Physical description

Copy of an article from the Bendigo Weekly 9/6/2000 titled The Mine Flooding Crisis - New Pumping Technology Suggested by James Lerk. Louis August Samuels was born in Germany. Samuels was involved in the mining industry in Australia and he had mining experience in West Africa. He had knowledge of the mines at the southern end of the field. He was president of the Mine Managers' Association. He believed the flooding was caused by the lack of baling and pumping operations. Earlier he had visited a coal mine in Bohemia to see a Riedler pump at work. It was a new design, very effective, simple in design and reliable. He watched it work. It was 500 metres underground and pushed the water to the surface in a single column. He suggested this type of pump could be adapted to use on the New Chum Reef. Even this suggestion was not the latest technical innovation, but it would be more efficient and less costly than baling. No one took him seriously and continued to remove water by the traditional means. Article is accompanied by a photo of Samuels.

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