97 
following records, which show the strata to a depth of 174 feet only; 
nothing below that depth seems to have been tabulated : — 
Beds passed through by the bore 
put 
down in 1884. 
Strata. 
Thickness. 
Depth to 
bottom of bed. 
feet. 
feet. 
Clay 
24 
2 4 
Gravel 
4 
28 
Greyish clay 
33 
61 
Gravel and sand drift 
49 
110 
Reddish clay 
12 
122 
Tough blue clay 
18 
140 
Fine sand drift 
2 
142 
Tough blue clay 
14 
156 
Sand drift 
4 
160 
Tough black clay ... 
14 
174 
s, as far as it goes, corresponds fairly 
w^ell 
with the records of the 
present bore, and it is rather unfortunate that the nature of the underlying 
strata was not recorded. 
Two aspects of the case have specially to be considered: — 
1. The possible purer water supply at a deeper level. 
2. The preservation of the present bore-hole. 
Regarding the former, experience in various parts of Australia shows 
that in strata such as these at Sale, which consist of alternations of pervious 
and impervious beds in an artesian basin drawing its supplies of water 
from a large area, it is not unusual for a flow of water obtained in one 
stratum to be lost by boring through the underlying stratum in the hope that 
a stronger flow or better water may be found below. 
This would happen if the lower pervious bed were not highly charged 
with water, for, as soon as the intervening impervious bed were pierced, 
water from the overlying pervious bed would flow down and be lost. Sale 
lies in a large artesian basin, comprising wide plains and undulating 
country, stretching from near Warragul on the west, past Bairnsdale on 
the east. It receives the drainage of the La Trobe, Tanjil, Tyers, Thom¬ 
son, Macalister, Avon, and Mitchell Rivers from the north, and the 
Moe, Morwell, Traralgon, Flynn and smaller streams from the south. It 
must contain vast stores of underground water, since the strata are largely 
of a pervious character. 
With the possibility in view of losing the present supply, it seems to 
me advisable to be content with the water that has been obtained, since 
it appears suitable for the desired purpose. Should it be decided to try 
deeper, boring should be carried on very carefully, and the material brought 
up carefully examined. 
Now, as to the second aspect, which is a mechanical one. The nature 
of the water is such that iron pipes are undesirable. The water being 
slightly charged with hydrogen sulphide will corrode the pipes, and in time 
render them useless. The council has decided to place a column of 
wooden pipes inside the iron tubing, and wishes to have them of as large 
a diameter as practicable. The foreman in charge of the drill (Mr. E. 
Keighley) tells me that it is impossible to force the 10-in. tubes down 
further than they now are (277 feet). Since the bore is 334 feet deep, 
there is a column of 57 feet to be tubed. For this, 8-in. tubes are neces¬ 
sary, and should, I think, be put down at once. This would, of course, 
necessitate a reduction in the diameter of the wooden tubes (which will have 
to go inside the 8-in. ones) to about 6 inches, assuming the wood to be 
f inch thick. The flow would probably be reduced, for though a certain 
