THE WAIHI MINE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 250, 19 October 1907, Page 5

THE WAIHI MINE.

mine insi^ctor?s;keeort..

i,■;. The "creep" at Newcastle .shows what ; | a serious matter such things are, and also :ilius.tra.teß the . vast-,difference there,is be.tween.a mere subsidence; sueh-as : .that which occurred recently, in-.the Waihi ; mine, and a, real "creep.-'' -': Lest, ; however,lit may be" though tthat the .occurrence, at WaihiiWaa; reauy. a "creep" mr trie true meaning :of • that word i rom■ t a." mining point of view, at .mayjbe'as well; tp:point ,out; : that Mr. -iCorittsj the i Government; mining inspector, after .visiting the Waihi mine, reported ; .;as ■- follows found' that the,; area is confined -to ■that portion of--the-mine.: on.the .-north side ,of : vNos. I and .2 -.shafts,-and;..from, the surface; djoiwn to! No. ~7' level. At' j this level some ofr.the Bets 'of 'timber are broken for ;.a; distance of" something like 50ft. The ground below this level being-, intact, -..; the : : subsidence stopped' .here,, and, with the; exception-, ol onec place where ta. party ,;of -men -were, cworking ? at ■Np..-,4 .level,, the .whole of the subsidence •has, taken place, in' the; ; old; workings where.;.the.;.qnartz : has; been" The cause; no doubt;- is due to- the 6topes; not .-being filled in as tight.as -they- were previoue -to :'the.' lode- being taken out.; This might have been expected; as 1 stripes cannot:be,rammed asi.therjlode: .was in .-trie first* place, arid in consequence, allows the.-. country rock to settle down. The No.-1' shaft was only slightly, dam-1 aged.at and:above.No. 4 level.-.V This" was being attended to.at the time of my visit, and will be repaired in a. few shifts,' should nothing": furth"er.'~Bappeh' OSVhen ihe, subsidence, .was . occurring the management very* wisely withdrew .the. men out pf : the mine,"as -an_ uneasy ..feeling: prevailed; although; the 'present: working faces were .not and the .shafts were all right, with the exception of the one already; mentioned. In company with the management, I wait down one Compartment i-and,,. .up ' another in" the; cages in that" shaft. . When the .subsidence .'was, at, its worst there was little danger to the meri working in: the 'mine, as'•there, were several places .for escape in. the. event ;bf a serious: development threatening life. '■' There/can be no .reflection whatever" cast upon the; manageas this was. a thing -vvhicb. could be looked for sooner or.later." :