Timber stakes
Wooden stakes (kiauws) were driven into the ground to anchor the structure.
HISTORY · MINING & ENGINEERING
Building Dams on Old Billiton
Earth, timber and water management in the tin-mining landscape
Based on Ir. J. P. Lucassen, “Dijken,” Erts — Maandblad der Billiton Bedrijven, January 1955.
AN ENGINEERING STORY FROM 1955
How were earthen dams built?
In a 1955 article titled Dijken (“Dikes”), engineer J. P. Lucassen described a method of constructing earthen embankments with a framework of timber stakes, horizontal poles and woven branches. The technique helped shape and support the earth during construction.
The accompanying photographs show a dam under construction, wooden reinforcement, earth filling and workers assembling the structure. They offer a rare glimpse of practical engineering in the tin-mining era.
A colour-brush interpretation
This modern illustration evokes the stages of dam construction described in the article. It is not an authentic photograph or an exact reconstruction of a named dam.
FROM WOODEN FRAMEWORK TO EMBANKMENT
The construction method
Horizontal ties
Horizontal wooden elements (lioenkoets) connected the stakes, creating a supporting framework.
Branch panels
Branches and brushwood (phangs) formed a retaining surface against which earth could be placed.
Earth filling
Soil was placed between and behind the retaining surfaces, gradually building the embankment.
Terraced profile
The arrangement allowed the dam to rise in stages and helped resist lateral earth pressure.
Water and stability
Lucassen also discussed seepage, drainage, foundation conditions and the stability of the finished dam.
HISTORY WITH CARE
What the article does—and does not—tell us
The 1955 source describes dam-building technology and illustrates a site identified in its photograph captions as Phok. It does not establish that these images show the Pice Dam at Lenggang. For that reason, this page does not attribute them to Pice.
The original article is an important starting point for understanding how earthworks supported mining operations on Billiton. A separate chapter can later explore the history of Pice Dam using evidence specific to that site.
Source
Ir. J. P. Lucassen, “Dijken,” Erts — Maandblad der Billiton Bedrijven, No. 1, January 1955, beginning on printed page 174. Based on the historical PDF provided for the Simpur Talang project.