Broken Hill Drought.

Woodville Examiner, Volume XXI, Issue 3570, 26 June 1903, Page 2

Broken Hill Drought.

TOWN PRESENTING DESERTED • APPEARANCE.

CONSIDERATE WHISKYDRINKERS. «

Sydney, Jane 28.

Should the Proprietary Company be able to re-start, there will still be between 2000 and 8000 idle. The town presents a deserted appearance, and there is partial darkness owing to the greatly reduced electric lighting. A correspondent says that the whisky drinkers are giving assistance in preserving the precious fluid by taking their liquor unwatered. The opinion is freely expressed that now that the mines have closed several will not be reopened until the price of lead improves. The rain-making experiments have so far beeu unavailing, but the weather to-night is cloudy. The Stephens Creek supply gave out suddenly to-day. and operations all along the line of the lode excepting the British 1 (which will probably close to-morrow) have ceased. The Proprietary Company is arranging to obtain a supply from adjoining closed mines and other sources, and hope to restart in a few days. In the meantime the underground work will be kept going.

There is still sufficient water available for a fortnight for domestic purposes. The first train from South Australia, supplied under arrangements with the New South Wales Government, starts to-morrow. The cost will be £ll7s fid per thousand gallons.

The New South Wales Government has wired the Departmental Officer at Barrier vto make all arlangements against famine. The closing of the mines has rendered idle 5000 men.

June 24.

A special meeting of the Cabinet was held to-day to discuss the Broken Hill water famine. In the meantime the Governmentjhas asked the Council to form a Water Supply Committee to assist the Government officials in maintaining the domestic supply.

Government trains will be kept running in obtaining a supply from Silverton dam.

The engineer at Stephens Greek explains the sudden stoppage was caused by the town service running dry; He hopes when the auxiliary pumps are started the whole will supply the mines though it will be doubtful, A train with thirty thousand gallons is expected from South Australia this morning. The Government has given instructions not to supply any of it to the mines lor a day or two till the actual position can be defined.

Several mines are trying to keep on a number of men at the Government * prospecting works and thus reducing the unaffected. The stoppage of the mines has a serious effect on trade in Adelaide as regards both demand and the shipping of ore.

The Government is arranging to carry oat extensive dam and road works in the Broken Hill district; which will absorb a large number of idle miners. Water is supplied to the townspeople at half cost by the Government from South Australia.

STILL NO RAIN,

Sydney, June 23. Altogether over 5600 men ate idle at Broken Hill.

The Government has taken measures to relieve any cases of distress. Including the smelting works and shipping interests in South Australia 40,000 people are directly affected in the two States. The first water train from South Australia arrived yesterday. The Council took charge of the water selling it to residents at five shillings per hundred gallons. The Municipal baths were used for a storage reservoir.

The engineer of the water supply states there is still four million gallons of water in the town reser 3 voira. It was expected to have auxiliary pumps ready last night and resume the supply to the town to-day, but the promises were nothing definite. Further rain making experiments will be made on an extensive scale to-morrow, but so far they were quite a failure.

The Proprietary Co has a fortnight’s supply of ore at the Port Pirie smelting works. If compelled to close twelve hundred men will be idle, besides a hundred engaged in the shipments of ore and limestone quarries.