GAUTHEY

FRANCE (see also List of Individuals)

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3.12.1732 Châlons-sur-Saône/F - 15.7.1806 Paris/F

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Emiland-Marie Gauthey studied mathematics and took interest in architecture. He then went to the young Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées founded in 1747 and studied under its founder Jean-Rodolphe Perronet (1708-1794). Gauthey then was an assistant engineer on various contruction sites and got acquainted with civil engineering projects, thereby. In 1758, he returned to Châlon and there contributed to the art of construction mainly as a director of works. He soon was elected a Member of Académie de Dijon and all during his life had a particular relation to the Burgundy County.

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Gauthey was among the great engineers of the 18th century. His eminent hydraulic work was the design and the execution of the Canal du Charolais, later renamed to Canal du Centre, one of the oldest French canals connecting the Saône to the Loire Rivers from Chagny to Dogoin. Louis Navier (1785-1836) gave a detailed description of the canal works representing currently still an outstanding French canal scheme. This canal project was considered for centuries but construction initated only in 1783, with Gauthey as canal director. He ruled out all objections relative to the water supply at the canal crest, the advantages of the later Canal de Bourgogne located north of Canal du Centre, and a tunnel at the top elevation of his canal. Within only eight years, the canal was completed during the French Revolution and was considered one of the wonders of the era. Gauthey had paid all personal expenses during these years and was refunded shortly before passing away. Gauthey described his project in various memoirs, thereby relating to canals as an important economical basis, describing the locks adopted in his design, giving details of how civil engineering was adopted for a technically sound and economical scheme, and highlighting particular works of canal intakes from rivers.

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_{Coronio, G. (1997). Emiland-Marie Gauthey. 250 ans de l'Ecole des Ponts en cent portraits: 47-49. Presses de l'Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées: Paris.}

_{Dartein, X. de (1904). La vie et les travaux de Emiland Gauthey. Annales des Ponts et Chaussées 74(3): 5-130. P}

_{Gauthey, E.-M. (1803). Projet de dérivation jusqu'à Paris des rivières d'Ourcq, Thérounne et Beuvronne, et des rivières d'Essone, Juine, Orge et Bièvre. Perronneau: Paris.}

_{Navier, H. (1832). Oeuvres de Gauthey 3: Mémoires sur les canaux de navigation, et particulièrement sur le Canal du Centre. Didot: Paris. http://fr.structurae.de/persons/data/index.cfm?id=d001230 P http://www.christian-bruenig.de/IG-Reisen/burgund/burgund5.htm P}