NEW MINES BEING OPENED OUT

Grey River Argus, 27 July 1907, Page 3

NEW MINES BEING OPENED OUT

. WELLINGTON., July 26. Mr Frand Reed, Inspecting Engineer of Mines, reports to the Government on the new collieries on the West Coast as follows: — WiFjST/PORT-,STOCKTON. Active operations are being carried out to develop the new collieries, the property of the Westport-Stockton Coal "Gom/pany, situated near Millerton and the Paparoa Coal Mining Co. situated near Blackball. At the West-port-iStockton property inclined and other haulage roads and tramways are being constructed. The mouth of the mine is situated -at a distance of three miles and three-quarters from and at an altitude of 1600 ft above the Government Railway at Ngakawau •which is a further distance of about twenty miles by rail from the harbor of Westport. It is proposed to negotiate the distance between the main imoufch and the top of the incline by means of an electric k tramway bwo miles and a quarter long. This tramway will have an average inclination of 1 in 21.2 in favor of a full train and will be worked by electric locomotives upon a 2ft gauge. From the top .of the incline there is being constructed an endless rope on the inclined haulage plan in bwo sections in length one mile and half mile and having respectively an average gradient of 1 in 4 and 1 in 6.7, But in no place exceeding 1 in 3. It is proposed to use hydraulic brakes similar to those employed at the Denniston and Millerton collieries, but worked by four water cylnders~mstead of two \o avoid any sudden strain upon the haulage rope and machinery. PAPAROA COAL COMPANY. At the new Paparoa mine, which is situated ait a considerable altitude above the Government railway at Blackball, now in course of construction, the works in progress embody the construction of one mile and a quarter of railway to join with the Government line, the erection of coal bins of about 5000 tons capacity, also 50 chains of incline on a rising gradient c«f 1 in 3 and a high level rock tunnel. The whole system is to be constructed and equipped for endless rope haulage. NEW LEASE NEAR WESTPORT. A new lease of 1785 acres has recently been taken up by Mr Jonathan Dixon, M.E., on the coastal plain near Sergeant's Hill railway station, three miles from the harbor of Westport. This plain lies at the base of the hills upon which the Coalbrookdale collieries are situated and may cover an area of approximately 25 square miles. The probable existence of coal measures under this plain has , been reported upon by Sir James Hec- ' tor before the Royal Commission on Coal in 1900 and by Mr Alexander MarKay Government Geologist and from these reports it would appear to be quite reasonable to expect the recurrence of Coalbrookdale coal with a westerly dip under the plain at a certain distance from the base of the hills upon which mines are now working. It is a question whether it is a down throw fault or if denudation has taken place. There is no data available to go upon but the lessee proposes to settle a point by means of a diamond drill without delay. If he is successful an asset of great importance will be added to the mineral wealth of New Zealand. ■ - THE GREY COALFIELD. On the Grey coalfield between the upper, branches of Coal- Creek and the Ten Mile Creek a large and valuable extension of the Gr-ey coal fields has been proved by Mr James Bishop. This field contains workable seams of bituminous coal the exact • area pi which is, as yet, undetermined, but is included in the State Coal Mfte reserve, situated between the Paparoa Range and the ocean.. This coal and that which occurs in the Papa'foa company's lease adjoining has been erroneously classed as anthracite. An analysis of 14 samples of this coal supplied by Mr . isßhbp was made at ithe Colonial Laboratory, Wellington, jn April, 1907, the following being an average of the results obtained: — Fixed cariboh — 58.15 per cent. •Hyd.rocajib6ns volatile 36.85 per cent. Water — 2.4p per cent. Ash — 3.56 per cent. Sulphur— 0.27 per cent. The evaporative power per pound of the. coal was 14-79- --■;. THE BRUN.NER COLLIERY, After thirty-six years'- work this, mine has ceased operations being exhausted. It has produced during this period 2,167,231 tons from 450 acres worked out. The Brunner mine is the first large bituminous colliery to become exhausted. WiESTFORT HARBOR. The Westport harbor has been workable at almost all states of the tide, the depths of water registered upon the bar ranging between 17ft and 26ft. On only eight days during the year was the port unworkable. The output of coal snapped during 1906 was 607, 008 tons. The port is equipped" to ship 20,000 tons per week when required. With new collieries at present ibeing opeend up and the increasing productiveness of those; at work annually increasing shipments from Westport are assured,