216 COALFIELDS AND COLLIEEIES OF AUSTRALIA. 



are 82 beehive ovens altogether, varying in capacity from 4^ 

 to 6J tons, which are drawn twice a week (Fig. 138). The 

 form of the beehive oven was probably originally copied from 

 the dome-shaped mounds made by charcoal burners, and its 

 appearance gave it the name, of beehive. Beehive coke has 

 the name of being the best for metallurgical purposes ; it has 

 its full cellular structure developed, assuring a maximum 

 calorific 1 value. It has a bright, silvery coating, seen more 

 especially in the upper parts of a charge, due. to carbon de- 

 posited on the coke brought up by the hydrocarbon gases 

 from the coal lower down, through the incandescent section of 

 the coked coal. By quenching the coke in the oven, the 

 amount of moisture left in the coke is reduced to the least 

 possible quantity. The cost of labour, and waste of carbon, is 

 greater when coking in beehive ovens than in some other 

 varieties. 



Mt. Pleasant Coal and Iron Company. 



This colliery is under the management of Mr. T. Cook, 

 who has been in charge for the past 16 years ; but the place 

 has been worked for some 40 years. The word iron used in 

 connection with this company is on account of some unworked 

 clayband on the property. An attempt was made to treat 

 some of this iron a few years ago in a small blast furnace, the 

 ruin of which is to be seen at the foot of an incline. There 

 is but a very slight chance of this iron ever being worked at 

 a profit. 



Being hedged in all round by other mines, this colliery 

 cannot expand towards the west, like its neighbours. The 

 present output of coal is 750 tons per diem, but when the 

 main and tail rope system of haulage now in use gives place 

 to the endless rope system, the output can be increased to 

 1000 tons. The coal is holed by pick. 



The skips are drawn underground by means of a main 

 and tail rope which passes down the main haulage and intake 

 tunnel ; the different districts have their own branch tail ropes. 

 On arrival at daylight, the skips are weighed on a Pooley's 

 weighing machine, and are then attached to another main and 

 tail rope system worked by a Mort's Dock engine, which runs 

 along a somewhat crooked track for 1J miles to the head of 

 the incline. The worst part of this track is being straight- 

 ened, which should make a great difference in the friction to 

 be overcome, and also in the wear of the ropes and pulleys. 

 Thirty skips form a set on this line, and the rope travels at 

 the rate of about six miles an hour. An ordinary greaser is 

 placed on the track, but judging from the way the grease is 

 splashed about, the skips evidently travel too fast for such an 

 arrangement. On reaching the end of the surface main and tail 

 rope line, the skips are emptied on to screens from end-tipplers, 



