Like the cellphone and the computer; if it wasn't for cold (or hot ) war  we
wouln't have concrete (Portland)

At the height of the stone and brick craft in the 19 cent  Fortification
builders were driven to counteract the new weapons technology of  seige and
naval cannon
that were rifeled with  deep penetrating warheads  that were developed after
the civil war.
British engineers followed by those crafty Germans actually built walls of
brick  then granite then complex lime mortars ( later Portland)  then fireds
round directly into them ...
result....poured connect sustained the least damage

The race was on  ;;;by 1900 the rotaty kiln was developed  and Portland was
the mud of choose for  ALL fort building...leaving the craftsman behind  with
his millinium of knowledge;chucking the hated labor rates ; and giving rise
to the mud  engineer.
By 1914 ; the German  poured feild fort could withstand  a direct hit by the
French 75
and the fortification system of Verdun; Maginot; ect ect became household
names

I hear the big American firms are going to get  the rebuild Iraq contracts-
it will be interesting to see what is speced after centuries of using
traditional mortars
me? I'll go if they let Peanut in and I can give workshops on 3 card monte.
Pyrate

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