126 COALFIELDS AND COLLIER IKS OF AUSTRALIA, 



Irondale Colliery. 



This colliery belongs to Messrs. J. B. North and Sons,, 

 and for three years has been under the management 

 of Mr. J. Fitzgerald. It is situated a few miles from Wallara- 



Fig. fjT. Lowering Skip with Jockey and Tail Chain. 



wang. Two seams are worked the dull seam, which is sup- 

 posed to be a continuation of the Lithgow> seam, and varies 

 from five or six feet to over seven feet in thickness, but aver- 

 ages about six feet: and the bright seam, about 75ft. lower 

 down the hill, which is 4ft. thick. The latter is the better 

 coal, but this is the only place where it is free enough from 

 bands to be worth working. The coal sticks to the roof, but 

 it is too jointy to blast. The roof, which is sandstone, is good; 

 the floor is grey shale. The floor of the bright seam has to be 

 lifted to make headroom in the roadways. This is done by 

 drilling holes about 3ft. deep with a ratchet and auger and 

 charging with powder. Thin bands of carbonate of iron, more 

 or less contaminated with clay, occur in the shales near these 

 coal seams. These are locally called "clay bands," and where 

 exposed to the air become oxidised. On other land in this 

 district, belonging to the same owners, both ironstone and 

 limestone are found. The seams are worked from tunnels, and 

 the coal is lowered down the hill in skips on a gravity plane, 

 consisting of a double line of rails provided with an endless 



