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Lower Nevis Coal-m.ine, Nevis. —Worked for supply to the gold-mining dredge. Where exposed the seam was about 15 ft. in width, but much crushed and broken.. Fernhill Coal-mine, Abbotsford. —Two men extracting pillars and two men putting in a prospecting-drive to tap the seam to dip. Freeman's Coal-mine, Abbotsford . —Only three miners now on the coal. Furnace ventilation adequate. Green Island Coal-mine, Green Island. —Extracting pillars on a small scale. Jubilee Coal-mine, Saddle Hill. —Ventilation conducted by brattice to working-faces. A new upper seam, 8 ft. in thickness, was being opened up at near the haulage-tunnel entrance. Saddle Hill No. 1 Coal-mine, Saddle Hill. —Inadequate bratticing between intake haulageway and return airway to upcast furnace shaft. Ladder-way also required in shaft pending communication between workings and dip drive being driven from surface. These deficiencies were reported as having been immediately remedied. Saddle Hill No. 2 Coal-mine, Saddle Hill. —Fan ventilation. Air conducted by brattice to working-faces. Substantial permanent stoppings in against the waste for prevention of spontaneous fires. Fast Taieri Coed-mine, Fast Taieri. —Old dip workings abandoned. A new entrance had been made to southward between the outcrop and the dip drive. Small fan erected for ventilation. Magazine approved for storage of 275 lb. of explosives. Brighton Coal-mine, Brighton. —An inclined shaft had been sunk for second outlet and return airway. Seam thin (5 ft. 6 in.); headings driven narrow. Salisbury Goal-mine, North Taieri. —Work suspended, the seam having proved to be thin and unprofitable. Waronui Coal-mine, Milton. —Upper-dip pillars and that portion of the seam to rise left at first working now being recovered may soon be expected to become exhausted. Recent prospecting by boring had proved the existence of a lower coal-seam, 13 ft. in thickness, at depth of 100 ft. MeGilp's Coed-mine, Milton. —New mine-entrance to workings; robbing of pillar and head coal continued. Fall of roof was being brought down to smother heating place in the waste. Real Mackay Coal-mine, Akatore. —Working resumed at outcrop after being closed down for a number of years. New Burnwell Coal-mine, Lovell's Flat. —Seam of lignite being worked by underground mining. Drive well timbered to face. Dunlop's Coal-mine, Lovell's Flat. —A small mine recently opened by a party of practical miners from Kaitangata district. Taratu Coal-mine, Lovell's Flat. —New dip drive in shaft seam and working-places broken away. Hauling-winch and pump underground electrically driven from surface generating plant, as also the ventilating-fan at second outlet shaft. Old workings closed with substantial fire stoppings. Barclay's seam worked to outcrop, and pillar and head coal subsequently withdrawn. Kaituna (lately Miihara) Coal-mine, Kaitangata. —Seam thinning from 7 ft. to 4 ft., going easterly. Pillar-extraction continued. A new dip drive in northerly■ direction had proved the seam in regular sequence in that direction. Wangaloa Coal-mine, Wangaloa. —New mine opened on the Coal Reserve, which had been worked for many years but had latterly been neglected. Seam 10 ft. ; bord-and-pillar working. Gage's Goal-mine, Wangaloa. — New mine being opened on the Coal Reserve; seam 10 ft. at lace. Short tram-line and loading-bank being constructed. Longridge Coal-mine , Kaitangata. —A small output produced for local consumption. Kaitangata No. I Mine, Kaitangata. —Extraction of pillar and head coal in No. 6 dip and Mundy's dip sections had been brought back to the rib pillars on the haulage-ways, which had been extended in an easterly direction following the seam, and proved to be uninterrupted by faulting; also the districts were considerably larger in area than any previously worked in the colliery. The occasional presence of fire-damp had been reported at the edge of the waste beyond where men were required to work. When roof had fallen, as it invariably did, substantial stoppings were erected for prevention of heating and exudation of deleterious gases from the gob. Systematic timbering had been in vogue throughout the mine. The new Sirocco fan, 49 in. diameter, double inlet, had been installed, and a circulation of 33,000 cubic feet of air per minute was recorded. The fan was driven by a 40 h.p. motor with a 16 h.p. steam-engine for use in case of emergency when electric power might be cut off. The mine-entrance had been strengthened by a concrete archway for a length of 150 ft. A brick chimney, 113 ft. in height and over 14 ft. square at the base, had been erected for surface steam boilers. The new bathhouse was completed and being utilized by workmen. The stone drive off Barclay's level, dipping 1 in 4, at 380 ft. tapped a seam of good coal 12 ft. in thickness. Levels were being driven to the prospecting-shaft for ventilation. Kaitangata No. :2 Mine, Kaitangata. —The main haulage-way extension easterly had been extended 6 chains from the 18 ft. seam recently discovered, when, a 25 ft. seam of excellent coal was struck. The seams, too, were practically free from fire-damp, which had only been reported on rare occasions. Development in the 6 ft. seam was continued. Nos. 1 and 2 dips, main seam finished and blocked off. Steel tubbing on haulage-way had been considerably reinforced during the year. The power and speed of the Sirocco ventilating-fan had also been accelerated, and over 30,060 cubic feet of air per minute was in circulation in the mine. Castle Hill Mine, Kaitangata.. —A new seam of coal had been found after driving through conglomerate easterly. Output for market was not being derived from this mine. Repairs and
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