Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Thursday 8 May 1930, page 12


MR. PERCY ALLAN.

Noted Engineer's Death.

Mr. Percy Allan, M. Inst. C.E. (London), M. Am. Soc. C.E. (New York), formerly Chief Engineer for Public Works in New South Wales, died suddenly at his residence, Carnar-von, Darlinghurst, yesterday, at the age of 68 years. He had been living in retirement for more than two years.

Mr. Allan was the son of Mr. Maxwell Rennie Allan, who was principal Under-secretary of New South Wales, and a grand-son of Mr. David Allan, who arrived in Aus-tralia in 1808, and was Deputy Commissary-General from 1818 to 1823. Educated at Calder House, Sydney, he joined the Works Department as a cadet in 1878. In 1881 he was appointed engineering draftsman, and from 1886 to 1893 he served as chief drafts- man in the Public Works Department. He was then placed in charge of the designing of all highway bridges in the State. In the next three years he designed 340 bridges and punts, their construction entailing an expenditure of £300,000. From 1896 to 1899 he designed 126 bridges, at an aggregate cost of £330,000. Among the structures which stand as monu-ments to Mr. Allan's engineering skill are Pyr- mont and Glebe Island bridges. In 1900 Mr. Allan was appointed supervising engineer, and later acting Principal Assistant Engineer for Rivers, Water Supply, and Drainage. He supervised the completion of the low-level sewerage system of Sydney, costing £200,000, which he brought into successful operation after overcoming many serious difficulties. Other posts held by him included engineer in charge of water conservation and artesian boring (1904-1906), principal assistant en-gineer for water conservation (1906), and executive engineer administering the Water and Drainage and Artesian Wells Amendment Act, 1907. In April, 1908, Mr. Allan was ap-pointed president of the Hunter District Water Supply and Sewerage Board and district en-gineer at Newcastle. He retained this position until specially requisitioned in October, 1912, to assist the newly-appointed Director-General of Public Works. During the following four years Mr. Allan was assistant Director-General of Public Works in New South Wales, but with the transfer of railway construction to the Railway Commissioners, and the abolition of the position of Director-General in favour of a clerical Under-Secretary, he accepted the position of Chief Engineer for National and Local Government Works. He designed many more bridges, the grand total from 1885 until his retirement being 583, at an estimated cost of £1,556,600. In 1921 he was awarded a Telford premium by the Institution of Civil Engineers for a paper submitted on the port improvements of Newcastle.

In his youth Mr. Allan was a prominent athlete. He was first president and a life member of the Northern Engineering Institute. He was also a member of the Australasian Pioneer Club.

Mrs. Allan and two sons, Messrs. H. Allan, of Sydney, and K. T. Allan, of New Guinea, survive. After a service in St. John's Church, Darlinghurst, at 2 o'clock to-day, the cortege will leave for the South Head cemetery.