COAL DEPOSITS FOUND.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12708, 20 March 1911, Page 5

COAL DEPOSITS FOUND.

VALUABLE INFORMATION

Received' March 19. 5 p.m

MELBOURNE, March 13

Sfcaniforth Smith in a further m& cage to Mr Batch ?1 or says that the expedition returned to Goaribari on tho fifth, and thence crossed to Thursday Island. They visited the upper waters of the Strickland River, returning along thq north-west bank of the Kikori, travelling 374 miles on foot, and 150 by river through totally- unexplored country. They completed the major portion of the exploration of-: the territory. The* most important informationgathered was that they foiled a. small coal creek near the Lower Kikori, and a largo field of excellent coal in the Upper Kikori. The western division, instead of being largely low-lying alluvial, consists for the greater portion of an elevated plai?au. The lowest valley was .2000 fe-cft above sea level. The country was a vast arid upraised mass of coal along tli3 upper waters -and watsrsbcdi?, the great rivers emptying into thp gulf, now fairly •defined, completing the knowledge* of the river systems of the terr.tnry.' They have Jiow ca.ta estimating the population with w>me accuracy. They established friendly relations with the lrushmtJii ■cv&vjwhero. ' Tliero was no fighting. They found sago growing inland at. au eleya* tion of 3500 feet.