25

C—3a

Robert Smith's Pit, East Gore.— (3/5/1902): Coal taken out for private use only ; 14 ft. of coal, 3 ft. stripping. Sarginson's, Gore (A. Reinke). —(1/5/1902) : Coal now being supplied to dredges. Coal 7 ft. ; stripping 2 ft. in depth. Green's Pit, Gore (J. J. Smyth). —(1/5/1902) : Ventilation good, and mine in fair order. Preparations are being made to obtain coal from the dip. Knapdale Mine, Knapdale (R. Irvine). —(29/8/1902) : Only coal for private use now being produced. Harvey's Pit, Chatton.— (29/8/1902) : Pit still idle. Perkins's, Chatton (A. Perkins). —(2/5/1902): Face 12 ft. of coal, with 8 ft. of stripping, which is kept well ahead. Pacey's, Chatton (R. Pacey). —(2/5/1902): A bench of 12 ft. of coal is being taken along with the stripping, which is here 8 ft. of clay, bottom coal being left for future requirements. Otama Pit, Otama (Private Pit), (T. Graham).—(3o/8/1902) : Coal for own use only. Cross's, Otama (Private Pit). —(30/8/1902) : Coal for private consumption only being taken out. Hunter's, Otama. —(30/8/1902) : Pit smothered by slip ; no one about. Thorndale Mine, Waikaka Valley (E. C. Orchard and Sons). —(1/5/1902): Pit in good order. 10 ft. of coal overlaid by 6 ft. of stripping. Johnston's Pit, Waikaka Valley (W. Johnston).—(l/5/1902 and 28/8/1902): Pit in good order, and stripping kept well in advance of the working-face. Ritchie's Pit, Waikaka Valley (T. Ritchie). —(28/8/1902): A new pit on Johnston's farm, which has been opened to supply a dredge in the vicinity. Reed's Pit, Waikaka Valley (R. Reed).- -(1/5/1902): Having worked the pit out to the boundary, Reed is now prospecting for coal on the opposite side of the main road. (28/8/1902) : The new pit is in good working-order. Face 10 ft. of coal, with 8 ft. stripping, which is kept well back from the face. McGill'sPit, Wendon Valley (J. McGill). —(30/4/1902) : Stripping attended to, and pit in good order. J. McGill, jun., sustained burns to arms and face on the 16th July by an explosion of blasting-powder, caused by accidentally dropping a lighted match into a quantity of loose powder in the pit. McDonald's, Wendon Valley (J. Dwyer).—(3o/4/1902) : Mine in fair order, and ventilation good. (25/10/1902) : Coal continues hard, and roof strong. All coal is got by shooting, loose blasting-powder being the explosive used. An accident occurred in the mine this morning, whereby Alexander Graydon sustained fracture of left leg, and Joseph Tikey face and arms grazed and body bruised, by flying coal from an unexpected third explosion in the face. Two shots had been fired, and two explosions occurred. The men had returned to work, when a third explosion took place. Presumably some of the grains of powder had dropped into an open moist back crossed in the hole, and smouldering embers had ignited it. I recommended the proprietor to adopt the use of compressed powder, by use of which such accidents would be prevented in future. Edge's No. 14, Waikaka. —(3o/4/1902): The pit has been closed down owing to the coal becoming soft and inferior in quality. A new mine is now being opened adjacent to McDonald's pit. I drew the miners' attention to the careless handling of blasting-powder at the pit. Busbridge's, Wendon Valley (J. Busbridge).—(29/4/1902): The coal-face is opened out at the foot of a steep hillside, and the pit is smothered by slips. Pit almost inaccessible, being three miles from the formed road. A small trade done during harvest season, and winter stocks laid in by the neighbourhood. Stevenson's, Wendon(3. Stevenson). —(30/8/1902) : A new pit opened recently. A 7 in. centrifugal pump driven by traction-engine is used for unwatering the pit. Stripping 5 ft. in depth, and seam (unbottomed) 10 ft. in the face. Radford's Pit (Carmichael's), Wendon (E. and P. Radford).—(3o/8/1902) : The water-supply for stripping being inadequate, the undertaking has not proved remunerative, and the pit is not now being worked. Waikaia Collieries Company (late Monaghan's Pit).—(l 2/5/1902) : Opencast on the hillside. Very little coal had been taken out to date. Mclvor's (late Goldie's), Waikaia (R. Mclvor). —(12/5/1902) : Sluicing off overburden, and recovering blocks of coal left when the seam was driven out. Mclvor's, Landslip, Waikaia (W. Mclvor). —(12/5/1902) : Stripping removed by sluicing. Muddy Terrace (Shale-pit), Waikiia (T. F. Goldie). —(12/5/1902) : The shale is being worked and used as fuel. Pit in good order. No. 1 Pit, Landslip, Waikaia (A. McKinnon). —(10/5/1902): Seam 7 ft. in thickness, with a strong stone roof above. In the old workings the roof and pillars are still standing. Argyle Pit, Waikaia (J. and T. Baxter). —(12/5/1902): An effort had been made to win the coal by driving, but the drive had collapsed, and stripping has been again resorted to. The watersupply is too light for the purpose of stripping adequately, and the pit is consequently in a dirty state. Waimea Pit, Longridge Village (G. Larsen).—(3o/8/1902): The pit formerly worked by A. Smith is worked out, and Larsen is prospecting on the site of an old pit higher up the valley. Pyramids Pit, Mandeville (B. MacAllister). —(30/8/1902): Coal for home consumption only now taken from the mine. Roof strong, and workings standing well. Waimumu Goal-pit, Mataura (C. P. Sleeman). —(21/1/1902): The manner in which this pit is worked affords an object-lesson in opencast working. Stripping well ahead of the working-face. (25/8/1902): The working-face is fully 80 yards in length. Stripping, 12 ft. of gravel. Average 4—C. 3a.