MEETING AT THE ODD FELLOWS' HALL.

Colonist, Issue 97, 24 September 1858, Page 2

MEETING AT THE ODD FELLOWS' HALL.

A Meeting which was advertised for the purpose of collecting the merchants and influential gentlemen of Nelson was held last Tuesday evening, as we predicted in a previous number. The Masonic Lodge which was held on the same evening, kept many from being present, who would, no doubt, have taken considerable interest in the matter, viz., the explanation by Mr. Jenkins of his views with regard'to leasing his coal mine to a company. The assembly, which was at first rather scanty, rapidly increased until a full room was the result. The stove in the Hall was supplied with coal from the newly discovered seam, and large specimens of it were arranged for public inspection. Donald Sinclair, Esq., M.P.C., having been called to the chair, the business of the evening was opened by Mr. Jenkins, who said that Nelson occupied a most advantageous position with-regard to locality, as we had coalpits all around, us almost at our.very doors. It had been a matter in which he had taken the greatest interest, and had worked himself the last 18 or 20 months most assiduously. He had put on the blue shirt and used pick and shovel. He had felt a considerable degree of delicacy in bringing the matter forward. There were other fields besides his which also had their advocates; and he felt it but right to give every examination before bringing the subject thus publicly forward. He proceeded to describe the works as they at present are, and described the new tunnel which has lately been made. Mr. Marsden was present, he said, who would explain the details of the mining operations to any gentleman who might wish. They had discovered a new. and superior seam of coal in the new approach. What the coal really was, would be for those present to judge; and he had brought specimens which they could see. The fire which was burning in the stove, was entirely coal from the newly discovered seam. There had been, he said, a considerable quantity of coal, some 200 tons, sent down to Nelson. Messrs. Hooper and Dodsoii, and Mr. Campbell, of the steam mill, had used considerable quantities. The coal which they had used was however only a top seam, and nothing to equal in quality that which he hoped soon to be enabled to supply the mai'ket with. The object of the present meeting was that he should be enabled to lay his views before the public with regard to leasing his mine. The subject of coal had already received a large amount ;of public attention; the newspapers had devoted some of their articles to the subject, and neighboring provinces were looking with expectation to the development of this portion of our resources. The present meeting was purely a business one; and he felt quite sure that he should find some gentlemen who would differ from him. The mine itself was

an undoubted reality, and he had invited ocular demonstration. "He would allow the mining operations to be carried all over his land, with the exception of the sections on which his house and premises were situated. He would read his proposals, which were as follows :—■ 1. To grant a Mining Lease for 21 years over a block of land of about 1800 acres, with simple reservations. '

2. A right of tramway to trunk road. 3. Land for coal depot near to trunk road. 4. Plot of land for miners' cottages. 5. Seasonable time allowed to develop the mine. The term of twenty-one years will most probably be greatly extended.

stipulations :—

An appropriation of 500 shares of dl each, to be regarded as paid-up shares in consideration of the outlay incurred. To receive Is. per ton royalty.

SCIIKME. Capital— £lo,ooo. Limited Liability, 10,000 Shares, £1 each.

Deposit—2s. 6d. per share, will realise £1250 0 0 to be appropriated thus:— To pay cost of tunnel now in progress—4o fathoms £200 0 0 Cost of plant £ 50 0 0 £250 0 0

Leaving £1000 0 0 to fully develop the mine and open the workings 'on & large scale. .

Mr. Jenkins then called upon Mr. Marsden v who said that they had, within the last six or seven weeks, made a tunnel of 34 or 35 fathoms in depth, and in doing so they had cut across two new sets. He had, seeing this, advised Mr. Jenkins to form a company. The quality of the coal was very superior to any which he had seen from a New Zealand bed.

At the request of several gentlemen, Mr. W. L. Whey addressed the meeting. He had, he said, been asked by numerous .persons, to attend, and he had done; so, although against lus inclination; still he felt that the matter was one of much public importance. He had watched all the schemes which had been proposed and attempted, and they had all proved abortive. He spoke not without knowledge of the subject; thirty years of his life had been passed in intimate connection with collieries. He had himself been the proprietor of an extensive mine, and he could say that he was one of the principal promoters, if not the absolute originator, of the use of Anthracite coal. He had seen, and with great pleasure, when he was in Sydney, the Great Britain steamship work out using the Anthracite coal. He would not have addressed the meeting if it had not been in consequence of some remarks of Mr. Jenkins. He had visited the mine—in fact he had that very morning been there to examine into the works and the prospects of procuring coal. He had found three new seams opened, and believed that there were many more to be found. (Hear, hear.) The position of the mine, if not-exactly the most favorable, was indubitably anything but unfavorable. It would have one.disadvantage, viz., that it would be an under-water colliery. The coal which was produced he thought a very prepossessing sample, and he considered that it would be admirably adapted for household purposes; the trial of it in the stove would prove that it would not be a good steam-coal. It was, in fact, lignite, and of all the specimens which he had seen from every bed between Auckland and Otago, he had never found anything but lignite produced. The best coals for household purposes were not always the best for raising steam when employed in engines. He would give them an explanation of this:—The Wallsend coals, which in England commanded the highest prices as household coals, were not the most suitable for the furnace of a boiler; other coals, which in the market were worth one-third less, were more available for such purposes. He would instance the Hartleys coal. He considered that a fair trial should be given to this new mine; and that if a moderate amount were subscribed it would be a jiidicious step. The terms offered by Mr. Jenkins he considered as fair, and though perhaps slight modifications might lie necessary in the minutiae, still the proposal taken as a whole might be considered a jnst and reasonable one. He hoped that we should not send out false reports, and so induce people to say that we had worked under false colors.

Mi*. Campbell had visited ; the,i pit a few, times, and the coal produced from it was the best tha^ had yet been found in New Zealand. He liad used many tons of it, and found that it did not run to clinkers such as to stop the fire. The coal which he had used was only surface coal; not more than 10 feet from the surface. He tried the coal from Massacre Bay, but it was too sulphureous. The best of wood which he could procure would not answer as well as the coal he had had of Mr. Jenkins, and that he did not consider more than half as good as that now produced.

Mr. Travers, after remarking upon the observations made by Mr. Campbell, said that in Cornwall every means was taken to economise fuel, and it was there tested by the weight which any certain bushel of coal would raise. Now the value of the coal must greatly depend upon its power of accomplishing this. There was another point, and a most important one too, he considered—the stowage room which coal takes in sea-going vessels. That coal of course would be far the most valuable which would raise the largest amount of steam, and take the least stowage room. He did not think that there were sufficient data to go upon to justify a large outlay, but fully agreed with his friend Mr. Wrey that it vyould be advisable to expend a small sum in testing the value of the property. Public meetings in Nelson, he was sony to say, usually ended in the same thing; there was an uncommon amount of noise and zeal, but somehow or other, to quote the words of a solicitor of this town, as reported in the newspapers, the people wouldn't "fork out." This " forking out" was the most difficult end to attain, and he considered that Mr. Jenkins would have acted more wisely if he had applied to private friends in the first instance.

Mr. Huddleston, C.E., briefly, said that, in continuation of the remarks made by his friends Mr. Wrey and Mr. Travers, he presumed the gentlemen present were aware that certain essential properties were requisite to constitute coal suited for steam purposes, and that having used Mr. Jenkins' coal, he did not think it available for that purpose, from its containing so large an amount of earthy matter, and no coking qualities. He believed it requisite that 50 per cent, of pure carbon should exist to constitute an available steam coal; and that the celebrated Pembrokeshire Anthracite contained no less than 96 per cent, of carbon. He perceived that the coal produced by Mr. Jenkins was superior to the former product of his mine ; but as Mr. Jenkins had been kind enough to express his willingness to answer any questions that might be asked, he (Mr. H.) would wish to know if any analysis had been'made to establish the merits of this coal, and enable the public to judge of its utility for steam purposes ? Also, as Mr. Jenkins' project embraced.the laying down of a tramway, &c,'from the mine to the bay, whether, he was in a position to give the meeting an estimate for the proposed outlay, as it could not be known whether the sum asked to be subscribed would be sufficient without some such detail? He (Mr. H.) had seen'£3o,ooo expended in sinking a shaft which proved worthless, and he therefore considered it due to the public that they should have this information before coming to a decision.

Mr. Jenkins replied, and said that the present coal was not a faiv sample of what could be produced; he wished the mine to be developed.

Mr. Marsden differed from Mr. Travers, and also Mr. Wrey. The crop coal in England was never sold, and he considered that considerable injury had been done to the reputation of the mine by that which had been fcrwarded to Nelson. Ten' tons had been ordered for a trial in the steamer, but he had persuaded Mr. Jenkins to withhold the completion of the order until they had opened up a.superior bed of coal.

Mr. Henderson said that he had used all kinds of coal in the -course of his experience, and his opinion was that Mr. Jenkins' coal, such as he had had in use, which was only the top coal, was equal to the Mptupipi. He had no doubt but that a much better seam might be found. The relative value of the coals he could perhap3 better explain by stating that the some amount of Mr. Jenkins' coal would raise 10 lbs. of steam in opposition to

15 lbs. by the Newcastle (Ausi»lia) coal; He had, at Mr. Campbell's mill, used-Mr. Jenkins' coat unmixed with any other, and had found it successful. ' ■•

Mr. J. Hoopun, junr., said that at their brewery they had burnt all kinds of fuel. They had used the Motupipi coal, and also Mr. Jenkins'. Of the two he preferred the latter; there was less sulphur and more strength; they worked clearer and kept a better draught. Mr. Webb thought, after the valuable testimony adduced, a preliminary committee should'be formed,and he proposed thefollowinggentlemen:— N. Edwards, Wilkie, Kerr, M. Lightband, Hooper, Everett, Campbell, and Lewthwaite. Mr. Jackson seconded the. proposal, and added a few remarks upon the value of top coal. • Carried unanimously. The meeting then broke up, and much satisfaction was expressed by those present at the quality of the coal exhibited, and many gentlemen expressed their intention of becoming shareholders.

We are requested by Mr. Jenkins to state that he is prepared to make an alteration in the proposals which he read on the night of the meeting, and to grant a 60 years' lease if required, instead of one for 21 years. •