Hydraulic Architecture, Volume Two, Part One

...regulated the dimensions of their timberwork, the strength of their ironwork, and that of the bronze pieces involved in their construction, which is thereby rendered extremely convenient.

It is well known that those who have written with the greatest precision on Architecture have drawn their principles from the most beautiful ancient monuments, which they offer as examples; in the same way, we have established our rules upon the most magnificent sluices original: "écluſes." In this context, these are large-scale water-control structures and canal locks. that have been built at Dunkirk, Mardick, Calais, Gravelines, Ostend, Boesinghe, Cherbourg, Muiden, etc. We highlight their principal properties and the manner in which they are operated to scour the harbors and promote commerce. The plans, profiles, and elevations included here express everything that deserves to be noted so clearly that, with the help of the accompanying instructions, one may build in the same style, and even improve upon them in certain respects; showing what has been well or poorly understood, and the levels of precision that practice can achieve. Much space has been devoted to the sound construction of masonry; the best assembly of timberwork for aprons original: "radiers." The structural floor of a lock or sluice, designed to resist the pressure of water and prevent the ground from washing away., miter sills original: "buſcs." The angled wooden or stone ledges on the floor of a lock against which the gates rest to form a watertight seal., and gates of every kind; the proper economy of iron and its fashioning, as well as that of bronze works; deriving, as much as possible, general rules from specific cases that have proven successful. The method of establishing the foundations of forts and jetties in the open sea—whether using riprap original: "pierres perdues," literally "lost stones." A foundation made by dropping loose stones into the water until they form a stable mound. or caissons original: "encaiſſement." Large, watertight boxes or frames lowered into the water to create a dry work space or a permanent foundation.—as well as how to achieve this by using cofferdams original: "batardeaux." Temporary enclosures built in water and pumped dry to allow for construction. and drainage original: "épuiſemens." The process of pumping or removing water from a worksite., is explained here in the greatest detail: in short, everything that experience and reasoning have best taught for building solidly in rivers, the Ocean, and the Mediterranean.