THE GREY COAL COMPANY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4160, 21 July 1874, Page 3

THE GREY COAL COMPANY.

The following description of the Grey Coal Company’s mine, in which many residents of the Colony are interested, is furnished hy the Grey River Argus : The mine of the Grey Coal Company is situated seven miles from G-reymouth, and exactly opposite the Brunner seam, of which it is a continuation. The earlier operations of this company were, under the experienced management of Mr. Simpson, from Newcastle, wisely confined to proving their extensive lease, which was first done by boring. The first and only bore rendered necessary by the judicious selection of its site, reached a depth of about 220 feet, proving a splendid seam of coal to exist seventeen feet in thickness. Through this satisfactory result, the manager was at once enabled to fix upon the selection of a site for the shaft, which was immediately proceeded with. The shaft, as has already been stated, is opposite the Brunner mine, and at a distance of about 200 yards from it ; of course, separated, as all oiher interests are in the Grey Valley, by the river. Situated as it is at a slight elevation above the river, and less than 100 yards from the railway, the position could not be improved upon, since nature herself has placed the coal in the very best possible place that it could be obtained with the least expenditure of capital. The shaft itself merits some description. For the first twenty-feet it is twelve feet in diameter, thus leaving room, besides being well timbered, for a stone wall one foot in thickness, which will be built in. Eighty feet from the surface a magnificent seam of coal, fourteen feet thick, was met with. It will be seen that the thickness of the seam varies, but the average may bo presumed to bo fourteen feet. This is the thickness of the Brunner seam, which it resembles in every respect, both in quality of the coal and. the thickness of the seam. The shaft is yet to bo sunk a further depth of 14ft., which when finished will make it 108 ft. Although considerably below the level of the river, no hindrance has been experienced from the water, nor is it at all likely to prove troublesome. One of the most noticeable features in connection with the working of the mine is a contrivance for lauding the buckets, quite new to the West Coast, and not in use even in Victoria. Instead of the ordinary method of emptying the bucket at the side of the shaft, rails are laid some distance apart, over the mouth of the shaft, and a truck thereon run underneath the bucket when it is pulled up to the surface. ■ The bucket is then lowered on to the truck, which is emptied a short distance from the shaft. Sinking at all times is attended with a certain amount of danger, so that too much precaution cannot ho used iu ensuring the safety of those engaged in it. A windlass has hitherto been used for winding up the debris from the bottom of the shaft. This method is now becoming too laborious, so in the course of a day or two a small portable engine-will be used for this purpose. This will ho found to bo much cheaper than the erection of a whin and the purchase and maintenance of horses. A further proof

of the pluck and energy this company has exhibited is shown by their possession of a powerful 40-horse power engine, which is on the ground. The contractors engaged in its erection are sanguine of having it completed and in full working order within six weeks.