Thomas Brassey, the Hauenstein tunnel and the Swiss Federal Court

Abstract

It has recently been suggested that the work of Thomas Brassey, a major nineteenth century contractor, is worthy of further study. Unfortunately, he instructed that his papers should be destroyed upon his death. However, court papers were published concerning his claim against his client for compensation for additional costs as the result of adverse ground conditions during the construction of the Hauenstein tunnel in Switzerland and his client’s counterclaim for the effects of late completion. These documents, along with a descriptive account written by the client’s former section engineers, enable a reconstruction of events placed in their geological and contractual background. The developing breakdown of the relationship between contractor and client is apparent. A description of the current understanding of the geology of the tunnel is given. For comparison, the pre-contract prediction and an immediate post-construction interpretation of the geology is included. The contents of the claim, counterclaim and court decision are summarised. Aspects of the character of Brassey revealed are found to differ from the descriptions provided by his nineteenth-century biographer.