a—3a

14

Studholme, Stony Creek, Waimate (A. Adamson, manager).—(lo/8/1900): Old mine abandoned fenced across. New mine alongside in 72 yards ; has fallen to within 10 yards from entrance. Two bords near the entrance are driven in coal a short distance. Elephant Hill, Waihao Downs (J. Blackley).—(lo/8/1900): The level only being worked three months in the year. A few props on the level require to be renewed, which Mr. Scott (miner) promised to attend to. North Otago. McGimpsey's (late Scott and Porter), Kurow, (R. J. Porter, manager).—(ll/8/1900) : Level driven about 60 yards north-east in a solid block of the 6 ft. seaiu previously worked. This level being in the vicinity of old workings, the roof is somewhat shattered. I gave Porter notice to sink a shaft for air and second outlet. Wharekuri, Wharekuri (known as Sutherland's), (A. Shanks, manager).—(ll/8/1900) : Vertical seam 30 ft. wide, strike north and south. The drive to the coal is 86 yards long. A level to the south in coal is 150 yards to the face, where a fault was met which altered the coal to soft and inferior. A drive for return and second outlet is in to the coal, and only a few yards of cutting now required to make a connection. St. Andrew's, Papakaio (T. Nimmo). —(14/8/1900) : Pressure on the low levels necessitates narrow drives. Air good. Return airway and upcast shaft in good order. Prince Alfred, Papakaio (J. Willetts). —(14/8/1900) : Roadways and working-places in good order. The heading has been extended to daylight and makes a good second outlet. Air good. Ngapara, Ngapara (W. Nimmo, manager).—(l 3/8/1900) : Workings being extended towards the west. All places standing well. Seam 25 ft.,| of which Bft. to 9 ft. is being taken out. Air good. Rules posted. Plan to date. Shag Point, Shag Point (T. Shore, manager). —(12/5/1900): Coal being won from No. 1 seam (Hunt's stone drive), under sea, and from No. 5 seam, north workings. No. 1 seam : The workings are well laid out; the coal-seam, however, is variable in quality, bands of stone occuring frequently. Air dull in low-level face (Klason's), and also in some of the bord-faces above, owing to stentons not being put through. These working-faces are too far from the return airway. No. 5 seam, longwall: Seam thin and roof low; a baud of stone in middle of coal provides sufficient material for packing goaf. Roadways and working-places in good order. Wood-chock pillars used at road-ends (off-headings), and timber kept well up to the faces. Air rather slack owing to the restricted areas at lower end of several of the faces, where, for their own convenience, the miners had thrown the stowing too close to the face, while there was plenty of room in the goaf behind. This I drew Mr. Shore's attention to, and Mr. Shore wrote me on 21st May that the stentons in No. 1 seam had been put through; that the stowing in the waste was now kept back from the faces in long-wall section, No. 5 seam, and that good air was travelling round the working-faces. The Act is generally well observed and complied with. (20/11/1900) : Air at the faces good, and timber used freely. Anew return cross-measure drive in stone from No. 1 seam, jus* pierced, will do away with the long brattice in Hunt's drive, and the amount of air circulating will be much increased thereby. The travelling-way to return airway and second outlet (Harbour shaft) in fair order. A few falls require to be trimmed up a bit. The ladders in the shaft are in good order. Air at intake, 7,000 cubic feet per minute. Allendale Colliery, Shag Point (A. Gillanders, manager). —(11/5/1900): The trucking-roads and airways in the section worked from the bottom of the main incline are under considerable pressure, a partial creep having set in. This district is intersected by numerous small faults carrying water, and the roof and sides have to be supported, entailing large expenditure for maintenance and renewal of timber. The working-places, however, at present being opened are in an area of splendid coal. The roof is good and very little timber is required. The air is not what it should be in some of the far-in places. I drew the manager's attention to'the state of the air at several of the working-faces, more especially at No. 2 north level face. The intake airway (old mine) is very circuitous and small in area, and the air becomes more or less stale before it reaches the workingfaces, being charged with the deleterious gases thrown off by the old workings which it passes through. This the owners propose to rectify immediately by putting through from the new workings at a point which will communicate with a straight drive 4 chains from the bottom of the old mine. Reports well kept and rules posted, but plan in arrears. (21/11/1900) : Owing to wet weather the mine-mouth showed signs of closing, and some 500 tons of cover have been removed. Mine-entrance and cross-measures drive from No. 1 north level very wet and dirty. Pillars adjoining the old mine-workings are being well taken out. Air good throughout the mine; 7,950 cubic feet of air per minute at the intake. On the Bth May James Mcßorie was taking down a stone from the roof when it came away unexpectedly; left leg fractured. South Otago. Freeman's, Abbotsford (R. Hill). —(23/11/1901): Pillar area being robbed. Second outlet and return airway in good order. The roads at the back are well timbered and safe, but low, owing to the bottom heaving. Sufficiency of timber used where robbing. Air, 3,700 cubic feet per minute at intake. Two brick stoppings on engine-plane leaking (CO 2 ) where pressure has cracked the brickwork. Walton Park, Walton Park (J. Kenyon, manager.) —(24/2/1900): Pumping now discontinued, and water in the workings still rising gradually, but very slowly, being almost up to the permanent l eve l— a bed of sand-drift which was struck in the main shaft at 82 ft. from the surface. Waterlevel, where pillars and head-coal now being taken out, is about 2 chains to the rise of the safetybarrier required by the District Railway Engineer for the safety of the Government railway-line. Damp is squeezing out from the old workings, and wooden brattices are drawn across openings to keep back the damp (CO 2 ), large quantities probably being generated by the rising water in contact