C.—2
A brick wall on the return airway sealing off entries to F section showed heating on two occasions and was strengthened and raised. It is now gradually cooling. Fire also broke over the concrete wall on the return from H section. The fire was suppressed by water and the wall strengthened at the bottom, heightened, and plastered. Qlen Afton No. 2 Colliery (Mac Donald State Coal-mine Reserve under lease to the Glen Afton Collieries, Ltd.). —West Mine Section : Pillaring was continued in E and F pillar sections with development of E left and right panel sections. In the F pillar sections pillars were extracted from the rise boundary and falls of roof gave a good close, sealing stoppings on the south side which had been crushed and leaky for some time. North Mine Section: Pillar-extraction under good conditions proceeded in B, 151 right, 81, 82, and B3 left pillar sections. A fair percentage of top coal is won, the seam being 14 ft. to 15 ft. thick. Development: In the North Mine section the main drive has been estended into an area of proved coal to the north. The drive has passed through an outcrop to the surface and the haulage has been extended across a gully to where the main drive has been continued. The seam here is 20 ft. thick and is inclined slightly to the north. The faces are machine mined, and generally good conditions prevail in the section. Preparations are being made to install a large fan on the return drive recently holed back to the surface from the seam being worked. Slow progress has been made on the road from the bus stop to the mine-entrance. The formation work is almost complete, but the road is still unmetalled. Graham Colliery.—Pillar-extraction was continued at this mine, and the work was carried out under safe conditions, no fires occurring in the fallen ground. Waikato Extended Colliery (Roose Shipping Co., Owners). —A new drive has been commenced and connected to the Old Waikato Mine workings on the north side of the area. The revealed coal-seam, which is 20 ft. thick, is hard and of good quality, and the prospects indicate that a substantia! area of coal remains for working. tiuntly Brickworks.—Quarry operations were continued for the production of fireclay for the manufacture of fireclay and other bricks on the property. Taupiri East Coal-mine (Crown Lease : J. T. Holland). —Two headings from the bottom level have been set away on fixed bearings along the northern boundary of the lease for the purpose of reaching an area belonging to the Auckland University Council and under lease to the mine-owner. The seam is 25 ft. thick and the coal is of good quality and free from stone. A set of screens has been erected for the purpose of complying with section 21 of the Coal-mines Amendment Act, 1937. Campbell Coal-mine (Crown Lease: Whatawhata). —Operations in the mine dip consisted of splitting the pillars remaining to the rise on the south side. The main headings to the south have passed through stony, faulty coal which is hardly marketable, and the future prospects in this direction are very discouraging. Qlen" A " Potteries Opencast Mine.—Opencast faces have been in operation for the production of fireclay and coal for use in the manufacture of sanitary appliances at works established nearby. Renown Colliery (Renown Collieries, Ltd., Owners). —No. 2 north heading has been advanced to a distance of 25 chains from the main haulage road, an endless rope having been installed here to deal with the present output of 200 tons per day. The thickness of the seam here is 10 ft. Safety-lamps are in use throughout this section. No. 3 south heading has been advanced to a point 20 chains beyond No. 3 East level, and 13 chains from this point No. 4 west levels have been set off. These have advanced 5 chains from No. 3 south heading. The thickness of the seam here is 15 ft. A 100 ft. borehole has been put down from the surface in this locality to more effectively deal with the wator. Haulage of coal is now by way of No. 1 south instead of No. 3 south. Pillar-extraction is proceeding in No. 1 panel to the right of No. 1 south heading, and preparations are well in hand for the extraction of pillars between No. 2 and No. 3 south headings (No, 2 east panels). The percentage of pillar coal is approximately 35 per cent, and machine coal 65 per cent. Fifty " Oldham-Wheat " cap lamps of the latest type have been installed. The lamp is fitted with two bulbs, the larger having two independent filaments, each with a life of 300 hours. Candle-power is 25 and distribution of light 130°. The smaller bulb is for emergency use and will supply light for several days. The accumulator is made of moulded hard rubber, which eliminates corrosion and is nearly double the strength of a metal container. Wilton Colliery (Wilton Collieries, Ltd., Owners). —Pillar-extraction was continued in Tate's dip, Tansfield dip, and Singers dip sections and Yate's section, Lydon's dip, and No. 3 rise sections. The seam varies in thickness from 4 ft. to 8 ft., and difficult mining conditions were experienced due to jointy fireclay roof and seepage of water from the surface. Particular attention has to be paid to timbering owing to these conditions. An output of some 450 tons per day was maintained from pillar workings. No difficulty has been experienced through heating and a high percentage of pillar coal is being won. An area containing an estimated 300,000 tons of coal has been proved by boring on the Holme's Estate, 30 chains to the west of the company's private siding. A new section has been opened up in this locality, served by 26 chains of endless rope haulage from the company's private railway, with 5 chains surface direct haulage. The seam is 7 ft. to 8 ft. thick. Taranaki District. Old Stockman Coal-mine, Molcau.—This small mine is situated twenty-seven miles up the Mokau River. During the year the manager decided to open up a new mine section from the surface, conveniently situated to the west bank of the river and within 1 chain to the north of the old mine-entrance, for the purpose of shortening the haulage and for winning an area of proved coal lying to the east of the old workings. A new drive, 10 ft. wide, has been driven from the surface on level course in a coal-seam 5 ft. thick, which is overlain by a hard stratum of sandstone. Mangapeehi Coal-mine (Mangapeehi Coal-mining Co., Ltd. : Wayleave from Crown). —The main dip has been extended to within 5 chains of the freehold boundary, and it has travelled in coal throughout from the surface, with the exception of one break of 30 ft. through a faulted area. The average grade is 1 in 4, and it appears to be flattening at the face. The seam is 16 ft. thick, and it is clean and contains no stone-bands. Egmont Tatu Colliery (Crown Lease : Egmont Collieries, Ltd., Owners). —Development of the No. 2 mine section, opened to the north of the abandoned No. 1 mine section, was proceeded with. The seam is 7 ft. thick with, coal of good quality and free from stone, and dips to the south at a grade of 1 in 15. What proved to be a downthrow fault of 16 ft. displacement running in a north-easterly direction was met by the main dip at a distance of some 8 chains from the entrance. An extension of 1| chains through the disturbed area recovered the displaced seam. The bottom level to the south was extended to the surface to act as a drain level, and a syphon was installed to hold water at the level of the bottom south level. Pillar-extraction of the area developed to the south of the main drive was commenced, the intention being to pillar from near the outcrop to a line 21 chains from the main drive. Difficulty was met with due to crushing of pillars when split for roading owing to heavy falls of roof blocking the original roads. As the mine is in a very isolated locality and living-conditions for the men employed arc by no means good it has been found difficult to maintain an adequate staff to work the mine. The company ceased active operations in August.
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