Our Coal Mines.

Otago Witness, Issue 1584, 1 April 1882, Page 12

Our Coal Mines.

A TRIP TO THE NORTH.

SHAG POINT. 1 : Shortly after 0 o'clock next morning wo found ourselves at the station, determined to be in time ' on this occasion, and a few minutes later the 'train started, arriving at Rolleston shortly ; "after '8. Here we entered the express, and ''■ were s6on speeding along the level plain at a very swift rate. The land along both sides of the railway for a good many miles seems to be of 'the same light gravelly nature as around , Kolleston, perhaps a little better in some parts, but dull and dreary from its sameness ; especially is this the case after passing Dunsandel, when the cultivated land becomes less 1 frequent. After a quick ride of about 40 miles, we come upon Ashburton, a good-sized, and seemingly very thriving, town. Situated, as it is, in the centre of a large agricultural district, this place bids fair, at no distant date, to be one of the most important inland towns in New Zealand. I could observe many large buildings which had been erected since last I journeyed through it a year or two ago. After a short stay we are away like binds of passage speeding ever southward, the country becoming, if anything, more monotonous, always the same level expanse, bare and uninviting, in many places black and gloomy, where the short, tussocky grass had been recently burned off. The dreary sameness of the view is, however, occasionally relieved by a clump 'of trees which tell where some some settler has his home, and by an occasional field of grain. The whole plain seems to be gradually being bought up and enclosed ; and I fancy that in the near future it will become pne vast cornfield, at least where fit for culti-

vation. One advantage of the land being so level is that railways can be made with so much ease and so little expenao, little being required for many miles beyond laying _ the rails and ballasting, and the ballast is obtained just akmgaide, so that thero is no trouble in making a railway here, save the rivet's — these arc all rapid, and some of thorn very dangerous. Of them all I should say the Ilangitata is the most dangerous ; evidently it gives tho most trouble to keep the line secure. It is in two branches, Roparated by a wide gravelly island; but, indeed, it would bollard to toll where its channel is, as it spreads over such a wide expanse of the shingly land. A now bridge has been begun, and is carried out a littlo distance from tho southern bank. It is of tho same construction as the present one, except that it will bo a few foot higher. The country begins to wear a more settled appearance, and the soil seems to improve in quality as Jwe go southward, and soon we roach Temuka, a considerable town, with a large agricultural district around it, its greatness, however, being overshadowed by the more important town of Timaru, which is reached half an hour lator. Here there is a stoppage of 20 minutes, which we employed in discussing the merits of a good dinner — much needed, as no breakfast could be had when we left Springfield ; and so we had no time to examine the breakwater they

are striving to erect here. However, we could see that tho wall is being steadily extended seaward, and has proceeded far enough to allow of vessels* of considerable size lying alongside, as there was a goodlysized steamer moored to it discharging cargo ; but then the sea was very calm. How this undertaking will succeed is a question the future and tho sea alone can decido. Certainly Timaru people deserve success, if only for their pluck m beginning such a great work. In obedience to the guard's "All aboard !" wo resumed our soats, and wore soon whirling along southward. The landscapo now begins to bo more varied, and tho crops toll of tho richer soil. About tho Otaio wo could soe some splendid crops, and at the Makikihi one of the finest fields of wheat I have over seen in Now Zealand—thick as it could stand, of medium height, and so heavily headed that in many places it had been slightly laid. It was a sight to gladden the eye's of a farmer, and was the very antipodes of what we had seen farther north. Around the Hook some very good crops were to be seen also ; indeed all the crops wo could see south of_ Timaru were very good, and we were informed that along the Otaio there were hundreds on hundreds of acres which would yield GO bushels or o\er to the acre. However, the owners of the various crops will now know how much they will yield. Passing the Hook, the little town of Waimate can bo seen, away to the right, distant from the main line a few miles, out connected by a short branch. Speeding our winged flight still south', we flit for several miles over fine farming land, mostly fenced, and with good crops growing whero only a few short years ago sheep roamed at will. After another stretch of light shingly land we go thundering over the splendid bridge of the Waitaki, and are now in Otago, speeding through the Papakaio plain, some of which is very fertile, and some light gravelly Jland. Any<crops w,e saw here were mostly light, 'but there was but little of any kind to be seen; and it was with a feeling of pleasure that we welcomed the neat, tidy little town of Oamar'u, with its fanious breakwater, its handsome stone buildings, and miserable railway-station. After a short rest here we are off again, the scene changing and changing and ever changing, and at every change the country becoming more familiar, till at last Palmeraton is reached, and we alight to go back by the next train to Shag Point, where we purposed spending the night' and next-day, and wkere the reader may follow if he please, while I try to describe that wild, rocky headland, burrowed uader in every direction in search of that dirty but indispensable article yclept "coal."

Shag Point is situatedJtomething over 40 miles from Dunedin by raTPfby water the dis'tanceis much less. It is a bold bluff jutting far out into th wide Pacific, and fringed by a ring of jagged rocks against which the ;loug rollers dash w ilhceaseless roar. The soft rock, of which the whole coast line from the Shag River north for many miles is composed, is here exposed to the full force of tha waves, and has been fashioned into many fantastic shapes by their never-ceasing action. Here a solitary pinnacle towers aloft like a lonely statue, as if m memory of its less hardy brothers who have I fallen victims to the great destroyer, and waiting the inevitable hour when it, too, shall be laid low, swallowed up by the mighty devourer of continents. There, a little island rises just above the waves, every inch of its smooth, polished surface covered in fine weather by wild seabirds. Now the wide waste of waters lies calm and smooth, gleaming j in the sunlight like a vast mirror, and looking upon it one could almost fancy that the "blue, foaming dragon " has been lulled into lasting peace. But, look ! see that low, rolling swell that breaks upon the " cold, grey stones " and surges into the caves and hollows, murmuring a hoarse dirge-like song tho while, or glides swiftly around thelittlebays and sheltered coves, the tiny waves scarcely rippling the white Hand as they lightly kiss the shining beach i» playful sport. Does it not tell plainly still that— Spite of all this present calm, A raging demon sleeps beneath ? Anon there is a great surge, and, as if bursting from some potent spell, the green-crested monsters como rolling shoreward, terrible in their strength, _ and, curling over gracefully, dash with terrific force upon the rocky wall opposing their onset ; tho white spray rising like a cloud and covering rock, and stone, and wave as with a misty veil ; while the nokse ef the concussion resounds like the crash of a thousand cannon, the. dull boom caught tip by every rocky point, and echoed from hill to hill, till it is heard far inland, and the peasant stays his ploiigh, wondering what mighty voico is ringing in his oars. Oh, how grand a sight it is to watch these mighty waves heaving and swelling; pushing aside the thick tangles of waving seaweed which fringe each rock and stone, and dashing upon the stony rampart with irresistless power ; the waters sweeping through the narrow channels in tumultuous rage, churned into yeasty foam, and pouring into the caves and hollows, and upon the sandy beach, as if they would force a way through and beyond them all, chafing and raging the while like wild beasts to find their further progress barred. Tis grand, but awful in its grandeur. And looking upon such a scene, the thought arises in the thinking mind, How vain and futile are all the efforts of weak, puny man when compared 'to tho mighty f orcos of Nature, thus displayed in all their gianfc power and fearful stiejgfch. Shag Point is not at all a desirable place of residence. Swept as it is by nearly cvwry wind that blows, and exposed to their full force and fury, it is a -.bare, bleak, inhospitable spot — one not at all likely to be chosen as a place of abode by those who have much choice left in such a matter. Yet, bleak and cold as it is, it is a scene of busy industry, for buried deep beneath these jagged rocks and treacherous ' waves lie the forests which once adorned the landscape, pressed close and stored safe in

Nature's great storehouse for us fortunate ones of she nineteenth century. It is joined to the main line of railway by a short branch of a little under two mil™. At the junction a station has been erected. Jn a wonderful spot, too, it has be-on built, reflecting the utmost credit upon the skilful engineer, who is responsible for its position. It is perched upon the the top of a high embankment, the base of which is washed by every high tide, and is entirely unapproachablo by drays, and on foot only by wading — when tho tido is full — knee-deep in sand, a distance of nearly half-a-mile, or else by trespassing on the railway line an equal distance. Taking then the latter as being tho best walking, the visitor will come to a good road, and following this for about a mile and ahalf, he will roach Hhag Point. There are several things of sufficient interest to attract attention to bo noticed on tho way. .Kirfit is the schoolhouso, a building of considerable size, placed on the right just above 'tho road. It a conspicuous object, and commands a wide view of the boundless Paoiiic. It is situated about a mile from the point, and has been placed where it is to accommodate the few settlors in the neighbourhood. The teacher's residence is placed just alongside, and is a neat, comfortable looking cottage. Proceeding further along, tho visitor will soon ace that there is only a narrow strip of flat land, bounded on tho one side by steep ridges, broken at intervals into deep gullies, and on the other the narrow strip ends in a perpendicular cliff, at tho base of which washes the restless waves. On this narrow strip the road has been made, below it is the railway, and between the railway and the cliff thero is a large number of little cottages, mostly built of sods and covei'ed with iron or thatch, and inhabited by the workmen employed at the colliery. These cottages have been placed by their owners in this dangerous position so that they shall not be required to removo them should thero occur any dispute between the manager at the colliery and themselves, an occurrence which is liable to happon at any moment. Should tho tido chance to bo at ebb, and the visitor look seaward, he will no doubt observe that a large plain must at one time have spread far out to sea, for tho rocks are bared a long way out, and several miles away a line of white surf tells whero the waves are breaking on a reef at no great depth below the surface. Indeed, it is about as certainas •anything can well be, that a very extensive plain existed here at no very distant period ; a plain that extended from Cardigan Point on the north, sweeping seaward for a considerable distance, and southward as far as the mouth of the Shag River at least, the surface soil and softer parts of the rocks being washed away and the harder material left. Marching onward along the road, a large building will be observed on the right. This is a general store, kept by Mr M'lntosh, lato manager at the works. Passing this and going round a bend the colliery appears in view, and the sight will arrest attention at once. First there is a double row of cottages, between which the road runs, and beyend these a little there appear the arrangements of ropes, pulleys, beams, and all the paraphernalia usually seen about a shaft. First, the engine will be examined. This is a single horizontal one, the exact counterpart of the one at at Springfield used for the same purpose. This engine, as well as the boilers for supplying steam, is enclosed in a substantial building of brick roofed with iron. The rope used for winding is a round wire one, arid passes over the road, for the engine is on one side the road and tha shaft on the other, above the head of the traveler ; and going ever the pulley, is attached (at the date of our visit) to a large bucket for raising water. The head-gear is a grand substantial piece of work, and reflects great credit on whoever designed and erected it. It is composed of great "beams of sawn kauri, specially imported for the purpose from Auckland, so we were told, and it must have cost a small fortune to place where it is. The shaft is another very good piece of mining work. It is of great sizesomewhere about 14 or 15 feet long, and in width 5& feet or over, and timbered, where required, with kauri planks 4 inches in thickness (black pine would have been better, and nmch cheaper). On the whole, an excellent performance as regards the workmanship and material used. A few yards from the shaft a tall brick chimney stalk has been erected, and was being raised still higher at the date of ©ur visit. The object of this is to aid the ventilation in the mine below. The shaft is covered over at the top, and the air coming out of the mine made to pass over a large furnace, and being now very hot and light, it rushes up the tall chimney, and the cold air rushes down to take its place, and so a strong current is caused to pass around the workings. The object would have been secured far oettor and much cheaper by a furnace at the bottom of the shaft. Proceeding still further along the road, a largo house is |observed standing a little above the road. This is the manager's residence. Further along are the offices and the workshopsblacksmith's and carpenter's. Beyond this, on a narrow tongue of land, is the dip, or engine plane, from which comes all the coal the Company now produce. Here are the shoots for loading the railway waggons, and these have the same fault as those at Springfield : they are covered with iron plates, instead of open bars to screen the coal. The engine used for hauling the loaded hutches up the dip is a little further along, It is a coupled horizontal one, and it, as well as the boilers to supply it, and the tangye pumps at the bottom of the dijD, with steam, is enclosed in a good wooden building roof od with iron, and so sheltered from the weather.

At one side of tho narrow isthmus on which the eugiae stands is the harbour. This is unique among tho harbours of tho Colony, being nothing more than narrow fissure hollowed out of the rocks by the waves, and not over 30 feet wide. Indeed, so narrow is it that the little s.s. Shag has only room to turn, and only at high water can that operation bo performed ; a few feet added to her longth, or a low tido, and the thing would bo impossible. At the entrance to the harbour, a largo rock stands right in the centre of the channel. Many attempts have been made to remove this rock, the only elfeot of which has been to blast the top off it, so that it is covered at high water. Perhaps it is well that it has not been removed, for though the passage on either side is only a few feet wide, it acts as a breakwater, and so the little steamer can come in when ske otherwise could not do so. Such is the Shag Point harbour, and it says much for the care and skill of Captain Wing that he has brought the little vessel in and out of such a place so many hundreds of times without any mishap. The old Provincial Government built a wharf here many years ago, and so well was that work performed that it stands now without having required any repairs, or fit most very littlo. A large shoot has been erected on the wharf, which holds many tons of coal, and so allows the. steamer to bo loaded in an hour or so.

Passing a littlo further along tho road, a low of neat four-roomed cottagaa appears on tho right, while right in front is an old stone house, memorable aa tho nrbt house built at the Point, and also as marking the spot where occurs a large fault, running nearly east and west. It is curious that all the good coal is on the north side of this fault, no seem of any consequence having been found to the Boutb of

it. Going round the hill a little way, a few more cottages are observed, and passing these we enter what is known as "the paddock," so called because it was the first piece of land fenced at the Point, and it has retained its name, a curious instance of how a name once given sticks to anything or anyplace. In this paddockthere is a shaft standing with a good depth of water in it. It is very well timbered indeed, and stands there a lnonunirjufc of the ignorance and folly of those who sank it, for it was ontirely needless and useless, as the strata are exposed all along the beach from the fault I mentioned, and all along tho scams of coal can be seen for a great depth further, while at the mouth of the Shag River, a mile away, the strata are thrown up in a high cliff, as if for tho oxpross purpose of showing everything in the shapo of motals or minerals they contain for a considerable depth, and so .saving monoy being thrown away in needless prospecting. Still more, the ground had previously been prospected to as great or a greater depth by a small shaft sunk by a previous manager. And even if all this were not so, a small, inexpensive bore-hole would have proved the ground as effectually as the the expensive, heavily-timbered shaft, which had to be abandoned, and the engine and boiler removed. In this paddock there is a brickniaking establishment, whero all the bricks required by the Company are manufactured ; and having seen this, all the surface works and buildings* in connection with the colliery have been soon, if I except a large dam in the gully be-'ide the paddock, and another in tho gully beside tho big shaft— a pair of useless concerns, noither of which ever rightly served the purpose for which they wore meant.

[To be continued )