15

H.—l6

Shay Point Mine, Otago. —lt was mentioned in last year's report, that this mine was on fire, and that this fire, having in the first instance been confined to a small area, had subsequently broken out afresh, in consequence of the inefficient character of the stoppings. Since then an attempt has been made to put out the fire by flooding the mine with sea water, which, although of course successful at the time, will doubtless so damage the roof and floor as to render the workings very insecure. The mine is now being opened out afresh, and a new incline has been driven about 5 chains to the east of the old tunnel, bearing N. 45° W. with a dip of 1 in 4, the coal being cut at a distance of 6^ chains. This incline has been very substantially timbered and. the drive at the foot is 9 feet wide, being divided temporarily by a brattice. A double acting engine with 8-inch cylinders and 14-inch stroke is employed for winding, and the rope, which is J inch diameter, is coiled round a 5-feet drum. The pumps referred to in the schedule are the old ones, but it is the intention of the manager to erect an 8-inch Tangye pump to compete with the water in the present drive. These new workings are to be ventilated by a shaft 5 feet x 4 feet which is now about 112 feet deep. Real Mackay Mine, Tokomairiro. —Since last year's report the open work at this mine has been found too expensive to continue, and a mine has been opened, the working places being very large. About 8 feet of the coal only is worked, leaving a good thickness overhead, but the width of workings, sometimes as much as 16 feet, is too great for the safety of the miners. Bruce Coal Mine, Tokomairiro. —The workings at this colliery have been continued on the north side of the drive, but in consequence of inferior coal being found there, Mr. Lees, the manager, has decided to discontinue operations here and start work in the old tunnel, where, however, the roof is very bad, and the thickness of coal variable. Wellington Company's Mine, Westport. —The coal in this mine is still of a very soft nature, but the drive is still being carried on with the hope of an improvement taking place. The ventilation is very good, and the timbering tolerably well up to the face of the drives. Wallsend Colliery, Collingwood. —This is the same mine as that described in last year's report as the Para Para Company's mine. Very little work has been done here since the mine changed hands, as men are very scarce, and even at the high price paid for heaving they are unable to make good wages. This is partly due to the thinness of the seam, and partly to the tenacity with which the coal adheres to the bands of shale. Mr. Marshall is now opening out the third seam from the mouth of the drive, the section of which is as follows: — Ft. In. Ft. In. Coal ... ... ... ... ... 0 8 to 0 7| Shale ... ... ... ... ... 0 5£ „ 0 If Coal ... ... ... ... ... 0 6 „ 0 7 Shale ... ... ... .. ... 0 2£ „ 0 1* Coal ... ... ... ... ... 1 0 „ 0 9 2 10 2 2f Both the floor and roof are good, and the ventilation, which, as stated last year as natural, ia very good. The directors have now called for tenders for putting up an incline rise 1 in 3 in the same direction as the main drive, in order to cut the upper seams of coal. Prince Alfred Colliery, Oamaru. —Mr. Willett, the proprietor and manager of this mine, has put in a new drive about eighty yards to the north-east of the old one, and the workings have assumed a very irregular form. The air in the mine is good and pure, but goes sometimes one way and sometimes the other. The lease of tills ground appears to be very unsatisfactory, and is granted by the Otago Waste Lands Board. It appears to contain no provision for inspection, or for winning the coal in a workmanlike manner, or leaving the mine (supposing the coal to be not all won) in a fit state for continuation by the next lessee; in short, none of the clauses usually inserted in leases of this kind to ensure the coal not being wasted, or left in inaccessible positions, appear to be included in the terms of this lease. St. Andrew's Colliery, Oamaru. —When this mine was visited it was on fire, and as at Shag Point, an attempt had been made to extinguish the fire by flooding the mine, the result, however, being unsatisfactory. It is quite useless in cases of spontaneous combustion to attempt to extinguish the fire by flooding the mine, without at the same time shutting off the air, and shutting off the air alone would be quite as efficacious if the stoppings were of a sufficiently permanent character. Wallsend Colliery, South Malvern. —This mine is at present sub-let to Messrs. Cummings and Co., who have taken a contract to raise 6,000 tons of coal at a certain rate per ton. As at the Prince Alfred Colliery, no provision has been made for inspection, or for leaving the underground works in order at the expiration of the contract, and it is probable that as that time approaches the shaft pillars will be drawn, thus necessitating the sinking of a new shaft. The workings are now entirely in the three-foot seam, and are to the northward. At present there is no ventilation at all, but when these workings are broken through to the old workings, it is probable that a certain amount of air will find its way through the mine, although even then the ventilation will be extremely unsatisfactory. The cage is without a cover, and the shaft is in bad repair, and when Mr. Binns visited the mine no one was in charge of the engine, which was pumping and going at the rate of 180 revolutions per minute. The engine man also attends to the pit bank. Attention should again be called to the fact that the workings are extending under the railway, and in course of time, unless steps are taken to prevent them, the contractors will, doubtless, remove the pillars there. The inefficiency of the timbering was referred to last year. Canterbury Colliery, Malvern. —Owing to poor facilities for getting the coal away, and other causes, the owners intend, for the present, to suspend operations in this mine. The present workings are very limited and are close to the tunnel mouth, so there is plenty of air for the one man now employed.