VISIT TO KAKAHU.

Timaru Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 3416, 8 September 1885, Page 3

VISIT TO KAKAHU.

i Wo liavo rccoivod the following i-omnutni-cation from Mr 0. C. E. Sliorrntt, wliicli will bo read with interest by tlioso who arc interested m tlio reported mineral resources i or Kukuhu :— " On Friday lost the writor with a number Of other persons paid a visit to the Kakahn

where many valuable mineral depoeitß are supposed to exist, the object of the party being to discover, if possible, a coal measure that~ could bo used m the manufacture of other minerals which are known to exist m great quantities, such as fire clay, pipe clay, und first class lime stone, and I should think that the party were well rewarded for the time and expense incurred by the discovery of two, if not three, seams of coal that could be traced for a considerable distance. Some of the party commenced operations m a practical way by opening out a seam on the south side of the Kakahu river which shows a thickness of about three feet, whilst others were tracing the seams on the north side, which were visible m the Kakahu creek m many places, extending at least for half-u-mile m length, and by looking over the map these outcrops of coal are m a direct line with the seam discovered on Mr H. Hesketh'a land, a distance of at least one and a half miles m a straight line, and there are indications of outcrops m the face of the hills leading over m the direction of the Waitohi Flat. To my mind there will be no difficulty as far as the line of the measures ran, which is between north and north-west by south and south-east. The next point to , touch upon is the number of seams which can be traced, and I have no hesitation m saying that there are two distinct seams traceable, both lying exposed m tho creek ' coming down from the Kakahu bush, and from 60 to 70 feet apart. The one opened out on the south side of the Kakahu river appears to be a third seam, lying at , least 80 feet from the middle seam, all these scams were visible m the river m the early part of the year 1868, and were seen by one of the party at that time. The next thing to consider is the thickness of the I scums, and X may state here thut the parly were not satisfied on this point, the time being too short to ascertain the thickness of the seams m one day. Therefore it is recom- \ mended that two practical miners should be engaged for a few days or a week to open out all the seams outside the creek to '. ascertain tho thickness and angle at which the measures lie as far as it is | possible to be done without using windlass and bucket, also to open one or more places ( on Messrs Wigley and Munro's hind, not far away from the big pipeclay cutting, and I may add that the prospect is so good that the , party are vory willing to visit the place again, so as to get all tho information they can [ before presenting their report to the meeting , lo bo called at an early date. I would like '. to see a greater number of persons on the ground when tho scams are fully exposed, and to this end would suggest that the promoters Bhould petition the Chair- ' men of the Town Boards of Tcmuka and Geraldine to proclaim a half holiday when everything is ready, so as to give our merchants, men of business, and others, an opportunity of inspecting the seams, feeling confident that it is a matter of great importance to them and to all the residents of South Canterbury. This inspection would be much better than any written report, be it ever so good, it being the opinion of many that the Kakahu district is very rich m minerals, only requiring to be developed, ■ such as fire-clay, pipe clay, slate, white ■ granite, building stone, limestone, yielding 1 about 95 per cent of pure lime, white sand, which will ere long be used m the manufacture of ÜBef ul articles, besides material from 1 which could be produced a good cement. 1 Another matter to be considered is to have proper arrangements made with the owners of tho land as to the amount of royalty to be ' piid per ton of coal and other material that 1 may be taken from beneath their land, also ' prieo per acre for the land where operations s will bo commenced. In closing I will touch ' upon another point, namely, whether to sink 3 or bore if the seams, when opened out, will 1 justify a further step, of which there is little ! doubt. This m my opinion is the most import ant of all, for many things can be eaid m favor ■ of each. Bonng would be the cheapest, pro- ' viding the plant necessary could bo got at t a reasonable rate, but the quality, thickness 1 and ungle of the coal could not be ascertained ; with the same accuracy as it could by sinking ! a trial shaft, which could be used as an air f shaft if successful. In my opinion there is [ no necessity to bore to ascertain whether the ' coal will be found at a certain depth, say a few hundred feet, for the strata m the land slips, • the river bank, and m the excavated cuttings 1 give it m each instance at the same angle ■ indicating a dip *x> the east, and lying at ■ such an angle that a coal measure, could be ' worked to advantage not only for local con- ' sumption but to send to other parts of the ' colony. The question of water accumulating I m the shaft or m the mine when opened out 1 will not prove an insurmountable difficulty, • and the carriage to Winchester, Temuka, and ' Timaru will not be a very serious item. ' When once a good seam of coal is found the I questions of water and carriago will be suc--1 cessfully dealt with."