4 ANNIVERSARY ADDRESS. 



I should here invite attention to the success which has attended 

 the exploration carried on by the Mining Department in our own 

 Colony. The persevering efforts of Mr. W. H. J. Slee, the 

 Superintendent of Diamond Drills have led to the discovery of a 

 ■copious supply of water, at a depth of 960 feet, at a distance of 

 75 miles from Bourke. The water is flowing at the rate of 33,000 

 gallons in the 24 hours, and rises to a height of 10 feet above the 

 surface of the ground. North of Bourke again, within the 

 Queensland border the discovery has been reported of an artesian 

 supply of water at a depth of over 1,000 feet, yielding a supply 

 of 24,000 gallons per day, and rising 20 feet above the surface. 

 It has further been reported from South Australia, that water 

 has been obtained by the diamond drill at Bruce, on the Great 

 Northern line, at a depth of 215 feet, and is flowing over the 

 surface at the rate of 200 gallons an hour. 



Mr. Wilkinson has kindly supplied me with the following 



interesting particulars of the explorations referred to, and the 



geological formation through which the diamond drill was driven 



in the case of the boring near Bourke : — 



Section of strata passed through in Bore 51£ miles West of Bourke 



Ft. in. — Thickness of Strata. Ft. in. — Thickness of Strata. 



p5 f f 7 Sandstone and clay 



a 



6 Loose sand 

 21 6 Grey and yellow clay £ 

 15 Clayey sand with salt water | 



£ «{ drift 



27 Grey and black sandstone 

 and shells with clay 

 11 Very hard rock 

 33 1 Grey and black sandstone, 



11 8 Fine drift sand with salt ^ j shale and clay contain 





water 

 17 Clayey sand and drift 



ing foesil shells 



6 Grey shale, gravel and clay 



4 Granite, cement pebbles 



and conglomerate 

 1 6 Hard rock 



^60 Blue sandy clay -g 



10 Blue and yellow clay g 



20 Blue and green rotten [_ 2 2 Hard granite 



sandstone 



§ -| 3 10 Black and green rock with 200 8 Total depth. 



quartz pebbles and clay 



8 6 Grey sandstone and clay 

 5 Sandstone grit and clay 

 ^ [_ with fossil shells 



Remarks. — Salt Water tapped at 20 ft. stood at 20 ft. below surface. 

 JPresh Water tapped at 80 ft., rose to 10 ft. over surface 



100 ft., „ „ at rate of 1,900 gal. per day 



106 ft. 6 in. „ 



122 ft. 6 in. „ „ „ 14,400 



192 ft., „ „ ., 15,000 



At 116 feet passed through layer of fossil bivalve shells. 



