MINE FLOODED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21910, 20 September 1934, Page 10

MINE FLOODED

TROUBLE AT HIKURANGI RAPID INFLOW OF' WATER ALL PUMPS SUBMERGED [by TELEGRAPH —OWN correspondent] WHANG AREI, Wednesday In spite of a strenuous fight «from early this morning against the inflow of water, the Hikurangi Coal Company's shaft mine at Hikurangi was flooded to-day and all work has ceased. For some weeks the pumping facilities at the mine had not been giving entire satisfaction. About four o'clock this morning the men on shift found the water gaining on the pumps to such an extent that they sent for the head engineer, Mr. W. Bodle, who made certain repairs -to the automatic feeder to the boilers and checked the water. However, after a few hours the water again gained on the pumps. The staff worked strenuously, but at about 1.30 this afternoon the pumps became submerged, and were put out of action. Mr. Bodle and Mr. W. Keating, a pump man, had only just reached the surface when the pumps stopped. Had they remained below a few minutes longer, their means of escape would have been cut off. Among the pumps are several from the Hikurangi Coal Company's adjoining \Varo mine, which had been recently transferred to the shaft mine, and these also are submerged. The water is now rising rapidly. It seems almost certain that the mine will beoome flooded and will not be operated again. This will throw out of work the 164 men who comprise the co-operative party working the mine. The directors of the Hikurangi Coal Company and Mr. W. Barclay, inspector of mines at Huntly, were communicated with this afternoon, and are expected to arrive at Hikurangi to-morrow.

Mining comprises the principal industry of the town. Interviewed this evening, the chairman of the Town Board, Mr. R. Nesbitt, who is also a member of the co-operative party working the mine, said that in his opinion it was impossible to recover the pumps, and the only means of saving the mine was by purchasing pumps. The party had no funds.

The cause of the large volume of water in the mine was the recent tapping of a mineral spring in the workings, and it was estimated the additional water entering the mine from this source was 20,000 gallons an hour. It is considered the Waro mine is in danger, for as soon as the rapidlyrising water reaches a qertain level it will find its way into that mine.