Paul-Adrien Bourdaloue

Paul -Adrien Bourdaloue (* 1798 in Bourges, † 1868 same place ) was a French engineer and land surveyor, who founded the French survey network.

He initially worked in the Corps of Ingénieurs des ponts et chaussées ( Corps of Bridges and Highways Agency ), later engineer at founded by Paulin Talabot 1836 Railway of Gard ( Chemins de fer du Gard ).

On behalf of the Société d' Études du Canal de Suez or their Member Paulin Talabot he introduced in 1847 with the support of Linant active in the Egyptian Construction Administration de Belle Fund by the measurement of the Isthmus of Suez. He refuted the then prevailing theory, which went back to the surveying work of Jacques- Marie Le Père at Napoleon's Egyptian expedition, that there was a difference in level of more than 9 m between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.

In 1857 he was entrusted with the national survey in France. He created between 1857 and 1863, a trigonometric grid with 15 000 cast-iron, numbered fixed points, and thus the basis of the French National Survey.

In his last years he was deputy mayor of Bourges.

He is buried in the Capuchin cemetery ( cimetière of Capucins ) of Bourges. At his grave a surveying benchmark was installed.

Paul -Adrien Bourdaloue is probably not related to the better-known in the community, also originating from Bourges preacher Louis Bourdaloue ( 1632-1704 ).

Works

• Leveling général de la France; éd. Pigelet, Bourges, 1864 (numerous volumes)