55

C—2

Ota Creek Pit. —The lignite becoming thinner at the north end, work was recommenced at the south end of the pit, where the lignite is now about 8 ft. thick. Thompson's (Wyndham) Pit. —Owing to the keen competition from the Ohai coals the output was again low. A lift of about 7 ft. of bottoms is being worked at the north end of the pit. As the demand for road-metal fell away stripping at the south end has ceased. Gabites's (Menzies Ferry) Pit. —No work has been done at this small pit during the past year. Diamond Lignite Pit. —Another year's output was obtained from the lower portion of the seam. Black Diamond Mine. —The solid work in the north-west will soon be completed, and pillar-extraction will then commence. Lately ten miners have been employed, but they average only about four days' work per week. In June an ignition of firedamp occurred whereby a miner was burned. As a consequence safety-lamps had to be installed and only permitted explosives used. Oldham electric cap-lamps were purchased, and they are giving every satisfaction. The percussive type of coal-cutting machine not proving satisfactory, attempts are being made to devise a suitable coal-cutter for the brown coals. It is hoped that one of the multiple drill type will be more successful. Smithvale Mine. —No work has been done at this mine during the year. The owner-miner has opened a small opencast pit on his freehold land and 30 chains north-east of Quested's old opencast pit. The new pit is near the eastern boundary of the coalfield, and the " resin " seam, about 14 ft. thick with about 7 ft. of overburden, is being won there. Mossbank No. 1 Mine. —All the east places in the extended section to the east of the Wairaki Settlement road were cut off by the " washout," and the south places met a large downthrow fault running almost east and west. A prospect level was driven to tho south, and when 12 yards in it was stopped in hard compact sandstone 4 ft. thick with a conglomerate floor and roof. Pillaring was then done, and before the end of October all marketable coal had been won, and then stoppings were built in the intake and return airways to that section. This was the area applied for by the Beaumont Coal Syndicate, and, as the workings there covered less than 2 acres, it certainly would not have warranted opening out another mine. In Nos. 1, 4, and 5 sections the pillars could not be extracted on account of being under a swamp, so most of them have been split. A section of fair-quality coal, but containing many stone bands, has been opened up in the new dip section to the west of the main dip and towards the Wairaki No. 1 Mine workings. One chain to the west of the Sip a return airway has just been completed back to the surface. Near the face of the dip a bore was put down, going through layers of sandstone, fireclay, and conglomerate to 42 ft. It was stopped in loose gravel at 46 ft. To ventilate this section a 7-ft.-diameter axial-type fan is being installed. Mossbank No. 2 Mine. —Early in the year this small party of miners broke into the old workings inbye the heated area in the lower seam. Two stoppings of clay 6 ft. thick were first built, then they were reinforced with 9in brick ones. Places were driven to the north and east in the lower seam, but these ran into stony coal, so were stopped. They are now extracting the upper pillars. Lobbs Hill Mine. —Two miners put down a short dip drive on an area to the west of the Nightcaps-Ohai traffic road. This only proved a thin seam and was abandoned. A few chains to the south of the dip they then commenced a level drive and met a 4 ft. seam when in about six yards. Farther east a shallow shaft proved this seam to thicken to 5 ft. Wairaki No. 1 Mine. — Two pairs of miners are still employed at pillar-extraction in the No. 1 east section. The old pillared area has been scaled off. In the No. 2 east section, south of the Ohai Road and railway-line, the main heading is now in an area of much cleaner coal, but this section is a gassy one. The few levels to the rise are in coal containing many stone bands. Near the face of the No. 3 west level a level was driven to the southwest, but the 3 ft. seam met there petered out and the level was stopped when about a chain in. Another place, crosscutting the measures below the seam, was then driven to the north. A borehole was put down in this place, and proved coal about 10 ft. down. In the No. 1 west section a good deal of pillaring has been done, but several pillars had to be sealed in owing to heating becoming apparent. " Ceag " electric cap and hand lamps are now to hand, and will be put into use early in the year. An area of 97J acres to the south of their present lease has been applied for by the Wairaki Coal Co. Wairaki No. 2 Mine. —The two pairs of miners employed at this mine are coming back rapidly with the few remaining pillars. Linton No. 1 Mine. —ln the old No. 1 Mine only three pillar places are now being worked, the rest being sealed off with concrete stoppings. Most of the available pillars in the little dip area were won before heating developed there and concrete stoppings were put in. The north-west heading was extended beyond the downthrow fault, but met another fault, so the heading is now stopped about 19 chains down from the surface. The back headings have both reached the fault which is running in a north-easterly direction. In a section to the west, off the north-west heading, a thick seam containing a few bands of stone is being worked 100 ft. below the one worked in the No. 1 north section of the No. 2 Mine. To the south-east a dip called " Adam and Eve's " is being driven, and the face of this dip is within 3 chains of being under the No. 2 Mine main haulage-road. It was in this section that the vertical shaft was put up towards the end of the year, and near the foot of which the explosion occurred on the 15th November. Linton No. 2 Mine. —The main headings were extended only about 3 chains during the year, and little other development work was done there. A couple of miners are on solid work in the No. 5 south section. The pillaring of the No. 2 south section was completed in June, and stoppings were then put in to seal off the goaf. Pillaring is now proceeding in the No. 3 south section, and was recently commenced in No. 4 south. The attention of the management was drawn to the necessity of keeping the pillar-extraction in line in the No. 3 south section in order to ensure safer working and maximum extraction. An improved method of pillarextraction has been agreed to by the miners and officials. Birchwood No. 2 Mine. —A dip 7 ft. wide and 6| ft. high is being driven into a coal-bearing area north of the large downthrow fault which cut off the Ohai Coal Co.'s workings. Three bores were put down on this area by the Ohai Coal Co. The main and back dips are down 500 ft. at a grade of 1 in 6, but workable coal has not yet been met. As a safety precaution naked lights were debarred when the dip reached the 5-chain mark, and only permitted explosives are now used at the mine. A chain or two to the east a seam 4 ft. to 6 ft. thick and probably the Resin seam, is being worked for boiler coal. A Robinson propeller-type ventilating-fan has been installed. Black Lion Mine. —The face of the main north heading is now in 18 chains from the surface. This place and those to the east are in the upper portion of the seam, which is becoming stony. A dip has been driven to the east, and it met a 20 ft. downthrow fault. After driving 1 chain in the fault a 5 ft. seam of coal was struck, then the dip was diverted to the south-east, and in a few yards 8 ft. of fairly hard coal was met. When driving a back heading to this dip a miner ignited a pocket of firedamp and he was burned on the face and arms. As a consequence safety-lamps only and permitted explosives are now used at this mine. Fatal Accidents. Linton No. 2 Mine. —On the 13th June a miner named John Howd was instantly killed. Deputy Cosgriff had fired a shot in the working-place, and while the smoke was clearing away the deceased and his mate, E. W. Hunt, decided to fill some loose coal in a place they had left about ten days previously. Immediately after a shot had been fired in a near-by place the deceased called out, and he was found dead alongside the half-filled tub. The shot had released some coal from the tops overhanging into the goaf, and. in falling this either knocked out a prop which struck Howd or it pushed him with such force on to the corner of the steel tub that it completely smashed the right side of his head.