Farnsworth, Samuel Thomas (1886 - 1948)

Summary

Samuel Thomas Farnsworth, MInstCE, was Engineer-in-Chief of the Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board from 1935 until his death in 1948. He was responsible for the construction, operation and maintenance of Sydney's Water Supply systems including construction of the Cordeaux, Avon, Nepean and Woronora Dams. He also had responsibility for the strengthening and final testing of the Sydney water supply pressure tunnel - regarded as one of the world's major water supply undertakings at the time. Later he was responsible for the planning and commencement of the construction of the Warragamba Dam.

During the Second World War, Farnsworth was appointed by the Commonwealth Government to be the engineer-in-charge of construction of the Captain Cook Graving Dock. After he died, it was suggested that the Warragamba Dam should be renamed the Farnsworth Dam in his honor, but instead the road leading to village of Warragamba Dam was named Farnsworth Avenue.

Details

Chronology

1902 - 1907

Education - Diploma, Derby Technical College, England

1907 -

Career position - Assistant to Managing Director, Birchills Furnaces Ltd, England

1907

Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc(Hons)), University of London

1908 - 1910

Career position - Engineer in charge, Engineering Department, China and Japan Trading Company, Yokohama, Japan

1910 - 1911

Career position - Assistant to P. D. Booth, BSc BCLLS, British Columbia, Canada

1912

Life event - Moved to Sydney, Australia

1912 - 1913

Career position - Assistant engineer, Public Works Department, New South Wales [Assistant to C Simons, Resident engineer, construction of major concrete sewer under direction of A Peake and H.H. Dare]

1913 - 1918

Career position - Lecturer in Physics and Surveying, Education Department, New South Wales, Technical High School and Technical College

1918

Military service - First World War. Lance Corporal, Australian MilitaryForces [Enlisted]

1919 - 1923

Career position - Assistant engineer, Public Works Department, New South Wales [Assistant to C Simons, Resident engineer, construction of Cordeaux and Avon Dams, under direction of E.M. de Burgh]

1924 - 1927

Career position - Resident engineer, Public Works Department, New South Wales [Construction of Nepean Dams, under direction of T.E. Burrows]

1927 - 1928

Career position - Resident engineer, Public Works Department, New South Wales [Construction of Cordeaux, Avon and Nepean Dams, under direction of E.M. de Burgh]

1928

Career event - Transferred, with others, from the Public Works Department to the Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board

1928 - 1930

Career position - Construction engineer, Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board [Nepean and Woronora Dams, and pipe lines and pressure tunnel, under direction of Gerald Haskins]

1930 - 1932

Career position - Construction engineer, Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board [Liverpool and Ingleburn Dams, and associated water mains , under direction of Gerald Haskins]

2 Dec 1930

Career event - Associate member (AssocMInstCE), Institution of Civil Engineers, London

1932

Patent - Improvements in protective linings for concrete pipes or concrete lined steel or cast iron pipes [Application for Letters Patent for an invention by Gerald Haskins, Samuel Thomas Farnsworth and Alfred Leslie Polson]

1932

Patent - An improved process and apparatus for lining pipes in situ with cement mortar [Application for Letters Patent for an invention by Gerald Haskins and Samuel Thomas Farnsworth]

1932

Career event - With Gerald Haskins, formed Pipe Linings (Australasia) Ltd to acquire and exploit an invention for improving the protective linings in metal pipes.

1933 - 1935

Career position - Construction engineer, Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board [Pressure Tunnel remediation, a major project of cement lining and pressure testing, included new patented methods]

1935 - 1948

Career position - Engineer-in-Chief, Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board [Responsible for the design and commencement of construction of Warragamba Dam]

15 Dec 1936

Career event - Member (MInstCE), Institution of Civil Engineers, London

1937

Career position - Foundation member, Australian National Committee on Large Dams

1938

Career event - Presented Cleithrolepis fossil fish, from Woronora Dam excavations, to the Australian Museum

1941 - c. 1942

Career position - Engineer-in-charge, Captain Cook Graving-dock, Department of the Interior

Related entries

Published resources

Resources

• CA 2001 Australian Imperial Force, Base Records Office, 'NAA: B2455, Farnsworth S T', B2455 First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920, National Archives of Australia, RecordSearch, https://RecordSearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=3548422. Details
• 'Discussion. The Captain Cook Graving Dock, Sydney. Joint meeting of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, & the New South Wales Advisory Committee of the I.C.E., held in Sydney, NSW, on 30 April 1947.', Minutes of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Institution of Civil Engineers, https://doi.org/10.1680/ijoti.1947.13568. Details
• 'Correspondence. The strengthening and final testing of the pressure tunnel for the water-supply of Sydney, N.S.W.', Minutes of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Institution of Civil Engineers, https://doi.org/10.1680/ijoti.1941.13692. Details
• 'Correspondence. The strengthening and final testing of the pressure tunnel for the water-supply of Sydney, N.S.W.', Minutes of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Institution of Civil Engineers, https://doi.org/10.1680/ijoti.1939.14518. Details
• 'The strengthening and final testing of the pressure tunnel for the water-supply of Sydney, N.S.W.', Minutes of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Institution of Civil Engineers, https://doi.org/10.1680/ijoti.1939.13193. Details
• Institution of Civil Engineers, London, 'Application: 19160, 1930', Civil Engineer Membership Forms, 1818-1930, ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com.au/search/collections/3585/. Details