|
SIMULTANEOUSLY with the
construction of the v Turin and Savona Railway, a large '.’rigation work—the
Canal Cavour—was in course of progress in Italy, called after the celebrated
Italian statesman of that name, and Mr. Abernethy held the position of
consulting or “controlling” engineer to the Italian Irrigation Canal
Company, who were carrying out the undertaking which had been planned in
1854, by the eminent Government Engineer, Chevalier N06, and submitted to
the Government of Italy and approved, but its execution postponed on account
of the unsettled state of the country. The project consisted in reducing to
one system of management, the existing Crown canals on the left bank of the
Po, between the rivers Oreo and Ticino, and in the construction of a high
level canal from the River Po, crossing the Dora Peltea and the Sesia, and
terminating on the Ticino. To the above company the government now ceded the
Crown Canals for the sum of £812,000, and on this sum and on the cost of all
works connected with the canals, as well as on the cost of the Canal Cavour,
guaranteed six per cent, with all surplus revenue, for a period of fifty
years. Although the scheme of the company w as apparently divided into
different parts, it had in reality but one great object—namely, to perfect
and increase the means of irrigation in those districts east of Turin, which
lie in the valleys of the Po and Ticino rivers, and west of Lombardy. The
trunk line was the Grand Cavour Canal, 54 miles long, carried across the
main drainage of the Alps from Chivasso. a point upon the river Po ten miles
east of Turin, to the Ticino river beyond Novara. The second branch of the
scheme was the acquisition of the Crown lands in the Ivrea and Vercellise
provinces, for incorporation with the operations in irrigation of the new
canal, and the third branch, the purchase of such private canals in the
Novara province as might be necessary to give to the trunk canal command of
the whole country, which lies south of Novara between the Sesia and 1'icino
rivers. Power was also taken in the concession given to extend operations
into Upper Lombardy, where a large dry district of 100,000 acres could be
advantageously watered by the resources of the company. The total area to be
irrigated was 300,000 acres, and the foundation stone of the Canal Cavour,
which was to effect the major part of this drainage, was laid on June 1st,
1863, by Prince Humbert, to whom, previous to the ceremony, Mr. Abernethy
was introduced by Mons. N06. The science of irrigation, as applied in Italy,
India, or Egypt, is perhaps little known in England, where counter efforts
are more usually made to dram the water from the land in order to render it
capable of improved cultivation. In the former countries, on the other hand,
the land requires a supply of water in order to develop and fertilise it,
and many of the smaller rivers are dry during the summer.
Taking a glance on Ihe map at
the physical nature of the tract of country !n north Italy, affected b}1
these irrigation works, one can see a striking similarity in the more
important features of the land with northern India. Both are situated at the
base of mountains of perpetual snow drained by rivers flowing thence:
geologically they belong to the same period, and may be said to be
generically the same. There is, however, this point of difference, that
whereas, in India, the great drainage river has but one range of mountains,
the river Po is affected by two ranges, between which it flows at a greater
or less angle with its affluents, and thus occupies the lowest level of the
valley which it traverses. On the left bank of the Po irrigation had
previously been successfully carried out by canals from the various
affluents, the Oreo, Dora Baltea, Sesia, Agogna, Terdoppio and Ticino, but
the Po itself had never been laid under contribution. Large tracts remained
starved between the Sesia and the Ticino, while a portion remained utterly
waste, and it was to lay the River Po under contribution to this district,
and for the systematising of the other works, already alluded to, that the
concession was made and the guarantee granted to the Italian Irrigation
Company.
In this undertaking, as in
the preceding one, there was a good deal of reckless speculation, and
considerable misfortune overtook many of the large shareholders, who were no
doubt influenced to some extent in their application for shares by the
distinguished names which appeared on the Italian Board of Directors, which
contained those of the Marquis Cavour, Count Oldepedi, Senator Farrina, and
M. de Vicenzie, Minister of Public Works, among others. The English Board of
Directors were also gentlemen of good position, one of whom, Colonel Collyer,
R.E., became an intimate and valued friend ;n subsequent years,
The obligation put upon the “
controlling” engineer of the Canal was that he should visit the works while
in progress every four months, and inspect and advise upon them, and the
report written to the Italian Irrigation Canal Company upon the occasion of
the first compliance with the obligation imposed, shows plainly that he was
dissatisfied with the method of procedure, for it concludes as follows:—“I
regret to state that I was very much disappointed at the progress of the
works, and more especially with the very inadequate provision made for their
future progress. There is no well considered organization, nor sufficient
implements and machines to ensure their being executed in a given time and
with due economy, and unless this is speedily remedied it is utterly
impossible to define either the period for the completion of the Canal, or
its ultimate cost.”
A short time after this
report had been sent to the Board a letter was received from the Secretary
desiring a personal attendance at Turin for the purpose of explaining the
reasons for having made such a strong attack on the method of conducting the
works. Only one member of the English Board, Colonel Collyer, consented to
accompany the engineer, who on June 20th, 1864, before a full meeting of the
Italian Board, explained, through the medium of Dr. Gallen, an English
physician resident in Italy, who acted as interpreter, the various
unsatisfactory arrangements which in his judgment warranted the wording of
the report. The explanation was apparently followed by satisfactory results,
for the Marquis Cavour subsequently called and expressed his appreciation of
the reasons given, and the contractor employed M. Tatti, an engineer of
Milan, to supervise the works in progress, and under the last named
gentleman and the staff of resident engineers, chief among whom was Mr.
More, C.E., now Engineer-in-Chief to the Thames Conservancy Board, the works
were successfully completed. Mr. Abernethy made several visits to Venice
while the Canal Cavour was in progress, and upon one occasion made a sketch,
which is reproduced on the opposite page.
PONTE DI RIALTO, VENICE.
|
