122 E. F. PITTMAN. 



In view of the foregoing considerations it is contended, 

 that the chemical composition of the Australian artesian 

 waters, so far from indicating a plutonic origin, constitutes 

 very strong evidence against it, and is, furthermore, quite 

 consistent with the assumption that they have been derived 

 from rainfall. 



It will also be noted that the average salinity of the 

 South Australian waters is much higher than that of the 

 waters from the eastern States, a fact which is in accord- 

 ance with the supposition that the water travels from the 

 Great Dividing Range westwards towards Lake Eyre. 



Gas Pressure.— In dealing generally with the subject of 

 flowing wells, Professor Gregory separates those whose 

 waters are charged with gas from those which are not so 

 characterised; and this is a distinction which no one is 

 likely to cavil at, since the cause of their ascent is clearly 

 different in the two cases. He makes the following state- 

 ment however 1 — 



"Some of the flowing wells in the artesian area of New South 

 Wales are classed by Mr. Pittinan as 'Mineral waters.' Thus the 

 water known as Zetz Spa, found in the Talbragar Valley, North- 

 east of Dubbo, comes up through a bore hole; and there is no 

 obvious reason why it should be placed in a different category 

 from some of the artesian waters. It contains 224 grains of solids 

 per gallon, including 183 grains of bi-carbonate of soda." 



A reference to the work alluded to 2 will show that my 

 reason for classing this as a mineral water was the very 

 obvious one that it is heavily charged with carbonic acid 

 gas. Moreover this bore, although situated within the 

 extreme boundaries of the artesian basin, was put down in 

 an inlier of Permo-Oarboniferous rocks in search of coal. 3 



1 Dead Heart of Australia, pp. 315-316. 



- The Mineral Eesources of N. S. Wales, E. F. Pittman, 1901, pp. 448-9. 



3 W. Anderson, Ann. Eept. Dept. Mines N.S. Wales, 1888, p. 184. 



