THE DIAMOND DRILL.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, 8 September 1880, Page 2

THE DIAMOND DRILL.

" H.R.ll.*' contributes the following description of tlie diamond drill to the West Coast Times : — It liaving been announced that the engineer in charge (Mr Carter) of the diamond drill would get steam up for thp 6rst time yesterday affprnoor:. fhere was a considerable assomblnee of persons about the engine at 3 o'clock, amon?st whom were some accidental visitors from Clim'eliurch and other distant places. The site of present operations is on the south bank of the Hokihka river, just opposite the K^nipri township, 300 yards from the Kanieri biklge, and cl'-ss to the Maori Saw Mill road. This position was selected by tlie County Chairman, with the object of searching for coal, he being of the opinion that if there exist any coal seam of considerable extent, it will be found un'ler the sandstone which ruD« through the whole of this district. It will ' c vememberpd that some ypars ngn a compnny with ordinary boring rods penei rated to a depth of about 80 feet on rising ground near the K'inieri Lake, and found small; but not payable, seams, of coal in n jumbled condition. This is considered to be an upheaval, but to get to the true eonl formation recourse must be bad to the flit country. It may be men* tioned that Sir George Grey on his first visit to the West Coast (lie is considered a geological authority), on noticing tl c sandstone formation about Kanieri, pointed to the rock and said " you will gef coal teneath that Tfigfcj' _ The rock itself need hardly be ra^ftjecl, as it is met wifli all over the j§^£ffy from beyond Greymouth to "t|Us*«f" Here, at Kanieri, it is a friable, soft, brownish sandstone, the depth of which will now

be prcved, as will also what coal, rock or other formation may he beneath if. Ah though the sandstone to be first boieJ is soft, the engineer expects that the drill will be able to bring it up | o the sur'ace in the usu'l 10ft lengths, and he is also of the opinion that the rock will bo found much harder as the bore goes down. Mr Carter is of opinion that (he drill will experience no difficulty in working throuali gravel, should such be met with, aud although iie believes that the difficulties in boring country, such as may be met with on this coast, are not at all insuperaMe, as was thought by several persons on the introduction of the engine to Westland. The machine itself is a beautiful piece of mechanism. It was made by Moris Dock and Engineering Company, Sydney, for the Australian Kock Drill Company, and imported new and direct from New South Wales, by the New Zealand Gov« ernment, the rost of the enaine with all fittings and furnishings being £1500. The engine is a French patent, and is 12 h.p., with locomotiye boiler, the enging bi'in-u in front of the boiler and fireboxes mule to burn wood or coal. The drill spindle is worked by two oscillating cylinders, by bevel gearing, and the diamouds are set into a circular disc screwed into the core barrel, which is 10 feet in length by If inch in diameter. The engine when in motion works with a 'burring' sound not unlike the noise made by sets of m llstones worked by steam. It is capable of boring to a depth of 1500 feet ; but 700 feet of rods only, hare been sent to this coast. The 10 feet core barrel carries and contains the core, as the took l^ored through is jeietrated. and, of course, has to be raised to the surface as every additional 10 feet is bored. The other lengths of rods are also hollow, for the sake of lightness, and also to afford a means for supplying the necesn sary water to the drill. The diamond? are set — to the number of 8 or 10 — on the outer nnd inner edges, alternately, of the ' bit ' or circular disc at the end of the core barrsl. Thpse diamonds are about the size of ordinary peas, and rpsemble dirty brown glass peb'des of that s ; ze. No lady would covet them — indeed, nine ladies out of every ten would not credit that these muddy and dull looking little stones were reel bril* liants. Several of them, spare ones, in a match box, were shown to us by Mr Carter— about fifteen or so. They are worth from £5 to£7 each, and the eitht in the 'bit' were worth about £60 altogether. Of course these are Cape diamonds not of the firsf, or oven of tie second, water. Like the hills, or like "Tim the Loafer's' appearances at the Police Court, the diamonds are eternal— they are impervious to ordinary wear an) tear. The eneine is so beautifully adapted for the kind of work it has to do, that the mere shifting of a handle changes the barrel to any desired position — horizmtil, vertical, or to any angle between there positions. It is, therefore, at admirably adaped for boring iulo h Us as for penetrating beneath the ground. In all the colonies these machines are now at work. In New South Wales, at Port Hacking, near SvHney, Mr Carter bored to a depth of 2150 feet, and at Moo;e Park, not far from the Sydney General Post Office, to a depth of 1900 feet. There are at least si* of flies? drills at wotk in New South Wales ; as many in Victoria ; and three or four in Queensland. A splendid quartz reef, in Gympie. Queensland, was discovered by the drill. A core of this Gympie qu.%rfz rock is to be seen now, at the Mines Depart men^, Wellington. In l^e^ Scnth Wales Mr Carter had a remarkabh; geological experiecce, having bored 80 feet into nothing at all, as Pat would say. About 100 feet from the surface he came npon a vacuum, which continued for a distance of 80 feet, on attaining which, te n fjrma was again met wit.h, to the great joy of the engineer, who began to fancy that he had bored a hole through the globe. The engineer is under a twelve month's engagement with the Government, nnd is in eve -y ray a first-class mm. As he is ala rge shareholder in tho D ill Company, it is to his interpst to see success attend operations. He is most obliging and kind in explaining the machine to visitors. Under him are three mm also paid by the G' v^rnment. The County Council pay for the boring as per scale as follows : — 1 t 100 feet, 10< per foot ; 2nd 100 feet, 12s 6J per foot ; 3rd 100 feet, los per foot • 4th 100 feet, 17s 61 per foot; slh 100 feet, 21s per foot; 6 h 100 feet, 25s per foot ; 7h 100 feet, 30s per foot. The furnace consumes about a ton of wood or half a ton of coal per diem. Mr Carter estimates that the engine will bore, where it now i»\ some 25 feet per diem, so that it may be a month at Kmieri, after which it ijoes to GoIH-shnrou'ih.