THE COLLIERY PLANT.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2159, 27 May 1914, Page 14

THE COLLIERY PLANT.

A GENERAL DESCRIPTION.

The reader will now Lave a general idea of the Denniston collieries. There is first the incline froitf»the flats to the brow of the mountain, up which the Government railway wagons are run for their load. At the top of this are the great storago bins, whoro the coal is sorted, cleaned., screened, and either run directly out into the trucks or held for futuro use. Behind run the tramways to the mines, which are themselves situated on tho landward slopes of tha mountain. An idea of tho actual size of tho underground workings will be gained from the fact that it would take two days', steady walking to visit the present working faces in the two Denniston mines. Finally, tho reader, having grasped the extent of things at Denniston, has to remember that the company's second colliery at Millerton, ten miles away, is on very nearly the same scale. The power plant for operating the Dennislon colliery is divided into four sections. At the bins at the top of the incline is the main power plant, which works tho haulago on the main tramline from the junction, the conveyor belts, tho screening machinery, ■ tho various, other appliances about the bins, and also provides electric light for the company and tho town of Denniston. At tho junction is a second power plant for working the wire-rope haulage to tho Iron Bridge mine, etc., ■ aud at Coalbrookdalo is another big plant, which controls this section of haulage, and operates machinery of all kinds in tho mines, and in the half a dozen different .buildings scattered up and down the last quarter of a mile in tho valley., Finally tho fourth power unit is to bo found a mile or so away from tho junction above the centre of the Iron Bridgo mine. This is tho Kiwi compressor station, where power is supplied for the ventilating and pumping plant ,in tho mine, and also for working the compressed air drills, etc. Steam is the inotivo power used throughout, and at each of the four power stations arc big Babcock and AVillcox boilers. From the railway station at Waimaiißaroa where tho Conn's Creek branch leaves the main line, Donniston on its eyrie on the mountain top looks very near. One can almost see the people walking about, 'and it is difficult ' to realise that the journey, whether ' made by tho short road on foot or the long road by coach, will take with ordinary going about an hour and three--1 quarters. Until recently tho incline and ! tho foot track were the only means of communication with the world below. 1 Now, however, traps and motors can mako tho run up a well-graded road. ! Tho journey on foot is an exceedingly i pleasant one on a fine morning. The i track runs around bush-clad 'mountain ; sriurs on an easy slope, and from van- . taße points every hero and there one I has plimpses through the trees now of ! tho steep-walled AVaimangaroa Valley,

now of railsi'sy tragofts eareeTijig up and down the. tweak-neck iiieliiio, and now of the ■ littte hamlet cf Wainjaiigiiraa, tlio wido ftas-corercd. flats around it, thu Tasman Sen strctehkig ta infinity beyond,'ami away to the south ■ Westport and its hartaur dwarfed dewii to a speck or two -of colmir. Here aiid there along the path the traveller will notice outcrops of coal, and, if so minded, will have no difficulty in isreakiag oft fair-sized lumps at. diffownt spots. It is an interesting walk aijd its only defect is" that ofto goo? , oft toi on> and vet Dennfeten, wfek-ii looked so , near at! first, seems Mi a Very kjrig titoo to bo as far away as eve*.