WARONUI MINE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19066, 11 January 1924, Page 13

WARONUI MINE.

1905 TO 1924. Messrs Begg Bros., of Hillend Station, Balclutha, and Coombe Hay Estate, Milton, started Mr M'Alister, of Jnvercargillj prospecting on tho south side of the Tokomairiro River on the Coombe Hay Estate, a. property of 4000 odd acres of coal bearing land, five or six miles from Milton, in 1905. He put down about 40 holes in the Upper Seam proving it to be from 10 to 18 feet in thickness. A syndicate, including Messrs John M. Begg, J. A. Duthie, Robert Cotton, W. Moore. R. Robertson, and 1 other gentlemen opened out the mine in 1906, and carried on for about two years at more loss than profit. On May 1, 1908, they sold out to Mr Robert Ulendining, who traded under the name of The Bruce Railway and Coal Company, Immediately afterwards extensive developments took place. A heavy railway bridge was built across tho river, and the old railway extended fully half a mile to the south-west towards the centre of the field. A tunnel through the rook was put in, starting 60 feet below the coal, and reaching the. coal 3000 feet from the starting point. In the course of years this dip was extended to the flip another 1500 feet, and large quantities of a first-class brown coal wore made available, good coal being found all the way down. This necessitated the in siallation of a first-class plant. Complete electric pumping and ventilating machines were put iu. A 120 h.p. locomotive boiler and accompanying brick stack were built in, a steam hauling plant and electrical winches were set up, and everything possible done by such an optimist ns Mr Glendining to make it an up-to date colliery. Trade and output steadily increased, until the beginning of 1917, when an extraordinary inrush of water from tho overlying strata flooded all the work ings to the dip. The size of the workings then opened would have enabled tho company to have maintained its out put for at least ten years. The inability to obtain the necessary machines owing to tho war was the contributing factor to the loss of this large area of opened out coal. When the machinery was available, things were so badly wrecked as to be beyond repair. After eleven months of

continuous pumping at a very big expense, this section was abandoned and the rise pillars extracted. j Mr Janies Carruthers (mine manager), and Mr J. K. Wilson (town manager), were with Mr Glendining from the start, and on his deatli in 1918 they carried on. After extracting the rise pillars, it new mine was opened cut in 1920-1921 on n seam of good brown coal 80 feet be’.ow the old seam. The dip has now been driven all the way in good coal a distance of 1600 feet. New screens, tips, fans, railway sidings, and a much bigger locomotive were obtained and set up to cope with the ever increasing trade. Mr James Carruthers, jun., is now in charge of the mine, and is steadily developing the field. Extensive boring is now being carried on with the double object of extending the present workings and to tap the underlying seams, believed to be of much better quality than the seams now being worked. Incorporated with the Waronui coal mine in the Bruce Railway and Coal Company’s business is a retail coal business in Dunedin, with which it works a large Newcastle coal importing business. The company’s Oregon and hardwood importing department is in charge of Mr R. York, at Dunedin, and during the last few years this firm has been responsible for the importation of the major portion of the Oregon consigned to the | South Island of New Zealand. A policy of optimism such as has been favoured at Waronui is needed amongst our commercial and industrial companies.