Cite: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1374073
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The Ipswich Coal Mines.
[m OUR SPECIAL MININO REPORTER,]
IPSWICH and coal have boen synonymous for
years, but up to the present time, judging from the aspect of the town, certainly advantage has not been taken of the treasures which lie buried beneath the sandstone, which, if energetically and systematically developed, should have caused the place long BÍIICO to have become a populous and flourishing miuiug centre. It is the same " old Limestono" as of yore, expanded somewhat it is true, but yet (as I was on Beveral occasions informed) about one-half too large for the busi- ness of the place. Howover, that is the coucern of its inhabitants, and, if they aro satisfied to depend upon tho trade accruing from tho Govern- ment workshops and the agricultural produc- tions of tho district, perhaps it would b6 con- sidered out of place for a stranger to comment upon it.
My business at the mines consisted chiefly in collecting information regarding the present workings, but I also made a point of ascertain- ing the feeling of the miners with respect to the appointment of a mining inspector. Except in one or two cases, the mines are held by men with limited means, who are not in a position to develop them upon a large and correspondingly profitable scale. In most instances the mines aro rented, tho lesi-eea paying either a stated sum per annum or a royalty upon the coal obtained. Tho principal miuo in the district is
THE TIVOLI MINE,
Pi rather mines, for there are two of them, named
.jspectivoly the old aud the uew. Accompanied by the manager (Mr. Archibald), I inspected the underground and burface workings of both. In the former there are forty-five men employed, each mau working bolovv receiving 4s. per ton for the coal he obtains. The seam is about 4ft. 6in, thick, which is divided by a layer of waste about two foot from the bottom of the seam. This, after being broken down by the miners, has to be picked, and the coal sent to the surface clean and fit for the market. Beforo describing tile workings, peihaps I had better state that all tile coal in this neighborhood, although of a very good quality, yet, on account of its friable nature, frill not bear much kuockiug about. Each time it is handled the pieces break up and crumble, and consequently large quantities of whot is termed slack, or small coal, accumulates. This is a great diawback, because it is, comparatively speaking, unfit for exportation. Not so, how- ever, with the coal iu the neighborhood of Bun "4i|ba mines, which is of a harder nature than
,, upon the north side of the Bremer. It is about ten years since the Tivoli mino was opened. Several years previous to that the seam had been operated upon, but, although the coal was then worth £1 per ton, it proved an unprofitable investment, and for some years afterwards it remained idle. From the mouth of the pit or tunnel, down the inclino to the end of the face, the seam has been worked for a dis- tance of 600 yards. Levels havo beeu taken in at right angles to the tunnel at every fifty yards ; these extend about 400 yards east mid west. It is in the " rooms" iu these levels that the miners aro now working. To provide sufficient ventila- tion, two furnaces, connected with shafts leading to the surface, are kept constantly burning ; the lieat causes the air, after descending the tuuiiel or dowucast, to circulate through the work- ings, from whence it ascends the Bhaft above tho furnaces. This ia the whole theory of ventilation-that is, to provide for the return current after it baa descended the downcast ; and if this method were in every mine carried out in a proper mauner, and tho air not allowed to escape, except through the proper channel or air-couise, there would be uo neces- sity for the appoiutment of a Government inspector. The method adopted by tho miners to break down the coal hoa been so often described that doubtless your readers aro tolerably fami- liar with the modo of procedure. For the infor- mation of those who aro not, I may briefly state that a cutting ia made in the bottom of tho seam, and the upper part forced down by inserting wedges above. Sometimes a pretty large cutting is made, and the upper part ia kept supported by props, which are afterwards knocked out, when the coal falls to the floor. About 70 tous a day is the average output of this mine, the manager of which seems to have a speciality for contriving labor-suviug appliances ; and although the first outlay must havo been very considerable, yet in tho long ruu it has no doubt added largely to the profits. In this mine there is an endless wire-rope, but to describe the full particulars of the machinery by which it ia worked would occupy too much Bpace ; suffice it to Bay, that the weight of the empty trolly running down the incliua of the mine causes the trollies con- taining tho coal to proceed to their destination without the least - trouble. The endless ropo passes through a piece of iron on top of tho trucks, which are placed at equal distances apart ; the engine is started and away they co, without any further labor, down to tho shoots at the wharf, vvhei e, after being emptied, they are again put on the rope and pulled up the tram- way in the same manner. Previous to the above method being adopted, Boven drays, employiug twenty-one horses, were engaged in conveying the coal from the mine to tho shoots. Three horses only are required now. Tho Bame plan of conveying the coal down to the shoots and bringing back tho empty trollieä to the pit by the endless rope is in operation at both the old and the now mines. Altogether the trollies travel over one mile on the tramways. The expeuso of getting the coal and conveying it to the shoot is a trifle over 7s. per ton, leaving a clear profit of 6s. on every ton Bent to the market. This speaks eloquently as to tho management of the miue. There is only one furnaco in the workings at the new mine, but this ¡3 quite adequate for ventila tion ; it is 12ft. in length, 6ft. high, and 5ft. in width. The manager intends to improve upon this, by placing boiler-plates at a distance of 15in. from the top of the arch, so that, should should the dreaded firedamp ever make ita ap- pearance, every facility will be afforded for its escape. After the first outlay in the erection of tho furnace and sinking tho shaft, the whole of the workings are thoroughly ventilated at a cost of la. 4d. per day. The furnace con- sumes 5cwt. of coal and 1 cwt. of slack in twenty-four hours. The miners themselves attend to the fire. This mine has been opened about four years, and at present it employs thirty-five men. The output is ubout 50 tons daily. The soam is 5ft. Gin. thick, and has been operated upon for a distance of 250 yards from the outcrop. As accidents have frequently oc- curred already in some of the mines upou our goldfields, through the absence of a brake power- ful enough to stop the engine when tho ma chinery has got out of gear, or broken, and the cage and men in consequence have been precipi- tated down the shaft, it will not be out of place if I describe tho brake in use at the old mine at Tivoli. It is very simple, and thoroughly effec- tive. The brake is attached to the bottom of the fly-wheel, to which two pieces of iron are fixed-the one horizontally leadingfromthe brake, the other, about 6ft. in length, leads up to the platform. A lever is attached to the latter piece, and the driver has only to place his foot upon it, when the engine is immediately stopped. There_ are a number of ovens convenient to the old mine, and the fine coal is here turned into coke. About 20 tons are turned out weekly, but if there were a greater demand the ovens are capable of burning 12 tons a day.
HLOND AND WRIGHT'S MINE.
This mina is situated a short distance from Tivoli, and is worked by the proprietors, but not on so large a scale as Tivoli ; and this remark applies to all the other mines in the district The seam baa beeu worked for a distance of 120 yards down the incline nud about 40 yards ou each side. It is about 5ft. Gin. thick, aud, like tue others, it has a band of several inches of stone about two feet from the bottom. There is a tramway leading from the pit's mouth to the Bremer, which is about a milo from the mine. A locomotive has been procured to convey the coal to the shoot, but through the breaking of one of the cogs it was not working at the time of my vis.it. Mr. Wright informed mo that, but for the breakage, it answered admirably. Pre rarati.oii3_.aia being made for sinking a shaft on tue Tivoli old seam. The shoots aro capable of holding 200 tons uf coal. There aro six coke
¿rçeus at the mine, which turu out about 5 tous Wy.
. VYATEItSTOWN MISE.
. This mine is situated on Mr. Boll's estate, and
a a short distance from the Tivoli. The seam, UL Which is about 3ft. Gin. through, has been tun- w
nelled for a distance of 140 yards from the mouth of the pit The shoot on the bank of the river is 250 yal ds from the mine The coal ia taken from the pit by one horse, who draws five trucks, each containing 5 cwt of coal, along the tramway to tho Bhoot. There are forty bauds employed, and tho output of coal is about 50 tons per day. It ia the intention of the manager to fink another sh ift, to btriko the seam about 80ft from the surface, for the pur- pose of providing a better ventilation of the win kings Au engine of 10 horse-power draws the cul up horn the levels below
[Wi have been unable to mako room in the present issue for the whole of the report ou the Ipswich mines The remainder will appear in next weeks paper, as well as a leading article upon the saino subject -LD Q ]