The Gympie Chinese – Wung Choo

Chinese people have played an important role in Gympie’s history from the earliest days and a book was completed by the Gympie Family History Society in 2015 to celebrate their contributions.  The story below is an extract from that book which can be purchased via our Book Shop page on this website, or, from our rooms at 1 Chapple St, Gympie.  The story of Wung Choo which featured in the book was published in the Northern Star Lismore on the 22nd of November 1902, however, The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette had published a more complete article a week prior and that article has been included in it’s entirety at the bottom of this story.  

“WUNG CHOO {see mention and photo of the water carrier previously}

Northern Star Lismore NSW 22 Nov 1902 It is seldom that new ideas can be ascribed to the Chinese, who, though excellent at the imitation of the work of others are rarely credited with the introduction of original ideas. It is, however, to a Chinese, gardener, Wung Choo that a solution of the irrigation problem for many, is within reach, Wung Choo, it may be stated, does not claim that his work has any originality or is the result, of his inventive genius, he has merely adapted to Australian conditions what he has seen done in numerous cases in his native land China. The Celestial Empire is so densely populated that every available bit of land must be made to produce to the utmost, so irrigation, with heavy liquid manuring, and intensive cultivation, is there the rule and not as in Australia the exception. Latterly wonderful statements had been made to the appliance being used by Wung Choo in his gardens on Pie Creek, in raising water, and as such matters are always of interest to agriculturists, a representative of this paper went thither on a visit of inspection last week. One always associates with Chinese character a desire to keep secret anything which may prove beneficial to fellow competitors in the same line of business, so it with some doubt as to the reception that would be recorded, that the visit was undertaken. Wung Choo, on the contrary, was found to be quite communicative, and readily explained the working of his appliance, whilst he also obligingly put a horse in, thus showing the lift in operation.

The water is lifted in two buckets to a poppet head by means of a rotary horse power, and then they automatically discharge their contents. The height of the poppet head at Eel Creek is 33 feet from the water level, but in place of putting up poppet logs, Wung Choo has utilised two trees growing on the edge of the creek, which answer the purpose as well as the best of sawn timber. At the top of the poppet legs are two pulleys through which the ropes that pull up and let down the buckets pass. Those ropes are then attached to a cross bar, somewhat similar to the horse cut used in a chaff-cutter, but which extends right across the ring. The ropes are joined to a revolving iron bar on the end opposite to which the horse is harnessed to the gear. By an ingenious arrangement the ropes are so attached that the horse is able to continue hauling up and letting done the buckets by going round the ring with out turning, which results in much work being done in a given time. {And the story goes on in great detail about how this works, what it does and how amazing it is”

Following is a more complete story which was published in The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 15 November 1902

“Irrigation on Eel Creek.
AN INGENIOUS CHINESE WATER LIFT.
When the question of irrigation is mentioned, it instantly raises in the mind of the farmer the procuring of expensive machinery, the costly erection thereof, and the technical skill and knowledge necessary to work, and take care of such machinery. To those, who have passed through the recent severe drought, the purchase of such a plant is an impossibility, and so though the cultivators of the soil have been, forced by bitter experieuce to realise the value of an abundant supply of water, yet the ordinary irrigation proposals are quite beyond the reach of any but the well-to-do agriculturist. It is seldom that new ideas can be ascribed to the Chinese, who, though excellent at the imitation of the work of others are rarely- credited with the introduction of original ideas. It is, however, to a Chinese gardener — Wung Choo— that a solution of the irrigation problem for many, is within reach. Wung Choo, it may be stated, does not claim that his work has any originality or is the result of his inventive genius, he has merely adapted to Australian conditions, What he has seen done in numerous cases in his native land — China. The Celestial Empire is so densely populated that every available bit of land must be made to produce to the utmost, so irrigation, with heavy liquid manuring, and intensive cultivation, is there the rule and not as in Australia the exception. Latterly wonderful statements had been made as to the appliance being used by Wung Choo in his gardens on Eel Creek, in raising water, and as such matters are always of interest to agriculturists, a representative of this paper went thither on a visit of inspection last week. One always associates with Chinese character, a desire to keep secret any thing which might prove, beneficial to fellow competitors in the same line of business, so it was with some doubt as to the reception that would be accorded, that the visit was undertaken. Wung Choo, on the contrary, was found to be quite communicative, and readily explained the working of his appliance, whilst he also obligingly put a horse in, thus showing the lift in operation. The water is lifted in two buckets to a poppet head by means of a rotary horse power, and then they automatically discharge their contents. The height of the poppet head at Eel Creek is 35 feet from the water level, but in place of putting up poppet legs, Wung Choo has utilised two trees growing on the edge of the creek, which answer the purpose as well as the best of sawn timber. At the top of the poppet legs are two pulleys through which the ropes that pull up and let down, the buckets pass. These ropes are then attached to a cross bar, somewhat similar to the horse gear used in a chaff-cutter, but which extends right across the ring. The ropes are joined to a revolving iron bar on the cad opposite to which the horse is harnessed to the gear. By an ingenious arrangement the ropes are so attached that the horse is able to continue hauling up and letting down the buckets by going round the ring without turning, which results in much work being done in a given time. One rope – the short one – after passing through the pulley at the poppet head, is connected directly with the cross sweep or bar, but the other rope— the long one— after going through the pulley at the poppet head, then goes through another pulley at a height of about 8 feet from the ground on the opposite side of the horse ring to the poppet head, and is then connected with the cross-bar. By means of this arrangement of the ropes, when the horse is nearest to the poppet head, the bucket attached to the short rope will be discharging its water at the poppet head, whilst the other bucket will be in the water filling. As the horse goes half a turn, bringing him to the opposite side of the ring, the long rope bucket will be lifted to the poppet head, and the short rope bucket let down into the water. And so it goes on, as long as the water is there to pull and the horse can work. Every time the horse goes once round the ring, two buckets of water are raised, one by each of the buckets. The buckets in use were ordinary beer barrels, holding about thirtyfive gallons each, but they are mounted in a special manner so as to allow them to quickly discharge their contents. In the bottom of the barrel there is a valve, similar to that used by mines in their water buckets, which opens when the bucket touches the water and so allows it to quickly fill. Immediately the bucket is full or when it begins to lift, the valve closes by reason of the pressure on it. The bucket is attached to the rope by an iron bow, which is fixed to an iron hoop joined to the middle of the bucket. This manner of mounting is adopted, so that when the bucket reaches the poppet head, and a projecting spike catches the lip of the barrel and stops its upward progress, the bucket with but slight pressure, cants over until the bottom of it is uppermost, thus instantaneously discharging its contents into a trough placed to receive the water. To prevent the bucket swinging, two wire guidelines run from the poppet head to the water, the bucket being lifted in position by means of staples. To any one who glances at the appliances ready for work, a question which instantly crops up is how the horse is to walk round the ring and keep clear of the ropes. In actual practice, this is quickly seen to be an easy matter, the ropes swinging clear over the horse’s head. The appliance certainly has great possibilities for watering gardens of fair extent, and compared with the cost of steam machinery is infinitely cheaper. Out of pocket expenses in putting up such a water lift would not exceed £10, which would be the cost of the buckets, ropes, pulleys, etc., and almost any farmer has the necessary timber on his own place, and by the exercise of his ingenuity can build one. Horse flesh is usually to be had at a slight extra expense, so that with but a small monetary expenditure, the agriculturist who has a creek running through his property has an easy means of irrigation at command. In actual work, it is found practicable to raise four buckets of water to a height of 30ft. in the minute— that was the rate at which Wung Choo was hauling at the time of our representative’s visit. The buckets were not quite full of water but allowing 30 gallons per bucket, this would give 120 gallons per minute or 7,200 gallons per hour. Perhaps with a view to showing what was possible, the speed may have heen a little high, although the horse did not appear to be the best for the work, but even if 6,000 gallons per hour is taken as the maximum, it is still a wonderful contrivance. To get a steam pump with the necessary power, to raise the same amount of water in an hour, would cost between £100 and £150 and there would also be the necessity of having a competent man to look after it. The water lift has been tried in the ‘raising’ of water at various heights up to 50 feet but of course the greater the height, the longer will be the pole and consequently the slower the raising of the water. The apparatus in use by Wung Choo cannot be considered perfect, and several improvements readily suggest themselves, but the idea is a good one, and has in it the elements of great usefulness. Whilst primarily designed for raising water for irrigation purposes, it is probable that alluvial miners working at shallow depths with a heavy flow of water to contend with, would find it most valuable in quickly getting rid of a lot of water. At shallow depths, such a contrivance, could by increased horse power and a pulley arrangement be made to bale an enormous quantity of water.”

This story was compiled by Kathy Punter 

Sources: Trove; ‘The Gympie Chinese’ – this book is available for sale from The Gympie Family History Society and you will find more details here.: