ditto two-horse cart, con- Itaining a cube metre j
Ditto three-horse cart, fcontaining 1*5 cubesmetres (_
Ditto four horse cart, con- ftaining 2 cube metres
Vegetable earth, loam and sandClay, stony earth, and tufa -Mud
Vegetable earth, loam, and sandClav, stony earth, and tufa -Mud
Vegetable earth, loam, and sandClay, stonv earth, and tufa -Mud
Vegetable earth, loam, and sandClav, stony earth, and tufa -Mud
Time to go a distanceof 100 metres, and toreturn
Time for unloading
{
Vegetable earth and loam -Clay, stony earth, sand, and mud
OT08"
0-123
0-133
0-217
0-230
0-267
0-325
0-353
0-400 f
0 434
0-460
0 434
0 0600070
0 050_
Hours for twoone-horse carts,300 metres dis-tance.
One cart from300 to ^ ! 100metres.
Two-thirds ofa cart of threehorses from 1100to 2000 metres.
Half a cart offour horses, from2000 to 4000metres.
Earth is sometimes removed by boats, which generally contain from 40 to 50 cubemetres: from what has been already stated, the loading and unloading may be easily cal-culated; as for the transport, it varies according to circumstances, and can only be estimatedby the daily hire of the boat, and the number of journeys it can make. When theearth is shot from a cart or a truck it requires levelling, and a man is necessary for thepurpose.
For levelling without f Vegetable earth, loam, &c.
throwing a cube metre \ Clay, stony earth, and tufaWhen more care is required, or a talus is to be dressed,
e . c c (Vegetable earth, loam, &c.
Square metre or surface < r<1 ® /, , . P
1 ^ Clay, stony earth, and tula
0-15"! Hour of a ground0-25 J digger.
0-10 T Hour of a ground0-13/ digger.
Hammer .— Earth requires ramming, when used for cofferdams, or filling in behindwalls, where it is necessary to produce immediate cohesion, that the thrust may bediminished; and also where it is intended to lay down a pavement. Vegetable earth,loam, and clay are alone susceptible of being rammed; the latter is not so well suited forthis purpose. The operation is performed by laying the earth in beds of from 15 to 20centimetres in thickness, and the ramming a cube metre of earth usually occupies 0*5 of anhour of the ground digger.
Some experiments have been made on the loss arising from the earth employed incofferdams, which is caused by the joints of the sheet piles; the result is, that in those offrom 3 to 4 metres in height, the volume of earth carried into the part below the wateris one half more than the void filled in the cofferdam, or the loss is one-third of theoriginal volume; above the level of the waters, the loss is only one-fourth of the samevolume.
Laying down Turf the thickness of which is usually 10 centimetres, comprises threeoperations ; taking up, removing, and laying down. The men usually employed, being ofa superior grade, have more wages than the groundmen : to cut and remove a sufficientquantity of turf for one square metre requires 0*5 of an hour of the workmen ; the removalmay be estimated according to what has preceded. Laying it down depends generallyon skill, but on a mean it takes 0 8 of an hour for a square metre. The value ofthe turf is governed by various circumstances, which require to be added.
Dredging is either performed by machines or by hand : moving sand is the onlymaterial upon which any calculation with regard to price can be formed. To removewith hand drags a cube metre of moving sand, at a mean depth of 1 -5 metre under water,requires ten hours for a workman. This valuation implies that the labour is performedby men skilled in this employ, who usually receive twice as much as an ordinarylabourer. When the machine is used, the time necessary to drag a cube metre at thedepth of two or three metres under water may be estimated at an hour of the machineworked bv five men ; an allowance for the use of the machine must be added.
Incidental charges for Groundwork , &c. comprise superintendants, providing planks*.
3 M