Artesian Wells. 4°! 



interest on the whole expenditure for boring work, and so relieve the 

 taxpayer of all incidence. Without the actual expenditure of puVjlic 

 funds, but b) simply making use of its own splendid asset, the like 

 of which no other country is fortunate enough to possess, the Colony 

 would receive such material benefit that its future prosperity would 

 be assured. 



BORING FOR THE MILITARY. 



It mav be of interest in reviewing the uses of underground water 

 to refer to its imjx^rtance in connection with Military operations, as 

 it proved of great value during the recent campaign in this country ; 

 and some account of the methods employed and the results obtained 

 — the bulk of which has already appeared in the Annual Reports 

 of the Department — may fomi a fitting conclusion to this paper : — 



Having, prior to the outbreak of hostilities, executed some boring 

 for the Imperial Goveniment at one of the Base Camps near Cape 

 Town, the Colonial Government was, soon after the War broke out, 

 approached with a request that it (the Colonial Government) would 

 undertake the sinking of Ijoreholes to provide water for General 

 Gatacre s Division, which was at the time at Stormberg, in response 

 to which the Colonial Government immediately caused three boring 

 plants, equipped with two foremen each for continuous working, 

 and a field sui)erintending inspector, to be placed at the disposal of 

 the Military Authorities for service in that Division. Excellent su})- 

 plies of water were obtained for the Column while in the Stormberg 

 District, while subsequently, during its march into the Orange River 

 Colony, two out of the three boring plants, fully equipped, accom- 

 panied the Division, with the result that plentiful supplies of water 

 were obtained at various points en route for the purposes of Camps, 

 Militar) Posts and Hospitals. Meanwhile, another plant had tapped 

 a large supply of water at Rensburg Camp, and at other positions 

 in the surrounding countn. occupied by General French's Cavalry 

 Division. A little later, when the Modder River l)ecame con- 

 taminated after Lord Methuen's reverse at Magersftjntein and enteric 

 fever broke out among the troops lying there, two more fully equipped 

 steam plants were despatched to those Camps, and, working without 

 intermission, obtained an excellent supply of pure water within 30 

 hours of their arrival. Boreholes were also put down in the course 

 of the following week at Enslin, Graspan and Belmont, not onlv with 

 the object of providing those Camps with water, liut also in order 

 lo meet anticipated requirements of the main Army under Lord 

 Roberts on the forward movement. These subsequently rendered 

 immeasurable assistance to the Army under the P'ield Marshal during 

 the operations which resulted in the relief of Kimberley and the 

 capture of Bloemfontein. Without water for the transport animals 

 employed by the immense convoy following the Army, the execution 

 of the gigantic Military operations involved — the essential feature of 

 which was rapidity of movement — undoubtedlv would have been 

 seriousl) nampered. To' meet the large demands of the Army while 

 resting at ]:{loemfontein prior to the resumption of the advance North- 



