The immensely practical "dolos"
posted by Kerry-Anne
Well done to Earle A Bowen and GMG for getting the answer to yesterday's quiz. The invention in question is the dolos (pronounced almost like "door-laws" but with very short vowel sounds); these huge concrete blocks, shaped like the letter "H" with one arm rotated by 90 degrees, are used to protect beaches and breakwaters all around the world today. They were invented by one of two men (there is some dispute as to which one) in East London, South Africa in the 1960s. The name is derived from the Afrikaans word for an animal's knuckle-bone, to which these concrete blocks bear some resemblance.Today's picture shows a large section of the breakwater in Table Bay Harbour, protected by thousands of dolosse.
Earle & GMG: please email your postal addresses to info@redballoon.co.za, so that I can send off your postcards.
11 Comments:
une superbe vue, l'immensité de la mer se fondant dans l'horizon, bravo
a superb sight, the vastness of the sea being based in the horizon, cheer
What a view point!
Beautiful sea, great picture! It remebers me of the Fort of St. Julian of Barra, near Lisbon...
Thanks for the dolos information.
Pretty shoreline photo! Happy one-month anniversary. Isn't it fun?!
i wonder how the sky is blue is it the blue sea reflecting on the sky or is it the sky reflecting on the sea? either way its a photo of a miracle
Kerry-Anne, just posted some of the last photos from the 1996 visit to Cape Town at the Blogtrotter 90s and linked the post to your blog. Hope you like the photos, and don't mind the link.
Nice photograph. Inviting.
Brookville Daily Photo
Everyone liked this! Actually I have planned something similar for tomorrow, so forgive me when it comes up.
it looked sooooo wonderfully sparkling blue and cool...wow!
There is absolutely no dispute as to who devised the dolos as used in modern breakwaters. It was Eric Merryweather (sp?) who was the harbour engineer of East London at the time, in the employ of the SA Railways & Harbours. For his invention he received nothing substantial in the way of royalties, which accrue to Transnet to this day, Transnet being the subsequent transmogrificationn of the old SAR&H, and holder of his patent.
You can check this by reviewing back issues oif the SA Shipping News & Fishing Industry review, of which I have the honour of being a past asst editor.
>anonymous - Until a few years back it seems that Mr Merrifield was accepted as the inventor of the dolos; however, according to a few reports dating from 1999 and later, a draughtsman named Aubrey Kruger (who was working in Merrifield's office at the time) claims to have actually designed the dolos. The fact is that the only people who know what really happened are those two men, and it's unlikely that we'll ever know who was telling the truth and who was stretching it just a little...
Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home