ABERDARE EXTENDED. 



305 



conveyors take the slack to the slack box. An ambulance wag- 

 gon (Fig. 228), properly fitted up, is kept in readiness at. the 

 mine in case of accidents. 



The Aberdare Extended. 



This colliery, situated at Cessnock, and adjoining 1 the 

 Aberdare colliery, also belongs to the Caledonian Coal Com- 

 pany Ltd. It is under the management of Mr. Ernest Humble. 



The coal seam here is 32ft. 9in. thick, but at present they 

 only extract 9ft. of the bottom coal. 



The mine is opened up by two intake tunnels, with an in- 

 termediate return air-way between, and a back heading on the 

 outside of each intake. The bords are placed at an angle of 

 about 45 degrees to the back headings, so as to allow any water 

 to gravitate towards the headings. Flats or clipping stations 

 are placed every 100 yards. The bords are 8 yards wide, the 



Fig. 229. Flexible Coupling. 



pillars 15 yards, and the cut-throughs at right angles to the- 

 bords are 4 yards wide. 



The coal is undercut by three Sullivan machines, that cut 

 across the face, and one Jeffrey breast machine. 



At present they are working with an engine plane, the 

 empties running into the mine by gravity, while the full skips 

 are pulled out by steam, but this is only temporary, and will 

 be replaced by an endless rope system, the engine for which 

 is erected and has three Walker's pulleys, one for the main, 

 the others for the two branches. All the ropes pass down the 

 main tunnel. This is a naked lamp mine. 



The Capell fan is 10ft. in diameter, and open^at both sides. 

 It is driven by ropes from two General Electric Company's 

 motors of 105 h. p. each. These motors are connected to the 

 shafting by a flexible coupling (Fig. 229), which takes up any 

 slight movement of the shafting, misalignment, or end thrust, 



