FIRE IN COAL FIELD.
CHARLESTON LIGNITE SEAM.
EFFORTS AT SUPPRESSION.
[BT TELEGWFH.—PKBSS ASSOCIATION J WESTPOBT, Thursday.
A fire has broken out in the lignite coal at Charleston. In the early dap of gold mining Charleston carried a popular tion of many thousands, but to-day it is the residence of only a few families. It is built over a big seam of lignite, which in places is twenty to forty feet in depth. The field has been worked only for local needs, but lately an effort has been made to link Charleston up with Westport by 3 railway, so as to make the coal a marketable commodity. The seam is exposed in many places to a considerable depth, and on Wednesday it was found that a face known as Tom's Pet, which is exposed to a depth of 25 feet, was on fire There is onlv a Sight covering of earth crver foe coal. Messrs Bowater and O'Ryan, who have the lease immediately arranged a contract with Mr W. Butterworth, who has a good pipeline with a plentiful flow of water running close to the pit, to extinguish the fire, and it is confidently • hoped this will be accomplished in a very short time.
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Bibliographic details
New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17097, 28 February 1919, Page 4
Word Count
203FIRE IN COAL FIELD. New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17097, 28 February 1919, Page 4
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