KAITANGATA RAILWAY AND COAL COMPANY'S MINE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 7224, 13 April 1885, Page 3

KAITANGATA RAILWAY AND COAL COMPANY'S MINE.

A very large party of excursionists made a pleasant trip on Saturday to the Kiutangnta coalmine, on tbe invitation oi the directors of the Company. For some titno past the Company has been spanding a largo aum of money 'in opening ut> bow workhißß and erecting first class machinery, and in order that thesa j improvements might be seen in'their complntn | Btage invitutionßwere issued to about 150 gentlemen, comprising shareholders, coal merchants, and members of public bodies. Among those present Wete—Messrs E. B. Oargill, T. W. Kempthorne, B. Gillies, G. Bell, W, D. Stewart, M.H.R., G. Esther, J. Macgregor, A. H. Rosa, M.H.R, John Glondining, R. Wilson, H. Houghton, W. Watßon, W. L. Simpson, L. O. Beal, E. E. O. Quick, C. & ■ Reeves,. A. Scoullar, R, Glendining, A. BartleJnan, J. T. Macterrasi J. Scoular, J. L, Gillies, T. Brydone, D. Ross, Keith Ramsny, A. Holmos, J. T. Ritchie, W. Barron, M.H.R., R. S. Sparrow, H. North, W. P. Watson, J. Eavie, J. p. Maitland, W. Arthur, H. river, D. li9id, J. O. Brown, M.H.R., and J M'lJonald. The party were conveyed by a special train from Dunedin, and arrived at the mine shortly after noon.. Several hours were then spent in examining the extensive works of tho Company above and below the surface oi the earth.. '

The present Odinpanybecflme possessed of the mine in April 1875, although coalmining had been carried on in the locality for some years previously. Since that date an adjoining coalmine has been purch; fled, nnd the holding of \ be .existing, Company comprises an area, of 1100 acretj. One of tho first works undertaken wna thij. construction of ,a branch, railwuy from the mine tp the Southarn trunk railway at Stirling—a distance of four and ahalf miles. Up to the present time the workings of the Company havo extended over nn area of 20 acres. At the lower end of the mine a perpendicular shaft has been sunk to a depth of 400 ft. Higher up on the lease the coal is won by means of a water-level tunnel. One hundred and fifty yards from tho mouth of this tunnol is placed a U-horse-power engine, which draws tho coal up an incline lying at an angle of 33*. Thia incline descends until it reaches the workings carried on from the 400 ft level already referred to, various levels branching from the incline at intervals of one chain. Prom the engine sito the workings extend in a northerly and southerly direction. The mode of working adopted has. been to take out 7ft of the seam in the first instance, nod afterwards to take down the top coal to the full thickness of the seam, which averages 25ft. The supply of coal in this section of the mine is now exhausted. A very extensive down-throw fault baa been encountered, cutting the field in two, and throv/ifcg the coal down perpendicularly to a dopth of 100 ft. Steps were taken to prospect the coal in another part of the ground equally nocesßible from the point where the railway at present ends, and the result has been highly successful. A very large area of coal has been proved, and the Company has expended £0000 in putting down an incline nnd erecting the best machinery. The incline is 1180 ft long, dipping one foot in five. It is Oft wide by 6ft Gin high, and is laid throughout with a double lino of rails, 281b to the yard, Nearly all the visitors went down this incline yesterday and inspected the coal seam in the new workings, whore it is of ths same average thickness —25ft —and of tha very best quality yet found in the district. His Worship the Mayor of Dunadin was loudly cheered when he took off his coat and brought down with a pick a large quantity of coal in the face. Tho hauling power for this incline is obtained from a large 60 horse power steam-engine, which is likewise used for compressing air to work the pumps required in the drainage of the mine. New staging and screens, with three patent tiplers, have also been erected. . The whole of the surface work has been transferred from one side of the railway to the other; in the new workings an air-shaft has been sunk which, when it roaches the coal, will be about 260 ft deep. This shaft is Gft Gin in the clear; it in circular, and will be bricked throughout, Further new workings are also boing opened on tbe lower part of the lease, An engine has been placed on the level of the coal at the bottom of the 400 ft shaft, and a drive following the angle of the bed has been put in 180 ft up to date. This engine at the 400 ft level and tbe pump are driven by compressed air from the large engine on the surface. The air is sent down the shaft in Gin pipes to a large reservoir close- by the engine, 30ft by Gft. Thiß coalmine, as nearly all our readers ore aware, baa had a chequered career, and some incidents in its history havo been of a highly sensational character. The most notablo was tho terrible explosion of firedamp, whereby so many miners met their death some years a.sro. Last year a very dangerous and extensive fire broke out in the main workings, and mining was totally suspended for a considerable time, After many efforts the fire was extinguished, and the workings are now all open. Great difficulty has alao been experienced at times in keeping the water under. Despite all these difficulties, the Company has been exceptionally successful from a financial point of view, and haß paid away a large sum in dividonds. The output of the mine during tbo last two years baa been 41,000 tons a year. The highest point ths output has reached has been 300 tons per day. The present output is ioO tons per day. With existing appliances the mine is capable of a daily output of GOO tons, and it is anticipated that in future there will be a steady output of 300 or 400 tons per day. The total quantity of coal produced by this Company since 1876 has been 191,000 tons.

The new incline, mush to the satisfaction of tbe visitors, on Saturday was illuminated by the electrio light. If the experiment is satisfactory, the mine manager (Mr Shore) states that the light will be permanently adopted for working the mine. The contrast between the ordinary flare or oil lamps used by the minors ' and the electric lamp 3 was very Btriking. The fumes are smoky and dirty, and to unaccustomed eyes seemed only to make the surrounding darkness more intense; on the other hand, the electric late pa shone out bright and clear, penetrating the gloom and enabling the visitors to see all that, was to be seen. The electrical apparatus was lent for the occasion by Messrs R. E. Fletcher and Co., electrical engineers and contractors, of Dun edin. Tbo installation was nesessarily of a temporary character, having been all erected in a. couple of days. Samples of tha various fittings used where the light is installed as a permanency were shown in working order at the entrance of the tunnel, so that visitors who did not care to venture into tho workings were able to exa.nine and have the working of the apparatus explained to them.

Although the Kaitangata mine is one of the first in this Colony to use tbe electric light underground, electrically-lighted mine? are by no means Buoh a novelty na many people would suppose. In the various Australian Colonies, notably Victoria and Queensland, there are no less than 15 gold and one coalmining com panics which have adopted this new system of lighting both thnir surface and underground works. In some of theeo mines tho light has been in successful use for nearly three years, When it is remembered that an ordinary candle vitiates as much air as two human beings would, and that those small electric lamps, being hermetically sealed in a glass bulb, oan neither consume any oxygen nor vitiate the air in any manner, this fact alone speaks volumes in favour of tbe use of tho electric light in places such as these, whore the problem of efficient ventilation is always a difficult one to solve, to Bay nothing of the fact that neither wind nor water extinguishes it.

After inspecting tbo mine the party were entertained at dinner at tbe Bridge Hotel. Mr Brydono wan chairman, and was supported on bia right and left by the other directors of the Company. After paying a proper amount of attention to the good things provided, the company proceeded to honour a long list of toasts. The Ohaibman proposed the toasts "The Queen," " The Prince and Princess of Wales and other members of the Royal Family," " His Excellency the Governor." . "The Army, Navy, and Volunteers" wrb proposed by Mr J. P. MAirtAND, and roBponded to by Mr 0. S, Rekvem. In proposing the toast of "Tho Government of New Zealand," Mr A. Bort said that when the present Government took office the country was in an utterly depressed condition. During the last six months a great change for the better had taken place, confidence was beiDg restored, and he was sure tbat when next session began times in New Zealand would be as good as ever they were. Tha present Government were now advancing the Colony, especially by promoting local industries. He was very pleased indeed to see that Messrs Scott Bros., of Christchurch, had secured the contract for the construction of locomotives, as he was afraid at first that local manufacturers

would not have been able to compete in that lino. Their tender was accepted at £1385, and ho bad just learnt that the locomotive used by this Coal Company had been imported at a cost of £1315. With such a small difference in cost he did not see why all the locomotives required could not be made in the Colony,— In the absence of any member of the Govern-

inent, Mr J. Davis was called on to roapond. "The Parliament of New Zealand" was proposed by Mr E, B. Gaboill and responded to by Mr R. Gillies. Mr G. Bell proposed " JProaperity to tin Kaitangata Kailway and Coal Company," They all owed a debt of gratitude to the directors for the treat afforded them in the inspection of this mine, the success of which refleoted the highest credit on the business management of the undertaking. When they looked at the balance-sheets published by the Company and the dividends paid to ifca shareholders, it would bo admitted that there must have been very good business management indeed. Ha had it on the best authority that so good had the management been that scarcely any amount of bad debts—which was always a serious item in suoh concerns—had to be wiped off. He wan sure all present bad seen enough to-day to justify them in anticipating a highly successful remilt in the future from the operations of the Company. The Oiiaibman expressed his gratitude for the enthusiastic reception given to the toast, and tbo complimentary remarks made by Mr 801 l respecting the work done by the directors. The largest share of credit, however, was due to tboir general manager, Mr W. P. Watson, on Whom they always depended in the business management, nnd to whom they owed a great deal. This gathering, he thought, p-howed the size of the Company, and, if he might be allowed to cay so, the quality of it. Ho hoped this gathering would ba the meanß of making the public generally take a greater interest in the enterprise, because ho thought they bad an industry here that waa worthy of the attention of tbe whole of Otago, if not of a great part of the South Island. New Zealand now produced about '100,000 tons of coal per annum, and tbe yield was gradually increasing. Tbe presence

of coal had already been of great benefit in helping the establishment of local industries which we could not otherwise have prosecuted. B3Bides the coal which wo produced ourselves wo imported nearly 200,000 tons per atfnum from New South Wales, which being about one-third of the total consumption, militated greatly against out own trade. Now he was not a Protectionist in tho very least}

ho was a Freetrader, nnd would like to sco Freetrade in everything between tho Australasian Coloniea. But Victoria audi Vow South Wales did not approve of Freetradn, and they taxed nearly every product of Now, Z.iakud that went to them to the extent of between 20 and 30 per cent. He thought the beat way to put a stop to that, and bring abotit Freetrade generally was for our Government to put a tax on their products of from 40 to 50 per cent. We could easily do without New South Wales coal if the Government would only put a tax of 30 or 40 per cent, on Newcastle coal. —(Great laughter, and "Hear, hew" from Mr Burt.j The Kiitangata Railway and Coal Company was started in 1875, and sent coal to Dunedin about the end of that year or.the commencement of 1876. I'or the first year or bo the output of coal was from 20 to 30 tons per day. Now for the last year or two tbe output bad been upwards of 40,000 tons per annum. With the appiianc63they had now got, aud with the block of coal ahead of them, they hoped to double that yield very bood. Oi" course that double quantity would have to be done at about the same profit as the half they were doing at present, because they would have to compote with Newcastle and tho West Coast, and oven English coal, ivnd reduce their price very materially.—(Applause.) But if they could | keep up their present dividends and serve the ! public at a much less price they would be thoroughly well satisfied. The Company had spent on its railway and permanent works since it began operations the handsome amount of upwards of £50,000, That was not a umall sum for a little Company like this. Tho plant they had now was the most modern and best suited to the work with a view to saving labour, utilising power, and reducing the risk to human life. Unfortunately they had a very aerious accident a few years ago, which he did not think was the fault of tho management, but was ow'mg to carelessness on the part of one of the employes, They had also n fatal acsidont the other day, which he thought wao attributable to a like cause. They had, however, been free from accidents as a rule, and with their present improved machinery they hoped to bo almost exempt from them. Of course, in works of this description, where there was so much machinery, it was impossible to be entirely free from accident, but the direotors and management always had token, and always would take, tha greatest care to reduce the risk to life.—(Applause.) No one but those connected with mining knew the difficultiea to ] be encountered, and he thought those who had visited the mine that day would ba better able to judga of the risks and liabilities' that a mining company was exposed to than they woro before. Ho had now over 20 years' experience of mining of ouo kind aud another, and his advice to auyone who had any idea of investing in mines wns—" Don't." He had only a few moro words to say, and that was to advise everyone present to use nothing but Kaitangata coal in Inlure— (laughter)— and advise all their friends to do the same.—(Applause )

Mr W. P. Watson, in response to a unaoimouß call, also returned thanks in a few words for the manner in which the toast had been received.

Mr K. Ramsay propoaed "Commercial, Agricultural, and Pastoral Interests."

Mr H, Driver responded, and in doing co said they could look to none better to assist in removing depression than to tho Legislature. He was not going to speak as a Freetrader or Protectionist, but, as the Chairman's remarks showed, he thought that according aa it touched their own pockets they were either one or tho other.

As tbn time for returning to town had now arrived, the dinner party broke up before the toast list was gone through. Ia the train, returning home, a large number of the party assembled, including the chairman of tho Company (Mr Brydone) and several directors, for the purpose of formally concluding the toast list. Mr R. Wilson proposed—" The other Coal Companies of New Zealand." Tho industry waa a great one, and should be supported. In fact, if the Government did not come forward aud support some of tho compauiea he was afraid there would be no dividends. Dividends were, indeed, going out of fashion.—(Laughter.) Some of the shareholders complained that the trip was extravagance, but if that was extravagance he would like a good deal more of it.— (Renewed laughter.) He blamed the merchants of Dunedin for lack of sociability. If they enjoyed themselves more they would be much better off.

Mr E. E. O. Qdiok, in responding, said there was one way in which tho directors of the Company might show their appreciation of other companies—that was by assistirg them. Assistance would be particularly welcome to two or three of the companies.—(Laughter.) In tha interest of all coal companies, he only hoped tho chief part of their properties might go to "blazes" as rapidly as it could,—(Ranewed laughter) Mr Allan Holmib proposed "The Coal Mercbantn." The success of the Company had been in n largo moasuro due to tbe harmonious rolations which had existed between tbe Company and the coal merchants. The Company's relations with the coal merchants bad not only boon plflnsnnt but remunerative.

Mr W. Watson acknowledged the toast, and said tho coal merchants had had an opportunity that, day of gratifying a long-felt wi3h to visit the. mino, and they were very much pleased with what they had seen, Ha complimented the Company on consistently stick ing to the policy of leaving the retail trade in the bands of the coal merchants. He had known Mr W, P. Watson for 30 odd years, and a bettor man as manager could not be picked out. So long as Mr Watson treated tha coal merchants as he had done in the past, he was quite sure they would do tho bent they could in the interests of the Company." ■ Mr W. D, Stewart proposed " Tho Pres3," They would all agree with him in expressing very high appreciation of the enterprise, ability, and independence displayed by the Colonial Press, and he was quite sure they would travel a very great deal before they found newspapers conducted upon sunh excellent principles as was the Colonial Preas,and especially that of New Zealand. The toast was duly acknowledged. Mr C. S. Reeyes proposed " The General Managar." Ho paid a high compliment to Mr Watßon for his management of the Company. He would impress on the Company the desirability of having such a reunion as that at tbe beginning of each winter. Mr W, P, Watson briefly acknowledged the toast. Mr K. Gillies proposed " Th 9 Chairman." He referred to Mr Brydone'a practical knowledge of business, and the way ia which he bad piloted tbe Company through bsd times. Mr Bbtdone suitably responded, and the proceedings concluded.