17

X—3 a

Saddle Hill No. 2 Colliery, Saddle Hill (Christie Bros., owners; Robert Hill, mine-manager).— (23/12/10) : The creep which affected the far-in work'ngs is still manifest, but, roof and floor having met, there is less cause for apprehension regarding longevity of the mine. Roadways are brushed in head coal, and pillars extracted as formerly. Some heating which had arisen in the crushed coal and fallen ground had been deposed of by filling he stuff away. Owing to the fan for ventilating purposes, there has been no d fficulty with the ventilation of the mine-work'ngs, which is and has been highly satisfactory. The mine is in good work ng-order, and care is exercised for prevention of accidents. Rules posted ; plan and report-book 3 kept to date. Lauriston Colliery, Brighton (James Wa'kjr, owner ; Robert Wa'kor. permit, manager).-—Work ngs in good order, and ventilation adequate. The seam to the rise is intercepted by the fault or " want," and coal is being str'pped off the near side. So far no effort has been made to pierce the fault, there being a sufficiency of coal in view for present requirements. Brighton Colliery, Brighton (D. L. McColl, owner; A. McColl, permit, manager).- —The tunnel continues to give trouble, owing to side and roof pressure, and timber renewals require to be frequent. The new mine drive not yet begun is expected to be commenced shortly, and the old drive will then be used as a drain. Seam low, 4 ft. Work ng-places in safe cond.tion. Ventilation gocd. Waronui Colliery, Milton (Bruce Railway and Coal Company, owners ; J. R. W.Lon, general manager; James Carruthers, mine-manager). —(28/10/10) : Ventilating-fan at 250 revolutions, circulating 16,625 cubic feet of air per minute, Wg. j% in. The new easterly dp is in coal a d stance of 750 ft. ; seam, of gocd quality, is 18ft. in thukness. A new electric plant is being lad down for dp pumping and haulage. The mine is in good order, and requirements of the Act are generally well observed. Lakeside Coal-pit, LovcU's Flat (G. E. Royds, owner). —Pit worked for private and local requirements. Thirty tons produced during the year. Taratu Colliery, Taratu (Taratu Coal and Railway Company, owners ; G. R. Cheeseman, general manager ; Thomas Shore, mine-manager). —(27/10/10) : Ventilation gocd, and work'ng-places in gocd order. The roof in dp-going places is not self-supporting, and measures arc required for dp haulage and pumping, so that extraction of coal may be kopt to the floor or pavement, by which means alone the roofing may be expected to stand. Rules posted; report-books and plan to date. Black damp has not been reported, and firedamp has not been seen in the colliery. At one place, under a fall in old No. 10 bord where there was heating, the fallen coal and clays are being filled away. Port Arthur Coal-pit, Kaitangata (Morrison Bros., owners ; Robert Penman, permit, lessee). — Then; were 270 tons of coal raised from this small pit during the year. Hawthorn Den Coal-pit, Kaitangata (Thomas Cunningham, owner and permit-holder).—(3o/11/10) : No one about, and seemingly not much doing here at present. Wangaloa Coal-pit, Wangaloa (Joseph Smith, owner). —(30/11/10) : No one about, and indications point to a decreased output from this small mine, which is worked to supply the requirements of settlers in the district. Kaitangata Colliery, Kaitangata (New Zealand Coal and Oil Company (Lr'mited), owners ; O. G. Lockhart, secretary, Dun< din ; W. Carson, mine-manager). —(14/12/10) : The new ventilating-fan (electrically driven) is 10 ft. diameter ; with 18 amperes, at 180 revolutions, a volume of 32,500 cubic feet of air per minute is circulated, Wg. 1 T 2 n in. The fan is substantially erected, having cast metal casing, and is giving increased efficiency at three-quarter speed. Early in the year a fire brcke out in the engine-room on surface, causing damage to the winding-engine, air-compressing engines, and dynamo ; pend ng repairs temporary arrangements were m&de whereby only slight loss of workingtime was made. Owing to shortage of water locally for fire-prevention and other purposes a storagedam is being made, which will command the surface werks and will be supplied by pumping from the Clutha River. As the north-s'de section has proved unprofitable, owing to the thinness and troubled nature of the seam, also difficulty and cost of maintaining rordways and air-courses owing to poor roof, it has been decided to withdraw from this quarter, when it will be stopped eff permanently. Ventilation generally will then become greatly relieved, as, owing to length of airways of contracted areas in this section, friction of air is considerable and proper circulation rendered d fncult. D velopment is proceeding steadily to south and east in No. 5 dp, south extension, Oliver's d p, and Nos. 20 and 21 dips, in coal of gocd quality. The usual method is continued of work ng out comparatively small sections, taking pillar and head coal and leaving coal-bar iers, afterwards closing with permanent ash or sand fire-stoppings. As previously md cated, the angle of dp and rise of the seam has undergone a radical alteration from steep to comparatively flat or undulating floor, thus taxing the ingenuity of the management to provide efficient haulage. A " creep " which set in in McGhie's level section caused a gocd deal of d slocation in the conduct of work and the ventilation, but the effects of same are now practically subdued. Firedamp in small quantity is occasionally met with in certain rise places, and usually in solid workings, more especially where "rolls" occur. Brattice is freely used, and such places kept clear by ventilation, failing which workmen are withdrawn temporarily ; reports of these occasions are not numerous. Shot-firing is allowed in terms of special rule 25 in the appendix to the Act. Experiments have been made with low-flame explosives recommended, with more cr less success. A borehole underground at 4,000 ft. from mine-mouth was put down 160 ft. The quantity of water and gas given off ind'eated the l.kelihoed of the occurrence of another ccal-seam. Several complaints were investigated during the year, with rcrmd al results in some instances. Ventilating-fan on surface at upcast air-shaft (which is also the second outlet), also machinery and appliances, are kept

3—C. 3a.