1) La cariola e i picconi "They worked on the site normally for one month, but many stayed on for a longer time. Twenty thousand were working on the Canal simultaneously. They were supplied with shovels and picks, as well as with ropes , driving wheels , ramps, and wheelbarrows . But they refused to use tools to which they were unaccustomed. The first diggings were accomplished by fellahs wielding a shovel and a short pick; 35,000 such picks were imported in 1862. The sand was removed in baskets made of palm tree staple, and carried on mens’ backs or by mules or camels." Macro-Engineering: MIT Brunel Lectures on Global Infrastructure, Di F P Davidson, E G Frankl, C L Meado, pag.14 Le difficoltà tecniche incontrate nell’esecuzione dell’impresa (la costruzione del canale) ne fecero aumentare i costi e i tempi; occorreranno 10 anni per portare a termine il canale, durante i quali verranno rimossi 75 milioni di metri cubi di terra, verranno fatte esplodere delle ...