COLONIAL COAL MINES.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4145, 3 July 1874, Page 2

COLONIAL COAL MINES.

THE COLLINGWOOD MINE. There lately appeared in these columns some particulars regarding the Collingwood Coal Mine, which Dr. Hector had inspected during his recent visit to the Province of Nelson. Mr. M. M. Webster, of Nelson, complained of of there having been, in the account given, some misdescription, and what there was to correct was corrected a few days ago. Mr. Webster has since received from Dr. Hector a report upon the mine ; but, as is invariably the case with Sir. Webster, nobody is right but he. “ Dr. Hector,” he says “ is under a misapprehension as to the area of land held by the Coal Company, which will reduce his estimated quantity available from the tunnel to one half.” Presuming Dr. Hector’s report to be correct, as corrected on this authority, we publish it ns follows ; “I return the plan you kindly lent me with the position of the east boundary of the Company's leasehold marked in pencil. I make the mouth of the tunnel 7i chains from this boundary, at 23 chains from its south end. This reduces the coal-bearing area within the leasehold from C IO acres to SSO acres, or about 500 acres if the broken ground cut by gullies is also excluded. “ The tunnel has proved, at a low estimate, two yards of workable coal. This will make the quantity in the Company’s ground about_2J million tons, of which nearly one million tons is available from the level of the tunnel. This is without reckoning on the No. 1 or main seam, which I consider has not yet been cut. The exploration has proved that the coal seams on the whole improve in thickness and purity as they are followed to the dip, but, on the other hand, they do not merge into one or more thick seams as was hoped, but are separated by an increased thickness of sandstone. ' “I propose to recommend Government to continue the “up rise” so as either to cut the No. 1 seam, or to prove that it is represented only by the 21 inch coal that was reached with the drill when I was over the other day. “ If the Company contemplate further oxI ploration, I would suggest that a drive to the

dip might be advantageously made in the coal seams cut in the up rise, drainage being effected by a syphon. As the dip is sq flat (1 in 8), this method would be more expeditious and less expensive than continuing the tunnel. This would at any rate be the best way to examine the nature of the fault the existence of which is indicated by the strong rush of water from the ‘face’ of the tunnel.”

THE GREY COAL COMPANY. The following description of the Grey Coal Company’s mine, in winch many residents of Wellington and other cities are interested, is furnished by the Greg Hirer Argus :

The mine of the Grey Coal Company is situated seven miles from Greymouth, and exactly opposite the Brunner seam, of which it is a continuation. The earlier operations of this company were, under the experienced management of Mr. Simpson, from Newcastle, wisely confined to proving their extensive lease, which was first done by boring. The first and only bore rendered necessary by the judicious selection of its site, reached a depth of about 220 feet, proving a splendid seam of coal to exist seventeen feet in thickness. Through this satisfactory result, the manager was at once enabled to fix upon the selection of a site for the shaft, which was immediately proceeded with. The shaft, as has been already stated, is opposite the Brunner Mine, and at a distance of about 200 yards from it; of course, separated, as all other interests are in the Grey Valley, by the river. Situated as it is at a slight elevation above the river, and less than 100 yards from the railway, the position could not be improved upon, since nature herself has placed the coal in the very best possible place that it could be obtained with the least expenditure of capital. The shaft itself merits some'description. For the first twenty feet it is twelve feet in diameter, thus leaving room, besides being well timbered, for a stone wall one foot in thickness, which will be built in. Eighty feet from the surface, a magnificent seam of coal, fourteen feet thick, was met with. It will be seen that the thickness of the seam varies, but the average may he presumed to he lift. This is the thickness of the Brunner seam, which it resembles in every respect, both in the quality of the coal and the thickness of the seam. The shaft is yet to be sunk a further depth of lift., which when finished will make it 103 ft. Although considerably below the level of the river, no hindrance has been experienced from the water, nor is it at all likely to prove troublesome. One of the most noticeable features in connection with the working of the mine is a contrivance for landing the buckets, quite new to the West Coast, and not in use even in Victoria. Instead of the ordinary . method of emptying the bucket at the side of the shaft, rails are laid some distance apart, over the mouth of the shaft, and a track thereon, run underneath the bucket, when it is pulled up to the surface. The bucket is then lowered on to the truck, which is emptied a short distance from the shaft. Sinking at all times is attended with a certain amount of danger, so that too much precaution cannot be _ used in ensuring the safety of those engaged in it. A windlass has hitherto been used for windingup the debris from the bottom of the shaft. This method is now becoming too laborious, so in the course of a day or two a small portable engine will be used for this purpose. This will be found to be much cheaper than the erection of a whim and the purchase and maintenance of horses. A further proof of the pluck and energy this company has exhibited is shown by their possession of a powerful 40-horse power engine, which is on the ground. The contractors engaged in its erection are sanguine of having it completed and in full working order within six weeks.

The erection of this the first engine on this coal-field will be an epoch in the history of the Grey, a harbinger, it is to be hoped, of many more.

That no time may be lost, on the erection of the engine a tramway will be in readiness to convey the coal to the bank of the river, where it will be emptied into the coal boats in readiness to receive it, The efforts of this company are not to be confined solely to getting coal. Coke ovens are to be erected, when the whole of the small coal will be utilised. If carried out extensively this alone would pay a company no inconsiderable percentage on the outlay ; the well known superiority of the Grey coke over Newcastle and imported English coke, causes it to be much sought after in Melbourne, where it meets with a ready sale at an increased price. Your readers may remember the favorable comments which came from Langland’s foundry concerning it. That it has not become more widely known and more extensively exported, is solely owing to the impecuniousuess of the Nelson Government, as well as their successors, in failing to build the necessary coke ovens ; only two are in use at the Brunner mine, and they are of the shabbiest description. Another source of profit is the abundant and excellent fire-clay which it possesses. The firebricks made from this clay have been proved to be much superior to anything yet in the Colonial market. Fireclay and bricks are the least among the many uses to which this clay can be put. I understand from the manager that in Newcastle ornaments of various sorts, both small and large, cheap and expensive, are made, and sold largely throughout Australia. Of course, skilled workmen will be required for this branch of the Fine Arts ; not having seen any of these, I cannot say whether they will rival those of the Italian masters or not. There is no doubt whatever, under the present experienced management, much will be made out of the resources of this valuable property ; even the engineer’s hammer, the woodman’s axe, the fall and crash of trees, aud the startling blasts from the mine, make the hills re-echo with their mingling sounds ; altogether, such an air of earnestness and determin.ation pervades the locality, the onlooker is at once convinced that the most is to be made of their advantages.