In 1756, British civil engineer John Smeaton was commissioned to rebuild the Eddystone Lighthouse, a structure off the coast of Devon that had repeatedly succumbed to the brutal storms of the English Channel. Smeaton recognized that standard mortar, which required exposure to air to set, would dissolve long before it could cure in the spray of the sea. To address this challenge, he conducted a series of rigorous experiments testing various lime mixtures. He discovered that limestone containing a high proportion of clay, when mixed with volcanic ash, created a hydraulic mortar that actually hardened underwater. This breakthrough allowed Smeaton to successfully complete the lighthouse and laid the foundation for modern cement. Roman builders had previously used a similar mix of volcanic ash and lime to build the Pantheon, which still stands today.
Given the context of the paragraph, should the writer make this deletion?
- AKeep it, because it provides relevant historical context that establishes the long-term durability of the lime mixture.
- BKeep it, because it demonstrates that Smeaton designed the Eddystone Lighthouse by replicating Roman engineering plans.
- Delete it, because it interrupts the paragraph's focus on Smeaton's experimental process and the direct legacy of his lighthouse project.Cevap
- DDelete it, because it contradicts the earlier claim that Smeaton was the first engineer to develop a water-resistant mortar.