THE LATE ACCIDENT AT THE BAY OF ISLANDS COAL MINE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7567, 20 February 1886, Page 6

THE LATE ACCIDENT AT THE BAY OF ISLANDS COAL MINE.

Bxvorx I enter upon a description of the present operations, consequent on the late miihapand flooding of the mine, it will be interesting to your readers to know the | exact position of the oompany at this date, for although a full report was laid before the shareholders at the half-yearly meeting of the 9th instant, yet there are many who would merely glance at such report, aud be bo wiser as to the aotual position of the affairs of the company, or how, in the face of unsurpassed difficulties, such as no other coal mine has had to contend with, it still holds its own, and shows indications of improvement. Referring, therefore, to the statement as presented to the shareholders, I find that there was, at the close of the half-yearly accounts, a credit balance on the 31st December, 18S5, of £606, and on the 30 th June of the previous half-year a debit balance of £288. The actual gain, tharefore, to the company on the past ' half-year's transactions has been £594, and this in the face of great difficulties to contend with in the working of the mine, the constant shifting of the works to avoid fault-bearing seams, and the expenses attending the explorations in other localities over the company's extensive leasehold with the diaiicnd drill. These explorations as yet have not been successful. Besides the *bove yearly balance to the credit of the company, I also find that the overdraft at bank during the past half-year has been reduced by £1449, so that it now stands at £2177, as against £3627 at the previous corresponding period last year. It is reasonable therelore to predict a brighter future for the affairs of this most energetic oompany that bears so fair an aspeot when taken into comparison with other oompanies of a like nature in this oofony. I may also venture to assert that there are few oompanies that deal so liberally with their employes, or where a greater benefit accrues M that at Kawakawa. It must be borne in mind that I make these remarks as a mere outsider as it were, a resident in the district, apart from Kawakawa, and in no way whatsoever .connected with its affairs or the oompany, but only as your correspondent, and as a faithful reporter forward my ideas, gathered from the passing events before me. I say this in all sincerity : that the operations of this company are, and have been, carried on in the face of gigantic difficulties, and therefore call for a full exposition before the public, and the few remarks I have been induced to make in the foregoing statement are but preliminary to the principal object I have in view in this report, viz., the particulars of the late aocident to the mines, and the work now in progress to recover from this calamity, and this will fully bear out my statement of "gigantic difficulties." To explain the present state of affairs I must enter into some description of the mining looality and its neighbourhood, which is peculiarly situated in a basin, surrounded on all sides by a range of hills, varying from four to eight hundred feet above the level of the sea, ! though they are distant ten to twenty miles in a circle around the company's leasehold of 3000 acres of Government land. There are three rivers that carry off the greater part of the vast watershed around still there is much left that forms swamps and smaller streams as outlets independent of the rivers. When, therefore, a fall of rain occurs, and more particularly after a season of dry weather such as we have lately experienced, these extra outlets become choked up, and fliust needs overflow unchecked, carrying all before it. Thus at all times in the workings of the mines there has been a flow of this surplus water not oarried off by the three rivers that almost encircle the company's property, and this is the gigantic difficulty, above all others, faults, changing of the seam, 4c., included. To overcome this difficulty it was necessary to erect a large pumping establishment under steam power, with all the works and buildings necessary. - To this engine are attached two lifting sets of pumps, each twelve inches in diameter. Thtse, when worked on a stroke of six feet, and at a speed of seven strokes per minute, throw up 591,840 gallons of water every twenty-four hours, equal to 2642 tons. In addition to these two sets of pumps there is a large Tangye steam pump fixed within twenty feet . of the bottom of the shaft—229 feet ' deep—and whioh forces water to the surface. This has a steam cylinder of 24 inches diameter, with a four feet stroke, and eight inch barrel. This throws up in the 24 hours, 1300 tons of water. Thus the total pumping power of the three pumps is equal to the discharging from the mine of, the enormous quantity of 3942 tons every 24 hours, or 27,594 tons every week of seven days, for be it remembered that this steam power in working these pumps is continuous day and night, to keep the water free from all the chambers and galleries of the works below. It is therefore correct when I state that the difficulties the Bay of Islands Company have to contend with are gigantic, for there are no coal mines either in this colony or Australasia that have the like difficulties to contend with.

Having thus explained the necessity, and the works required to keep under the constant flow of water in the mines, I will now ■how the position underground, and how the accident occurred that flooded them. Owing, as I mentioned before, to the frequent faults and the shifting of the seam,the interior of the mines are honeycombed with chambers and galleries at the different drives undertaken, and then abandoned ; and here I may allude to the chart made by the present manager of the entire works and all those galleries, and others as they proceed, so that a visitor has only to sit in his office and see before him the exact position of the works as they proceed, or of the parts that have been abandoned, all fully marked ont and explained. Some of those that had been abandoned years ago extended towards the eastward, and under a range of hills before alluded to. When, therefore, the fall of rain of the week before last took place, the rush of water from those hills overflowed the natural outlets, and then, finding no escape, spread in a torrent in all directions, The force of this overflow, and the state of the ground from the long drought, causing fissures over the old workings, was an opening for the torrent, and the upper crust, unable to sustain the pressure, gave way at d caved in, causing a chasm of some sixtv yards in circumference. Had it been on'y water, the danger and consequent calamity would not have happened, bat the force of the torrent carried all before it, and, rushing through the galleries of the deserted mines with all the debris and mullock collected in its course, swept this into the lower chamber where the Tangye pump was fixed, and choked up the pump, and thus before it could be remedied, or any attempt made to free the pump, it was hopelessly entombed in mud and Blush.

It is now necessary to state the position of the miners at this junction, for, most fortunately, at that time they were free from J danger. The working chambers being in three tiers, the works at the moment were in the second tier, and as the torrent flowed fast into the lower level there was. plenty of time to leave the mine. The extent of the galleri9S being great, it was some time before the extra and usual flow, now unchecked by the cessation of the pumps, had flooded the whole mining galleries, which is now the case. I now come to the attempts at once set on foot to remedy the disaster which, I must ■ay, to most would-have appeared insurmountable. But what cannot energy and ■kill' do when set in proper motion ? In the fir|t instance it was thought possible* to haul up the shaft of theTangye pnfnpß to clear the debris. This, however, was impossible, and serious injury befell several of the hands in the attempt from the giving way of the gear. All hands were at once set to work ; in the first place to utilise the steam-engine used as the winding-engine for hauling the coal from the mine, and the trollies affixed to the winding gear were attached to tanks with bottom valves. These were sent down into water-filled chambers, hoisted by the engine, and opening the valves over drains made at once for the outlet of the water to the nearest river. The haul up of the tanks is every four minutes, and each tank contains 300" gallons of water. All extra requirements having arrived, yesterday your correspondent visited the works, in company with Mr. McLaren, the Inspector of Mines, and by the courtesy of the manager, Mr. T. P Moody, everything was shown and fully explained. From our own observations and the statement «f Mr. McLaren, the difficulties, though stt present appearing tremendous, may be overcome. Tanks are being also affixed, and with the working Mar of the . pumping steam engine, and the two lets of pumps, exclusive

of the Tangye, which at present is use* lees, it is fully hoped that when all the extra appliances and tho two steam engines are in full play the water may •be got tinder, and the mining work resumed in two or three weeks. But this, it is evident, from the enormous quantity of water now in the mines, and hourly increasing from the cessation of the pumps, can only be effected by inexhaustible perseverance, skill, and most unceasing labour, which, I am happy to say, seems to be the order of the day.—[Our Kawakawa Correspondent.]