THE OHINEMURI COAL.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 1942, 25 March 1875, Page 2

THE OHINEMURI COAL.

Whatever Oliinemuri may eventually becomejas a'goldfields there islittle doubt but that it contains many other valuable minerals, and coal will, in all likelihood, become l"one* j of > i|s| oH^T j«od|i§ls. At "the present there are tour applications for coal areas, the first of which is by Mr Michael Hennelly/ The .survey under this application is in progress by Messrs Wright and Bayldon. , The block under survey, which includes an area of six hundred and forty acres, is laid out in a rectangular form a mile square; the front portion of it extending nearly to thf , goldfields boundary. A creek flows through the area in a direction from east! to west, and its bed has exposed two coal crops; the one about thirty feet above the other. They are both somewhat tilted, the dip being about one in eight' southward, and the strike about seventy- I five degrees : north-west. The upper seam is about three feet six to four feet in thickness, and the coal is heavy and compact; the lower seam which is now exposed to the creek is fifteen inches in thichness, and is of a more shaly nature. Both have beds of fireclay, as a floor, and are associated with soft clay, shales, sandstone and grits, the former showing impressions of ferns and leaves.' Near one of the shale beds a water.hole in the creek was found covered, by a, light ,film of oil; which ignited on a match being applied - to it. It is perhaps doing an injustice to judge of the value of these coal seams from the little that has been taken from them, for the crops have evidently from their position been exposed for a great length of time to the atmosphere and to the action of the creek waters, so that their fitness for fuel or for gas pro* ducing, cannot fairly' be estimated. A trial of about a hundredweight from each seam was made on the. ground, and both burned freely, and gave off immense heat; that from the lower seam yielding a slaty ash, but from the large seam, the ash was scarcely distinguishable from that of wood. A considerable quantity of gas was given off from both, but insufficient for manufacture, but there is every probability of the coal improving as it is further opened up. On searching the hills fronting the Mack ay town road, manyindications of a coal strata are met with', such as fire-clay, an impure iron ore, and pieces of coal itself. At a much higher elevation than where the coal crops, the rocks also shewing in the bed of the creek are such as usually accompany coal formation; which, together with the peculiar undulating features of the country, are evidences that the coal measure is an extensive one, and, that two other ' seams exist, both above and _, below - those discovered. On tracing the creek up towards its source the rock changes to a, porphyritic trap, and all vestige of the cpal formation is lost. It is evident that this rock has flowed over the coal strata, and will doubtless be found the, heading to the seams in many places. Trap boulders strew the creek and sideling on every point. The locality of the crop is aboutfour miles from the landing at Paeroa., and a tramway could be constructed 'between the tWpointS'-at-a very --moderate cost and with little""engineering difficulty. At s Paeroa, coasting vessels could be loaded and tugged down the river to the Hauraki Gulf, from which any part of the coast could tie reacherl. There is little doubt but Mr Hennelly by his application has acquired a very valuable property, and for his sake, and for the good of the., district generally, we wish, him every success in, his enterprise. * , „' ' ,-