12 



A scheme was therefore prepared by the engineers for 

 bringing the water 360 miles from the neighbourhood of 

 Freemantle by means of an acqueduct, not such as we see 

 the remains of in the Roman Campagna on stately arches, 

 but in the more prosaic form of steel pipes some 30 inches in 

 diameter, and following the contour of the intervening country. 

 In order to detect readily any leakages in the pipes, it was 

 proposed to lay them on the ground, not underground, 

 probably in a concrete bed, and for general convenience the 

 course of the railway from Freemantle to Coolgardie was to 

 be followed as far as practicable. Naturally in the course of 

 360 miles there are many variations in the levels, and it was 

 therefore found necessary to provide for eight pumping 

 stations, with accompanying reservoirs, into which the water 

 would be pumped prior to the flow proceeding. The steel 

 pipes, for the sake of economy of freight, were to be shipped 

 as flat plates, some 9 to 10 feet in length, and of sufficient 

 width to be curved into pipes of the required diameter. 

 Provisions for the closing and rivetting of these plates, and for 

 the junctions of the sections of pipe, so as to make them 

 secure against leakage, were thoroughly made by the Engin- 

 eers, and if the matter is successfully completed, this 

 acqueduct ought to be a model for future operations of a like 

 character. 



This scheme for the supply of water to the gold-fields of 

 Coolgardie is only calculated to provide 5,000,000 gallons per 

 diem. Compare that with the 212,000,000 gallons required 

 for the daily supply of the Metropolitan area. The distance 

 that the water is to be transmitted — 360 miles — far exceeds 

 anything that has been accomplished in this country, notably 

 the supplies of Glasgow and Manchester, and is much more 

 than double the distance of any proposed supply of London 

 from Wales. The cost of the Coolgardie water supply has 

 been estimated at ^2,500,000. The works are far advanced, 

 and it is expected, as is usual, that the estimated cost will be 

 exceeded when the scheme is complete. 



To revert to the great internal reservoir of water which 

 is confidently asserted to exist in the sub-strata of Australia, 

 the question has arisen as to the source of its supply; taking 

 into account the moderate rainfall generally on the Continent, 

 and the practical absence of mountainous areas for collection 

 of such rainfall, and the theory started is that the mountains 



