Avondale School Steam Launch and Cistern Repairs
COORANBONG.— In a private letter under date of July 14, Prof. C. W. Irwin, of the Avondale school, Cooranbong, New South Wales, gives several items of interest. Speaking of the little steam launch which is to run between the school and the railway station, he says: “You will perhaps be interested to know what the present state of the boat enterprise is. We contracted with Brother Hare to build the boat. It is twenty-five feet long, and seven feet beam. It is covered with three thicknesses of wood, and between the outer thicknesses is a coating of canvas painted heavily with red lead. The boat is very strong indeed, and ought to do service for many years. It is to be propelled by a two-and-one-half horse power oil engine which we imported from New Zealand. It is a very substantial-looking boat, and will be ready for use in a few days, or weeks at most. “We have repaired our large cistern at a cost of twenty pounds, and hope that it will hold water this time. The drought has continued to grow more severe until within a few days. Rain has now begun to fall, and the prospect is that we shall have plenty of it. Before it began to rain, we were compelled to cart water for more than two weeks. The cistern was completed about four days before it began to rain, which was indeed fortunate. “The work on ‘Christ’s Object Lessons’ is moving forward gradually, and we hope that it will continue to move until the debt is annihilated. We have already received over five hundred pounds ($2,425) from the sale of books, and we have been able to use this in such a way as to relieve us from pressure for the time being.”