P007390 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

All key entry types: Awards; Concepts; Corporate Bodies (Organisations); Cultural Artefacts; People; etc

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 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 2024-06-04 human Ken McInnes updated 2025-08-05 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P007390b.htm person Farnsworth Samuel Thomas AACR2 25 August 1886 20 April 1948 Place of Birth Derbyshire, England Place of Death late of Vaucluse, New South Wales, Australia Civil engineer 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. 1902 1907 Education - Diploma, Derby Technical College, England 1907 Career position - Assistant to Managing Director, Birchills Furnaces Ltd, England 1907 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 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 1918 Military service - First World War. Lance Corporal, Australian Imperial Force [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 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 2 Dec 1930 Career event - Associate member (AssocMInstCE), Institution of Civil Engineers, London 1932 1932 Patent - Improvements in protective linings for metal pipes [7488/1932. Application for Letters Patent for an invention by Gerald Haskins, Samuel Thomas Farnsworth and Alfred Leslie Polson] 1932 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 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 15 Dec 1936 Career event - Member (MInstCE), Institution of Civil Engineers, London 1937 1937 Patent - Method of and apparatus for lining pipes in situ with cement, cement mortar or concrete, or other cementitious material of similar nature [4127/1937. With Frederick de Lancy Venables] 1937 1937 Career position - Foundation member, Australian National Committee on Large Dams 1938 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 Department of the Interior [II], Central Office, Commonwealth of Australia (1939 - 1972)

Engineer-in-charge, Captain Cook Graving-dock 1941 - c1942

 Australian National Committee on Large Dams Incorporated (ANCOLD) (1937 - )

Foundation member 1937 -

 Metropolitan Water, Sewerage and Drainage Board (MWS&DB), State of New South Wales (1924 - 1987)

Engineer-in-Chief 1935 - 1948, Construction engineer 1928 - 1935

 New South Wales Department of Public Works, Colony and State of New South Wales (1859 - 1936)

Resident engineer 1924 - 1928; Assistant engineer 1919 - 1923, 1912 - 1913.

 de Burgh, Ernest Macartney (1863 - 1929)

Samuel Farnsworth was resident engineer, for the construction of Cordeaux, Avon and Nepean Dams, under the direction of E.M. de Burgh

 Bradfield, John Job Crew (1867 - 1943)

John Bradfield MInstCE proposed Samuel Farnsworth nomination for MInstCE, 1936

 Boyd, Robert James (1876 - 1953)

Robert Boyd MInstCE proposed Samuel Farnsworth nomination for MInstCE, 1936

 Gibson, Alexander James (1876 - 1960)

Alexander Gibson MInstCE proposed Samuel Farnsworth nomination for MInstCE, 1936

 Australian Museum (1827 - )

Donated a Cleithrolepis fossil fish, from Woronora Dam excavations, to the Museum, 1938.

 'Farnsworth, Samuel Thomas', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Farnsworth, Samuel Thomas Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Resource: Journal of the Institution of Civil Engineers Institution of Civil Engineers Journal of the Institution of Civil Engineers Institution of Civil Engineers Resource: Journal of the Institution of Civil Engineers Institution of Civil Engineers Journal of the Institution of Civil Engineers Institution of Civil Engineers Resource: Australian Patent search database IP Australia, Commonwealth of Australia Australian Patent search database Commonwealth of Australia 2015 Resource: Australian Patent search database IP Australia, Commonwealth of Australia Australian Patent search database Commonwealth of Australia 2015 Resource: Journal of the Institution of Civil Engineers Institution of Civil Engineers Journal of the Institution of Civil Engineers Institution of Civil Engineers Resource: Journal of the Institution of Civil Engineers Institution of Civil Engineers Journal of the Institution of Civil Engineers Institution of Civil Engineers Resource: Civil Engineer Membership Forms, 1818-1930 Institution of Civil Engineers, London Civil Engineer Membership Forms, 1818-1930 ancestry.com Resource: B2455 First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920 CA 2001 Australian Imperial Force, Base Records Office B2455 First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920 National Archives of Australia, RecordSearch