258 COALFIELDS AND COLLIERIES OF AUSTRALIA. 



bolt, so as to prevent the train of skips from running down 

 hill backwards, in case of accident. The engine plane rope is 

 capped^ a chain attached, at the other end of which is a hook, 

 and fastened to the shank of this hook, is a link that passes 

 over the tip of the hook, and is prevented from coming off by 

 a cotter pin. The hauling engine is situated near the tunnel, 

 and consists of a pair of loin, diameter cylinders, with 2ft. 

 6in. stroke, and is geared two to one. The main and tail rope 

 engine is a pair of 20in. diameter cylinder, with 3ft. stroke, 

 and is worked with GOlb. pressure of steam. Steam is gene- 

 rated in one Lancashire and two Cornish boilers. 



Ventilation is carried out with the help of a Gruibal fan 

 32ft. in diameter, and 12ft. wide, with air inlet on one side 

 only. When working the pit, it is given 30 to 35 revolutions 

 per minute. The fan engine has a 24in. cylinder and 3ft. 

 stroke; a spare engine in duplicate is arranged end on. 



This is a colliery where machines are found to do cheaper 

 work than men; and machines have a further advantage in 

 lessening the number of men necessary to carry out the work, 

 and requiring a better class of men. Also machines enable 

 one to obtain a given quantity of coal out of fewer places than 

 with pick work, so that operations are easier to supervise, and 

 the colliery can be laid out accordingly. At the Pacific they 

 have four Sullivan electric chain machines, but only two are 

 worked at a time. These machines are worked 10 hours a 

 day, i.e., during afternoon and night shifts, and produce about 

 700 tons for the two machines. A shift's work for one of 

 these machines is 3 to 4 bords, averaging 3 A Itords for 8 hours, 

 as against 4.1 tons per man, as was formerly the case when 

 hand picks were used. When undercut, three men (a firer 

 and two fillers) can handle 45 tons. Kach machine has 33 

 picks, and on an average 40 to 50 of these have to be shar- 

 pened per day. Thirty horse-power is required for each 

 machine. The motor was provided by the General Electric 

 Company, and works under 250-volt pressure. It is driven 

 by a Harrisburg Standard Buckeye engine, 13Jin. cylinder, 

 and 13in. stroke, controlled by a flywheel governor. The 

 workings are drained by three double-acting Tangye pumps, 

 driven by steam. 



After screening the coal, the slack not required for im- 

 mediate shipment is raised to a coal-box for storage, up an 

 incline in a hopper skip. This hopper skip has a saddle-back 

 across it in the centre, and on either side of this on the bot- 

 tom is a sliding door. The skip is hauled up the incline over 

 the coal box by a pair of Tin. cylinder, 15in. stroke, engines, 

 geared 7 to 1 . when the point is reached where it is desired that 

 the slack shall be emptied, the doors are automatically opened, 

 and the coal falls through. 



