Page image

C—2

53

- Denniston Collieries. —The output from the Denniston mines for 1918 was 179,630 tons. These mines suffered severely through the shortage of labour, and tho influenza epidemic was very virulent at Burnett's Face and Denniston. Ironbridge Mine. —Mining operations in the Shaft, Inner Shaft, and Right-hand Kruger's sections are confined to pillar-extraction. No coal was won from the Inner Shaft section during the last six weeks of the year. Upper Kruger's section : A. dip has been driven into an area of coal 10 ft. to 12 ft. thick, lying between this section and the Inner Shaft. The extent of this area has not so far been proved, but present indications are encouraging. No. 8 section : Development in the bottom seam has been continuous, but the area remaining to be won is very limited. A fireclay roof necessitates constant renewal of the timber supports. Deep Creek section : In addition to the extraction of pillars in the old Deep Creek section, a new endless-rope-haulage road is being formed to the Extension field. Thirty chains of heavy formation has been completed and has reached a small area of coal. Tt is intended, to extend this road for another 25 chains to reach the main field. This portion will not be so difficult to construct as that already completed. - Kiwi section.: All coal won from this section has been from pillar-extraction, and used principally for power purposes. An accident of a serious nature occurred in the Kruger's section on the 10th October, the details of which are appended. Coalbrookdale Colliery! —Wareatea jig section : Tho, two winning headings, going due west, have been driven a total distance of 40 chains. The coal won in the headings has been of good quality. Little wide work has yet been done, and if a good haulage-road existed it would be possible to place all the men in the mine in this one section. The output is delivered by horse haulage along a circuitous level. In order to deal with the large output that this section is capable of producing attempts were made to form a new rope-road through heavily fallen ground. A further heavy fall occurred recently, and work on the road has temporarily been stopped. Wareatea Extended section : Tho large " reverse fault " recently met in the main heading has hampered development in this section. During the latter part of the year a number of boreholes have been put down. Coal has been proven at depths varying from 30 ft. to 60 ft. A drive through the fault was made, but the coal met is gradually thinning and is now only 15 in. thick. It is anticipated that 5 chains ahead of the face of the drive thick coal will again be struck. A large area of coal is known to exist south-west of the present workings. No. 8 Cascade section : All of the output from this section is obtained from pillar-extraction. The coal is generally low and the ground very heavy, necessitating the use of a large quantity of timber for supports. Signs of heating were noticed in a place in No. 8 section. The heated coals were immediately filled away and the temperature soon reduced to normal. Callaghan's dip section : A few pairs of miners are still engaged on pillar-extraction. The little dip was stopped owing to the haulage-road becoming dangerous, and only a few stumps of pillars remained. The commodious bathhouse near tho entrance to the Wareatea section has been kept in good order and much used by the miners. A fatality occurred in the Wareatea Extended section on the 12th August, particulars of which are appended. Nelson District. Puponga Mine. —No work has been done at the main mine during tho year, but a party of six miners started pillar-extraction, in September, at the top section. North Cape Mine. —No solid work remains to be done at this mine, and the whole output, 13,225 tons, was obtained from pillar workings. The main dip was stopped early in the year, having struck a " downthrow fault," and, although a good deal of stone-work was done, no coal was proved to exist. A cross-measures drift was driven 219 ft., and two small seams, about 12 in. thick, were pierced. At the inner end of the drive a borehole was put down 20 ft. and struck the conglomerate, so the drive was stopped. The coal-seam being thin the pillars will be exhausted in two years. Fatalities. Three persons lost their lives underground during the past year. On the 17th January a miner named W. Downes, whilst working back " tops " in the Blackball Mine, was struck by a fall of coal and stone with fatal results. On the 4th April E. J. Paterson, a miner, had his neck broken by a fall of coal from the face of the lift in pillar workings at the Stockton Mine. On the" 12th August F. Mitchell, a miner, while in the act of removing his coat from a prop, was struck by a lump of coal falling from the roof. The prop, which had been supporting this coal, had become loosened and fell. When assistance was first rendered a broken leg was suspected, but the deceased's spine was broken, and he died thirteen hours after the accident. Serious but Non-fatal Accidents. Millerlon Mine. —20th April: J. Bazeena, a horse-driver, received a broken leg through falling over a trolly whilst trying to get clear of his horse. Reefton Coal Company's Mine. —24th May : T. Lamberton, a horse-driver, sustained a fractured leg by a branch of a tree being blown by the high winds across the tramway as he was driving from the mine to tho railway-station.

Log in or create a Papers Past website account

Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.

By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.

Log in with RealMe®

If you’ve used a RealMe login somewhere else, you can use it here too. If you don’t already have a username and password, just click Log in and you can choose to create one.


Log in again to continue your work

Your session has expired.

Log in again with RealMe®


Alert