Reminiscences of Queensland, 1862-1869Corfield, William Henry
History
Reminiscences of Queensland, 1862-1869
Corfield, William Henry
Frontier and pioneer life -- Australia -- Queensland; Queensland -- History
At Gindie State Farm, I was accompanied by Mr. Hamlyn (the Public
Service Improvement Engineer) to mark sites for the Department of
Agriculture. Mr. Jarrott, the manager, took us to a dry well sunk to a
depth of 80 feet. I could not feel any indication of water there, but a
few hundred yards away, on rising ground, I located two streams crossing
each other, and by the assistance of pegs, marked a site in the centre
of the two streams. Some months afterwards I met the manager in Emerald,
who said:--"Mr. Corfield, when you were marking that site at Gindie
State Farm, where the two streams crossed each other, the engineer and
myself were laughingly criticising your action, but never more will I
doubt your ability to find water." The Secretary of Agriculture later
informed me by letter that the top stream only yielded a small supply,
but the second stream, struck at 165 feet, augmented the supply that it
could not be lowered by the pump more than 35 feet, and that the
estimated yield of both streams was 10,000 gallons per day.
In 1907, I marked several sites in the vicinity of Winton, and between
then and 1911, I travelled by coach and train, but principally by buggy,
an approximate distance of 20,000 miles, marking sites at different
stations, ranging from Charleville in the south-west, to Granada in the
north-west, in the back blocks of this State, besides locating water on
several stations on and near the eastern coast, and was successful in
locating water to the satisfaction of those interested.
On a site marked by me at Mayne Junction, the Railway Department
obtained water at a reasonable depth, but the water on being analysed
was found to be unfit for locomotives, or for washing the carriages,
consequently it was abandoned.
I also found a stream within two miles of Nundah railway station, which,
on a well being sunk, tapped the water at 30 feet. It rose 18 feet in
the shaft. This water is supposed to be of a highly medicinal character,
beautifully soft and palatable to drink.
I also marked a few sites in New South Wales, and some at Birrallee
Station, out from Bowen.
All this time I enjoyed perfect health, but in 1911 I began to get very
stiff in the legs, especially about the hips. Thinking it was
rheumatism, I went to the Innot hot springs, near Herberton. These baths
gave me no relief, so I went to Sydney to consult Sir Alexander
McCormack, who prescribed electrical treatment and hot air. This I tried
for four months without any good results.
I then went to Rotorua, in New Zealand, consulting the doctor there, who
prescribed all the baths which are so efficacious in removing
rheumatism. The doctor, hearing of my having practised water divining so
long, diagnosed my case as neuritis, brought on by constant use of my
nerve energy in following that profession.
From this time I desisted from my occupation, and only used my powers to
give a demonstration occasionally.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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