SMART ROAD CLAY.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13666, 23 May 1908, Page 2

SMART ROAD CLAY.

i PROGRESS OF DEVELOPMENT WORKS. During the past three weeks import■«nt work has been progressing at Smart i Road in connection with the kaolin* and thorough tests as to the quantity i of kaolin, and clays made. One of oui* } representatives/ on Thursday accom- . panied Mr P. A. Hadley, who has just ) acquired the property- on behalf of a . foreign syndicate, to the scene of operations. Tunnels have been driven into the heart of the range of hills in which the white clays were first discovered,' t and the experience has been that the , farther cne levels k are opened Up the richer, becomes the clay. No. 3 low or addit; level is 6ft by 6ft, and is driven 108 ft. Passing alon^. there, is nothing to be seen on either wall or the roof but pure white kaolin of the highest grade. At' the end of the turin&T is a rise of some 15ft, which connects with j No. 2 level. This ' tunnel is , of the same dimensions as No. . 8 low level: From the mouth of this drive , to the poinirof intersection at the j rise is 88ft, and here again the walls, roof, and floor are composed of nothing [ but white kaolin. Hejfe a shaft has : been sunk %o a depth, of -26ft, and the . quality o r f -the .kaolin, improves with each loot sunk, by far richei and exceeding all expectations. Passing, back on to No. 2 tun1 nelj No. 3 high level was entered. This has been driven to junction, wit No. 2, and is now 71ft in, bringing the total distance of these two tunnels to •date to 159 ft. Nothing-but the kaolin is again encountered. Coming out ou ' the other side of the hill through No. I- 3 high level, No. 4 tunnel was visited. . In this tUnneL which is, now in 62ft, . some of the finest yellow > and blue5 white clays were met with in driving, , and now in the face the white kaolin has again been, struck. No. 5 level has been driven a Histanoe of 60ft, kaolin again having been met with in the face. Owing to the nature of the ground in this tunnel it has been [ deemed inadvisable v to proceed further j .without timbering. At No. 6*; instead . of clays being encountered, after a . few feet had been driven the whole face is , composed of lignite, '• and a gang of men haW been put on to ', strip the hill thoroughly with a view , to sinking, a shaft to ascertain its value, '. At the present time the indications are , most favourable. Ntf.>l ; tunnel is on ' the south side of the range, and in ' 49ft, with white kaolin showing in the |; face. A shaft is being: sunk in this .' .tunnel to p*aire,the depth ) but as four shafts are already sunk on ,: thierflatl s,o|«e> diitance below,- and s in which kaolin has been found, there is no doufefcvtfhfttever but that th& kao- , Jins are living down, and, further, - S^yril^'^f/P.iq^Utari with every , foot sunk. It is impossible at the pre- . sent time, to give even a rough esti- . mate oil Jjpw^ Jftany onillions . of . tons of ..kaolin have. been exposed by the work