ARTIFICIAL GEYSER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23215, 8 December 1938, Page 18

ARTIFICIAL GEYSER

SPECTACULAR DISPLAY RESULTS FROM ROTORUA BORES [by telegraph—OWN correspondent] ROTORUA, Wednesday The possibility of spectacular artificial geysers being opened up by boring was demonstrated recently by experiments which were carried out on a private property in Rotorua by Mr. P. A. Kusabs, who employed a water diviner, Mr. A. G. Thompson, of Rotorua, to ascertain whether there were any subterranean hot springs which could be used for domestic heating purposes. Three separate streams were divined bv Mr. Thompson, and when the first bore was put down by a firm of Auckland well-borers superheated water was found at a depth of 190 ft. When the bore was opened out a spectacular gevser of over 20ft. in height was provided, the pressure at the valve control being 651b. to the square inch. While the water from this bore was perfectly clear, another bore placed into the second stream divined by Mr. Thompson showed that although it was separated by only a few feet from the first, the water was totaHy different and was highly mineralised. The force was considerably less than that of the first bore.