Page 19 - 00 Volume 5 The Mine

to the best local production. excellent quality.
A small oil-engine used for the hoisting of the When the mine was inspected in the month of
stuff broken in the shaft and for baling the water out to June last, the manager’s attention was called to a soft
the depth named; but the prospects were such as to portion of the roof where a fault had been driven
encourage the directors to obtain modern winding and through at No.2 level, and which was only being
pumping machinery, and a powerful winding-engine temporarily repaired with timber; but, as this was under
and plant have been purchased, and are being ……... the lake, it was pointed out to him that it would have to
be made more secure, and this portion of the level is
Taupiri Coal Company Ltd now being filled and rammed tightly in with clay, &c.,

In the early part of the year the Waikato, Taupiri from the surface.
Extended, Taupiri Reserve, and Ralph's Taupiri Coal At a subsequent inspection the workings were
Companies were reconstructed and formed into a safe, but the ventilation was not as good as could be
company called the Taupiri Coal Company (Limited). desired. An average of fifty-five men have been
The shareholders no doubt benefit by the change, a employed, and the output of coal was 18,621 tons.
considerable saving having been effected, three mine-
managers, three legal managers' offices, and other Taupiri Extended
expenses connected with the working of three of the The work for the greater part of the year was
companies having been dispensed with, whilst the confined to getting coal from the various bords which
supply of coal to meet the demand has not been were in progress at the end of last year, but latterly the
interrupted. operations have been directed in driving a healing and
The new company at once stopped all work in the dip on the western side of No. 2 shaft for the purpose.
Waikato Mine, and operations in the Taupiri Reserve So far as developments have gone, the coal has
Mine were also stopped for a time, but this mine was proved fully as good as anticipated. There are only a
again started for the purpose of producing a certain few men employed here now, but the average number
amount of coal to comply with the terms of the lease. of men employed has been forty-seven, and the output
The work has been concentrated in obtaining coal of coal was 21,742 tons.
to meet the demand from the Taupiri section and
Ralph's Taupiri Mine, from which a large amount of 1907
good coal is forthcoming. The most important work in
Ralph's Taupiri section has been the sinking of the dip a Taupiri Coal Mines Ltd
distance of 14 chains, from which two levels have been Ralph's Section (E. S. Wight, manager).
driven off, and beyond advancing the levels and The company has not done any development
headings in the Taupiri Extended section no new work work of importance, such as extending the main south-
of any importance has been carried out. west dip headings to intersect the property underlying
The seam of coal in the four sections of this Lake Wahi, acquired some three years ago by this
company's mine varies from 16 ft. to 65 ft. in thickness, company. To some extent this may be attributed to the
but, as the coal worked is either under the lakes or river, fact that great attention is being devoted to grading the
or in close proximity to them, large pillars have to be work already done, so as to give a uniform grade for the
left in, more especially as the covering of the seam is haulage-way.
mostly composed of running sand. As the bords are, as With a view to proving the thickness of the seam
a rule, carried forward 16 ft. in width, and from 10 ft. to in the new property several bore-holes were sunk, but
24 ft. in height, a considerable quantity of coal is left in, the results have not been made known. A new travelling
and therefore a large area is traversed for a small -way, separate from the haulage-way in the south-west
quantity of coal in comparison to the thickness of the section, has been constructed, and it is a decided
seam. advantage over the old one, being more direct and far
There have been 185 men employed in this safer.
company's mine, and the output of coal has been 68,929 Several inspections of the mine were made at
tons, this being a decrease of 1,270 tons from the four different intervals, and the ventilation was found to be
mines last year. all that could be desired. Everything else, with the one
exception, gave entire satisfaction.
1901 In January the mine-manager reported a creep in
the pillar district immediately beneath the Waikato
Taupiri Reserve River, and that he considered it so serious that he had
Work in the Taupiri Reserve section has been withdrawn the workmen. Your Inspectors visited the
steadily carried on during the year, the operations being mine a few days later, and, in company with the mine
directed towards taking out the coal on the western side officials and two representatives from the miners'
of the dip at No. 4 level and under Lake Kimihia. union, carefully examined the pillar section, and found
The seam is divided near the centre by what is that the pillars were considerably damaged, in their
termed a “clod” (or band of stone), varying from 4 opinion, by cold air being circulated through the section
inches to 9 inches thick, and as the top portion is of after it had been closed off for some time and become
inferior quality the bottom portion is generally taken heated.
out and the top left in, which makes an excellent roof. our Inspectors believed that there was no
The portion worked varies from 10 ft to 16 ft and is of immediate danger, and advised that work might be