1 ASHET News October 2010 Volume 3, number 4 ASHET News October 2010 Newsletter of the Australian Society for History of Engineering and Technology th Reservoir, was approved in 1938 and completed in 1940. Preliminary University of Queensland’s 100 geological work for a dam on the Warragamba finally commenced in Anniversary 1942. A dam site was selected in 1946. The University of Queensland and its engineering school are celebrating Building the dam their 100th anniversary this year. Naming the members of the first Senate Excavation work on the Warragamba Dam started in 1948 and actual in the Government Gazette of 16 April 1910 marked the foundation of the construction of the dam began in 1950. It was completed in 1960. It was University. It was Australia’s fifth university. built as a conventional mass concrete dam, 142 metres high and 104 The University’s foundation professor of engineering was Alexander metres thick at the base. For the first time in Australia, special measures James Gibson, Born in London in 1876, he was educated at Dulwich were taken to reduce the effects of heat generated during setting of the College and served an apprenticeship with the Thames Ironworks, concrete; special low-heat cement was used, ice was added to the concrete Shipbuilding and Engineering Company. He became an Assocaite during mixing, and chilled water was circulated through embedded pipes Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1899. He migrated to during setting of the concrete. Shanghai in that year, and came to Sydney in 1900, where he became a The dam was designed to pass a maximum flow of 10,000 cubic fitter at Mort’s Dock. He received encouragement from Professor Warren, meters per second, with the water level 1.8 metres below the crest of and was appointed as an assistant lecturer in engineering, building and the dam. This was the maximum flow estimated to result from a flood design at the University of Sydney in 1903. Following his appointment having an annual probability of occurrence of 1:500. This corresponds to in 1910 to the University of Queensland as foundation professor of a 10 per cent chance of a flood larger than the design flood occurring in engineering he designed and built the engineering laboratories, then the the following 50 years. During the 1950s, there were new developments finest in Australia. in hydrology and the design of dams to withstand large floods, and new In January 1919 Gibson resigned his chair at the University of calculations were made. Queensland to become superintendent of construction at the Broken Hill Continued on page 3 Proprietary Co. Ltd’s steelworks at Newcastle, New South Wales. In 1922 he went into partnership with Sir George Julius and William Poole, to form the consulting engineering firm of Julius, Poole & Gibson. He was senior partner for many years. He died in 1960 Warragamba Dam: 50 years old Sydney’s Warragamba Dam, the largest city water supply dam in Australia, was completed in 1960. A formal 50th anniversary celebration will be held at the dam site on Sunday 17 October. The dam has an interesting history. Before the dam The dam is located 65 west of Sydney in a narrow gorge on the Warragamba River, a tributary of the Nepean. The explorer de Strzelecki identified the site as suitable for a water supply dam in 1845 and engineer Lieutenant Thomas Woore proposed a 170 foot high earth fill dam with a masonry core. A Royal Commission in 1867-69 considered flooding Warragamba dam during construction problems were too great to build a dam on the site. The Upper Nepean scheme, commenced in 1880 and completed in 1888, was a lower cost alternative for augmenting Sydney’s water supply without the need to build dams. During a severe drought in 1901-1902 Sydney suffered stringent water restrictions and a Royal Commission recommended building dams in the Upper Nepean catchment. Work In this issue began on Cataract Dam in 1903 and was completed in 1907. It was followed by Cordeaux Dam, completed in 1926, Avon Dam, completed University of Queensland’s 100th Anniversary 1 in 1927 and Nepean Dam completed in 1935. Woronora Dam, outside Warragamba Dam: 50 years old 1 the Nepean catchment, was completed in 1941. These were all concrete faced masonry structures. ASHET and other events 2 In 1927 an Expert Committee approved a proposal for a dam on the Australia’s first materials testing machine 4 Warragamba, to be constructed on completion of the Nepean Dam. The depression delayed progress with the Nepean and Woronora Dams, and with a drought between 1934 and 1942, Sydney’s water supply came close to failure. As an emergency measure, building a 15 metre high weir on the Warragamba River with pumps to deliver water to Prospect 2 ASHET News October 2010 ASHET events Tuesday 26 October 2010 Talk by Chris Middleton .. History of Whisky Distillation in Australia Thursday 23 September, 2010 Australia’s favourite spirit since the 1880s has been whisky Talk by John Brock and it still hold a 46% volume share of the Australian spirit Edward Albin Amphlett: Surveyor of the Bridge market today, over 4 million 9 litre cases. Since Robert Webb’s first distillation of wheat into potable spirit in 1792, Not only was E. A. Amphlett the principal surveyor of Australia has produced over 140 million litres of whisky the Sydney Harbour Bridge, he was also one of the main from about 50 legal distilleries across the country. Victoria’s men who set out the underground railway system which Federal Distillery (1884), later Corio (1928) and Gilbey’s winds its way through the underworld of the Sydney Moorabbin (1946) produced 85% of Australia’s whisky using Business District, itself another marvel of engineering and both pot stills (malt whisky) and continuous stills (grain technology. whisky). In his talk, surveyor and historian John Brock will focus Chris Middleton is writing a book on this subject and will upon the singular excellence of Surveyor Amphlett’s explore the development of still technology, the reasons why triangulation and control for the positioning of the mighty whisky came to dominate Australia’s spirit preferences and “Coathanger” which straddles the harbour. His talk will also rediscover some of the lost whisky distilleries of Sydney, look at Amphlett’s interaction with the legendary designer Melbourne and Adelaide. Chris has worked in the industry of the Bridge, J. J. C. Bradfield, and the various proposals for 20 years and since returning from the US is chairman of for harbour crossings which were put forward during Victoria Valley Distillery in Melbourne, a large malt whisky the seventy five years before the official opening of our distillery which started production in January this year monumental landmark. This is a joint activity of ASHET and the Royal Australian This is a joint activity of ASHET and the Royal Australian Historical Society. Historical Society. Venue: History House, 133 Macquarie Street, Sydney Venue: History House, 133 Macquarie Street, Sydney Time: 5.30 for 6 pm Time: 5.30 for 6 pm Cost: $8.00 Includes light refreshments on arrival Cost: $8.00 Includes light refreshments on arrival Bookings: phone RAHS on (02) 9247 8001 or email Bookings: phone RAHS on (02) 9247 8001 or email [email protected] [email protected] Tuesday 30 November, 2010 Thursday 14 October, 2010 Talk by John Jeremy Night tour of Sydney Observatory Cockatoo Island Dockyard, 1857–1991 The tour is guided by an experienced astronomy educator One of the treasures of Sydney Harbour, Cockatoo Island, has and includes a 3-D flight through the solar system, a look a remarkable history, starting as a penal establishment and at the night sky, a view of the moon, the planets, double becoming a major shipbuilding and ship repair facility which stars, star clusters and nebulae using the Observatory’s made a considerable contribution to Australia’s maritime large refractory (lens) telescope and topics will cover solar affairs for 134 years. exploration, site history of the Sydney Observatory and the history of Australian astronomy. Naval architect John Jeremy worked at Cockatoo Island for 32 years, the last ten years as the last Chief Executive of the This is a joint activity of ASHET and the Royal Australian Dockyard. In his presentation he will outline the history of Historical Society. the dockyard and, in particular, the work done there in peace Time: 8.00pm for 8.15pm start. Tour ends 9.45pm. and war. Meet: Sydney Observatory, Watson Road, Observatory This is a joint activity of ASHET and the Royal Australian Hill, The Rocks Historical Society. Getting there: http://www.sydneyobservatory.com.au/ planning/how_to_get_here.asp Venue: History House, 133 Macquarie Street, Sydney Cost: $15.00 members Time: 5.30 for 6 pm Bookings : phone RAHS on (02) 9247 8001 or email Cost: $8.00 Includes light refreshments on arrival [email protected] Bookings: phone RAHS on (02) 9247 8001 or email Numbers are strictly limited so please book early. [email protected] 3 ASHET News October 2010 Kowmung Committee, to oppose the project, on the grounds that it Visiting Warragamba Dam would be detrimental to the environment upstream of the dam, and that by making the in the Nepean Valley downstream of the dam less flood- Warragamba Dam grounds reopened in November 1999, after prone would encourage increased urban development. being closed to the public for ten years during the construction of the auxiliary spillway and other works at the dam. There is now a Auxiliary spillway new visitor centre, viewing platforms and picnic areas.