Past Masters: John Rennie, Chisholm, Skirrow and others

摘要

When Britain reluctantly took over the Cape in 1806, engineering infrastructure was non-existent, but the new colony was virtually bankrupt and could not afford roads and harbours. However, one shortcoming could not be ignored. Not for the first time, and certainly not for the last, Cape Town was experiencing a severe water shortage. So when the British Government took complete control of the Cape in 1811, they immediately appointed John Rennie, one of the most eminent engineers of the day to attend to the problem.