THE BURNING MINE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10422, 26 July 1895, Page 2

THE BURNING MINE.

Eress Association —By Telegraph—Copyright. Sydney, July 25.

: A subsidence of 20ft has occurred near the seat oE the fire. If the fire can ba limited to the upper levels, and there is do subsidence of the tirabar in the levels lower than 200 ft, the damage will be minimised, as it is intended to cease work in this portion of;.' the mine. Seventy .thousand gallons of water'par hoar are being pumped into tha mine. The work of putting in blasts to shake down the ground so as to smother the lire is attended with great danger, especially in the neighbourhood of an overlapping wall, as settlement is constantly going on. About midday theoverbaDgirigcliff of a f ootwall gave way, and the men engaged there had to abandon their tools and hurry away for their lives. Within an hour a yawning chasm separated tha detached rock from the colicl ground. Tha pnmping in of gas is procesdiDg. This is a last resource, and the directors wcrs reluctant to use it, as it will take sorae time to rid the mine oE the gas.

The uas cf carbonic acid gas has been tried at the burnisg mine, bat owing to its impurity it merely fed the flames and had to be stopped. A further trial will famade later with it. Efforts are now beimr confined to cutting down tlva cliil and to smothering the fira by pourinjj in. wa tor Less smoke appears to be issuing.""