Miners Begin Losing Battle Against Water At Hikurangi

Northern Advocate, 2 September 1947, Page 2

Miners Begin Losing Battle Against Water At Hikurangi

(By D. R. Purser)

MINERS began a losing battle against rising flood waters more than 500 ft below the surface at the Waro mine at Hikurangi yesterday. Water is pouring into the workings at the rate of 40,000 gallons per hour from one place alone. The two pumps, with a maximum combined capacity of 70,000 gallons per hour, have been withdrawn. It was planned to shift one on Sunday night and one last night, but. the work had to be hastened as the roof of the main roadway is succumbing to the terrific pressure of thousands upon thousands of tons of rock above the mine.

The flood water is steadily creeping' along the roadway, forcing the miners back to the bottom of the main drive. Yesterday it obliterated places where miners hewed coal last week. In less than 20 hours it crept about 35ft up a slight incline along the main roadway. Coal is still being won from the seam near the bottom of the 1500 ft drive but the water will beat the men before all the available coal can be brought out. If there had been any delay in the removal of the pumps, they would never have come out, as the roof has been forced down too low for their clearance. The miners are now concentrating on salvaging all the gear possible and,

at the same time, winning as much coal as the water will allow. They are working round the clock, with <hree shifts daily. Much happened at the mine during the week-end. Where a Gft man would stand on Friday, he had to bend low yesterday. Down the mine yesterday afternoon I saw and heard, first hand, what was going on as the water and the tremendous pressure exerted from above took charge. Huge beams from lOin. to a foot thick had been snapped like carrots by the great weight above. Resting on solid props, some of them had beep splintered to matchwood. Others were bent like hairpins. Their strength had succumbed to the irresistible force bearing down upon them.