OUR COAL AND COAL POB,TS. 123 



From Bulli to Coal Cliff is nine miles, and along the whole of this distance 

 most of the fine seams of coal crop out to the eastward, in the same manner as 

 they do all along from BuUi to Wollongong and down to G-erringong, over a 

 distance of some extra 40 miles. Therefore, if the egress by rail should be 

 made by AVestmacott's Pass, at Bulli, the whole of these upper cr more northern 

 * nine miles of rich coal country would continue to be valueless, unless enter- 

 prise should venture a partial development of those coal fields by attempting 

 to make jetties in open roadsteads, having the most insignificant protection 

 from heavy seas, and with far less shelter than is even afforded by the dan- 

 gerous position of the Bulli jetty. 



Interested parties having met me on our ride up through these nine miles of 

 coal country, they called my attention to the possibility, of having the railroad 

 at the extreme northern end of this coal district, to admit of all proprietors 

 being benefited alike, and thus to develop more feeders to the railway. This 

 was exactly what I wished, but which I saw was impracticable by means of 

 the proposed tunnelling. I was also much encouraged in this new idea, 

 because my measurements of elevation proved what I knew must be the case, 

 namely, that the northerly dip of the coal basin in these parts is not confined 

 to the dip of the coal alone, but that the whole geological formation had 

 endured similar depression, and that therefore it must be easier to rise out of 

 this coast abyss the further north we went, provided other natural features 

 warranted the attempt. 



Thus, from a suggestion made by others, I carried out the investigation of 

 the special locality, and was much pleased by the result, which convinces me 

 that not only can all the difficulties be overcome, and the egress brought to 

 that comparatively low elevation that I had reached in the morning, on 

 ascending the cliff-tops at the extreme north, but I am also "satisfied that 

 the features of the country will admit of such an easy gradient being made 

 that we may have it as light as 1 in 50, which is only 100 feet to the mile. 

 This success would be attained by keeping about 200 feet above the sea all the 

 way from Bulli, so as to escape the gullies and broken ground, and pass on by 

 the flats below the high mountain cliffs which continue for several miles from 

 Bulli ; thus by keeping that level of 200 feet at least, the great Coal Cliff 

 itself can be rounded by a natural basement existing on it at that elevation, 

 but which would have to be relieved by cuttings. 



This would thus leave only 600 feet more to rise before the table-top would 

 be reached ; and this elevation can, in my opinion, be commanded by making 

 a winding circuit in serpentine form around and up two great spurs of the 

 mountain, which, with the east and west bend of the Bulgo Range at the back 

 of Stanwell'Park, terminate the northern boundary of the lUawarra country, 

 where the northerly clip of the coal passes down under the sea level. 



This course will admit of a circuitous upward route of from four to six miles 

 on to the table-top by a road which could be made perfectly safe, and also 

 to be of the grandest nature in its scenery afforded, and give a gradient that 

 will admit of Inrge coal trains going up at half speed without the aid of a 

 second engine, by taking up full load at twice. 



At the same time that I advocate the adoption of this special line, I do not 

 suppose that it should be even nominally adopted in preference to the one 

 by the Bulli Pass without survey ; but I do strenuously hope that a sufficient 

 sum of money, say £2,000, be subscribed in Sydney and lUawarra, in the 

 relative proportions of £1,500 from the former and £500 from the latter, for 

 the express purpose of carrying out effective preliminary surveys with accurate 

 cross-sections of both these passes ; and that priority in the surveys be given 

 to those difiicult engineering parts, before more of the money is spent on the 

 rest of the simple surveys along the whole line. 



With reference to the pecuniary aspect of this matter and of its important 

 results, I confirm all I have formerly said, although the altered conditions of 



