402 Report S.A.A. Advancemfxt of Science. 



wards, additional boring plants were forwarded to that town, as many 

 as eight operating there at one time, and it is worthy of note that 

 during the possession by the enemy uf the Water Works at Sannas 

 Post supplying the town, water obtained by means of boreholes was 

 pumped into the street mains of the City. Boring plants subsequently 

 accomjjanied the Army during its march to Pretoria and during 

 various operations Northwards and Eastwards, a boring plant even 

 accompanying the Column which cleared the country to the 

 Portugue.se frontier. General Tuckers Division depended entirely 

 on the boreholes at Karee Siding, the only other source of supply 

 being unsuitable, owing to surface jKjUution. Boreholes were also 

 sunk to the North of Kimberle\ and proved of great assistance to 

 the operations in that direction, which culminated in the relief of 

 the gallant garrison of Mafeking. In the Transvaal a number of 

 boreholes have been put down, but at most of the sites the geological 

 formati(jn consisted of volcanic rock and only a small measure of 

 success wa.s obtained. In the Orange River Colony, however, Camps, 

 Hospitals and Blockhouses have been extensively supplied with good 

 drinkable water, particularly in the neighbourhood of Bloemfontein 

 and Kroonstad. Boring has also been of service inside the defences 

 of Steynsburg and Middelburg, and at the Refugee Camp at Aliwal 

 North ; and when the difficulties of suppressing the Rebellion in this 

 Colony made it a military necessity to build a line f)f Blockhouses 

 across the Karroo, from Victoria Road on the Western line of Rail- 

 way to Lambert's Bay on the Coast, a distance of 400 miles, boring 

 had to be resorted to, in order to enable the construction of the work 

 to be proceeded with, as. owing to the arid nature of the countn, 

 supplies of water on the route selected were extremely scarce. Con- 

 sequently, at the request of the Military Authorities, strong parties 

 of foremen, with all the boring plants then available, were despatched 

 by this Department to either end of the proposed line, and work 

 commenced early in January, 1902. No effort was spared to keep 

 the boring work in progress without intermission during the hours 

 of daylight — work at night being impossible owing to Bf)er snipers — 

 and, although surrounded by the danger from constant attacks 

 of small parties of the enem)'. the foremen and men worked 

 with so much will that over 100 bt)reholes were put down, 

 and excellent supplies of water furnished all along the line by the 

 beginning of June. The number of feet bored amounted to 6,060. 

 each plaait making an average of ]o feet a day, an excellent record 

 under such exceptional circumstances. 'I'he average yield of each 

 borehole was frorn 8,000 to 18,000 gallons per diem, ajid the total 

 quantity of water, of an excellent quality, availal)le bv pumping or 

 flowing at the surface, amounted to 900.000 gallons per diem. 



GRATIFYING RESULTS. 



In all, it may be mentioned, some 251 boreholes have been 

 executed for the Military Authorities at various Camps. Forts, Militarv 

 Pests and Hospitals in Cape Colony, the Orange River Colonv and 



