WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume I, Issue 20, 1 April 1890, Page 3

WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

{Continued from, our lasc.)

The following interesting letters from Mr W. R. Clark giving a description of Western Australia to a friend in New Zealand 4 have been handed to us for publication Perth, W.A. - -Feb. 10, 1890.

Since my last letter I have been - away up on the Yilgafn goldfields. 1* am driving for the York and Yilgarn Carrying Company, one of their coaches. This is the coach that we read the account of its first trip to the fields in one of you W. A., papers in Blenheim. I have just returned from ray maiden tripl : The distance from York to Yilgarn is 200 miles, the journey there and back takes the coach eleven days ; it beat's every: thing I have heard of or have seen. The road, or rather track, is ; oyer the, most dreary and desolute country you can imagine—forests, sand plains, and scrub thickets. After leaving York, except one place 40 miles out, there are no accommodation houses on the track, in fact there is not a single 1 'habitation until you reach Southern Cross (the name, of the township). We do the whole trip with two teams, four horses are kept half way, 100; miles out.; We have to camp put at night wherever we can find water. Picture to’yourself my passengers and I camped round a fire every night for six : nights, sometimes women amongst the passengers, and that is the only pleasant, feature I have yet. found in the thing. "•/•' i’,„ ~ Water is the most serious thing in this country. Water a,t Southern Gross when I was there the other day was ‘KM per gallon, tiiey have "carted every droppf Water for SO miles round. The last water I got, going in to the Cross was 20 miles from the field, just a little soak in a well, and enough to water my team, and, theywent in and out to , the same place next day without a drink. I, could, not get a drop . of water . for them at the fi«ld for money, no one had it to. give. ; It has been a fearfully dry summer here, and the thunderstorm ’Season seems to be passing away ;without leaving much water. The only water in that country is simply surface water left in; holes in the ground and hollow places in the rocks, they scoop hut ground tanks to collect it, and all the water in the place is as thick as treacle. People on the field are rigging up condensers to keep them - going, simply heating the mine water in tanks and condensing the steam, and the UndergrnuUd water is terribly salt, besides containing other minerals. If rain does not come almost immediately ipedpiehttll Have to. leave the place ; in fact the Warden is going to order women and children to leave the field. It is almost impossible to get stores up there, the ( teamsters won't risk; theirhorses. ’ 1-was lucky in getting a little water going in' the last 45 miles, hut at any time we are liable to go that, distance and back without a drop of water for the horses. Fancy asking a New Zealand horse to go ninety miles without a drink, and under a -heat sometimes 100 in the shade. The horses here are nothing to look at, but stand an amount of hardship not exceeded, I am sure, anywhere in <the- world]- They are bred i to it. Freight by waggon to the field is £2O per to ton, by coach 4d per lb, tare £4. Every passenger provides himself with a box ;of tucker, and-; his or her rug | that is the outfit required for two-thirds of the journey. We are pretty sure of water, the longest stage X went with<;out'it- was 85 miles, except the 1 one going 'intpibeA Cross., \The journey is. killing work. The average pace is from to 5 miles. There are miles and miles of. Sand hills and plains to be crossed^"and the bush track* is as bad, the track being a foot in a fine red dust,, and occasionally a rocky country (gfamte) is met with: In the depressions and holes of these immense beds we have greatly to depend on for water, the .shallow places pf coutse soon go by evaporation, but many of the deep opes last for weeks. Many a time when the water is jiist ip little patches here and there, not deep enough to be dipped up by a pannikin, we pick it up with a sponge and squeeze it into the bucket. An;amusing ,thing occurred the other day at the Cross,. A man came there with a mare, and told the water carter to give his 1 mare a drink—water was notjq scarce then (only lOd a gallon)— the mare was a perfect tank, and after she got a considerable quantity into her/the fellow says, u Hqw much does it'coihe to now, the ] waterman replied “ 125,” the fellow then answerer}, “h that will do.” ‘ W,A. M horseß are like camels, they can go a long time without water and take a fearful

drink when they can get it. A t lOd per gallon it takes 15s to water a thirsty W.A. horse. There is a big condensing engine landed in the colony for the’ field, but " the teamsters are frightened to tackle taking it up. If that goes through things mav be allright- There is some doubt whether the batteries will not have to stop working. They cannot work with the salt water ; a boiler goes three days, thi'ii the salt has to be chipped off the plates/' ) Altogether’ it is a most depressing place. The reefs are A.L, there is ■no doubt about that,; but without fresh water everything must come to a stop. ; '

To anyone accustomed to New Zealand roads this country is a terror,' everything is of .the roughest description ; no coaches, -simply open waggonettes, and four horse teams. {To be continued.)