THE COLLINGWOOD COAL MINE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 49, 26 February 1872, Page 2

THE COLLINGWOOD COAL MINE.

It may not be generally known that the Collingwood Coal Mining Company has ceased working, but such unfortunately is the case, and the present time appears to us to be an opportune one for giving a slight sketch of the proceedings of the Company from the time when first it was called into existence, in the hope that some little interest may be excited in the matter, and the people of Nelson led to seriously consider whether some action cannot be taken in the direction of re-commenciog the workings and turning to account so valuable a property. To go back as far as 1866. A number of gentlemeD, having becbmd convinced of tbe existence of coal of a really good quality, obtained a lease of the seam, and sent the late Mr.Burnett over to inspect and report upon it, and his report having proved on the whole satisfactory, an attempt was made to float a Company for the purpose of working the mine. But little interest, however, was taken in the matter, and very few shares being applied for the. scheme was suffered to drop for a time. In 1868 another attempt, wasimade, which, on this occasion, proved more successful, although the capital was by far too small for such an

undertakiDj^pnsist'ing, as it did, of only £3,6J)0 A m 3fct§arcs of £120 each. Ho^ye'yerV'ljdis wfas thought sufficient at the rimeHo^justify the. directors in commencitig ' operations, being looked upon as merely a nucleus, which would eventually, when the workings had been fairly entered upon, attract the attention of a larger number of capitalists, in which case the Compauy might be started anew upon a scale commensurate with the large quantity of excellent coal that was known to exist upon the property. The directors were further encouraged in their undertaking by the high price- then ■ ruling for the imported article,' and by the fact that the Provincial Government had. offered a bonus of "ss. per ton for all rpally good coal taken from any mine in Blind Bay. With these considerations in view it was thought the mine could be worked to advantage even in a small way, the intention being that oil profit^ should be judiciously expended upon the further prospecting and developing the mine. Biifore giving an account of the work already done by the Company,, it may be as well to state that the property consists of one-fourth of a square mile of land situated on the western side of the Aorere river, at a distance of about four miles from ihe port of Collingwood, aud held under lease from the Provincial Government. The seams, which are five in number, are exposed iv several gullies, at an f-levation of nearly 1000 feet above the level of "the sea. To this spot a substantial wooden tratmyay, about three miles in length, has been constructed, including an incliue of a quarter of a mile with a rise of one in two, on which are self- acting trucks, controlled by a powerful brake. There are also a coal shoot 140 feet long, huts for the- accommodation of the miners, wagons for the conveyance of the coa s , a blacksmith's shop with all the necessary fitliugs, and a substantial wharf, and, iv addition to all this, a number of long drives have been made for the purpose of developing the mine, and testing the various sesms.. tho whole of the works having involved an outlay of close upon £5000. During the time that has elapsed since the opening of the mine 3600 tons have been disposed of, and the demand has beeD gradually and steadily increasing, all who have used the coal being loud in its praise, and yet, in a pecuniary seose, the working of it has not been attended with satisfactory results. This may be accounted for in various way?, the first and most important cause being the want of capital to open up the mine on a large scale, second, the . difficulty experienced in obtaining good coal miners, and the high rate of wages the Company has been compelled to pay; third, the reduction in the price of imported coal that took place immediately upon the article from this mine being placed in the market. To these may be added the cost of conveyance from the mine to the river, and the freight from thence to NelsoD, and the more than ordinary difficulty to be encountered in separating the coal from the shale, prior to its being brought to the river side. It is, however, believed that, if the workiDgs could be carried on upon a large scale, these two last-named obstacles would be found lo be of no great importance. With reference to the quality of the produce of the mine, a few extracts from the reports received by the manager will serve to remove any doubts that may be entertained on this head. As a gas coal, Mr. George, the manager of the Wellington Gas Company, reports as follows :— May 5, 1871: "The coal, as per sample, gives on an average 9,500 to 9,800 cubic feet per ton; 11 cwt. of coke per ton; illuminating power, equal to 18 candles. This is equal to average Cannel coal obtained in England." On the 10th August, 1871, the same gentleman wrote : — "The result of the trial of the coal received ex " Waihopai," is very satisfactory, the gas made from it being very good, and the quantity given from an average of 8 tons equal to 9,300 feet of gas per ton. I trust, however, that you will be able to make the price rather less, as at the previous rate it costs 4s. per ton more than N.S.W. coal, the quantity and quality of the gas, however, ore superior,' which makes the coal worth more to us. If you can land "it here at 255. 6d. or 265. per ton I could arrange to receive a regular shipment of at least 50 tons per month, and coal merchants would also be prepared to take a supply at that price. On the 16th August, Mr. George . wrote again as follows : — " Your coal is certainly the best I have bad for gas purposes, and I am anxious to obtain a regular supply if possible." No more favorable testimony with regard to. its gas producing qualities could be desired, while, as to its capabilities for sream purposes, the following extracts speak for themselves. Messrs. Hooper and Dodson, brewers, state : — \ !' We find that the quantity consumed for a given amount of work is slightly more of Collingwood than of the G-rey coal, which we have hitherto found to suit ua

better than tßat from Newcastle; N.S.W., . being ,in ? the; 7 proportion; ofjfl£s to 147. \Tlrere is|!hovttevef; ja saving in; the cost for a' Bimil'ar'>amQunt of work of f about ten-aua'-a-halF per cent;" The engineer of the s.s. Rangitoto also reported : — " We tried 17 toos of the Collingwood coal and find them good for steamer purposes, as they raised steam up fast, but they are too small for our bars ; if they were larger I would prefer them to most of the Newcastle coal we get." That such a property as this should be allowed to remain unworked cannot but be a matter for regret, and we must trust that the directors may yet be able to form some plan whereby .the, coal, which is known to exist in large quantities, and has been proved to be of such excellent quality, may take the place of the foreign article in our market. For remainder of news see fourth page.

The falling off in the .wool-clip of Tasmania last year; was nearly a million and a half pounds weight, owing chiefly to the enormous increase of rabbits in that island. . "'" A Silver Mountain. — A mountain of silver, or, at all events, a mountain containing vast quantities of the metal, bas been discovered in Nevada, the State just admitted in the American Union. Its name is Silver Peak, it is east of San Francisco, and about seventy miles south of Austin, and twelve immensely rich lodes have already been opened. The whole of. Nevada is rich .in silver, but this particular spot, will, it' is believed, produce more than any mines yet discovered. Close to the Peak is an extinct crater, near it a vast deposit of salt, withiu sight a hill of pure sulphur, and arquud an endless stony desert, tbe.wbole scene suggesting, strongly the picture Milton drew of hell. Neither poetry nor superstition are, however, likely to stop the miners of the Far West, when they see their way clear to sudden and limitless wealth. Notes and Queries has the following epitaph on a clockmaker in Lydtord churchyard, Devon :— -" Here lies, in a horizontal position, the outside Case of George Eoutleigb, Watchmaker, whose abilities in that line were a credit to his profession. Integrity was the Mainspring, and prudence the Eegulator of. all the actions of his life. Humane, generous, and liberal, his Hand never stopped till he had relieved distress. So nicely regulated were all his Motions that he never went wrong, except when set agoing by people who did not know his Key ; even then be was easily set right again. He had the art of disposing his Time so well that his Hours glided away in a perpetual round of pleasure and delight, till an unlucky Minute put a stop to his existence. He departed this life November 14, 1802, aged 57. Wound up in the hopes of being thoroughly cleansed and repaired, and set agoing in the next world." The above, it is said, was written by the man himself. Umbrella Extraordinary.— A new and startling discovery of an umbrella composed not of silk, gingham, or any similar texture, but actually of rain, has been made. A gentleman (Mr. Drulep), on the road between Sourdes and Peyrouse, might recently have been seen, during a heavy rain, holding above his head a short walking-stick or cane. The rain, descending on this, spread out in a sheet of water dome fashion, and under this novel umbrella the inventor walked, as carefully protected from the falling rain as though the best silk had been above him. Crowdß of people witnessed the occurrence, and very^shortly, it is asserted, Mr. Drulep will make known his secret. Some scientific men say that the extraordinary effect of the cane is owing to a new application of the principle known as tourniquet electrique. Like the recent wonderful machine in the South of Frauce for destroying naval armaments, the neat story of the rain umbrella may reduce the alleged discovery to a very tame and uninteresting affair. The Franco-Prussian war has elicited the fact that the French newspapers are the most enormous liars the world ever saw. The Melbourne Age says: — We may soon expect a fashion in noses, as there is a fashion in the color of the hair, the cut of a coat, and the style of a bat. Hitherto mortals have been under the impression that they must be content with the nose nature gave them, aud many a young lady whose nose has been rather too much of a snuh has mourned over the fact, but has nevertheless felt it to be incurable. Better days have, however, dawned for those who have unfortunately unhandsome noses. The following advertisement, copied from. a London paper, assures relief to those discontented with their noses : — " Nose Machine — This is a contrivance which, applied to the nose for an hour daily, so directs the soft cartilage of which the member consists that an illformed nose is quickly shaped to perfection. Any one can use them and without pain." The cost of these articles is very moderate, and the advertiser is a tradesman wellknown for his cosmetics, depilatories, and similar artices. Should a run on any particular nose take place we may expect that a good many of our exquisites will be all of one pattern as far as the nasal organ is concerned— just like so many Dutch yew trees clipped to one form. A Eemarkable Diplomatist.— Gen. Brice, the new representative of Hayti in France, has just presented his credentials to M. Thiers. If all's true that is reported of him, this sable officer is certainly one of the most remarkable attached to the diplomatic corps, and deserves a short biographical sketch. He highly dis tinguished himself in a variety of ways during the recent troubles in St. Domingo, more especially by personal acts of bravery and the persistent manner in which he hunted down the Emperor Souloque. His adventures leave the most daring flights of the sensational novelist far , to the rear.

The General is said to have penetrated many times into the heart of the.eneriiy's position under all kinds of disguises, and never to have returned to camp without' having first stuffed his;pockets with (he ears .ofr assassinated sentries. In; fact he' appears to have been a kind of Sergeant Hoff of a barbarous type. Twice was our new diplomatist banged by the neck ; twice dil the rope slip, and three sieges did he stand, and on each occasion was reduced to eat the soles of his boots. Such, at least, are the tales told of General Brice at tho Court of Versailles. The ambassador is about forty years of age, and is reported to travel with tho cartilaginous trophies which he gained in his own country. It. is not stated whether he intends to appear at Court iv them. The last time other people's ears were worn in France does not date further back than the Bourbon restoration, when Trestaillon Truphemi and other ruffians mutilated the Protestants in the south of Frauce. — Pall Mall Gazette. Bishop Dupanloup and a Boy Officer. — The following is from a work entitled "Our Adventures during the War of 1870" : — Seeing iD what a state of terror and danger all the people were, we went to the Eveche, intending to ask the bishop to entrust any valuables to us. Wu entered the wide-open gutes. The old' porter and his wife were weeping. In spite of their being 100 wounded in the house — 50 French and 50 German: — the general of a division bad taken possession of it, it was turned into quarters, and resembled a barrack. There was no one to announce us. We crossed the courtyard, and entered the hall. It was full of scldieis. Turning off, wo went through the little private chapel, where all was dark and quiet, one solitary lamp still burning before the altar, up a back .staircase, and so through to the first, floor, where were the bishop's rooms. Chaplains, servants, all were gone j we came into the ante-room of the bishop's library, where he usually received visitors, and here we met a grand vicar in tears, and a little carpet-bag in his hand. His bedroom had been taken possession of by a German lieutenant, his two watches, and eorae linen shirts stolen, and his purse with some money in it. He was going to seek a roof to cover him in the town. Shocked and disgusted, we stood still, consulting what to do — how to announce ourselves to the bishop, indeed where to find him— when we heard a voice speaking loudly and harshly in the next room. We listened, it was certainly a Prussian; but the tones were not those to use in the presence of a mau so high in rank, of Buch world-wide reputation, as Monseigneur Dupanloup. The door suddenly opened, and a tall, beardless boy in uniform came out, followed by the bishop, in his violet soutane, the very picture of an aged and dignified priest. He was remonstrating with the officer that this room was his own library., He could not have officers sleeping there. He had been kept awake till three in the morning by the shouting and singing goiDg on in the room down below him, and to have it here was impossible. But the boy answered sharply iv very bad French, "But you must; no nonsense with us ; do you hear that. Three beds to be made up in this room by 5 o'clock this eveniog, or you will be the worse for it." " Mais Monsieur," said the poor bishop, mildly. " Do you hear me ? " broke in the officer, raising his clenched fist as he spoke. " Three beds here tonight ; you know what you have to do ; mind that it is done. Do you hear ? " The poor bishop leaned against the door, saying, in a faint voice, "Monsieur, je ne peux plus." (Sir, I can bear no more) and, catching hold of the arm of a chaplain, tottered back into his room. If ever I longed to be a man aud a soldier, just for five minutes, it was then ; but I was ODly a woman, and I looked the Prussian full in the face as he passed me, saying in German, " You brute, they shall know of this in England." He looked very foolish, and said, " I was ordered by the general." " You have done well," I answered. * " I am happy to see how you G-ermans honor an old man and a priest." He walked out cursing and muttering, and, not liking to intrude on such sorrow as the bishop's, we left. • The Prince op Wales' Illness. — Sending the News prom Sandringham. - — The Saridringham correspondent of the Daily News writes : — All round Sandringham the country, mostly flat and considerably woody, with trees of swarthy foliage but of no great size, is covered with snow to the depth of several inches. There is no telegraph station nearer than Lynn, about eight miles from Sandringham. Wolferton Station, which is the station for Sandringham Lodge, and distant from it about two miles, consists of a single little waiting room, with not a house within sight. Beyond the grounds of the Lodge is the hamlet of Dersingham, consisting of a few cottages and the Cock Inn. Let me narrate a night's

experience of some of those whose duty compelled -them to watch for tidings through the anxious hours between the going down of the sun on Friday and its rising, in the sullen snowy sky on the morning of Saturday. There was the long cold drive on Friday evening back to Lynn. To be transmitted by the telegraph wires, a little before midnight, came the tidings that Prince Arthur's special train would pass through Lynn about one in the morning, and the civil suggestion that we should avail ourselves of it as far as Wolferton. Away through the snow whirled the " special," not the less swiftly that there were apprehensions that its occupant might be too late for the brotherly duty on which he came. In the gloom, by the station, stood a brougham, with lighted lamps. "What news?" asked the Prince eagerly of the servant who opened the carriage door for him, "No worse," was the reply. " Thank Godno worse ! " was all the comment, with a half-break in the accents, and then the Prince was off »t the full trot up the snow-muffled hill. There followed more slowly another vehicle, containing those whose duty it was to watch for tidings. That night there were few sleepers about Sandringham. Many lights were in the windows of the Lodge, besides showing dully through the blinds of the sick room. In gardners' houses, gate-lodges, and cottages were . to be seen the lights of anxious and foreboding watchers. Inside the gates was visible the flash of the patrolling policeman's bull's eye. And now further progress had to be made on foot. Not much to learn, yet that not utterly disheartening. "The Prince is asleep, and is thought to be a trifle easier." Then down to Dersingham into a stonefloored room in the " Cock," and the duty of arranging every hour. One enquirer had to visit the Lodge till the issue of the morning bulletin, wading through the deep snow, losiDg the way, overshadowed as it was by the swarfc : pine trees, finding it again after much stumbling and struggling; past the Norwich gates, skirting the park wall, and startling the ground game from their forms. He whose turn it was to make enquiry stumped onward towards the policeman's bull's eye, to draw a long breath of relief as he heard the tidings which were good in so far as. they were not absolutely bad. Then came the task of rousing the horse express, whose duty it was to convey the brief message to the Lynn telegraph office, where, through the live-long qight, the operators on the 'wires, never thought of sleep, as little thought of, indeed,. by. -the.- watchers for the tidings.