dredger of the Netherlands, the "Ahoy", with a capacity of 2000 cu.m
sand per hour was brought up. With the sand pumped up by this dredger it
was possible to build up the dike at a rate of 200 metres per day. But a
sand dike as such cannot withstand the force of the waves. Clay for covering
the dikes was not available in sufficient quantities. Moreover, it would
have been impossible to provide the slopes of the dikes with stone revet
ments in time, since the number of skilled workers available for that work
was inadequate.
It was decided to cover the dikes with -and-asphalt; In all 300,000 tons
of asphaltic bitumen mixture was used, viz.:
sand-asphalt 170,000 tons,
asphalt-concrete 100,000 tons,
poured asphaltic bitumen 30,000 tons.
These quantities would be sufficient to cover a six metres wide road
from Amsterdam to Cologne (about 350 km) with a two-inch layer of
asphalt-concrete
The production capacity of all the installations together was on an
average 12,000 tons of sand-asphalt per week.
Apart from the main dike situated along the water, a secondary dike
was constructed more inland, of which the height reaches to three metres
above mean sea level. Thus, everything possible has been done to protect
the population as much as possible against a repetition of the disaster.
As much as possible indeed, since it is impossible to secure absolute
safety against the forces of nature. The inhabitants of the Low Countries
know this, but nevertheless they once more return with confidence to their
houses which have fallen dry and continue the tradition of their fore
fathers to work for new prosperity on the land wrested from the sea.
This illustration gives an
impression of the labour and
equipment employed by the
State Department for the
Restoration of Dikes to close
the large tidal gaps of the
island of Schouwen en
Duivel and:
5000 workers,
3 landingcrafts,
1 weasel,
5 rollers,
9 bulldozers,
5 dukw's,
8 motor barges,
30 locomotives,
1 suction hopper dredger,
5 bucket dredgers,
3 cutter suction dredgers,
14 barge-unloading reclamation
dredgers,
15 suction dredgers,
105 draglines,
126 tugs,
149 barges,
74 elevator barges,
33 hopper barges,
16 transhipment lighters,
3 self-inverting barges,
43 launches,
17 floating cranes,
29 cranes,
2 sheerlegs,
1 transport installation.
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