Engineer. A specialist in railway design, he is credited with inventing caissons and train ferries. His notoriety, however, rests on the original Tay Bridge in Dundee, Scotland, completed in 1878. It collapsed during high winds on December 28, 1879, killing 75 people. An investigation concluded in terms that the bridge was badly designed, badly constructed, and badly maintained. Bouch's reputation was destroyed and he died while the public inquiry into the disaster was in progress. He became synonymous with shoddy workmanship and the word "botch" was derived from his name.
Engineer. A specialist in railway design, he is credited with inventing caissons and train ferries. His notoriety, however, rests on the original Tay Bridge in Dundee, Scotland, completed in 1878. It collapsed during high winds on December 28, 1879, killing 75 people. An investigation concluded in terms that the bridge was badly designed, badly constructed, and badly maintained. Bouch's reputation was destroyed and he died while the public inquiry into the disaster was in progress. He became synonymous with shoddy workmanship and the word "botch" was derived from his name.
Bio by: Ronald Land
Inscription
SIR THOMAS BOUCH
CIVIL ENGINEER
BORN 25 FEB 1822
DIED 30 OCT 1880
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