THE CLUTHA COAL FIELDS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 153, 13 May 1862, Page 4

THE CLUTHA COAL FIELDS.

It was recently .noticed that a quantity of coals, the product of a seam of coal on the Molyneux lliver, had been experimentally tried on board the tug-steamer Samson- on several occasions of towing vessels to and from Port Chalmers, and that, notwithstanding some unfavourable accounts which had been previously given by parties who had used the same coals, they were pronounced" by Mr. Keith to be capable of producing a high average. of steam, and to possess other qualities rendering them very fit for steam or domestic purposes. The field from .which these coals have been taken is situated on the sea-coast, about five miles north of the mouth of the Clutha or Molyneux lliver. - Hitherto only one seam has been wrought; but, from the appearance, there is reason to believe that others will ultimately be be found. This seam is of the unusual thickness of twenty feet, all clean coal, and is accompanied by the various, beds of shale, &c, which .attend the regular coal formations, and also by a bed of the purest clay, which appears exceeding!}' well adapted for the manufacture of bricks "of the finest qijality, or of strong pottery ; and there is reason to expect that, at no distant date, factories of these much wanted articles, will be established in the. locality. Large nodules of rich iron-stone arc also to be seen in several situations along the beach. In connection with the drive which the lessee has made into the seam, a railway of about a mile in length has been constructed, and a jetty ' erected,' with every convenience for the" shipment of the coals ; and as vessels of 100 tons have crossed the Molyneux bar in perfect safety, while the river is navigable for such vessels for several miles above the coal ietty, the situation is one of easy access to small" craft. The price of the coals at the jetty is, we believe, 15s. per ton, and the freight to Port Chalmers by small craft about the same, but when larger vessels are employed, it will probably be reduced to 10s. or 12s. per ton, which will bring dowii the cost to so reasonable a rate as to secure for these coals a considerable demand, either for steam purposes or as dpmestic fuel.

On the first occasion of testing the qualities of the coals, Mr, Keith, of tfie Sa'inso'n was careful to use them without intermixture with coals from other parts. The fires were lit in the furnaces at half-past nine a.m., and were kept1 up at a greater or less strength till a quarter past six in the evening. In that time the contents of thirty-six bags^ each containing 160165., were consumed. Allowing half-an-hour for gcttingiip steam, the vessel was under steam for eight hours, making two separate trips, with vessels in' tow, to and from the Heads, and during all that time from six to seven pounds of steam pressure were produced, or within a pound of the full pressure obtainable from any description of coal. The SamsoniT oiiginP is an ordinary side-lever engine of 60 horse power, and with a 44inch cylinder, the boiler being one of the common flue boilers, fed by four furnaces. In the feedin^ of the furnaces the stokers found much greater ease than in the case of Newcastle or other coals, the fuel burning freely and requiring no breaking or stirring when once thoroughly lit. The residue consisted of a white and highly pulverised ' a«h, almost entirely free from cinders or those deposits which, with other coals, so often clog the bars of the furnace, and require the constant attention of the fireman. The only drawback to their value as coals for sea-going vessels is the greater quantity which is required to produce the usual pressure of steam, but this is comparatively inconsiderable, while it is no objection in tlie case of such vessels as the Samson, and, as the workings extend further into the seam, there is no doubt that the coals will acquire a still greater density and heat-pro-ducing power. Atmospheric influence is well known to detract considerably from the value of most coals, and the hope of an improvement . in the quality of these is justified by the fact that, so far as the workings have extended, the quality has,-gradually improved as they have advanced from the surface. In woikmr;, the coals come Way from the seam in large pieces, and in colour, are of a dull black, but on breaking one of the blocks, they are seen to be pervaded by streaks of brighter black, indicating the presence of a material which considerably enhances .their burning qualities. When tried .for ordinary'purposes on board"the Samson, in addition to the use made of them' as steam fuel, the result was equally satisfactory, and a subsequent trial of them along with Newcastle and British coals showed them to be "equally serviceable in that way as wheu used alone. -At a time when other colonial coals are only obtainable at a very high price, and often not

obtainable at all, while some oi' the steamers in tlie Port are resorting greatly to the use of fire-wood, the introduction of a constant supply of coals from a situation so accessible." and at a price comparatively small, cannot1 be too highly appreciated, and it is satisfactory that,, by the lessee having completed his Arrangements with the Government, the workiu^ of the seam is likely to be at once tmaM-,-thorughly carried on. Once introduced, can be little doubt_of their being very genesJ|^ adopted in our local steam trade and for othci-", purposes, so constituting a valuable addition, to the native products of the province.