THE NGAKAWAKAO COAL.

Westport Times, Volume VI, Issue 973, 24 May 1872, Page 4

THE NGAKAWAKAO COAL.

The report by Captain Leech on the capabilities of the river Ngakawahao, for the shipment of coal, was forwarded by'the Superintendent, to the Provincial Secretary, with the icquest that Dr Hector, on his next visit to the West Coast, should inspect the scheme. In replying to the request, the Colonial Secretary enclosed the following memorandum by Br Hector. I purpose visiting the Buller in the cotnsc of a week or two, and will examine Ngakawahao mine as requested. 1 may stale chat the coal at this place has been known for many years, having been discovered, and, I think, worked by Mr Battey in 1862. Respecting it, the late Mr Burnett reports to the Superintendent of Nelson on tho sth April 18G2: "In your Honor's company I visited a seam near the mouth of tho Ngakawahao river, about fifteen miles north of the" Buller, but it is not of good quality, and does not at all rese ii 1 the other coal in this district. TlVis is B'ngular, as the Ngakawahao flows through the real coalfield, and pieces of drift coal found in it shows that good coal e#ists there also." (Nelson * Gazette,' 3rd Nov. 18G2) In Feb. 1887, I also visited this mine myself, and reported as follows : " Twenty miles north of Westport, the coal is found at the sea beach, at a distance of half a mile from the mouth of the Ngakawahao river, and in a very accessible position for land Carriage, the seam is at least nine feet thick, and lies conveniently for being worked, but, having acquired its present position as portion of a largo landslip, involving an extent ol' at least, thirty acres, the coal is of the friable sooty description usually found in faulted ground. However, as there is no doubt that it is the same as that on the plateau above, it may improve i»j quality on beings worked, and a considerable quantity of valuable coal bo obtained. In my note-book I find the following additional information: —The strata Containing tho coal abut against a spur from Mount Frederick, aiul rest on micaceous granite. They form an isolated hi 11 round which the coa! out crop can be traced, always preserving the pamo dip of forty degrees to "West, tfheroof of tho coal i* a very sharp quartzy grit, containing mica, by bsown micaceous shales and sandstone, like the strata along the western flank of Mount Kochfort. Towards the month of the river the dip of the strata becomes reversed by a fault, and the beds evidently belong to a higher part of the series': The section displayed at this place is as follows : —Conglomerate 70 feet, soft brown micaceous sandstone, 100 feet, soft red grit in strata, 50 feet, clay shale and grit 70 feet, granite. From this section there is no doubt but that this coal compares in geological position to the Mount llochl'ort and Greycoal seams.