Denis Cumming
Papers 1977-1990
MSS 0093
Contents Listing
Series 1. Articles and addresses by Denis Cumming, 1977-90. 7 cm. (4 folders)
[1977 Some aspects of the history of roads and bridges in South Australia
1978 Recording historical engineering relics
1979 Australia’s engineering heritage
1981 Engineering in 1855
1981 (Progress notes on) Smelting copper ores in South Australia
1982 Supplementary notes on copper smelting
1982 Identification and evaluation of items of engineering heritage
1982 Engineering scientists of South Australia
1982 Kapunda mine 1842-1912
1983 Wallaroo Smelter
1984 Engineers, technicians, manufacturers and contractors who have served South Australia
1985 Engineers in the Commonwealth Railway
1985 Engineers with the BHP Company
undated [pre-1986] processing of copper ores in South Australia in the 19th century
1986 The port of Port Adelaide
1987 Copper smelting in South Australia
undated [pre-1988] Engineering 1878-1938
1989 Steam engines in South Australia before 1900
1990 Some literature on industrial and mechanical engineering in Australia
1990 Literature on the history of civil engineering in Australia
1990 Western Australian engineers
undated Technology: a public radio broadcast for schools
1980-83 Notes for talks on heritage tours and visits to historical engineering sites]
Series 2. Correspondence relating to research and publications, 1982-90. 2 cm.
Series 3. Papers relating to the establishment and operations of the Institution of Engineers Australia, South Australia division, Engineering Heritage Sub-Committee, 1978-81. 4 cm. (3 folders)
Including draft policy for engineering heritage sites and structures and notes on the history of engineering in South Australia by Cumming; guidelines etc. on heritage and conservation and cataloguing practices; notes on engineering heritage collections by C. St Clair Johnson and Cumming; and a file on existing heritage legislation and registration of heritage properties etc.
Series 4. Correspondence and other papers relating to applications by Cumming for heritage grants, 1987-90. 3 cm. and bundle of photographs
Series 5. Institution of Engineers Australia, South Australia division, Engineering Heritage Sub-committee minutes 1985-86 and Heritage Branch Committee minutes and reports/publications of related bodies, 1988-89. 3 cm.
Series 6. Source materials on South Australian engineering heritage. 1.3 metres.
The files variously contain copies of articles and pamphlet publications, copies of parliamentary papers and newspaper articles, unpublished papers by Cumming and others, photographs, drawings, notes, chronologies and lists. There is no original material apart from a notebook but there are copies of some mining company records and a significant series of Hawke and Co. drawings as well as of photographs.
6.1 Mining and smelting. 50 cm. (16 folders)
[folders 1-2 Moonta and Wallaroo (includes Hawke and Co. drawings and photos and microfilm of 19 th century Moonta Mines reports: latter filed with o/s photos)
folder 3 Ore smelting (Wallaroo, Callington, Kanmantoo etc)
folder 4 Burra
folders 5-7 Kapunda
folder 8 Apoinga
folder 9 Blinman and the north
folders 10-12 South Australian mining, unsorted
folders 13-14 Arltunga (N.T.)
folder 15 Broken Hill and BHP
folder 16 extracts from the Mining Journal London]
6.2 Roads and bridges, including Murray Bridge. 12 cm. (4 folders)
See also Series 6.7 Concrete
6.3 Ports and harbours, including Port Adelaide. 5 cm. (3 folders)
6.4 Lighthouses. 1 cm.
6.5 Water supply and reservoirs. 5 cm. (2 folders)
6.6 Irrigation, pipes, pumps and water wheels. 2 cm
6.7 Concrete. 2 cm. Includes paper by B. Redford on early concrete bridges
6.8 Gas and electricity. 3 cm.
6.9 Flour milling. 3 cm
6.10 Radio/wireless. 1 cm
6.11 History of Engineering in South Australia, general and biographical information on engineers. 36 cm. [12 folders and bundle of oversize photographs, including aerial photos]
This large group of papers includes drafts of biographical register entries and correspondence relating to individuals; there are also separate files on Professor R.W. Chapman, with copies of papers by him 1908-19, and on university engineering training. There are pamphlets of tramways and railways, articles on beam engines, photographs of bridges, equipment etc, much of it possibly duplicating the papers in the rest of this series.
6.12 Western Australian engineering and engineers. 4 cm.
6.13 Non-Australian engineers and engineering history, including data base re British engineers and sources on canals. 4 cm.
Series 7. Miscellaneous papers relating to engineering history. 4 cm
Includes typescript of V.A. Edgeloe’s ‘Engineering at the University of Adelaide’ 1987 and others papers relating to the engineering profession, including codes of ethics for engineers and reading lists for a series of lectures on Engineers and Society.
See also Series 6.11
Series 8. Miscellaneous papers on related aspects of South Australian history. 4 cm.
Including papers of the AHA conference on Port Adelaide, 1986 (with the paper by Cumming on ‘The port of Port Adelaide’), thesis by J.H. Thompson on Adelaide’s Mechanics Institutes, 1977 and paper by David Davies on Industrial archaeology of the Adelaide Hills, 1977.
1907 ms notebook on pumps and pumping – with Kay Leverett as of 7/1/08 for possible identification
Unidentified tape
