THE M'QUEENVILLE COALMINE.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 374, 9 July 1903, Page 5

THE M'QUEENVILLE COALMINE.

The mine-manager of the M'Queenville (Lett's) Coal-mine, at Alexandra, has reported to the Assistant Inspector cf Mines that in March last an outburst of water and sand, accompanied by gas, took place from the floor of the rise to the dip. A concreted dam was. put in, the wall being fully 2ft in thickness. The inner 16ft was filled with bags anil slack, except for a small working space behind the wall of the dam. This dam burst at the bottom, and a second concrete wall, 9in wide, was tried, hut this burst about a foot from the floor. A third wall, Ift thick, is now in. There were two safety lamps in use at the mine, a Marsaut and a Davy (with shield). Fire-damp appeared in the high corner of the outside face of the wall regularly since March, but there was no great accumulation. On the 7th May John Duncan went to examine the face of the dam with the safety lamp, when he found a small quantity of gas in the high place; he also found a slight draw about 20ft back in the roof of the drive. On getting out to the flat-sheet Duncan put his naked light on his head, and returned to hang the safety lamp on a prop immediately under where he found the slight draw, with the result that the gas was fired and Duncan's hair got singed; but the ignition was slight, his light not being put out. Mr Howie, the minemanager, was just entering the drive at the time of the ignition. On the 13th May the Inspector and Mr Howie tested the place with the lamp, but tbey did not find the slightest trace of gas about the face. Mr Howie, however, lit his naked light, with the result that in examining the running water from the pipe a slight ignition took place at the mouth of the pipe in the low corner. In. consequence the Inspector instructed the manager whilst working about the dam not to use naked lights until it was finished and thoroughly tight Mr M'lntosh is afraid that some difficulty will be experienced in getting the dam to stand; the water has some pressure behind it, and in rising behind the wall" compresses the gas, with the result that in the soft floor there will leakage. The flow of water is very small, and at the time of inspection would hardly fill an inch pipe. The utility of the dam is questionable, as one good pump would suffice for the whole mine- In a memorandum rereferring to this ignition of gas, the Inspecting Engineer states that it is a common thing to obtain a slight flash at the end of water-delivery pipes from pumps working in some coal-mines' — "Mines Record." DIVIDENDS The following dividends have been declared during the week:— New Halfway House Dredgiag 00., 2s per share< Manuherikia Dredging Co., 2s per share. Enterprise Dredgine 00., 2s per share. Royal Waimumu Dredging Co. Is per share, DREDGING RETURNS. The following are the returns for the week ending Saturday, July 11th, 1903: ozdwtgrs Manuherikia, Alexandra, 128hrs 101 4 0 First Chance, Alexandra ... 95 0 0 Lady Roxburgh, Roxburgh ... 77 0 *> Dunstan Lead, Alexandra. ... 65 0 0 Sailors Bend, Alexandra, sdys... 63 15 0 Unity, Clyde, week «0 0 «J Electric No 2, Cromwell ... 55 3 « Sandy Point. Alexandra, ... 52 3 1» Earnscleugh No 2. Alexandra 125h 51 0 0 Cromwell No. 2. Cromwell ... 44 I 0 Perseverance No. 1. Alexandra... 43 10 0 Gold King. Roxburgh, week ... 43 0 0 Mystery Flat. Waikaia. ... 42 18 0 Molyneux Kohinoor, Roxburgh ... 42 1 12 Electric No. 1. Cromwell ... 40 14 0 Otago No 2, Beaumont ... 39 0 0 Muddy Creek, Waikaia, 120h ... 36 12 0 Alpine No. 2. Cromwell, ... 34 13 18 Hartley and Riley, Cromwell ... 34 0 0 Enterprise No 1, Alexandra ... 33 12 12 Upper Waipori, Waipori. 124br... 33 0 0 Alexandra Lead, Alexandra, ... 33 0 0 Enterprise No 2, Alexandra ... 32 8 V Ettrick, Roxburgh, 106hrs ... 30 10 0 Golden Treasure, Miller's Flat, wTi 30 0 0 Waimumu Queen, Gore ... 29 0 0 Waikaka, Waikaka, 132brs ... 27 14 0 Earnscleugh No 1, Alexandra, 126h 27 0 0 Central Charlton, near Gore. 137br 24 14 0 Golden Gate. Millers Flat, 6dys 24 5 0 Waikaka Queen, Waikaka ... 24 0 0 Golden Bed. Miller's Flat, 124hre 23 18 0 Endeavour, Roxburgh, wk ... 23 0 0 Waikaka United No 1, Waikaka 22 17 0 Gabriel. Tuapeka Flat... ... 22 4 0 New Half-way House, Clyde Rd 22 0 0 Waimumu, near Gore, ... 21 0 0 Royal Waimumu, near Gore 20 6 0 Reliance. Tuapeka Flat ... 20 11 11 Roxburgh Jubilee, Roxb'rgh, 131h 20 2 0 Inch Valley, near Palruerston ... 20 0 0 Moa No 2, Alexandra, ... 20 0 0 Success, Waipori ... ... 20 -"0 0 Chicago. Alexandra, ... ... 19 14 12 Waikaka Syndicate, Waikaka ... 19 13 0 Cairntrodlie, Poolburn, 2Cshrs... 18 19 0 MacCharlton. near Gore, 136brs 18 0 0 Lower Enfield, Waipori, 72hrs 17 15 0 Inchdale. near Palmerston, ... 17 9 0 Bendigo, below Alexandra ... 17 0 0 Island Block, Beaumont, ... 16 11 0 Happy Valley. Tuapeka. wk 16 6 0 Golden Run, Millers Flat ... 16 0 0 Empire No 1, Waipori ... 15 10 0 Champion, Beaumont, wk ... 15 7 0 Charlton Creek, near Gore ... 14 10 0 Otago. Miller's Flat, 6dys ... 14 0 o New Paul's Beach, Beaumont ... 13 16 0 Enfield, Waipori, ... ... 12 14 0 Ttoytct, Tttay*kt flat, Wk 4tt IS € «

Grand Junction No 2 ... 12 0 0 Spec Gully, near Gore. ... 11 11 0 Davis Bend No-1, Alexandra ... 11 8 0 Davis Bend No 2, above Clyde ... 11 0 0 Junction ElectricNol,Cromwell, 10 18 0 Taniwha, Tuapeka River ... 10 12 12 Olrig.Manuherikia, I2oh .990 Globe, Waikaka, I34hrs ... 9 8 0 Molyneux Hydraulic, Alexandra" 8 6 0 Meg and Annie, Kawarau River... 4 316 Total for 71 dredges ... 2011 10 15 Average per dredge ... 28 0 0