Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-05-23
CARRYING WATER TO A DESERT.
Western Australia Is Building a Pipe
Line to Gold Mines 328 miles Away.

Western Australia Is Building Pipe
Line to Gold Mines 328 miles Away.
Western Australia Is now one OF the
largest gold producers in the world.
Twenty years ago the great desert
east Of the fringe of fertile grain lands
and timber along the sea was not sup
posed to be worth cent square
mile. The desert was wholly un-
known, except that few explorers
had made their toilsome way over the
immense expanse Of sand: few 9TH
ers less fortunate had perished In
these forbidding wastes.
Then it was found that this Sahara
was really to be the treasure house OF
the colony. The precious metal dug
out of these sands has made the gold
product Of Western Australia equal to
that of all the other states in the COM
monwealth. Gold has helped this d.
vision Of Australia to become one Of
the lustiest members Of the British
colonial empire.
Around the great mining centre In
the dessert 1000 people are living. It's
natural to ask how they get water to
supply their needs. The fact Is, water
Is an extremely scarce commodity
there. 1t probably does not bring 80
high a price in any other part Of the
world. Salt water Is obtained without
much difficulty by digging, but the
cost of condensing it to procure fresh
water is so costly that every pint must
be carefully used. There Is an occa-
sional shower, and every house and tent
in the mining district Is supplied with
| tanks to catch the rain water; but 1t
is an unreliable source Of supply. The
result is that every drop Of water
must be husbanded.
We have no idea here, where water
seems almost as free as air, how care
full they are in the mining region OF
Western Australia to put every drop
to the best use. 1t Is not comfortable
to be compelled to use water as though
you never expected to have another
pailful. The inconvenience and dis
comfort due to this cause are a terri
BILE drawback to that region, and moth
ing less than the greed for gold would
induce any one to submit to the inces-
SAINT deprivation.
Today Western Australia Is hard at
work to remedy this great need and to
supply the Coolgardie and Kalgoor-
lie mining districts with a good sup
lply Of water. The total cost Of the
work will be not less than $15,O00,OO0
but it will solve the water problem.
About twenty five miles northwest
Of Perth, near the sea and the capital
of Western Australia, Is the Green
Mount Range. The Helena river
crosses this range through deep val
ley. A dam 100 feet high has been
built across the river and the reser-
voir thus formed Is seven miles In
length and will hold 4,000,00O,000 gal
Ions. 1t Is necessary to lift the water
2,700 feet to the top Of the mountains
in order to give it sufficient headway
to reach the gold camps out in the
desert. The distance to Kalgoorlie,
the furthest camp to be supplied, Is
1928 miles. The water Is to be raised
to the mountain top by means Of eight
pumping stations, the machinery for
which has been purchased at cost
of 81, ,6a0, 900. .--....-..,.4- ... =
At the summit Of the mountains the
pipe line begins. 1t Is thirty inches In
diameter and Is laid little under the
surface along the railroad track, ex-
cept that in crossing various salt lakes
on the route 1t is supported on piers
| It Is hoped to deliver from the reser-
voir to the mining camps 100000
gallons of fresh water daily. Even
with this amount of water 1t Is not
expected that the mining population
will have a drop to waste. They will
have to pay good price for it. The
charge to the miners, for example, will
be $3.50 to $1.75 per thousand gallons
at wholesale rates. We should pro-
badly have little street sprinkling, and
| 6dIOSh AOoC III lAC boSh yeIA NS Va
Brooklyn would become obsolete If we
had to pay so high price as this fol-
the precious fluid.
1t is not expected that the project will
become self-supporting for some time
The plant Is to be owned by the state,
and the deficit must be paid out Of the
gneral taxes. Even II the $4,000 per-
sons to be supplied should require the
works to be run to their fullest capac-
ity the pipe line would hardly meet ex-
penses.
It Is believed, however, that an in
creased production Of gold will be
made possible by a good supply OF
water and that the entire state will
thus be benefited, for more miners will
be required in the field, and practically
all their supplies, except machinery,
come from the farmers and merchants
Of Western Australia.