DEEPEST GOLD MINE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18530, 17 October 1934, Page 8

DEEPEST GOLD MINE

AIR-CGQLING PLANT £IOO,OOO CONTRACT NEW YORK, Sept. 7. A United States concern, specialising ■n air conditionin';, the Carrier Fnginecring Corporation, ,hns secured a 00.000 contract to supnlv the world’s deepest, gold mine, the Robinson Deep. Johannesburg, with air-cooling and drying plant, and is expediting plans to shin the equipment in December. The installation will begin in January It is suggested that if the system works successfully now regions below tbr earth’s surface will become accessible to ’miners socking gold - ore, coal ono other minerals. The possibility is already under eon sideration of an increase, of the depth of the Robinson Deep, which now luo an inclined three-mile shaft to a v«u , ‘- eel depth of 85POft.. by another lsoof* This would extend (ho life of the mnv by seven years. At present, conditions at the boftoof the mine make work vc’*’ didii c* because the temperature is well over l'!C degrees Fahrenheit, with bnmidil-v • ipo (ipprens. Miners are able {n stand only hrief shifts. Three motors ef horse-power ee'di • :n d-ivo 400.000 cubic feet of dried ai' - chilled to 7>B dearies, down the shnf every minute, representing I 9 tons n r ° ; r per minute. The cooling effected viO i e o-in) •to rne u{ ng oepo (on r of ire o/i |,out' The dry air "'ill absorb 1-T.O gallons of water every hour.