26 UNDERGROUND WATERS. 



season of heavy rainfall which followed, a very great pro- 

 portion of the rainfall would disappear underground. Here 

 is another instance of excessive percolation. In the bed 

 of the Wakefield River, durmg a dry season, I noticed a 

 large number of wide cracks in the river bed, into which 

 during the next flood the water poured, and arrested the 

 river channel flow for some time. This shows what large 

 quantities of the rainfall percolates and goes underground. 

 These observations of great percolation confirmed my 

 opinion, largelj^ held by others, that underneath the beds 

 of most rivers and streams there is a subterranean stream 

 following a direction and gradient similar to that of the 

 river at the surface. 



Urging the Collection of Data. 

 In South Australia I found that, with the exception 

 of rainfall records, there were at that time little data upon 

 which to base conclusions as to the feasibility of works 

 of water conservation and irrigation. In order to arrive 

 at a thorough knowledge of the underground waters I 

 urged on the Government the great need of systematic 

 gauging of the water floAving in the rivers, and showed 

 that this work, and the measurement of evaporation and 

 absorption, were quite as important as the survey of the 

 lands and the mineral- bearing areas of the country. Soon 

 after this the work of gauging the rivers of South Australia 

 was initiated. 1 made similar recommendations in Queens- 

 land about five years ago, and I am pleased to hear that 

 river gaugings have since been begun in this State. 



Unscientific Search for underground 

 Water. 



The search in South Australia for suitable sites for 

 bores and wells at the dates referred to had not been always 

 conducted under the guidance of recognised scientific 

 principles. Artesian, water had been found in some 

 localities, and a speculative use of the boring rod was 

 frequently made. The tendency was to take the most 

 hopeful view of the prospect in connection with many 

 of these earlier ventures in search of water. The professor 

 of the divining rod was then, and even up to the present is, 

 too much in evidence. 



