Marchbanks. — 071 the Longburn Artesian Wells. 551 



island has a burnt red appearance, showing the devastation 

 caused by a late eruption. Garnot Island, in the same group, 

 is also a steep cone, but not so steep as Lesson Island ; 

 and Blosseville Island is a high, steep, wooded crater, re- 

 markable for several large villages upon its edge. The 

 natives evidently have far more confidence in the safety of 

 these craters than I have. 



As I write these notes — 22nd March, 1895 — a series of 

 earthquakes are reported by telegram as having been felt at 

 Port Moresby and other parts of New Guinea on the 6th and 

 7th of March last. The first shock lasted three minutes. No 

 damage was done, but the natives were in great conster- 

 nation. It is surmised that an extinct volcano on the island 

 had opened up. On the 18th April, 1895, a telegram by way 

 of Sydney states that a tidal wave in New Guinea has swept 

 away many houses and drowned one child in a native village 

 there. Both telegrams, I should think, refer to the one earth- 

 movement. (I do not name volcanic phenomena " catas- 

 trophies," although I am very sorry when loss of life occurs, 

 even to a little native child. I regard these earth-movements 

 as absolutely essential to the welfare of the planet.) 



Art. L. — On the Artesian Wells at Longburn. 



By J. Marchbanks, A.M.I.C.E. 



Communicated by Sir James Hector. 



[Bead before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 4th March, 1899.] 



Plate LII. 



The well I have particularly to describe is an artesian pipe 

 2 in. in diameter recently put down by the Wellington and 

 Manawatu Eailway Company for the purpose of obtaining a 

 supply of water for locomotive purposes. Unfortunately, I 

 could not get a clean sample of the sand, as it had been re- 

 moved, and was mixed with cinders and other extraneous 

 matter. 



The railway-well marked "A" on Plate LII., fig. 1, is 

 sunk to a depth of 358 ft. below the surface of the ground. 

 The water rises in a pipe to a height of about 43 ft. above the 

 surface. The pressure was 20 lb. on the square inch, indicated 

 on an ordinary pressure-gauge at the surface of the ground. 

 The discharge at ground-level was 4,300 gallons per hour. 



