XVIII. T. W. KEELE. 
that were met with from time to time, although they are 
full of interest ; but rather to sketch as concisely as the 
subject will permit, the leading events which many of you 
present are no doubt fully seized with. The years are 
passing swiftly away, and as no connected account has 
been written that [am aware of, it seems to me to be 
desirable that someone with a personal knowledge of all 
the circumstances should undertake the duty, and as I 
was very closely in touch with these works and those 
associated with them, as some of you may remember, 
perhaps it will not be considered out of place for me, with 
everything fresh in my mind, to put the leading facts on 
record, and I shall be glad to be corrected if any inac- 
curacies are noticed. 
On reference to the diagram (1) once more, it will be 
observed that the works were commenced just when a 
very severe and protracted drought had set in, viz.—1880. 
The diagram shows that it lasted nine years, until the 
middle of 1889, every year being below the mean, except 
1887, the average over the whole period being 40°70 inches 
or 7°65 inches below the mean. The residual mass curve 
shows the drought very clearly, the accumulated loss of 
rain for nine years amounting to 68°80 inches, or nearly a 
year and a half mean rainfall missing, and as the water 
from the Nepean was not turned on to Crown Street 
Reservoir until 20th November, 1886, and only then 
discharging about 3 million gallons per day, it can be well 
understood in what a sore strait the citizens were during 
the construction of the works, and what an anxious time 
was experienced by those responsible for the supply. 
It was not long after the works were commenced that 
Mr. F. B. Gipps, who had been employed upon survey work 
in connection with them, brought forward a proposal to 
intercept the water at Kenny Hill, where the line of canal 
