MORLOT

SWITZERLAND (see also List of Individuals)

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16.2.1846 Bern/CH - 21.1.1931 Bern/CH

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Karl Albert von Morlot graduated in 1866 from the Swiss Polytechnic in Zurich as a civil engineer. After a stay in Paris where he continued education in engineering, he joined Gustave Bridel (1827-1884), then the head of the correction of waters in the Swiss Jura region. Von Morlot moved in 1876 to the Swiss Federal Construction Inspectorate then headed by Adolf von Salis (1818-1891), whose position von Morlot took over in 1891.

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One of von Morlot's main tasks that he conducted during his stay with the Swiss Federal Service was the reorganization of national torrent rehabilitation. Switzerland had been subjected in the last decades of the 19th century by a number of devastating floods that produced heavy criticism from population. It was argued that the industrialization along with deforestation of mountainous regions were the causes of these disasters. This was partly true and a new forest law that protected particularly forest in the steeper portions of the country was introduced in the 1870s. In addition, these forests were strengthened with avalanche barricades that either deflected the avalanche course or retained the masses of rock, ice and snow from the settlements and infrastructure along the valleys. Von Morlot thus realized the need for such works, and was able with the support from the Swiss government to set up a system of avalanche and torrent protection schemes all over Switzerland. His 1915 paper published in Germany allows an appreciation of the important works executed within 20 years. Today, these schemes are subject to periodic maintenance and expansion combined with a special legislation for regions of settlements to guarantee population safety from natural hazards in the Alps.

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_{Anonymous (1931). Eidg. Oberbauinspektor K.A. von Morlot. Rheinquellen 26: 34. Anonymous (1931). Albert von Morlot. Berner Woche 21(8): 116. P}

_{Anonymous (1948). Albert von Morlot. Biographisches Lexikon verstorbener Schweizer 2: 349. P}

_{Anonymous (1971). Albert von Morlot. 100 Jahre Eidgenössisches Amt für Strassenund Flussbau: 12. Eidg. Departement des Innern: Bern. P}

_{Morlot, A. von (1866). Notes sur la tranchée dans le cône de la Tinière à Villeneuve. Bulletin de la Société Vaudoise des Sciences Naturelles Lausanne 9(55).}

_{Morlot, A. von (1915). Die Wildbachverbauungen in der Schweiz. Zeitschrift Bauwesen 65: 280-303.}

_{Morlot, A. von (1916). Wildbachverbauungen und Flusskorrektionen in der Schweiz. Schweizerische Bauzeitung 67(3): 29-30.}