IRRIGATION AND WATER STORAGE. 145 



This is for driving into the ground, and this pointed part 

 being greater than the pipe, it clears the way. Just above 

 where this solid point is screwed, holes are drilled in the 

 pipe along sixteen or eighteen inches of its length. The 

 number of these holes must of course be in proportion to 

 the size of the pump, so as to admit as much water as the 

 pump is capable of taking up. A No. 6 Douglas pump is 

 as large as can be reasonably worked by manual labour. 

 In order to protect the top of the pipe as well as the 

 driving block from injury by the blows in driving, a cap 

 which screws on to the ends of any of the pipes is fitted, and 

 upon it the forcing power is applied, care being exercised 

 in seeing that the blows are struck fair by a maul or 

 driving monkey, and that the pipe is not bent. 



When Water is Reached. When the tube well pipe is 

 driven to a depth where water may be expected, it is useful 

 to let down a plummet to try for water. When the 

 plummet comes up wet, it may be well to screw on the 

 pump and try whether merely soakage water is reached, or 

 whether it comes from a spring. In a well put down in this 

 way, at a depth of 20 feet, 8 feet of water was got. The pipe 

 was then driven to 26 feet, and the water rose 20 feet in the 

 tube. At first it came up but slowly, mixed with sand, and 

 there was great pressure on the handle. It required several 

 hours' work before the water became clear and came with 

 a free flow. But the success of the pump may be judged 

 from the fact that two tanks, containing each 400 gallons, 

 were filled in an hour and a quarter, the pump throwing 

 out the water as fully at the end as in the beginning, 

 showing that the water found was fully equal to a pipe of 

 2 inch bore. There is not much difficulty in lifting these 

 pipes, when that is necessary. Get a sapling or piece of 

 timber for a lever, say 15 feet long; put a bullock-chain 

 round the pipe, with the hook to run on the chain ; roll the 

 other ond round the lever. When the end of the level" is 

 lifted, the chain tightens on the tube so thoroughly that it 

 does not slip, and the tube can be drawn with a strong lift of 

 the lever. When the end of the lever is lowered after the first 

 lift of the pipe, the chain round the pipe slips down, and 

 when the lever is again lifted it tightens round the pipe, so 



