BIG SCHEMES

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 24, 27 July 1929, Page 17

BIG SCHEMES

THE WORLD OVER

TO COST MILLIONS

The great public interest in the progress of tho work on the Sydney Bridge, which is taking place before the eyes of the city's population shows how these great building feats of the world's engineers capture the popular imagination, writes G.R. in the Melbourne "Sun News-Pictorial." Sydney folk can watch the bridge being built under —or rather above their very eyes —and in this respect the building of the bridge is a wonderful lesson in engineering education. The man in the street sees how it is done, and so does his wife and daughter. The bridge becomes "Our Bridge," and there is a possessive pride in the great girders and stupendous spans. All over, the world engineers are carrying out these great works. ' HUGE SEA WALL. Among tho greatest of these is the reclamation of a large area of the Zuyder Zee—the greatest reclamation scheme in tho history of tlu world. A great bight of the sea over-ran Holland, and jiow the Dutch arc determined to get some of their own back. To render this possible, the Zuydcr Zee must be separated from the North Sea by a dyke, a stupendous work of hydraulic engineering which, is in progress, will not be completed until 1935, and will cost £6,000,000. This groat sea wall, when completed, will be nearly 30 miles long, 20 feet above sea-level,' and complete with sluices and locks to permit drainage and egress for ships. The reclaimed land will cover an area of SOO square miles, of which tho greater part will bo exceedingly fertile soil, so that the Netherlands, by peaceful conquest, will' add six per cent, to its territory! The proceeds of the sale of tho land will cover all costs at a valuation of £10,000 per square mile. AN IRISH SCHEME. In Ireland another great engineering scheme is in progress, designed to furnish the whole of the Irish Free j State with electric ligut and power, similar to the Victorian hydro-electric schemes. In the Irish scheme, the River Shannon is being harnesed in the service of man, a central generating station being built to utilise the immense resources of tho river. A German firm, SiemensSchi'.ckert, prepared the plans and estimates; but as the project was on such an enormous scale and of national importance, the Government submitted their proposals to four independent experts of European reputation who, with minor modifications, approved the main features. The cost of the initial development is £5,000,000; of the further development £7,000,000, and of the full development of the scheme £8,000,000, a total of £20,000,000, and the country expects to receive a return of 6 to 7 per cent, on its money. ITS HEIGHT PAYS. These imposing engineering schemes pf bridge building, reclamation, and hydro-electrification, are typical of the great works in progress all over the world to-day. The Egyptians could build their Pyramids, the Romans their roada and forts, but the ancients—save in a few exceptional cases—rarely approached the wonders of modern engineering. A short time ago Eiffel died, the engineer who designed the celebrated tower which bears his name, tho highest structure in ,the world. Men laughed at the project—it seemed useless—but today it is one of the most useful buildings extant and pays a handsome dividend on its original cost. It is 1000 feet in height. Over in America engineers are at work on the construction of a giant telescope. The largest in existence is the one at Mount Wilson Observatory, with a reflecting lens of 100 inches; but now one with a lens of 200 inches is being constructed—which, it is hoped, will open new and unknown worlds to' the eye of man.