Construction of the Suez Canal
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR SOIL MECHANICS AND GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING This paper was downloaded from the Online Library of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE). The library is available here: https://www.issmge.org/publications/online-library This is an open-access database that archives thousands of papers published under the Auspices of the ISSMGE and maintained by the Innovation and Development Committee of ISSMGE. Construction of the Suez Canal Mamdouh Hamza - Professor of Soil Mechanics and Foundations, Suez Canal University, Port-Said, Egypt & Chairman of Hamza Associates, Cairo, Egypt ABSTRACT : This paper briefly describes the history of the great Canal at Suez, the engineering and construction challenges and the enormous obstacles which had to be overcome. The paper also highlights the principal role of De Lesseps, the fight between the French and English over ruling the world’s most important highway, the many sacrifices made by Egyptians and the evolution of the art of dredging. RÉSUME: Ce document décrit enbref l’histoire du Canal de Suez, les défis d’ingénierie et, de construction, et les obstacles qui ont été surmontés. Il éclaire le rôle principal de De Lesseps, les luttes entre la France et l’Angleterre pour gouverner la voies la plus importante au monde, les sacrifices des Egyptiens et l’évolution de l’art de dragages. 1 INTRODUCTION for the purpose of transporting wheat from the Nile Valley to Mecca by water from Cairo to Jeddah via Suez. In 776 A.D., Abbasi Caliph Abu Jaafar Abdullah al Mansour The construction of the Suez Canal created the most important ordered the canal to be blocked at the junction between the canal highway in the world, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the and the Bitter Lakes to hinder the transport of supplies between Red Sea. The construction of the Canal created three cities; Port- Egypt and the inhabitants of Medina, who were at that time in Said, Ismailia and Suez; and created two main ports, Port-Said revolt against the Caliphate. and Suez. The Suez Canal project resulted in Egypt becoming It seems likely that these earlier canals were only navigable bankrupt in 1876 and being occupied in 1882. The canal was during the seasons of high Nile and that, for the rest of the year, nationalized in 1956, which led to the 1956 war between France, the level of water, which depended on the level of water in the England and Israel from one side and Egypt on the other side. Nile, was too low for the passage of ships of any size. Traces of these early canals were found both by Bonaparte’s surveyors during the French occupation at the end of the eighteenth century 2 THE HISTORY OF THE CANAL and fifly-five years later, by De Lesseps’ engineers during their preliminary surveys. Although these canals were not built for the purpose of 2.1 Antecedent Canals marine communication between the Mediterranean Sea and the According to Herodotus and Diodorus, the Pharaoh Nacho of the Red Sea, the knowledge that they had been built served as an XXVIth dynasty, who ruled Egypt between 609 and 593 B.C. inspiration and example, one thousand and more years later, to started to build a canal from the Pelusiac branch of the Nile those who began thinking and planning in terms of a canal for through the way of Wadi Tumulat, a natural depression running this purpose. east and west between the Nile delta and the Isthmus of Suez. Herodotus said that 100,000 Egyptians perished in the course of 2.2 The Development o f Plans for the Suez Canal digging this canal. The Canal was continued after the Persian conquest by The serious contemporary efforts that resulted in the evolution of Darius Hystapsis (52M86 B.C.) who again discontinued it the Suez Canal date back to the days of the French expedition. In fearing that if he cut through the Isthmus, Egypt would be 1798, Bonaparte accompanied by an impressive body of French flooded by sea water as the Red Sea was believed to be higher scientists, engineers, physicians, zoologists, agronomists, than mainland Egypt. At that time, the canal reached as far as the archaeologists and many others, formed themselves into an Bitter Lakes. “Institut d’Egypte” for the purpose of studying, documenting, The canal was finally completed by Ptolemy II and named and making recommendations about various aspects of Egyptian Philadelphus (285-246 B.C.). A port called Arsinoe was created life and culture. Among the schemes for the modernization of near the existing modem Suez. A lock was constructed with Egypt was the Suez Canal. Bonaparte made a personal double gates between the Red Sea and the canal to prevent the reconnaissance in the Isthmus, accompanied by members of the influx of salt water to the Nile. “Institut d’ Egypte” and of the “Commission des Sciences et des This canal does not seem to have remained navigable for long Arts”. He inspected the anchorage at Suez, explored the country and had become disused by the beginning of the Christian era. between Suez and the Bitter Lakes, and claimed to have After the Roman conquest it was restored to use in 98 A.D. discovered traces of the old Ptolemaic canal mentioned earlier. under the Emperor Trajan, when the Nile terminal was moved to On his return to Cairo he appointed the engineer Le Père, to Babylon, a few miles upstream from modem Cairo, by extending make a detailed preliminary survey. the canal from the original terminal on the Pelusiac branch, to A serious surveying error was made over the relative levels the mainstream of the Nile. Trajan’s canal appears to have been of the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, which seemed to used for navigation for about a century, Figure (1). confirm existing tradition and which affected future thinking Amr Ibn El Aas, the Arab Governor of Egypt, re-opened about the Canal for the next fifty years. Le Père and his Trajan’s canal in 641-642 A.D., on the order of the Caliph Omar, assistants found, erroneously, that the level of the Red Sea at 2311 Mediterranean sea %*• D aMIETTC ■■ ' v . " • F- • Ma-nSocrah Sweet water canal ÍSMÁIÜA I \ f ¿*w Tim sal c a n a l nrr-Tcrnstf* *s\ 7*4..,, / I weet water canal CAIRE S uez Y ‘, \ : •-4- Figure 1: Isthmus of Suez and Delta with the Ancient Canal of Trajan, The Sweet Water Canal and the Maritime Canal. 2312 Table (1): The Diffèrent Projects of the Maritime Canal Avant Projet by M. Mougel & The Project of the The Project of the The Project o f the M. Linant Commission International superior counsel o f general contractor work Date March 1855 December 1856 1 8 5 8 - 1859 1859 Description Alignment followed by the Suggested to introduce a Proposed by the natural configuration o f the light slope at the canal bed general contractor places, avoiding as much as from south to north in o f the project. This possible curvatures. order to conserve the level alignment had o f the Bitter lakes at 0.28 many curvatures m below average elevation of the red sea Width (m) 100 m at water level, 65m at 80 m at water level, 44 m 58 m at water level, 22 bed level at bed level m at bed level Depth (m) 7.50 to 8.00 8.00 Side Slope 2:1 2:1 2:1 2:1 Locks With two locks Without locks Without locks Without locks Interior port At Timsah lake At Timsah lake At Timsah Lakes, Bitter Lakes & Ballah Lakes Estimated volume o f 74,679,132 104,477,926 91,177,926 Reduction in soil excavation (m3) excavation by 11,392,515 Estimation o f total 162,550,000 118,851,595 124,000,000 expenses (Francs) high tide was thirty feet above that o f the Mediterranean Sea. water infiltrating through the sand, and disruption to the traffic They deduced from this that a direct cut between the by the lock operations at each end. Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea was impracticable, and Figure (2) presents the different plans initially prepared for concluded that a new canal must follow, more or less, the route the Suez Canal layout. Table (1) presents a comparison among of the old Ptolemaic canal and join the Red Sea to the these different plans. Figure (3) presents the constructed layout Mediterranean Sea via Nile. and the Sweet Water Canal layout. In 1840, based on Mohamed A li’s instructions, Linant published a report on his canal studies. This report assumed the correctness o f Le Père’s findings about the relative levels of the 2.3 Concessions by the Egyptian Government Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. He suggested that the The main features of the first concession (1854) were: difference in head would provide a current running form south to The period o f the concession is 99 years from the day of north. He proposed a canal with locks and with strong banks to the opening o f the Canal between the two seas. prevent flooding He therefore suggested the direct route as a All necessary land, will be granted free and exempted from possible alternative to the classical route via the Nile. taxes. In the spring o f 1847 three teams o f engineers from the The net profit will be divided as follows: “Société d’Etudes” arrived in Egypt, led by Talabot, Stephenson 15% the Egyptian Government and Negrelli. Stephenson’s team was to investigate the Gulf of 10% Founders shares.