BITUMINOUS COAL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26596, 20 October 1947, Page 6

BITUMINOUS COAL

LARGE HELD IN NORTH LAKE BEING RECLAIMED LATEST MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT P.A. AUCKLAND, Oct. 19. Bituminous coal to the extent of 500,000 tons is estimated to lie under the new area of Lake Kimihia, now being reclaimed as an extension to the present open-cast mine. A strong stop-bank, which will be 2900 feet long, is already reaching out across the southern end of the lake, and when it is completed it will enclose 30 acres, from which 40.000,000 gallons of water will be removed by 12in centrifugal pumps at the rate of 2250 gallons a minute. Reaching speeds of almost 30 miles an hour over muddy surfaces, large new American earthmoving carry-alls are building the stop-bank with spoil removed from coal seams in other sections of the mine. These machines run on huge balloon tyres, and carry 15 yards of spoil at a time. Their maximum speed is 45 miles an hour. More than half the work of dumping 192,000 yards of spoil on the stop-bank is completed. Test bores taken from a punt revealed seams of coal 28 feet thick under the area to be reclaimed. It will provide a richer yield than the previously developed sections, which are over the workings of an old orthodox underground mine. There the coal is won chiefly from supporting pillars left for safety purposes by the old miners, but as the original mine did not extend to the southern portion of the lake the seams there an ! solid. A total of more than 105,000 tons o coal has been taken by open-cas methods from the lakeside site. While the new area is being re claimed, there are still large dried out sections to be stripped of over burden. This work is being done b a huge electrically-driven shovel whic' bites up five yards of spoil at a tim< The stripping work has been delaye by wet weather, but sufficient coal w uncovered last summer to enable mir ing to continue throughout the winte and stripping will again be expedite this summer to allow continuous mi’ ing throughout the year.