The foundation upon which the walls were built was as bad as possible, being composed of nothing but loose running silt and sand. Upon such a foundation walls of the ordinary kind would not have stood; my father therefore saw the necessity of designing some new construction, upon the principles above mentioned. He had previously adopted something similar for the docks at Great Grimsby, in Lincolnshire, in 1786, which design was carried into effect with great success. The walls at Sheerness and at Great Grimsby were built both upon the same principle, modified according to local circumstances. Sheerness docks were finished altogether in the year 1826, and they have stood ever since.
I believe that I have now enumerated all the chief points to which the education of a civil engineer should be directed. Whilst he continues in an engineer’s office, whatever business is brought before him, he should always endeavour to thoroughly understand the reasons for which such and such a work is proposed to be made, and the principles upon which it is to be constructed; and if he finds, according to his previous education, difficulties either in the principle or construction, he should modestly state his doubts to his superior; if no explanation is given, he has simply to do as he is ordered, making notes of his doubts, and when the work is carried into effect he will then be able to ascertain how far he was right or wrong. If the work turns out to be a failure, his previous calculations will show him that he was right; but if the work succeeds, his calculations were wrong, and he should carefully go over them again to ascertain his error. He should follow the same process when he has to design and carry into effect any work upon his own responsibility, and if he is in doubt as to any point, let him consult some one of his professional brethren in whom he has confidence. When he is consulted on similar occasions by another engineer, let him give his advice and opinion to the best of his power; by this means he will gain the respect of his colleagues, and every one will be ready to help him when required.
Let him be particularly careful about his estimates; and after he has estimated fully the probable cost of a work, let him add an allowance of quite 15 per cent. for contingencies, which in all engineering works are so numerous and varied that it is almost impossible to foresee them.
We should always recollect that the great object of all engineering works is to produce a fair return for the capital expended upon them, or, in other words, that they should pay. If, after due calculation, it is found there is no chance of that, they should not be undertaken; for although it may be very gratifying to the professional reputation of an engineer to have executed a great work, it is but a poor consolation to his subscribers to find that their money has been comparatively thrown away without any adequate return.
Upon these grounds, therefore, I think it is better that the engineer should confine himself strictly to his business, that is, of designing and estimating any proposed work in the best possible manner to ensure the object intended. Let those who are most competent ascertain whether there is a sufficient prospect of traffic to pay a good return for the required capital; and so long as the engineer executes the work for his estimate, he cannot be blamed if the work does not pay a sufficient return. In fact, the whole commercial value of a work depends upon its cost, and therefore it is so important that the estimate should be adhered to as closely as possible, for if this be much exceeded the commercial calculation falls to the ground, and then the subscribers have just reason to complain. Against this I have heard it argued that if correct estimates were always made, and the ultimate cost of many works was known beforehand, they would never have been carried out, although notwithstanding the increased cost they have finally proved to be very valuable. This is certainly to some extent true; many inventions and discoveries have ruined the original promoters, yet have ultimately conferred the greatest benefits upon mankind; and many enterprises that have ruined the original undertakers have greatly enriched their successors. Still there can be no excuse for an engineer knowingly underestimating the cost of a work; he is undoubtedly bound to make a fair, honest estimate of every work committed to his charge, so far as his judgment goes; having done that his duty is discharged; nothing further can be expected of him than to see that the work entrusted to his care is strictly carried into effect according to that estimate.
Since the summer of 1866 I have done scarcely anything. The great crisis and subsequent panic that occurred at that time paralysed the commercial world. I considered my advancing years (I was then seventy-two), and the great hazard and uncertainty of carrying on business, and thought it most prudent to retire. After the harassing and anxious life that I had led for so many years, I felt my health so shaken as to require complete repose. But I hope, if God spares me, to be still useful to the profession and my country, by completing a work on the drainage of the fens and lowlands of Great Britain, and hydraulics generally. I also design to write a history of engineering, enlarged from my Address to the Institution of Civil Engineers, and a life of my revered father. All these I have already sketched out, and I hope to complete them, if it please God to spare my life a few years longer.
My apology for the present work is this: I think it is the duty of everyone who has led an active professional life faithfully to record the various works in which he has been engaged, the failures as well as the successes, detailing the causes of both; for we frequently learn more from the former than from the latter. I believe I have in this book faithfully done this. From unavoidable circumstances I have been obliged to trust entirely to memory while writing these pages, having been totally precluded from consulting notes or memoranda of any kind; I hope, therefore, that any inaccuracies that may be detected by the reader will be pardoned, though I believe that in the main my statements will be found correct.
Like others, I have had to contend with professional jealousy; but I believe I have on all occasions done justice to my rivals, and I have never wilfully attempted to injure anyone. Naturally of a very sanguine temperament, I am but too apt to view things in a favourable light, and to judge well of those with whom I come in contact; as a consequence of this I have often been deceived by those in whom I have placed the greatest confidence. This sanguine disposition has been the cause of many disappointments; but it has also enabled me to bear up successfully against failure, and still to look forward with hope to the future. Whenever a misfortune has occurred I have endeavoured to forget it as soon as possible; I always called to mind the words of the great Duke of Wellington, who said, There is no use in looking back and brooding over the past; forget it, and apply your energies to the future, and do better next time. This many people either cannot or will not do; hence they succumb. Doubtless everyone has his trials, and some are much better able to get through them than others; nevertheless, a very little reflection will show that what is past cannot be helped, and that by brooding over misfortune we do no good, but only waste our energies and invite failure in everything else.
The motto of life should be, Forward! We must expect to be checked, thwarted, and baffled in our endeavours to attain success; but these obstacles, instead of totally arresting our progress, should serve only to increase our energy. Like a river, impeded in its course, in silence waits till its accumulated strength sweeps the obstruction from its path, and it flows on majestically as before—so should we make every difficulty we encounter add to our strength, instead of increasing our weakness. Nevertheless, since “’tis not in mortals to command success,” we may sometimes struggle in vain; and fortune ever against us, we may be overcome at the last; but even then we have this satisfaction—we have fought a good fight; we have done the best we could; we have done our duty to the best of our ability, and that is all that can be required of us. To do my duty has been my endeavour through life; and probably if I had adhered to it more strictly I might have done a great deal better. Nevertheless, little as I have done, I should not have accomplished half so much had I not kept that one object in view, as far as my physical and mental powers would permit; and this is no small consolation. The old motto, “Nil desperandum,” should be constantly on our lips, and should act like the spur on a jaded steed. Affairs are never so bad but they might have been worse, and they may generally be mended by energy and perseverance, and a determination to make the best of everything. We may not be able to accomplish all we aspire to achieve; nevertheless by refusing to yield to misfortune we shall escape the reproach of cowardice and faintheartedness. When we suffer a defeat, let us calmly consider the cause of it, and nine times out of ten we shall find that it is through our own fault; these lessons of experience should be carefully laid to heart, and serve for our future guidance.