112 
MAGAZINE OF SCIENCE AND ART. 
clumsy, that can be carried out by the description of 
labour most usually met with in the bush, if we hope 
to induce people to try the experiment. Improvements 
in the machinery, &c., would immediately follow the 
almost certain success of the inoro rude commence¬ 
ment. 
To be as practical as possible, I will suppose a sheep 
establishment, similar to many that 1 have seen, and 
endeavour so to make my suggestions understood that they 
may be applied to every establishment where there is abun¬ 
dance of space, but a deficiency of, that st'/ie qua non * 
water, Suppose, then, that wc have a station of twenty 
miles in length, bounded on one side by so many miles of 
a permanent river; that no other permanent water exists 
on any part of It ; that there is fifty miles breadth of 
country at the back, grassed, as well as that near the river, 
but useless, except to rest the front run in rainy seasons, 
and that on this run, uuder ordinary circumstances, we are 
able to keep 15 000 sheep at four sheep stations, placed 
at convenient distances along the banks of the river. Dy 
this arrangement we will find that, on an average, our 
sheep do not feed more than from three to four miles out¬ 
wards from the river; consequently their run extends over 
a space of not more than sixty to eighty square miles. 
Now, it is evident that If we form four other sheep stations 
as nearly opposite to the first as the nature of the country 
will admit, and at eight or nine miles distance from them, 
we shall have room for 50,000 sheep at these second four 
new stations, for they will be able to feed as many miles 
both inwards and outwards as those at the first stations 
weieonly able to feed outwards only. At the same dis¬ 
tances from the last, form other four stations, which will 
also keep 50,000 sheep : and continue forming stations in 
this way until we have stocked the whole of the fifty miles 
of back country, when wc will find that our sheep walks 
will contain, and feed, something like 130,000 sheep, 
instead of 15 00J as at first. 
We now come to the well-sinking part of the business, 
because, unless we have procured sufficient water for all 
these sheep, it is of course out of the question to form sta¬ 
tions for their reception. It is usual on such extensive 
flat surfaces as those we have all along been speaking of, 
to find the supply of water at a greater depth than it may 
usually be found in a more undulating country; we must 
therefore make up our minds not to be daunted if we have 
to sink one, two, or even three hundred feet, before 
reaching a sufficient supply: for I feel confident that 
within that depth water will In almost every case be found 
in abundance, and in a majority of instances at a much 
less depth than at first named. Let two men, accustomed 
to the work, be sent with the proper tools and rations to 
the site of the Intended shaft (by the way men accustomed 
to this kind of work cannot be scarce in the colony now, 
after so many thousands have served the very best ap¬ 
prenticeship to it, at the diggings : a third will have to be 
employed in furnishing these with water, until they have 
leached a supply for themselves. These two men would 
be able to sink the first fifty feet in about fourteen days, 
if within that depth the water has uot been reached. 
Digging for water has this advantage over digging for 
gold, that in the former case when it begins to seriously 
impeding operations, the point aimed at is gained; we 
have that for which we have been seeking. Uut In the 
latter operation the presence of water seriously incommo¬ 
dates progress, and adds enormously to the cost of the 
undertaking. While we also have the satisfaction of 
knowing, that however successful the gold digger may be 
in his search, yet the benefit he thereby confers upon his 
fellow-creatures or himself is transient, and soon passes 
away; and cannot be compared for utility and per- 
menancy with the successful result of the search ol the 
water digger. If I may use the term. The following list 
of tools and appliances will be found all that is necessary 
for the equipment of two men so employed : One spade, 
one pointed shovel, two or three picks two iron buckets, 
one iron jumper for boring, a supply of blasting powder, 
and other neeessary blasting tools, (the last, items, 
however, may frequently be dispensed with,) one hundred 
yards of best Manila, 1} or inch rope, one crosscut. 
and one hand 53w, one large and one small American axe, 
one 10 to 15 pound iron hammer, one set of quarry men’s 
wedges, two wooden malls, (which could be made on spot 
or at the head station,) a set of wood splitter's wedges, a 
good stout windlass (which can be made on the sp it by 
any rough bush carpenter, from pine or other saplings 
almost always to be found, where other features necessary 
for the formation of stations are to be met with). With 3 
few trifling exceptions, all these tools, 4:c., are generally 
kept at head stations, for the various other purposes, in¬ 
cident to such establishments, especially when removed 
far from commercial towns, as they most commonly are. 
The cost, therefore, of the necessary tools would be an 
item scarcely worthy of consideration. 
In proceeding with the sinking, I would recommend the 
following plan:—Let the opening be a square of about 
eight feet, nntil the rock be reached, when a circular form 
would be found the most convenient form for excavating. 
I prefer a square hole, where the stratum penetrated is aii 
alluvium, because the tendency of the sides or walls of a 
shaft sunk through such a deposit, are very liable to give 
way and fall in, during wet weather, and thus not only 
endanger the lives of the workmen, but render useless 
whatever amount of work might have been performed, 
whieh liablifcies can be most easily guarded against; by 
adopting the shape spoken of. at least as far as regards the 
means and appliances most likely to be found at hand, in 
the particular localities which we are now considering. 
As the work progresses, the sides of the shaft should be 
carefully boarded up by slabs of pine or other timber 
(’which, as I have said before, will seldom or ever be 
found wanting): these slabs should be cut into lengths to 
suit the size of the shaft; placed horizontally on each side 
of it, and so grooved in one another at each end, that they 
could not be displaced by any pressure they may have to 
encounter. They should be made from trees of about a 
foot in diameter, merely split into two, the flat sides placed 
against the walls of the shaft, and of course the round or 
bark side facing the centre, this work should be well con¬ 
structed, so as to remain a permanent safeguard to the 
well from the falling in of the sides. When the sinking 
Is through rock, it is needles* to say that this precaution 
is unnecessary. 
After a sufficiency of water has been found, the next 
thing to Consider is, how to get it to the surface with the 
least possible trouble and expense. The machinery re¬ 
quisite for this purpose must vary according to the greater 
or less depth from which the water has to be raised to 
the surface, and to the quantity of water required in a 
given time. 
Where the water is not more than 25 feet below the 
surface, and the quantity required for a moderately 
sized flock, a Californian pump is decidedly the best. 
It consists merely of four boards nailed together, forming 
an oblong shaped tube, of the required length, and of a 
size suited to the supply of water desired, and the power 
which is to work it. The wateT is raised through this 
tube by means of a number of small boards, so cut as just 
to fit easily within it; these boards being fastened by the 
edge to a strip of canvas, whieh with the boards so fixed 
passes over a wooden roller turned by a common iron or 
wooden handle, such as is used for a grindstone, and 
adapted to be used by either one or two men, down the 
outside into the water, and returning up the interior of 
the tube. After passing a small roller at the lower end, 
a much larger body of water can be thrown up, by a pump 
of this description, than by any common suetion pump 
worked by the same amount of labour. It must, however, 
be observed that the Californian pump cannot be made use 
of in a perpendicular position, buf must be placed ob¬ 
liquely ; the particular angle at whieh it may be worked 
with the greatest advantage will soon be learned by prac¬ 
tice. When large quantities of water is required these 
pumps may be made of larger size and worked, through 
simple machinery, for the most part made on the spot, by 
horses, bullocks, or even by an adaptation of the wind¬ 
mill. 
When the water is beyond the reach of either the Cali¬ 
fornian or common pump, a chain pump will have to 
