FROM COAL PIT TO SHIP'S HOLD.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXII, Issue 8796, 25 April 1907, Page 4

FROM COAL PIT TO SHIP'S HOLD.

[(By H.W. J. and A.D.L.)

We recently spent a"short holiday , in the mining town of Wallsend and there had the pleasure of being shown over the largest mine in -that locality. Wallsend is .'about six miles directly west of Newcastle, in Australia. Coal-mining is almost a universal occupation among the men folk and the height of the ambition of the boys is to be pit-men. Mr Gibson, -one of the mine deputies, consented to show us through ihe mine if wo would come along next morning. Starting from home at seven o'clock in the morning we arrived at the mine just as the men 1 were about to descend. Having lit the lamps, with which we had p're- > viously equipped ourselves, wo followed the men down a long dark I passage. The height of the coal seam is 4ft. Gin., so it was necessary to walk along with our noses pointed \ towards our boots to avoid bumping, our, heads against the roof. On, on, on! would the passago never end? Sometimes about inches of water covered the track, making walking anything but pleasant. The air seemed stifling and though we were dressed for the occasion the perspiration was streaming oif us before we reached the place where the miners were working. At last we heard the click, click, of the miners'|picks and through the darkness could see faint glimmers of light which came from the workmen's lamps. The miners work in pairs and each pair have their own drive. Stripped to the waist they toil away in a temperaturo of about 90 degrees. The coal is hewn or blasted out and loaded on skiffs or small trucks. Next tlie wheelers come along and the trucks are drawn by horses to the main line. The language used by a wheeler when his horse won't pull somewhat resembles ' that used by a New Zeaalnd bullock driver under similar conditions. The drives are all much the same; in each a pair of men, black and perspiring and apparently working their lives out in an evil smelling and dusty atmosphere. Often the drives are too low to allow them to stand upright and thoy have then to work in a leaning or kneeling position. Passing on, we next come to tho 1 telegraph office, which is simply a I cave hewn out of tho coal. In- , numorablo wires terminate in it, and the man in charge is kept very busy. Our guide then told us that he was going to show us daylight. , Following him along a narrow passaga wo saw a strange green coloured light, which came down a shaft 300 feet in depth. Down this 5 shaft the fresh air is drawn by means of a huge fan driven by steam.

Now wo come to tho busy part of the mine. Hero all the trucks that have boen brought in by the wheelers are fastened to an endless rope. When all is ready a signal is given and the engines on top pull the skiffs to the surface. As one lot of skiffs goes up, another lot doscends. Though they travel at an almost incredible rates, they can bo stopped almost immediately. On reaching the surface they are capsized automatically into a screen, no time being lost in the operation. Next the coal is loaded into large trucks and sent by rail to the Newcastle Dyke, where it is shipped. It is interesting to watch t.lje.r.oa.l. -being loaded in the steamers. Tho top of th(Vrtmefe'ifl lifted bodily from its wheels" by means of the steamer's winch and when it is over the hold the pins are pulled ot and tho bottom swings back and three tons of coal fall into the ship. An idea of the enormous size of this mine may be gained from the following:—A staff of 500 miners, bssides wheelers, trappers, road layers, shiftmen and deputies is kept busy. The wages amount to £2OOO pre week and 90 horses are employed to pull the skiffs. We tramped for four hours and probably covered about 1G miles, and were informed that we had soon but one-eighth of the mine. Tho wholo of Wallsend is practically undermined and crockery is sometime broken in tho houses by tho blasting underground. The number of men in that locality with arms, legs, eyes, etc., missing reminds us that tho work is not without its dangers and no doubt the work is worth every penny that is paid for it.