‎CASTOR A. :‎
‎Recueil d'appareils à vapeur employés aux travaux de navigation et de chemins de fer par A. Castor, entrepreneur de travaux publics... Deuxième édition. (added) Recueil D'appareils à Vapeur... (explanatory booklet to accompany the plate volume)‎

‎" Paris, Typographie de Firmin Didot, 1869, in-folio, 55 x 39 cm, (4)(title) + 89 pp + 27 double-page engraved plates. Presentation copy (to Monsieur Letertre). Manuscript ex-dono on the title page and a holograph letter of the author tipped on to the first fly leaf. Publisher's red half leather binding, blindtooled frontcover with large gilt title. Cloth of binding rather seriously soiled, especially back cover. Some soiling and staining at the first 3 leaves and a heavy stain at page 27, overall still in good condition and an acceptable copy. (Added in-8° publication). Idem , 1860, in-8°, 27 x 18 cm, xii pp + 144 pp. Sewn, orig. printed wrapper. Rare impressive publication by France's leading civil engineering contractor who played a mayor role in the construction of the French railway system. This is a very early attempt to promote a private company and its achievements by means of a publication which has the looks of an objective scientific description but which was also intended to advertise the company. Nevertheless they executed some projects which were real technological breakthroughs. These are well documented here; the introduction of steam dredgers which could excavate 1500 cubic metres of spoil per day already in 1850; the construction of the Rhine railway bridge at Kehl, a milestone in foundation engineering. Castor used here the compressed air caisson technique on a size and to a depth never used before. Through the whole book emphasis is placed on the efficiency and cost-cutting advantages of the application of the steam-engine in civil engineering projects. Castor was certainly one of the major players on the European continent to realise the transition during the mid -19th century from manpower to machinepower in construction projects. This is the second edition (first in 1860). The number of plates is augmented with 8. New projects described here are e.g. Tubular foundations of a bridge in Argenteuil (Paris-Dieppe railroad). Idem over the Adige river (Padova-Rovigo railroad). Idem over the Rhone in Arles."‎

Reference : 37189

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