In Time of Drought 9 1 



been proved to exist under an immense area of 

 Central Australia. This underground water sup- 

 ply is tapped by means of boring, and in some in- 

 stances the soil has been penetrated to a depth as 

 great as five thousand feet in order to reach the 

 subterranean water. Very frequently the water, 

 when tapped, spouts strongly out, although in 

 some places it only rises to a certain height in the 

 bore, and must be raised to the surface by means 

 of pumps. The boring operations are conducted 

 both by private individuals and by the govern- 

 ment of the Australian States, some of which 

 maintain a staff of specially trained officials for 

 this work. 



The importance of this subterranean water sup- 

 ply can best be illustrated by the example of one 

 bore, sunk in a dry and waterless tract of country, 

 which has now for years yielded a flow of water 

 averaging six million gallons each day. At Dag- 

 worth, in Queensland, there is an artesian well 

 from which water flows at a temperature of 196 

 Fahrenheit, and many of the Queensland artesian 

 wells discharge water of a temperature exceeding 

 100 Fahrenheit. This artesian water has been 

 proved as valuable for irrigation purposes as any 

 surface supply, and when it has sufficiently cooled, 

 the stock drink it just as readily. Boring for 

 water is still being prosecuted with energy in all 

 the states except Tasmania and Victoria, and 

 from the results already obtained the pastoral 

 districts have reaped incalculable benefit. 



