Deák Antal András: A háromszögeléstől a Tisza-szabályozásig. (Források a vízügy múltjából 10. Budapest, 1996)

FOREWORD

1. In the Carpathians, and in the catchment area of the Tisza there were many forests cleared. As a results the rainfall was not held back by the plants, and the water gushed onto the Great Hungarian Plain. 2. During the Turkish period rivers were directed to new beds, and fields were swamped to protect the castles and cities from the Turks. 3. The watermills made the flow slower, and the beds silted up. The two latter problems have been solved easily, but the first was the most difficult to deal with. All considerable projects for solving the problems had to consider how to cut the curves of the big bends and how to build up a continuous embankment following the river. The general regulation of the Tisza River was started in 1846, but there was a long period leading up to the completion. This book relates to us important historical sources about the preparatory period of the training. I. "The minutes of the founding session of Tiszavölgyi Társulat (Association of TiszaVally)" and the "Contract"', II. The Tisza-regulation plans of Pál Vásárhelyi, III. Pál Vásárhelyi'

s book about triangulation transleted into Hungarian. The Tiszavölgyi Társulat (Association of Tisza-Vally) was founded on the 26

th of January in 1846, 150 years ago. The representatives of countries, cities, and landowners which were directly interested, elected the officials of the organization in Pest, and they committed themselves to supporting the training. They wrote down their obligations in a "Contract". Their basic work was to coordinate all of the work of flood control and the regulation of the Tisza River and its tributaries. In additional to this, they ensured and divided the tools and money among the Associations for Water Regulation of Tisza-Vally. These Associations were private; they used their own capitals, but they were helped financially by the state as well. The law created by the parliament in 1807 contributed to the success of the Associations (Ferenc I. 1807. decree 17

th paragraph). According to this law, if the majority voted for the trainings, then their resolution would be valid and compulsory on the minority landowners as well. The hinge of the regulation of the Tisza River was the need for an unanimous plan. Pál Vásárhelyi, the best Hungarian water engineer was given the task of completing that plan. István Széchenyi chose him who was the main figure in the organisation of the training. Vásárhelyi prepared a Preliminary Suggestion in 1845, and Széchenyi, using this plan, started his famous organization trip along the Tisza. He discussed Vásárhelyi'

s thoughts with the representatives of counties, landowners and cities from Vásárosnamény to Szeged. Vásárhelyi accopanied him and later worked out and detailed his thoughts, and finally he finished his work known as his Tisza-regulation project by the 1

st of April. 1846. It gave clear answers for the most important questions, and gave only a guiding principle. It determined the direction, but not the place or length of steps. Of course Vásárhelyi could not have done a serious work without the effort and continuous work of 12 engineers, who had been measuring and mapping the Tisza from 1843 on.