“As an engineer of many years standing, I saw that this absurd allowance is only permitted in school books. No engineer would dream of allowing anything of the kind. I have projected many miles of railways and many more of canals and the allowance has not even been thought of, much less allowed for. This allowance for curvature means this - that it is 8” for the first mile of a canal, and increasing at the ratio by the square of the distance in miles; thus a small navigable canal for boats, say 30 miles long, will have, by the above rule an allowance for curvature of 600 feet. Think of that and then please credit engineers as not being quite such fools. Nothing of the sort is allowed. We no more think of allowing 600 feet for a line of 30 miles of railway or canal, than of wasting our time trying to square the circle”
W. Winckler
Engineer W. Winckler was an experienced professional in canal and railway construction in the 19th century. He expressed critical views on contemporary theories about Earth curvature from an engineering perspective.
Winckler's quote vividly demonstrates how practical experience and engineering knowledge often contradict theoretical teachings. It is a reminder not to ignore technical realities.
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