XIV. T. H. HOUGHTON. 



tailings estimated to contain 18,000 tons, each ton averaging 

 8 dwts. 4 grs. of gold, of which 75 per cent, is recovered ; the cost 

 of treating it amounted to about 13s. 6d. per ton, of which 

 probably 3s, or 4s. is due to the presence of a little copper in the 

 tailings. The shafts at Balmain for the Sydney Harbour 

 collieries are now being sunk ; the ultimate depth will be about 

 2,800 feet, Although this is deep for a coal mine, yet it has 

 been exceeded in many places, the depth of the deepest coal 

 mine in England being 3 ; 474 feet, and a colliery in Belgium has a 

 shaft 3,937 feet deep. 



The development of artesian boring during the last ten years 

 has done much to alleviate in some districts the distress caused 

 by absence of water from other sources. From a return issued 

 by the Hydraulic Engineer for Queensland, it appears that up 

 to the end of June, 1897, bores of an aggregate depth of 110 

 miles had been sunk in Queensland in search of artesian water ; 

 the average depth per bore being 1,084 feet, the greatest depth 

 that had at that date been attained in any bore in Australia 

 being at Bimerah, in Queensland, where a depth of over 5,000 

 feet has been reached. In that colony there were at that date 

 349 bores delivering water above the surface, the estimated daily 

 flow being 190,000,000 gallons. At some of these the flow has 

 only been estimated, so, making a reduction of 50 per cent, from 

 the returns furnished where estimates and not actual measured 

 quantities are given, there is a daily flow of 131,000,000 gallons, 

 or more than seven times the average daily supply of water to 

 Sydney. Many of these bores deliver water under considerable 

 pressure, and at Thargomindah the flow from the bore has been 

 utilized for driving a dynamo for electric lighting purposes In 

 this colony I find from a return furnished me by Mr. J. W. 

 Boultbee that there are 99 flowing bores in addition to a number 

 which yield supplies by pumping. The daily flow from these 99 

 bores amounts to about 62,000,000 gallons ; the total depth 

 bored being 154,173 feet, an average of about 1,600 feet per 

 bore. There are a number of pumping bores, and a few of the 

 bores sunk have proved failures. 



