UNDERGROUND WORKINGS OF A WESTERN COLLIERY. XLI. 



do as much work as 2 lbs. does at the present time, or who can 

 get one ton of good round coal for every half ton now obtainable 

 out of a spam by improved engineering methods, is a benefactor to 

 his country. These notes were taken at the Zig Zag Colliery 

 near Lithgow, the second of importance in the Western District, 

 and as this colliery may be termed a typical one, the notes as to 

 the general methods of working will apply to the whole district. 



The output of coal for the Western District for the year 1899 

 was 217,817 tons, valued at £45,455, or nearly one-twentieth of 

 the whole output of the State for the same year, and it employed 

 403 persons. The output for the Zig Zag mine for the same year 

 was 29,897 tons, employing 39 hands, but this year the output 

 bids fair to reach 60 or 70,000 tons. 



This mine was originally the property of that enterprising and 

 far-seeing man the late Mr. Thomas Sutcliffe Mort, who acquired 

 the land partly by purchase from the Crown and partly from 

 private landowners, but his lamented death occurred before he 

 had an opportunity of practically testing its value. The property 

 still remains in the hands of the family, and is leased to Mr. 

 Thomas Saywell. 



Description of Seam. — The seam is known as the Lithgow Seam 

 and is 11 feet thick, and consists of — (1) 15 inches of bandy coal 

 on a floor of sandstone. (2) 5 feet 8 inches of compact coal. (3) 

 4 inch of blackstone. (4) Three plies or layers of top coal or tops, 

 averaging in thickness 15 inches each and parted by penny bands 

 of stone. 



Diagram A. 

 The roof is of solid sandstone and very strong. The seam dips 

 about 2° 20' in a direction about N. 60° E., but owing to the 

 absence of any survey in the vertical plane the exact slope of the 

 dip is unknown. 



The 5 feet 8 inches compact coal in the seam is of a good 

 bituminous quality, its colour is a dull black, and it is excellently 

 adapted for steam purposes; at present this is the only part of 



