53

C.—2

Mossbank No. 1 Mine.—On a 20-acre lease, east of the Wairaki No. 1 Mine and about 5 chains from the Linton Tramway, a dip is being put down, going south-west at a grade of lin 5. Two chains from the surface 6 ft. of clean coal was showing in the face with 4 ft. of stony coal above. The floor has not been reached, and it is expected that there are 10 ft. of coal below that now showing. Wairaki No. 1 Mine.—ln the main dip drive, 19 chains from the surface, a band of stone is now showing about 6|- ft. from the floor. The coal below the band is being worked and is very hard and clean. On the west side, 4 chains from the face of the dip, a pair of levels have been driven 4 chains in clean coal. The eastern workings entered a stony area, but in the bottom east level the coal is much improved, and the dirty " backs " are less in number. Wairaki No. 2 Mine.-—The only development now being done is in the north level off the bottom of the main dip. This went through a small downthrow fault. The coal beyond is 9 ft. thick and fairly clean. To further prospect this area another dip, going about due east, will be driven from near the face of the level and a small compressedair plant installed for haulage and pumping. A few miners are also engaged in splitting the pillars under the swamp area on the east side. A section of pillars on the west side, sealed off some time ago owing to heating, was reopened at Easter with the intention of working the pillars, but as signs of heating again appeared the section was resealed. Linton Mine.—Development in the No. 4 section was continued, and the main drive is now 14 chains from the surface and in excellent coal, 36 ft. in thickness, with 4 ft. of stony coal above. A small band of stone came in, 3 ft. 9 in. from the floor, and the places are now being driven above the band. This section is to be worked panel system, the panels being 6 chains by 10 chains. The ventilation is good, as brick stoppings are being built between the intake and return airways. The largest of these stoppings is only 8 ft. by 7 ft. A Robinson ventilating-fan has been ordered for this section, with a capacity of 04,000 cubic feet of air per minute at a W.G. of £in. This fan will be equipped with means for air-reversal. A new Sullivan 14 in. by 12 in. single-stage air-compressor has been installed, compressing 500 cubic feet of free air per minute to 75 Jb. per square inch. A slight ignition of inflammable gas occurred on the 30th July without injury to any person, and on the 16th October and 28th November small quantities were reported by the examining deputy. Inflammable gas was also reported, for the first time, in the 6ft seam. This section was shortly afterwards stopped. In the main-seam pillars better methods of timbering have been adopted. Some top coal is being worked, and a few pillars are being split. Ohai Coal Company's Mine.—The seam at this mine is dipping almost due west, and, so far, has been much faulted. The main dip drive did not reach workable coal until it was down 3 chains. At about 8 chains from the surface an upthrow fault of about 30 ft. displacement, running north-west and south-east, was struck, and in consequence a good deal of regrading-work has had to be done. On the north side the places are in stony coal, and in the third north level troubled ground was met when about 4 chains in from the dip. This proved to be a large " roll," and after driving through it, and another 12 yards in coal more troubled ground was met, and the coal was found to be thinning. A small quantity of inflammable gas was reported in this place on the 11th October. Only a few places are being worked on the south side, going towards the Morley Stream, and these are in good coal. Until recently the coal was conveyed by horse haulage along a surface tramway to the Linton Mine haulage-system. The owners have now constructed their own surface tramway to the Ohai Railway, thus shortening the haulage by 60 chains. Production from the mine was suspended while this new tramway was being made. Birchwood Mine.—The prospects of this mine are very bright, as the coal continues clean, and it has thickened to 9 ft. in the lower levels. No faults, except the one near the top of the dip, have been met, and the grade has flattened to lin s|-. The roof, which formerly appeared to be a good one, commenced to flake and go up into potholes between the props, so sets are now being used. The main dip is down 13 chains, and most of the output is obtained from the east side, where four of the levels are in over 9 chains. A modified panel system of working is being adopted. The first barrier pillar on the cast side is at No. 7 level, and that on the west side at No. 1 level. The panels will be about 5 acres each. A borehole was put up from the dip about 9 chains from the surface, and at 10ft. above the present workings a 4 ft. seam of mushy coal was met. The heated area in the old pillar section of the upper seam has been well sealed off. The breaks to surface were filled in and a good brick stopping built in the old horse level. Bridgehead Mine.—Near the six-mile peg on the Wairio-Ohai Railway two miners have commenced to put down a drive at a grade of lin 5 and dipping to the north-west. The coal was struck within a few yards, but the drive is in between two clay backs, and the thickness of the seam has not yet been ascertained. Boring at Morley.—A borehole was put down with the Keystone drill about 12 chains north of the traffic-road and to the north-east of the deep borehole. This second borehole was in papa for 350 ft., them it entered broken country, and it was stopped at 550 ft. without any coal being met. A third is now being drilled three-quarters of a mile south-east of the second one and near the traffic-road. It is now down 550 ft., and lam informed that coal has not yet been met. Fatal A ccident. Cromwell Mine. —11th March : Robert Thomson, 55, permitted mine-manager, died from the effects of carbonmonoxide poisoning. Heating was noticed in a confined place in the old workings of the Cromwell Mine, which is naturally ventilated. The deceased had, with a young man named Conn, been endeavouring to seal off the fire, and they had been working there from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. On their way to the surface both were overcome, but the younger man soon recovered. Although deceased appeared to revive slightly when artificial respiration was applied, he never regained consciousness, but died shortly after. Serious Non-fatal Accidents. Shag Point Coal-mining Company's Mine.—l4th January : William Wilde, 27, miner—hernia caused through slipping whilst turning a truck on a flat sheet. Waronui Mine. —26th February : Henry Chilvers, miner—fracture of the right tibia, caused through a lump of sandy claystone falling from the roof of his working-place. Prior to the lunch-hour he had been trying to pull the piece down, but without success. He recommenced working after lunch at the face, when the piece, which weighed about 1 cwt., fell, striking his leg. Black Diamond Mine. —16th April ; Samuel Lee, 65, miner—received an injury to his eye from a piece of coal flying from his pick. He resumed work on the 21st July. Black Diamond Mine,—Herman Braithwaite, 32, miner—was injured in the left eye by a piece of coal flying from the face. His eye had subsequently to be removed owing to the accident. Kaitangata No. 1 Mine. —Samuel Worsley, shiftman —fracture of the right tibia and fibula by being struck by a derailed empty tub which was being lowered into a laybye. He was employed that day detaching the empty sets of six tubs and attaching the full sets to the rope. The empty set had been stopped 20 ft. above the crossing and Worsley signalled for it to be lowered. On going over the crossing the fifth and last tub became derailed, and Worsley, who was standing alongside the rail, was struck on the shin, breaking both bones. Dangerous Occurrences notified under Regulation 81. New Brighton Mine. —17th January: Andrew C. Dixon, a miner, and George Dickson, blacksmith, were slightly burned by an ignition of inflammable gas. The cloth brattice, conducting air into a level, was down while these men were laying a crossing from the dip into the level. On completion of the work they commenced to replace the brattice, and Dickson, the taller of the two, was holding it up for Dixon to nail when the ignition occurred. As a consequence naked lights were then debarred from use in the mine.