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1132. Which do you call the outer fault?— The Brunner fault. 1133. And the other fault, is there no leader in it?— The last time I examined the mine I was, of course, unable to go right in. You cannot get in there now. 1134. What is the size of the fault? —I forget that; it is what is termed in the reports " the Brunner fault." It is the first fault of all, and is a dip fault. 1135. It runs out to nothing to the rise ?—Yes. 1136. And that is what you would spend £14,000 on?— Yes. 1137. Has the whole coal been worked out between these faults?— Yes. 1138. Of course you cannot say anything about the coal to the dip ?—No. 1139. What state are the old Brunner workings in ? —I examined them about twelve months ago—that is, the place marked old working on the plan—they are in a pretty fair state. 1140. Have any of the pillars been taken out there?— Yes; some portion of them. 1141. In what part?—lt is in what they call the fireclay workings. 1142. Had the roof settled ?—I did not notice any falls there as I was going through. 1143. Even when the pillars were taken out ?—No; I did not notice any falls there ; we travelled through a portion of the old workings. 1144. To what extent were the pillars taken out? —Not to any great extent. 1145. That is, in the old workings ?—Yes. 1146. And in the 16ft. seam along the fault?— The roof has come down there. I have good reason to know it, as I have had to clear a time or two from it. 1147. Did it make much noise ? —Oh yes. 1148. Do you think the roof came down and parted from the fault?—l should think so, as the coal was worked out clean to the fault. 1149. Have you ever been over the surface ?—Yes; shooting, and havinga look round with my brother, wdio had charge of some mine up there. 1150. Is he at Brunnerton now ?—Yes. 1151. Have you ever observed any signs of a fissure on the top ?—Yes ; there is a lower ledge. 1152. Is it recent ?—Yes, I think so ; it is high up on the west side this ledge has parted. 1153. Which way has it dropped?—lt has come towards the river. 1154. Do you think the surface-water gets in there now the pillars are out?— Yes. 1155. How had the roof come down? —It has come down particularly where the timber was taken away. There has been a great settlement there. 1156. How? Did it crack?— Sometimes it breaks away about 9ft. The last time I took the timber away from there it came about 50 yards, I should reckon. 1157. Does the settlement take place slowly?— Sometimes. It depends very much upon the strength of the rock. 1158. I suppose the timber is put in upright ?—Yes. 1159. You have taken out timber ?—Yes. I have done a good deal of that work. 1160. Have you ever noticed that any of the timber has shifted?—-Yes. 1161. Which way does it cant ?—Uphill, with the swell of the floor ; that cants them. 1162. Have you ever seen any timbers crushed?— Yes. 1163. How do they crush ? —They bend as if the strain was uphill. 1164. Do you think there is any motion of the roof—any shearing motion from each joint ?— I should think not. 1165. Then it is a fair settlement all over? —Yes. 1166. Do you think, if a proper rib of coal is left, it will be safe to work to the dip?—Perfectlysafe. 1167. How about the extra water to pump? Do you think there will be enough water left to pump ? —I should not think there would be if there is a proper rib of coal between. 1168. Now we will take the Coal-pit Heath. Have you worked in the lower part, towards the water-level; in the Brunner, that in the first dip ? —Yes. I was in the first rise; I was in the first of that, and, in fact, in the last of it. 1169. Did the water gather in there ? —Yes. 1170. Whereabouts? I mean, did it ever gather so as to menace the Coal-pit Heath ?—That I could not say. 1171. Do you remember any water standing there ?—Yes, I do. 1172. Was that after the amalgamation?— Yes; it was about the first stoppage of the Brunner— of about fourteen weeks, I should think. 1173. What was that due to ?—There was an incline driven to the Coal-pit Heath to connect with the Brunner. 1174. How did they stop at the Brunner ? —A break in the rope took place at that time. It was nothing to do with the water ; it was just an accident. 1175. Mr. Moody.] In your opinion, as a practical miner, would it not be better to get down to the bottom of the dip before they started to take the pillars out ?—-Yes, I should think so. That is usual. I have not seen it worked, but I have seen sketches. 1176. Do you consider that that is much better than starting to take the pillars out before they get to the bottom?— They ought to go to the dip-workings, and then work back. 1177. I suppose the reason they cannot do that in the Coal-pit Heath is that they have too much water ?-—Yes. 1178. What is tho condition of the pillars?—We get from 70 to 75 per cent, of pillars to face coal at the present time. There is a large amount of dip coal to be worked out, and it necessarily follows there must be a great outlay of capital for haulage and puinping-plant. 1179. Mr. Brown.] Are the figures you have given us your own estimate ? Is this amount for working-plant in addition to the sum you have already mentioned—namely, £14,000 —which you 14—C. 3.

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