The Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, JUNE 4, 1872.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 132, 4 June 1872, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, JUNE 4, 1872.

A Report was laid on the Council table last night from Mr. Dent, the manager of the Brunner coalmine, which contains certain suggestions that appear to be well worthy of the consideration of the Council. Mr. Dent commences by stating that thecontinually flooded state of the river, by altering the falls and in many other ways, has completely put a stop to auything like regular carriage between the mine and the port, the consequence being that full employment cannot be given to tbe men at the mine who are therefore compelled to leave and look for work elsewhere. He then goes on to propose a remedy for this state of things in the construction of a wooden tramway from the mine to Cobden, which, it is stated, cau be effected at an outlay of £3,500. Details of the cost of such a work are given at length, and in order to show that the calculations are reliable, Mr. Dent says that a local firm has offered to lay the whole tramway, 484 chains in length, for £3 a chain, including everything but shoots and a few other items, the entire work to be completed io four months from the time of coo_r_.enci-.g. There seems little reason to doubt, then, tbat the sum named, £3,500, would be sufficient for the work required to be done. The report then goes on to show the return that may be expected for the capital expended. The quantity of coal taken down the river last year was 12,000 tons, and it is calculated that, with the increased facility afforded by a tramway, the aonual export would be increased to 16,000 tons. At present it is delivered at the pit's mouth for 10s. a ton, while at the river mouth it is sold at the present time at from 18s. to 20s. Hero we come to a weak point in Mr. Dent's estimate, as he bases his calculations of the probable returns from the tramway upon the present rate of carriage, namely, Bs. per ton, making the gross receipts for the year, £6400 But the object of such a work, we take it, would be to reduce the price at which coal could be obtained at the'port to something like a reasonable rat. , and it must, be remembered that it has frequently beet) brought down the river at 65., and at one urusually favorable season, we are told, as low as 4s. 6_. It would not be right then in making an estimate of the returns, to set down the price of carriage at a higher rate than ss. per ton, but even at this rate, the gross receipts for the year, supposing 16,000 tons .to be a correct estimate of the amount of coal to be conveyed over the line would amount to £4000, or £500 more than tbe cost of construction. To this latter there must, of course, be added the working expenses, which, however, Mr. Dent considers would be very trifling, while he states it as his opinion that tbe miners would willingly get out the coal at a shilling per ton less than they are now paid in consideration of getting up provisions and stores by the tramway. The argument against ihe construction of such a line that will naturally be the first to occur to anyone giving the matter a thought will be that the General Government has expressed its intention of shortly commencing a railway from the mine to Greymouth, but as yet there are no signs of a beginning being made, and even after the first sod is turned, it will probably be from 18 months to two years before the line is completed, so tbat, if Mr. Dent's figures are to be relied upon, the proposed tramway, besides having conferred a great benpfit upon steamers plying upon the West Coast, which, under present circumstances, can with the greatest difficulty obtain a sufficient supply of coal, will have paid for its construction over and over again before tbe traffic is diverged to the south side of the river. Whether or not Mr. Dent's calculations are reliable we are not in a position to state, but the members of the Select Committee to whom the report has been referred will, no doubt, test them in every possible way, and should tbey have reason to believe them to be correct, they can have no hesitation in recommending tbe immediate construction of a line of tramway that can be made without costing the province anything, while it will confer a great benefit on the community generally.

Richmond Fair. — The quarterly fair takes place at Richmond to-morrow. Gas Debentures. A return laid on the table of rhe Council last night by the Provincial Treasurer showel that debentures to tbe full amount r. quired, £16,000, had been disposed of, the amount of cash received bei.ig £14,931. The average price of the debentures was £93 6s. 4-|"J., and the interest will amount to £6 Bs. 7^d. per cent. The Upper Buller. — Some specimens of onions and potatoes grown in the Upper Buller district may be seen at the office of this paper. If they are anything like a fair sample of the ordinary root crops raised in that part of the province, as we are assured is the case, they bear undeniable testimony to the ricbuess of the soil, one of the onions being no less than l-_lb. in weight. The Fatal Accident at Collingwood. — A correspondent sends us ' the following : — One of those startling and painful occurrences which seem sent to remind us of that solemn truth that "In the midst of life we are in death," took place in our small community on Wednesday last. A Mr. Ernest, a native of America, and long a resident and miner at the head of Appo's Gully, a married man, but fortunately without children, went to his work as usual on Wednesday. Now this work consisted of the very dangerous system of sluicing inside a funnel, the tunnel being on the claim of which he was sole proprietor, and in which he worked alone. On this morniug in question, a little before dinner time, Mrs. Ernest, sent a little girl who was •laying with her to call him to dinuer. She oame back and said Si he was not there, and the hole was all blocked up." Mrs. Ernest (hen started to see what was the matter and found what the little girl said was true. She then turned off the water, but at the same time saw a man whom she supposed to be Ernest coming up from Glengyle 'which runs due north from Ernest's claim, so she went back home and waited for him to come, but all in vain, so she once more made her way to the workings where she found the supposed Ernest to be a man from the Glengyle claim. Alarm was at once given Mrs. Ernest went for her neighbors Messrs. Duggan and Haines and the man went for his mates at the Glengyle, and after incessant work of about nine hoursby sluicing away all the debris that had fallen in, they came upon the body of Mr. Ernest dreadfully crushed and bruised ; the back and neck were broken, and one leg and one arm twisted out of the sockets, and otherwise much cut about. Ou the Friday the inquest was held, and the body was then carried in the coffin to the mouth of tbe gully, and from thence it was taken in Mr. Brace's waggon to the Collingwood cemetery where he was buried, Mr. Gaskin performing the service.