Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Wednesday 4 May 1921, page 10


SYDNEY ENGINEERS

HONOURED.

THE TELFORD PREMIUMS.

Mr Percy Allan, M Inst C E (London), M Am. Soc. C. E. (New York), chief engineer in New South Wales for national and local government works, who has just been awarded the Telford Premium by the Institution of Civil Engineers, was born in Sydney In 1861.

The Telford Premiums consist of certain money left by the famous engineer Telford to the Institution of Civil Engineers, and are awarded in the shape of incomes in respect of certain papers considered worthy. They are generally looked upon as a "blue ribbon"

by engineers.

MR. PERCY ALLAN

The paper submitted by Mr. Allan was on port improvements at Newcastle, and referred to the works designed by him or carried out under his direction during his 4 1/2 years term of office as chief engineer for public works at that city. It dealt with the extension of the northern breakwater at that port, the re-moval of the supposed rock bar, and the in-creasing of the depth of the entrance to the port from 20ft to 23ft 6in at low water spring tide. The latter work involved removal of 36,700 tons of boulders and rock. It was stated in the paper that in the year 1907 45 vessels had to leave port without full cargoes on account of Insufficient depth of water on the bar, whilst In tho six years following the completion of the work all vessels with the exception of 17 were able to leave the port loaded to their full capacity. The Car-rington coal wharf, one-third of a mile long, and carrying six high-speed electric travel-ling cranes, was also mentioned. The paper was read and discussed at a meeting of the Institution held in Great George-street, West-minster, England, on February 22, 1921.

Mr. Allan Is son of Mr. Maxwell Rennie Al-lan, late principal Under-Secretary of New South Wales. He is a grandson of Mr. David Allan, who arrived in Australia in the year 1808, and was Deputy Commissary-Gen-eral from 1818 to 1823, and who was the ori-ginal grantee of the Flve Islands Estate, in the Illawarra district, from which the name is taken. Mr. Percy Allan has been in the Bervice of the Public Works Department for 42 years, having been stationed at Sydney during the whole of the time, with the ex-ception of his stay in Newcastle. He was en-gineer for the erection of the Pyrmont elec-tric swing bridge, and the Kempsey bridge, which has the longest timber spans In Aus-tralia (153 feet). Ho also constructed the Medlow dam, which at the time of comple-tion, was the thinnest dam In the world. Mr. Allan completed the construction of the low level sewerage of the City of Sydney. For some years he had charge of the artesian bor-ing and distribution of the water. During this time he wrote a book entitled "Drought Antidote for the North-west." He was re-sponsible for The recent reconstruction of Parramatta-road. Mr. Allan received his edu-cation under Dr. Sly, at Redfern.

MR. ALGERNON PEAKE.

The Institution of Civil Engineers also con-sidered, in March, a paper from Mr. Algernon Peake, deputy chief engineer to the Water Supply and Sewerage branch of the Works De-partment, In Sydney, and has now conferred on him a similar honour. The paper Mr. Peake submitted described the design and con-struction of the southern and western suburbs ocean outfall sewer, which is constructed from the old sewage farm at Botany, to the nothern headland of Long Bay. The sewer is about four miles long, 12 feet 6 inches wide, and 8 feet high. The main feature is that the outlet dlscharges 30 feet below high-water level, this design being used so that the action of the waves should not Interfere with the flow of the sewage.

Mr. Peake was born In Enfield, near Lon-don, in 1860. and after receiving his educa-tion in London served his articles with the borough engineer at Kembal, Westmoreland. He came to Australia In 1882, and entered the Public service in the Lands Department as a licensed surveyor, until 1890, when he trans-ferred to the Works Department. He was engaged upon the main sewerage of Syd ney, and the country towns' sewerage and water supply. For the last 10 years Mr, Peake has held his present position, and is now engaged on the main sewer from Blue Fish Headland, Manly, to Parramatta. This sewer will serve Parramatta and municipali-ties to the north of the harbour, as far as Narrabeen. It Is estimated to cost when com-

pleted £ 2,500,000.