Cartoon showing John Forrest and C. Y. O'Connor, 1897

This is a cartoon in the 'Western Table Talk', published in October 1897, showing Western Australian Premier John Forrest flying as an angel above a pipeline crossing the landscape of WA. The pipeline, which is supposed to be carrying large volumes of water, is dribbling drops into the bucket of four workers, some of whom are drawn wearing Asian clothing. In the background are buildings and the chimneys of a steam pumping station to power the flow of water. John Forrest carries a note made out for £2 million. He is saying 'And the desert shall blossom as the rose'. In the bottom corner the skeletal ghost of Chief Engineer C. Y. O'Connor is pumping water into the pipeline.