THE KAITANGATA COAL COMPANY'S MINE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2735, 15 August 1906, Page 3

THE KAITANGATA COAL COMPANY'S MINE.

TEMPORARY STOPPAGE OF OPERATIONS. Operations in the Kaifcangata Coal Company's mine were on Monday, 6th, tempo- - ratily suspended owing to another outbreak of fire between' the sub^rive known as the "early turn" and the -main drive. The stoppage of operations jn the mine was not because of any . possible < danger from this , fxesh outbreak, but for .thfireason that the smoke coming* therefrom finds its way into the various parts of the mine and makes work distinctly" uncomfortable and very often causes a loss of a shift or two, and, further, it has now been decided to permanently abandon for purposes of an air return the " early turn " or sub-drive, in the vicinity of ( which the fire exists, and to construct a new one. The fire in this particular part of the mine has been a source of frequent interruption and endless trouble for many years past. On visitingr the mine at 5 o'clock on Sunday last the mine manager found that the fire had broken out again, and was very much alive. It has, however, now been damped and cooled .down. On the main drive some four chains of arched brick-walling have been put in position within the past four years in j order to contend with the outbreak, but j the fire has worked its way towards the J western end of the coal lying between the brick wall and the " early turn," and, as mentioned before, ha 6 made its presence felt in the small portion of the drive at the' western • end where the wail has not been bricked. Having decided to abandon this "early turn" or derive, provision must be made for a fresh return for the current from the present shaft, .and it has accordingly been decided to effect this rearrangement in the mum drive. A start was made on its erection yesterday, and when it has been completed, or shortly after, operations will be resumed in the mine. For the purpose of effecting a return current a wall of timber reaching from ground to roof and extending for a distance. 1 .of about six chains down the centre of the drive is now to be constructed. Some 4000 ft of timber will be required for its * formation. The wall should be completed in About a week's time, and it will more than likely be another week after that before operations are .resumed in the Kaitangata mine. The construction of the wall in the centre of the drivo will mean a somewhat serious handicap in the matter of hauling coal from the mine to the surface up till euch time as the new shaft has been introduced, as until then it will be possible to use a single track of tramline only for a dis- ' tanoe of six chains. All the above alterations in connection with the new air return- will hold good until the new shaft has been completed, when they null be no longer required, for the present air shaft will then be abandoned. The contractors for the sinking of the new shaft have now get down to a depth of about 100 ft, leaving about 470 ft yet to be sunk. So far thore is every indication of the shaft being carried through solid ground, which is most deeipble. The existing air shaft is. as a mwtu-r of fact, too far distant to give a sufficient current of air to the extended workings, for the current in its course thereto naturally becomes very much dim unshod in volume. The alterations above referred to having been completed, and operations in full swing, a month's time should fiee the output from the Kaitangata mine up to its normal standard, and the company in a position to cope with all demands. _ i " The closing down of the Kaitangata mine naturally involved five putting out of employment of all th-e men engaged therein, but the whole staff of men and boys is being tranaferred to tho Oastle Hill mine, where a third shift will be started. With two shifts working, the output from the Cattle HUI mine has averaged about 220 tons per day, Bnd the working of an additional shift ■vfill mean an increa- 5©5 © to about 320 tons per day, which is just a *h9<k- over half of what the -company's daily demand runs mio during the winter n]Oijtk c .

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