OPEN-CAST MINE EXTENDED

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25394, 17 January 1948, Page 8

OPEN-CAST MINE EXTENDED

30-ACRE LAKE DRAINED AT KIMIHIA

“The Press” Special Service * AUCKLAND, January 16.

In less than a month about 60,000,000 gallons of water has been pumped out of an area of 30 acres at the southern end of Lake Kimihia, to which the present open-cast mine is being extended. The area, under which 500,000 tons of bituminous coal is estimated to lie in seams up to 28ft thick, was enclosed by a strong stopbank, 2900 ft long, toward the end of last year. Pumping started on December 13 and was finished at the end of last week. Twelve-inch centrifugal pumps capable of moving water at the rate of 2250 gallons a minute worked for 532 hours. The work will allow the newly uncovered lake bed to dry out thoroughly in the summer. Subsidiary, drains are being made through it and about six weeks of favourable weather will be needed before the mine’s huge electri-cally-driven shovel can start working on it. The depth of overburden, or soil and clay, which will have to be stripped from above the seams of coal ranges from 40ft to 70ft. Many old tree stumps have been revealed on the bottom of the lake, which is comparatively new in geological terms. Maori people have already made inquiries about the quantities of kauri gum believed to be in this part of the lake. It is expected that gum will be found when the shovel starts working. There was no halt in the work at the Kimihia open-cast mine over the Christmas and New Year holiday period. All the coal in the northern section has been mined and most of the huge excavations have been filled with the spoil from the overburden stripping. Coal is being won from a new excavation near the section of the lake which has just been drained. The seems disclosed there contain about 40.000 tons of coal. From the lake area now being filled in, 122,000 tons of coal were won.