Geology of the West Moreton or Ipswich coal field / by Walter E. Cameron. Queensland coal: its economic value as a steam coal. [A paper read before the Queensland Institute of Mechanical Engineers, December, 1892, by Robert Wilson].

Cameron, Walter Evan · 1899 · Historical

The Lord Beauchamp. — This is an ore body which has been trenched across both on the eastern and western slopes of the Black Rock ridge.

Public-domain full text preserved in the Mountain Man Mining Library. Original source: archive.org.

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FVM£B;N)SLANO. UNLV£fiSI|y OF ILLINOIS

REPORT ON STANNARY HILLS TIN MINES, EOREKA CREEK, WATSONVILLE DISTRICT, NORTH QUEENSLAND.

(BY J. MALCOLM MAOLAREN, B Sc., ASSISTANT GOVERNMENT GEOLOGIST.)

Presented to both Houses of Parliament by Command.

The Honourable The Minister For Mines, Brisbane.

Geological Survey Office,

Brisbane, 1st November, 1900.

Slit, — 1 have the honour to hand you herewith Mr. .i. Malcolm Maclaren's Report on the Stannary Hills Tin Mines, Eureka Creek, Watsonville.

I have, &c.,

William H. Rands,

Government Geologist.

The Stannary Hills Mines are situated near the head of the Eureka Creek, 10 miles north-west of Watsonville. They are comprised within five leases — Nos. 1403-7 — and are spread over an area of half- a-mile wide, by a little more than a mile in length. The "country" is a sedimentary rock, composed of highly inclined micaceous and felspathic sandstone, and dark green slaty shales and greywackes. The general strike of the strata is from north-east and south-west to east and west, and the prevailing dip to the north at very high angles, in places closely approximating to verticality.

The tinstone does not occur in fissure lodes with true walls, but as an impregnation along the bedding planes of the green chloritic slaty shales, to which the deposits are almost entirely restricted. The intervening micaceous and coarser felspathic sandstones carry no tinstone, owing probably to the absence of lines of percolation, along which the stanniferous solutions might pass. Erom the regularity of the dip, and strike of the chloritic shales over the area examined, the permanency of the beds in depth may be confidently anticipated. AsjA-Fhe value of the ore content in depth, there is not yet sufficient data available on which to base an opinion. Erom the nature of the deposits, however,, the value of the "formations" may be® expected to fluctuate, both in linear extension and in depth within limits, which can be ascertained only in the course of development.

The details of the various deposits and workings are as follows, the measurements being obtained from personal examination, but the values, where given, are in every case the estimates of the manager, and are appended merely to show the comparative value of the deposits.

Black Bock Rill — Lindsay's Face.— This is an open cut in the north-west portion of lease 1401, in what was originally a green chloritic slaty shale, but which is now oxidised and weathered to a soft, highly ferruginous rock. The dimensions of the cut are 30 feet long bv 18 feet wide by 10 feet deep. No dip or strike is revealed by this excavation, which is apparently on the top of the deposit. The ore from this excavation is estimated to carry 2 to 3 per cent tinstone. Seventy feet below the open cut a tunnel has been driven to cut the ore body in depth. This drive is in 75 feet, and in the last 3 or 4 feet of driving a ferruginous leader, which possibly marks the north-west boundary of this deposit and which strikes east and west, has been cut.

The Lord Beauchamp. — This is an ore body which has been trenched across both on the eastern and western slopes of the Black Rock ridge. It is about 70 feet wide containing rich patches, but in bulk is low grade, carrying 2 to 3 per cent, of tinstone.

Extended Workings. — These are to the south-east of the above and comprise several ore bodies. The best defined of these are the Lord Lamington and the Lord Tennyson, which are in chloritic shales and probably strike wu'th the country. They are separated by a barren bed of felspathic sandstone. The former is trenched across for about 30 feet, and the latter for about 70 feet. Both contain rich patches of ore but are on the whole low grade.

The Lord Roberts Shaft is sunk to the north-east of the Old Extended workings to a vertical depth of 120 feet, and from the bottom a crosscut is being driven to get back under the old stopes. The ore body worked in the upper levels from this shaft is very irregular, and in the absence of the assistance given by hanging and footwalls it is difficult to say where it will be picked up in the cross-cut from the bottom of the shaft. This, however, is a problem that, from the nature of the deposits, will frequently confront the management in future exploitation — at any rate, until sufficient development has been done to enable rules to be deduced for future guidance. My own opinion, in the absence of the above data, is that the general dip of the ore bodies will be with the " country " — viz., to the north.

C. A. 105-1900.

The Lord Kitchener Shaft, about 3 chains further to the south-east, is about 66 feet deep, and is sunk from the end of a drive about 40 feet iuto the side of the hill. Sinking in this shaft is now about to be discontinued, in order that crosscuts inay be driven either way to test the width of the ore body, no walls being visible at present. The tin stone is here disseminated throughout a close-grained slaty shale, and is estimated to average 6 per cent, to 7 per cent, throughout.

The whole of the ore bodies above described offer exceptional facilities for economical working, levels driven in from the Eureka Creek giving from 250 feet to 300 feet of " backs."

Ivanhoe and Eclipse Section. — Dixon's Lode. This is an ore body in the bed of Eureka Creek, on the boundary of Leases 1403 and 1401. It is opened up by a cut on the bank of the creek. The "country" is a hard, close-grained, green, chloritic slaty shale, striking east and west, and dipping to the north at very high angles.

Eour chains further down the Eureka Creek are the Monarch Workings. These are a tunnel from an open cut, and a shaft 50 feet below the tunnel, and a total distance of 100 feet from the surface. The ore body at the bottom is about 3 feet wide, and is estimated to be worth about 10 per cent, of tinstone. The gangue is here much coarser than on the Black Rock and Extended, approximating closely to a felspathic sandstone.

Opposite to the Monarch and to Dixon's is the most important section of the property — the Ivanhoe and Eclipse Hill. The main shaft (the Rebecca) is about 200 feet in depth, and the surface plat is about 100 feet above creek level. The lower 100 feet of this mine was flooded at the time of my visit, as the manager considers that the mine is now sufficiently proved for all development purposes, and is unwilling to incur unnecessary expense in pumping, and raising ore which will not be treated until the erection of the company's crushing mills. The shaft is 7 feet 9 inches by 41 feet iu the clear, and is centred for winding and for pumping and travelling compartments. An adit level has been driven from the bank of the creek to the shaft — a distance of about 150 feet. The shaft has been sunk in a " pipe," about 43 feet long by 16 feet wide. Down to the 101 feet (or adit) level it was worth 8 per cent., and below the adit it is estimated to be worth 13 per cent.

The Badcn-Powell Shaft has been sunk at a point where the ivanhoe and Eclipse ore bodies apparently junction, and is 70 feet in depth. This shaft has been stopped owing io the accumulation of water in the Ivanhoe workings. The bottom of the shaft is not on the ore body, but is probably in a " horse," as the Ivanhoe body is only 5 feet to the north as proved by bore holes.

The Ivanhoe and the Eclipse both form the caps of small spurs, the former striking E.S.E., ami the latter E.1N.E. To the north the " country" is a micaceous sandstone.

The Euller Shaft has been sunk on the Eclipse ore body to. a depth of 91 feet. At the bottom of the shaft the ore body is 14 feet wide, and is estimated to average 20 per cent. ; of this 14 feet about 7 feet is of much better quality than the remainder, and should average 40 per cent. The ore body has fairly well-defined walls which are probably bedding planes in the country rock. It is approximately vertical, and appears to strike east and west. 1'he gangue is highly miueralized, carrying iron pyrites with small quantities of zinc-blende, galena, and chalcopyrite. This body has been exposed for a length of 20 feet by a width of 14 feet and a height of 20 feet.

Cudmore's Tunnel is about 700 feet to the south-west of the Buller Shaft. A pnggy ore formation has been struck afler driving about 35 feet and sinking 6 feet to 7 feet. This decomposed kuolinic rock carries rich patches in places. The tunnel is only about IS feet below the cap of the ridge.

The Lady Mary strikes east and west and forms the spur of a small ridge running down into the Eureka Creek. A shaft (Phillips') is being sunk on the ore body, and is 20 feet in depth.

Hornets' Nrst Section. — The workings on this section lie to the south of the manager's house, and comprise three main ore bodies. 1 he most southerly is the General AVhite, upon which a shaft has been sunk 80 feet deep. The " formation" is 3 feet to 4 feet in width On the Middle Lode a shaft of 50 feet in depth has been sunk, revealing an ore body 10 feet wide. From au open cut, 12 feet by 10 feet by 6 feet, a fire assay returned 7 per cent.

The General French Shaft is 70 feet deep, and is in au ore body 6 feet to 8 feet wide. This appears, however, unlike all the others mentioned, to strike north and south, and may, indeed, be au impregnation along connecting joint planes. Crosscuts, each 25 feet long, driven north and south, failed to discover other than low-grade lode matter.

In all the above sections the surface deposits are highly stained, and in cases even cemented by ferruginous matter. In depth, however, the general characteristic colour of the unaltered rock is a dark green owing to the presence of chloritic matter.

Young Australia and Ironclad are two leases about a mile south-east of the manager's house. The old workings of the Ironclad have not yet been opened up, but a tunnel has been driven along the course of the former lode, for, unlike the deposits on the Eureka Creek, the Young Australia is a fissure lode, with well-defined hanging and foot walls, striking north-west and south-east, and dipping to the north-east at an angle of 7U degrees. The country is here a felspathic sandstone. The lode varies in width from 2 feet to 5 feet. Considerable quantities of tin ore have been taken from old workings on this lode, which is estimated to average 6 per cent, to 7 per cent. The tin stone, again, unlike the ore bodies previously described, is disseminated throughout a gangue of quartz.

As it is the intention, 1 understand, of the company to abandon Lease No. 1406, on which are situated the Ruby workings, this section was not visited.

The work of development has apparently been systematically and carefully carried out, and the success of the present management augurs well for the result of future operations.

J Malcolm Maclaren.

No. 146 of the Geological Survey Publications.

Price 8rf. j

Bv Authority: Khmumi (JiiiiGOtiv, Government Printei, William #treet, Briebnm

The Library Hf 1Hl

May 2 7 1929

University Of Illinois

Queensland.

Geology Of The West Moreton Or Ipswich

Coal Field.

(REPOET ON, BY WALTER E. CAMERON, B.A., ASSISTANT GOVERNMENT GEOLOGIST.)

[ With 2 Maps, 4 Geological Sections, and 10 Figures .]

Also

Queensland Coal: Its Economic Value As A Steam Coal.

[A Paper read before the Queensland Institute of Mechanical Engineers, December, 1892, by Robert

Wilson, Engineer, Government Steamer " Otter

Presented to both Houses of Parliament by Command.

To The Honourable The Minister For Mines, Brisbane.

Geological Survey Office,

Brisbane, 22nd May, 1899.

Sie, — I have the honour to hand you herewith Report by Mr. Walter E. Cameron on the Geology of the West Moreton or Ipswich Coal Field, with, as an Appendix, " Queensland Coal: Its Economic Value as a Steam Coal," a Paper read before the Queensland Institute of Mechanical Engineers, December, 1892, by Robert Wilson, Engineer, Government Steamer "Otter."

I have, &c.,

William H. Rands,

Acting Government Geologist.

Table Of

I.— General Geology of the Coalfield and Surroundings.

1. Introduction.

2. The Faulted Junction of the Ipswich and Gympie Forma-

tions.— The Pine Mountain Inlier.

3. The Coal Measures near Ipswich —

(1) The Basal Conglomerate.

(2) The Coal-bearing Beds.

4. The Folding and Faulting of the Coal Measures near

Ipswich.

5. A Coal-bearing Horizon.

6. Paleontology.

II. — The North Ipswich or Tivoli Area.

1. Coals underlying the Worked Seams.

2. The Coal Measures carrying the Worked Seams.

3. The Benley Seam.

4. The Bishop or Big Seam, and the Bishop Fault.

5. The Tivoli Seam and the Tivoli Fault.

6. The Waterstown or Cuffe's Lower Seam.

7. The Fiery Seam or Cuffe's Upper Seam.

8. The Tantivy Seam.

9. The Garden Seam.

10. Future Extension of the Work of Winning the North Ipswich Coals.

III.— The Coal Beds at Blackstone and Bundanba.

1. General Disposition of the Beds.

2. The Coal Beds at Blackstone —

(1) The Aberdare Seam and Colliery.

(2) The Aberdare Seam at the West Moreton Colliery

and the West Moreton Seam.

(3) Character of the Aberdare Seam.

(4) Extension of Work on the Aberdare Seam to the

West and North.

(5) The Bluff or Dirty Seam.

(6) The Stafford's Four-foot-six Seam.

(7) Seams below Stafford's Four-foot-six Seam.

3. The Coal Seams at Bundanba —

(1) The Braeside Colliery.

(2) Continuation of the Seams North and East of the

Day Dawn Colliery.

4. Value of the Lower Coals between Blackstone and Bun-

danba, and their probable depth below the surface further West.

C. A. 100—1899.

Contents.

5. Thickness of the Coal Measures at Blackstone and Bundanba.

IV.— The Coal Beds at Swanbank and Cooneana.

1. Continuation of the Seams to the South of Blackstone.

2. The Swanbank Seams.

3. Probable Extension of the Blackstone Seam under Box Flat

towards the Swanbank Colliery.

4. Coal Seams to the South and East of Swanbank.

5. Coal Seams on the Cooneana Estate and Adjoining Properties.

6. Stafford's Tunnel Fault.

V.— The Coal Seams in the Neighbourhood of Dinmore.

1. General Disposition of the Beds — the New Chum Seam.

2. The New Chum Colliery.

3. The Whitwood Colliery.

4. The Dinmore Colliery.

5. The Ebbwvale Colliery.

6. The Old Aberdare Seam.

VI.— Characteristics and Commercial Value of the West Moreton Coals.

1. Analyses and Tests, with Tables and Notes.

2. Difference between the coals from North and South of the

River — the Walloon Coal.

3. Comparison of Analyses with those from New South Wales.

4. Ash Percentages.

5. Friability.

Table I. — Analyses of Coals. - .

Table II. — Results of Engine Tests of Coals made on the Government s.s. "Otter' ; with notes by Robert Wilson, Engineer.

Appendix.

Queensland Coal : Its Economic Value as a Steam Coal.

A Paper read before the Queensland Institute of Mechanical Engineers, December, 1892, by Mr. Robert Wilson, Engineer.

Addenda.

I. — Shaft Journals of Aberdare, West Moreton, and Borehole Collieries.

II. — Table shewing Output of Coal from the Ipswich Coal Field from 1860 to 1898.

I —General Geology Of The Coalfield And Surroundings.

1. Introduction. — The strata in which the coal seams of the Ipswich Coal Field occur are part of a mass of conglomerates, sandstones, and shales, which are known as the " Ipswich Formation," and are estimated to cover an area of about 12,000 square miles in south-eastern Queensland. This formation, from the assemblage of fossil plants found in it, is referred to the Upper Trias-Jura period of time. It is known to contain coal seams at many widely-separated points over this area, though these have been most extensively worked in the neighbourhood of the Town of Ipswich. Ipswich lies about twenty-five miles by rail south-west of Brisbane, on the Bremer Kiver, a tributary of the Brisbane, and navigable for barges and small steamers ns far as the town.

The portion of this large extent of coal-bearing beds examined for this report is an area of about fifty square miles in the neighbourhood of Ipswich, embracing all the mines at present working. The coalbeds are bounded to the north of this area by a fault following the course of the Brisbane River about five miles north of Ipswich, by which the coalbeds are brought down against oi ler metamorphie quartzites and schists. These are presumably of Palaeozoic Age, and are referred to the Gympie Formation or lower beds of the Permo-Carboniferous System. The boundary line between these two formations is shown on Map 2 accompanying this report, extending from Brisbane on the east to YYivenhoe and Northbrook on the west. In the neighbourhood of Brisbane the Ipswich Beds lie unconformaoly on the quartzites and schists, but on following the junction of the two formations along the river south of the city it becomes a faulted one, and maintains this character as far west as it has been hitherto followed in detail. Map No. 2 shows also the outcrops of the seams and general strike of the beds in the area worked for coal, and gives the dip of the beds wherever observed outside that area.

The Ipswich Beds, consisting for the most part of lenticularly bedded thin shales and sandstones, often becoming grits and -pebbly conglomerates, do not afford any well-defined horizons. They lie mostly in undulating folds, which give the strata dips of up to 15 degrees, or occasionally more in the neighbourhood of faults. They have been denuded into low undulating country south of the Brisbane River, withjjoccasional ridges capped by the harder grPs and conglomerates, which stands out in marked contrast to the more rugged country of the metamorphie rocks north of the river. This area of metamorphic rocks is seen as a line of rounded hills from any point of vantage south of the river. Almost at the base of the Ipswich Beds about Brisbane, but separated from the Gympie Beds by a few feet of shale, is a thick bed of volcanic tuff, shown ou Map 2 dotted in red. It is iost at the point where the faulted junction of the beds commences, but patches of similar tuffs are found at various points along the junction line. Some of these points are marked on the map.

2. The Faulted Junction, of the Ipswich and Gi/vipie Format ions — The Fine Mountain Inlicr. — The faulted junction was traced by the writer from the mouth of Pullen Creek on the east to AYivenhoc and Northbrook on the west. The information on Map 2 east of this has been compiled from information collected by various officers of the Geological Survey and placed on record on the office maps. As noticed before, the faulting commences at a point on the Brisbane River, south of the city, in the neighbourhood of Yeronga, where the basal tuff which east of this lies unconformablv on the older slate and quartzites is here cut out. The fault extends west from this point in a zigzag course as far as the Pine Mountaiu. Here the trend of the fault takes a turn to the NAY. and runs in a gently curving line bounded to the N.E. by steep hills of Gympie Rocks as far as the boundary of the map.

At the point where the junction line crosses the Brisbane River, just above its junction with the Bremer, it is obscured by basalt, which intervenes between the two formations. This basalt is exposed on the river bank where it is quarried for road metal. The basalt has evidently been extruded along the fault as a line of weakness, and has overspread both formations for some distance on each side. A similar occurrence of the basalt is found south of the Mount Crosby Pumping Station, and again near the mouth of Oaky Creek, in the Parish of Sahl. The fault is distinctly exposed on the river bank at the latter point, the sandstones and shales of the Ipswich Formation with a bed of interstratified tuff dipping away from a steep hill of quartzite on the north, from which they are separated by a narrow dyke of basalt. The contact of the two formations is still more distinctly exposed to the north of, and lower down the river than, Ivholo Bridge, where conglomerates of the Ipswich Formation arc found on the river bank lying on the face of a quartzite bluff, the fault here hading west at about 15 degrees.

The elevated ridge known as the Pine Mountain, situated near the southern bank of the Brisbane River, about six miles to the north of Ipswich, together with the country to the west of it as far as ho road to Marsh's Crossing past the school, forms a detached mass of Gympie Rocks, which has been faulted away from the main mass to the north, and constitutes a faulted inlicr of these beds surrounded on all sides by conglomerate beds of the Ipswich Formation. The elongated summit of the Pine Mountain ridge strikes N.N.W. in conformity with the strike of the Gympie Beds for a distance of about a mile, and consists of light yellow and brown quartzite. Immediately west of it is a belt of softer ferruginous quartzite which has been exploited as an iron ore. Mr. Rands visited this locality in 1891, and reported unfavourably on the quality of the stone as an ore of iron, the stone being found to contain

too much silica to be of any commercial value.* West of this belt of ferruginous quartzite is one of serpentinous schist with associated chrome iron ore with the prevailing N.N.W. strike, which terminates on the west in the ridge lying to the north of the school. A parcel of this ore sent to the Government Analyst for analysis on 20th March, 1898, gave the following analysis : —

Chromium oxide, Cr203, 36'89 per cent.

Ferrous oxide, FeO, 13'12 per cent.

Alumina, A1203 416 per cent.

Magnesia, MkO, 25'58 per cent.

Lime, CaO, nil.

3. The Coal Measures Near Ipswich — (1) The Basal Conglomerate. — The lowest beds of the Ipswich Formation seen in the neighbourhood of the coalfields are exposed along the faulted junction on the north for a distance of about nine miles in the banks of the Brisbane River from Fairney View on the west to Colledge's Crossing on the east. They consist mainly of a mass of coarse conglomerate. Thin sandstones and shales are exposed interbedded with them conglomerates in the river sections, and tuff, apparently interbedded, was found at various points, but was nowhere seen in the natural sections, though some must be at least 200 feet in thickness. The conglomerates consist of well waterworn pebbles and boulders set in a sandstone matrix. They form rough hills along the southern bank of this portion of the Brisbane Fiver, and are exposed as steep bluffs, where they are cut into by the river. Their base is nowhere seen, as they abut against the Gympie Beds to the north, their junction being well exposed at several points where the river crosses it. At a steep bluff on the south side of the river, opposite Fairney Creek, and again on the north side of the Pine Mountain, this conglomerate consists of large boulders of quartzite of various colours, evidently derived from the degradation of the Gympie Beds, and no doubt representing a shore formation of shingle broken down by an advancing sea eating into cliffs of the older Gympie Rocks.

The area covered by the conglomerate is shown on Map 2. It is there seen to extend east to beyond Colledge's Crossing with a gentle dip to the 8. by E. and a consequent Is. by E. strike. This strike, together with the cross faulting, shown east of Colledge's Crossing, cuts out the conglomerate which is here faulted down out of sight against the Gympie Beds, while higher beds are brought down against the older rocks. West of the Pine Mountain the conglomerate is found dipping steeply 8. 60 degrees W., being bent over suddenly to the west on an axis running in a south-easterly direction. This bending of the beds not only affects the conglomerate, but all the higher coal-bearing beds. Its effect on the strike of the overlying coal beds can bo traced in a 8.E. direction as lar as the south of Ipswich and is shown by the strike lines on the map.

This bending over of the beds causes the conglomerate to lie almost perpendicularly against the western side of the Pine Mountain Inlier. North of the mountain it is again cut out by the crossfaulting shown on Map 2 at Fairney Creek, being also on this side faulted down out of sight, the overlying sandstone and shales being thus brought down against the Gympie Beds. Patches of conglomerate are found at various points along the faulted junction north of Fairney Creek, and may very possibly be a continuation of the same basal beds left here and there at the surface by the faulting.

(2) The Coalhearing Beds. — Above the basal conglomerates between the Brisbane and Bremer Rivers the next lowest members of the Ipswich Formation are seen, consisting of lenticularly bedded pebbly conglomerates, grits, sandstones, and sandy and argillaceous shales, with their accompanying beds of coal. Map 1 shows the strike of these beds as indicated by the outcrops of the coals north of the Bremer, where they dip at about 15 degrees to the S.E. The dip increases towards the west as the strike fines cross the Bremer River at I pswich, till the beds are bent sharply over to the west in the same manner as the underlying conglomerate.

Over a large area in the centre of the field the coal beds are hidden by alluvial de pouts along the south bank of the Bremer, and also by the large area of basalt overlying them between Ipswich and Bundanba. They are found again carrying workable coals to the south and east of the basalt and alluvium between Bundanba and Six-mile Creeks, where they are domed up about an apex lying about half-way between the two, the beds dipping away at angles of generally about 15 degrees. East of Six-mde Creek the coal beds are in more gentle folds affording fewer exposures of the seams, and consequently the lines of strike are more difficult to map.

The peculiar and comparatively severe folding of the beds near Ipswich appears to be due to the differential movement of the beds caused in the faulting against the Gympie Rocks.

With its change in direction in the neighbourhood of the Pine Mountain the faulting apparently becomes much greater in amount. This is evidenced by the disappearance of the basal conglomerates to the N. W, and the bending over of the Ipswich Beds, the upturned edges of a great thickness of strata being exposed on the western side of the axis of folding as shown by the strike lines on the map. By this bending over of the Ipswich Beds strata of considerably higher horizons are brought in and occupy the district from Walloon to Fernvale, where the Ipswich coal beds are probably lying at a considerable depth below the surface. As far as the few exposures observed give any indication, the strata over this area are practically horizontal, and it would be an interesting and important question to determine whether the coal-bearing horizon of Ipswich lies at workable depths over anjr portion of it.

Annual Progress lieport of the Geological Survey for the year 1S!)4, page 27.

4. The Folding and Faulting of the Coal Measures near Ipswich.— The most southerly point at which the highly-inclined beds can be seen near the town of Ipswich is along the Bremer River from the One-mile Bridge up, where they are found dipping at increasing angles to the west, till at a sharp bend of the river the dip is from 70 degrees to SO degrees. (See Map 1.) West of this the rocks are hidden under an accumulation of black soil, which is apparently river alluvium. At the bridge the rocks are apparently faulted, aud the bending round can be observed on passing up Deebing Creek, where the dip swings round to south at 22 degrees.

The change of dip can also be well observed on following the Toowoomba Line out from Ipswich. In the first cutting it is S.E. at high angles ; further on the lie of the beds is obscured, and there is apparently faulting. At a quarry south of the line on the Saddler's Pocket Hoad it is 50 degrees to S. 60 degrees W.; near the Sadler's Crossing Bridge it is still steeper ; in the bed of the river it is about 15 degrees, while in the first cutting over the river the dip is about SO degrees, still in the same direction.

The westerly dipping beds are again well exposed on following up Poninerudda Creek, where the dip varies from 30 degrees to perpendicular between its junction with the Bremer and where the beds are hidden under the area of basalt towards its source. On the banks of the river at this junction faulting has again taken place, and also further west near the edge of the basalt.

Further north, between the Waverly and Pine Mountain Roads, an escarpment of coarse grit and conglomerate dips at 60 degrees to S. 60 degrees W., and north of the area of basalt near the Pine Mountain the same dip is observed.

It is impossible to estimate what thickness of strata would be passed over in a traverse across the outcrop of these westerly dipping beds as the dip is so variable in amount, and the highest of the beds is nowhere exposed. Taking the distance across the outcrops north of Poninerudda Creek at 100 chains, and the average dip at 60 degrees, we get 5,700 feet as probably a very low estimate of the thickness of strata exposed above the basal conglomerate. Further west from Karrabiu to A\ralloon and to the N.E. and S.W. of that place softer sandstones and shale are found dipping gently to the S.A\ . as far as can be judged by the rare exposures seen over this area. Near Walloon a shaft reaches coal dipping at 3 degrees in this direction. These beds consequently must as stated before be on a much higher horizon than those carrying the coal to the east and north of Ipswich. The coal itself is of a different character having a lower specific gravity, and a brighter lustre. It shows conchoidal fracture, does not soil the fingers, and gives a much higher percentage of hydrocarbons.

Several faults of considerable throw have been disclosed by the mine workings around Ipswich. A study of these on the map shows that they run generally in a N.W. and S.E. direction, parallel with the axis of folding of the Ipswich Beds, with a downthrow to the N.E. They have no doubt been caused by the same movement which resulted in the folding of the beds. They would almost seem to be continuous from the north of Ipswich to the east of Ipswich as indicated by the broken lines on Map 1. The line of the West Moreton Fault south of Blackstone, drawn from the plaus of the mine, when produced in a N.W. direction is seen to coincide almost exactly with that of a fault exposed in the first cutting on the Tivoli Railway Line at North Ipswich ; while those of the Tivoli and Bishop Faults to the JN.E. of the latter, when continued to the south are seen to coincide roughly with those of faults found at Bundanba and Binmore.

The section along the line A.B. on Map 2 shows the relation of the Ipswich to the Gympio Beds at the Pine Mountain.

The section at the base of the map gives the general disposition of the beds on a line east and west from Ipswich to Bundanba, and shows the sharp folding over to the west of the town with the probable faulting between Ipswich and AValloon.

5. A Coal-bearing Horizon. — It will be seen from the information given in the following pages that the coal seams of the West Moreton Field aud the beds in which they lie are inconstant in character, and are considerably folded and faulted, not only rendering their mining difficult, but rendering also the prediction from geological evidence of their existence in a workable condition at points even a short distance from where they are proved a matter of great uncertainty. A glance at the maps shows that they have been most extensively worked, where, owing to the greater folding of the beds and the moro broken contour of the land surface, the outcrops of the seams have been best exposed. Their accessibility from points of intercommunication has no doubt also been a determining factor. There almost seems to be a par excellence coal-bearing horizon represented by the six or seven seams shown on Map 2, outcropping at North Ipswich, and the half-dozen or more seams outcropping between Blnckstono and Bundanba, though there is really no evidence to show that the seams in these two localities are on the same horizon. This horizon, if we accept it as one till further development has shown otherwise, lias been, as stated before, most thoroughly prospected at the above localities, but it scarcely seems possible that it affords workable coal only in these localities. Following this horizon at North Ipswich to the east the coal apparently deteriorates in quality. The coals in this direction, however, cannot be considered to have been thoroughly tested. Following the same horizon to the west, some of the coals have been worked up to

the eastern bank of Mihi Creek and across the river, but further west the beds are suddenly bent over, and the coal-bearing horizon does not appear to have been prospected along this northwesterly strike. At Blackstone again, following the strike of this coal-bearing horizon to the south, prospecting work has shown seams to occur as far south as the southern bank of Oaky Creek, and it is very probable that further development in this direction will show that these seams are a continuation of the same horizon. Following the horizon to the north, the beds are bent over, and, though considerably faulted and disturbed, in all probability the same horizon is represented by the New Chum, Old Aberdare Seam, and underlying seams in the neighbourhood of Dintnore, and to the east by those seams found on Cooneana and to the east of Six-mile Creek. The folding of the beds probably brings this horizon to great depths below the surface over large areas in the neighbourhood of the present known outcrops, but there must still be a considerable area over which the seams occurs at workable depths, as is shown more particularly later on. Very little but surface prospecting has been done away from the present mined ground, so that it is almost impossible to say what fresh seams will be discovered when increased demand will have stimulated a more thorough search, and rendered necessary boring with the calyx or other drill in order to prove the coal at greater depths from the surface.

6. Palaeontology. — The following list of fossils found in the Ipswich Beds, in South-Eastern Queensland, is taken from Mr. .lack's list in the SUB-KINGDOM— PLANTS.

Cryptogamia.

Equisetum rotiferum , Ten. Woods ,, (?) latum. Ten. Woods

Bhyll otheca carnosa, Ten. Woods ,, (sp. ind.)

Vertebraria equiseti, Ten. Woods

,, towarrensis , Ten. Woods

Sphenopteris Hailey ana. Ten. Woods Trichomanites la.rum, Ten. Woods ,, spinifolia, Ten. Woods

,, elongata, Carruthers

Thinnfeldia odontopteroides, Morris

„ „ var. falcata, Ten. Woods

,, media, Ten. Woods

Alethopteris australis, Morris „ Lindleyana, Feist.

Gleichenia lineata, Ten. Woods Tceniopteris (? Angiopteridium) Daintreei, McCoy ,, (? Angiopteridium), Carruthers

Phyllopteris Feistmanteli, Eth. 111. Macrotceniopteris wianamattoe, Feist.

Geology of Queensland,"* page 362 : —

Macrotceniopteris crassinervis, Feist. Sagenopteris rhoifolia, Presl.

„ ? cuneata, Carruthers.

Phlebopleris alethopteroides, Eth. fil.

Phanerogamia.

Podozamites lanceolatus, Bindley and Hutton. Otozamites mandeslohi, Kurr.

Pterophyllum ahnorme, Eth. fil.

,, (sp. ind.)

Ptilophyllum oligoneurum. Ten. Woods. Araucarites ? polycarpa, Ten. Woods. Sequoites ? australis, Ten. Woods.

Taxites medius, Ten. Woods.

Brachyphyllum crassum. Ten. Woods. Cunninghamites australis, Ten. Woods.

Plants Inserts Sedis. Cardiocarpum ? australe, Carruthers. Cyeadinocarpus.

Animaeta.

Estheria mangaliensis, Jones.

Mesostigmodera typica, Eth. fil. and Olliff. XJnio ipsviciensis, Eth fil.

„ eyrensis, Tate.

Since this list was published, the following new species from the Ipswich Beds, many of them from Denmark Hill, Ipswich, have been described by Mr. Shirley, in his "Additions to the Fossil Flora of Queensland," No. 7 of the Geological Survey Bulletins : —

Sapindus oxleyensis. Shir. Cinnamomum primigenium, Etting. Ficus subsycamorus, Shir.

Myrica suhsalicina. Shir.

Ginkgo antartica, Sap.

„ bidens, (Tenison-Woods), Shir. ,, Simmundsi, Shir.

„ phceniciformis. Shir.

Baiera ipsviciensis, Shir.

,, ginkgoides, Shir.

Stachyopitys annular ioides. Shir.

„ Simmondsi, Shir. Pterophyllum parvum, Shir.

„ yerongense. Shir.

,, multilineatum. Shir.

,, quadrifilorum. Shir.

Beania geminata, Shir.

Lygodium antiquorum, Shir. Scolecopteris australis, Shir.

Todea australis, Renault.

Sphenopteris delicatula, Shir.

,, superba, Shir.

Sphenopteris ivalchiformis, Shir.

„ lacunosa, Shir. A

,, Baileyana, TenJWoods.

Trichomanites spinifolia, Ten. -Woods. Triphyllopteris botryoides, Shir.

Neuropteris punctata. Shir.

Alethopteris Lindleyana (?), Feist.

Thinnfeldia indica (?) Feist.

,, odontopteroides. Feist.

,, ( Gleichenia ) dubia. Feist.

Pecopteris queenslandice, Shir.

,, subtenera. Shir.

Tceniopteris Tenison-Woodsi, Eth. fil.

„ ( Angiopteridium ) spatulata, McClell.

Tceniopteris ( Angiopteridium ) Etheridgei , Shir, Oleandridium lenticular if orme, Eth. fil. Sagenopteris rhoifolia, Presl.

Plilebopteris (?) dichotoma, Shir.

Dictyophyllum bremerense, Shir.

Calamostachys australis. Shir.

Equisetid.es moretonensis. Shir.

Ii.— The North Ipswich Or Tivoli Coal Area.

1. Coals Underlying the Worked Seams. — Between the basal conglomerate along the Brisbane River and the lowest worked seam in the North Ipswich Area is a considerable thickness of carbonaceous and sandy shales with thin sandstones and conglomerates. Their thickness, estimated from their breadth of outcrop along the Mount Crosby Road and their average dip, nmst be about 700 feet. They contain several thin seams of coal that have been opened up at various points, but none of which have so far proved of workable thickness. For some distance along the bed of Sandy Creek, which cuts across the outcrops between the Brisbane and Bremer Rivers, about 12 feet of thin coal and black carbonaceous mudstones or shales are exposed dipping south at 15 degrees, and these have been opened up by a tunnel (in Portion 181, Parish of Chuwar) near the road. The tunnel exposes about 8 feet of stone and coal bands, the thickest band of clean coal being about 8 inches. The outcrop of this seam is shown on Map 2. Another and apparently lower seam is exposed on the bank of the Brisbane River at the intake

Brisbane : By Authority, 1891.

of the Ipswich Waterworks, showing about 30 feet of thin coals anl coaly shales .lipping south at about 10 decrees. Fi*'. 1 gives a section of the uppermost coaly strata.

Fig. 1.

Sandstone.

Coal. 2 feet, with thin band

Stone, :S feet.

Coal. 9 inches, stone, ti inches.

Coal. 1 foot 2 iuehes. Stone, 5 inches. Coal, lo inches. Stone. 2 inches.

Coal, 7 inches.

Coal and shales, 20 feet.

J

Section of Coal Strata in River at Ipswich Waterworks , The

(sow .be Hen.)

A. 0,0.* : b_WMt from the Tivoli Mine a large coal seem is exposed on the tke

Brisbane River j„t above 11, e Rock, Crossing The total

® value as uj A 'specimen from the best par, of the seam gave

the following results : — 99

Volatile in coking

. 1-47"

Other thin I'm. of" al bare 'been found in tins series of strata '''XcelVt'wn' any

the lowest worked seam, but none of them have as b j thiol;,, ess are reported ti,

expense being incurred in testing tbe, r value, reams ..p to ™ tlnckne

have been opened up on Portion 88a, neai Kholo Biidg , . u continuation of tbe

at the Ipswich Waterworks, immediately above the conglomerate, and probably a continuation

aame Cn\s unite possible that such a considerable thickness of shale containing numerous coals will

yet afford some workable seams when they are mor® thoioug 1 y f t],e j jn t],is area

y 2. The Coal Measure, s Carrying the Worked Seams - Practacally, tholethecoal

has been obtained from the outcrops of the seams from between - 1 ile aml a_half across,

of Sandy Creek, over an area of about three miles along the outcrops by about a .mie . di

The outcrops of seven seams, all of which have been worked tor s .west and uppermost

under .he Bremer River to the S.F, The perpend, enkr distaaice

worked seams— the Benley and Ihe harden Seams is about .Xt . , . These harder strata

and carbonaceous shales, separated by beds of sandstone Ihe

can be traced tor considerable distances, and 'u(,..s J°,?VU|. / a jq- w and S.E. direction with

continuity of the seams is broken by two large parallel Ian 1 n mines'in which they were first downthrows to the N.E„ known as the Tivoli an, 1 Bishop fi t cu t ng on the Tivoli

observed. Another parallel fault with tbe same downthrow is exposed in the

Ratify Lme. M 8eclion „f the strut. from the W c-ottslonverate to the beA of

sandstoniToverlving tl,c (burden Seam. Tbe vertical distances arc „ ho Tanti v being

the outcrop, and tbe average dip of the beds, the d, stance from , c b

corrected by the depths at which these seams are mind in the Watei* ' ; from which levels

The coal is almost entirely obtained by adits from 1 °U wTth p UaVs of from 8 to 10 are then driven to right and left, rooms being broken oft hom tl1e 8 ' shnf( wilich reaches

feet between. The only vertical shafts at present wor ;kmg are 1 ou0[), the

the Tivoli Seam at a depth ot ;>/0 leet, and at a distamc. - . j Korth Ipswich Area

Hnighmoor Shaft, which works a seam at 135 feet in depth, ho other seam m the ixor r

l*ivlnontoloy ot giutonslaml and New Ouinea," .lack and Ktliendge, p. 837.

has been worked to a distance of more than GOO yards from its outcrop. The average dip of the coals varies from about 10 degrees on the east to 20 degrees on the west, and this dip has the effect of bringing the seams to a considerable depth below the surface, within a short distance from the outcrop.

Below follows a short description of each seam, beginning with the lowest and working upwards : —

3. The Benley Seam. — The Benley Seam, the lowest seam worked north of the river, is at present worked by a tunnel on Portion 131, bv Mr. George Ware, of Tpswich, where it dips at 10 degrees to the south-east. It shows 4 feet 3 inches of workable coal with 6 inches of stone. The coal is intermixed with a good deal of sandy material. The seam is overlaid by about 10 feet of shale, above which Mr. Harris, the Manager, tells me are another 3 feet of workable coal. Below are 5 feet of sandstone and thin coals, under which are another 4 feet of workable coal. The middle seam is the only one at present worked. Across the road to the west of this portion at the head of a gully a seam of coal has been exposed which is apparently the same seam. In Portion 177, Morris has driven a tunnel into a seam which occupies approximately the same horizon as the Benley Seam. It shows about 2 feet 3 inches of bright coal with bands of stone, and dips at about 10 degrees to S. 10 degrees E.

4. The Bishop or Big Seam and the Bishop Fault. — This seam lies from about 100 to 150 feet above the Benley Seam, the intervening strata being mostly sandstone. It was worked over a considerable area by Mr. Wright from the Eclipse and Bishop Tunnels in Portions 63, 65, and 66, till the mine was destroyed by the falling in of the workings during the flood of 1893. It is at present worked to the level of the water now standing in the Bishop Tunnel. In the levels going north-east in the latter mine the coal was lost at continually increasing distances from the tunnel as it was extended downwards, the levels coming up against a wall of sandstone brought down by a fault which cuts off the coal and throws it down to the north-east. The effect of this fault is seen on the surface near the tunnel by the bending up on edge of the outcropping sandstones. It is the Bishop Fault referred to previously.

The sqam is again found to the north-east of this fault at the Nil Desperandnm and Donnybrook Mines in Portions 130 and 127, respectively, the former of which at one time sent out a considerable quantity of coal. The dip here is a little south of east at about 10 degrees.

Fig. 2.

Coal, 2 leet 10 inches, with 1 inch band.

Stone. 3 inches.

Coal, 8 feet.

Section of the Bishop Seam, Donnybrook Mine.

The working in both these mines was put an end to by the influx of water from the adjoining creek. The levels to the south-west in the former mine were driven till they met the fault found in the Bishop Tunnel. A tunnel driven through the fault on the south of Sandy Creek, near the College's Crossing Road, met the Waterstown Seam on the southern side of the fault. The fault can be seen on the surface on the same road immediately south of the creek. Its position accordingly is fairly accurately defined by the fact of its having been encountered at the above throe points.

The outcrop of the Bishop Seam is again seen in the bed of Sandy Creek on the Mount Crosby Road, and can be traced along that road for some distance by the accompanying shales till it swings off to the right across to College's Crossing Road. It has not as yet been worked east of Sandy Creek.

The levels from the Eclipse Tunnels to the south also broke up against a fault — the Tivoli Fault — near the southern boundary of Portion 66, by which the beds are thrown up to the south-west, and the same seam was worked from a tunnel in Portion 68, and also from the old Tivoli Shaft on the same portion, which met the seam at about ninety feet from the surface. It has recently been opened up by Messrs. Stafford Bros, by a tunnel near the southern corner of Portion 69. The outcrop of the seam can be traced across the road till it is lost under the alluvium of Tivoli Creek. Apparently the same seam is found on the west side of the creek, and can be more or less certainly traced by the accompanying sandstones and shales to the Eastwood Tunnels, on the banks of Mihi Creek.

These workings have long been abandoned. They are thus referred to by the Hon. A. C. Gregory, as quoted by Mr. Jack on page 336 of " The G-eology of Queensland."* — -

ilFastwood Mine. — The second seam is about a hundredfeetbelowthatexposedintherailway cutting, the outcrop showing in the gully. It has a thickness of seven feet, but there are several thin bands of shale. This seam is worked at a point about three hundred yards to the N.N.E. by Messrs. Archibald, as the Eastwood Mine, where the dip is 7 degrees to S.E. The coal is bright and bituminous, but very soft, and breaks small in carriage. It cokes well. Its specific gravity is l-4.

Volatile in coking ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 25

Fixed carbon ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 63

100"

Geology and Palaeontology of Queensland and New Guinea," Jack and Etheridge. Brisbane : By Authority, 1890.

Fig. 2 gives a section of the Bishop Seam as found in the Donnybrook Mine. The seam in this and the neighbouring mines is most suitable for gas purposes and also makes a good coke, but it is less suitable for steam purposes on account of its friable nature.

The Boxwood Seam. — A considerable quantity of coal is reported to have been extracted from the tunnels on Portion 124. The seam worked here has always been regarded as the Bishop Seam, faulted down to this position by a fault running east and west along the boundary of Portions 127 and 124. The exposures of the strata in the bed of Sandy Creek, and the position of the outcrop of the Big Seam on the north bank of Sandy Creek to the east of the bridge, seem to indicate that the seam or seams worked in the Boxwood Tunnel are lower than that worked at the Donnybrook Mine, and iu default of any direct evidence that they are the same I have mapped the former as underlying the latter.

5. The Tivoli Seam and ihe Tivoli Fault. — About 120 feet above the Bishop Seam is found the Tivoli Seam, the intervening strata being mostly shaley sandstone. It was first worked from a tunnel on the outcrop near the Old Tivoli Shaft, Portion 68, and a large quantity of coal was sent away from Portions 67, 68, 72, and 73. These workings are now deserted. The outcrop is seen on the road between Portions 68 and 73, and is exposed in the latter portion where the workings, which extended almost to the outcrop, have fallen in.

The workings to the north-east of the old Tivoli Mine are separated by the Tivoli Fault from those leading south from Wright's Tivoli Shaft in Portion 65 on the same seam. The shaft at Wright's Tivoli Mine was sunk near the outcrop of the seam, so that all the coal had to be worked to the dip. The shaft has now been abandoned for a tunnel leading straight from the outcrop.

The seam here dips at 12 degrees to south 65 degrees east, and is overlaid by sandstone. It has always been valued as a superior steam coal.

Fig. 3 gives a section of the seam in Wright's Tivoli Mine.

The Tivoli Seam is also worked from the Waterstown Shaft at a depth of 579 feet. Here the dip is south 30 degrees east at 14 degrees. Fig. 4 gives a section of the coal as seen in this mine.

Fig 4

Coal, 3 feet 4 inches, vrith 4-ineli band of stone

Stone, 1 inch Coal, 1 foot 4 inches

Fig. 3.— Section of Tivoli Seam, Wright's Tivoli Mine. Fig. 4.— Section of Tivoli Seam in Waterstown Shaft.

On the north bank of Sandy Creek, on Portion 135, the seam has been opened up by a tunnel known as Davis's. The flooding of the creek prevented further work from being carried on here. Mr. Wright has since opened it up on the higher ground further north where the coal dips at 15 degrees to south 15 east. Here the seam is inferior in quality and thickness. Fig. 5 gives a section of the seam as worked in this tunnel.

Fig. 5. Fig. 6.

Coal, 1 foot 4 inches

Stone, 1 inch Coal, 1 foot Stone, 2 inches Coal, 1 foot

Fig. 5.— Section of Tivoli Seam, Wright's New Tunnel.

Fig. (J.— Section of Waterstown on Cuffe's Lower Seam, in thf. Waterstown Mine.

The outcrop of the seam can be more or less distinctly traced by the outcrop of the overlying sandstone from here to College's Crossing Road, through Portions 140, 139, 175, and 174.

West of Tivoli Creek, old tunnels are seen in Portions 111 and 10S on a seam on approximately the same horizon as the Tivoli, and which may be the same seam. The overlying white gritty saudstones with underlying shales can be traced to the railway cutting on the old Toowoomba Line.

6. The Waterstown, or Cuffe's Lower Seam. — The Waterstown Seam is met with at about 320 feet

in depth in the Waterstown Shaft in Portion 78, thus lying 250 feet above the Tivoli Seam, the intervening strata in the shaft being mostly sandstone. The perpendicular distance between the two is thus about 240 feet. On the outcrop between the two seams shale appears to be more abundant than in the shaft. This seam is at present worked only in the Waterstown Mine. Its outcrop is exposed at the heads of the gullies on Portion 72, and can be traced to the boundary between Portion 67 and 66, where it is interrupted by the Tivoli Fault. North of this the seam was worked by Mr. Wright from a tunnel on Portion 65. It was also worked on the adjoining portion to the north, and by a tunnel driven in a

south-west direction through the Bishop Fault. Fig. 6 is a section of the seam as worked in the

Waterstown Mine.

7. The Fiery Seam or Caffe's Upper Seam. — This seam lies about 50 feet above the Waterstown

Seam in the Waterstown Shaft. It is not at present worked there, though it is reported to have furnished a good gas and house coal. It gets its name from its property of burning with a bright flame. Its

outcrop is exposed above the Waterstown Seam on Portion 72, and, as noted before, it can be seen in the

first cutting of the Tivoli Railway Line, on Portion 103.

Above the Fiery Seam is a considerable thickness of coarse sandstone and fine conglomerate, well seen on the road between Portions 72 and 78. East of Sandy Creek it can be again seen crossing the road into Portion 36. Here the seam underlying it was called the Bell Seam, though T have no doubt it is

on the same horizon as the Fiery Seam. This seam is thus referred to by the Rev. J. E. Tenison Woods as quoted by Mr, Jack* in the Geology of Queensland : —

" The Bell Seam, which is about a mile from the Garden Seam, and belonging to the same proprietor (Mr. Moffatt), is about feet thick. It seems a more compact coal than the last (the Garden Seam lying above) and is a first-class coal for steam, gas, and coking. It is worked by a drive like the Garden Seam, about 200 yards long, and dipping 16 degrees, which is the dip of the seam, the direction being S. 15 degrees E. There is supposed to be a fault between this seam and. the Garden Seam. A seam which crops out near the latter, and which has thinned out, may be the same. Its true position is supposed to be 150 feet below the Garden Seam."

I haveestimated the position of the Garden Seam to be about 350 feet above the Fiery Seam, which I take to be identical with the Bell Seam.

Another quotation from the same page reads thus

" Rossend. — -The Rossend Mine (Lindsay's) adjoins this property. It is worked by one shaft, to the extent of about 20 tons daily, on what is supposed to be the Bell Seam."

This shaft, now known as the Haighmoor, is on portion 1, and is worked by Messrs. Stafford Bros. It is sunk in the sandstone overlying the Fiery Seam, and reaches that seam at 130 feet. The dip is here S. 10 degrees E. at 15 degrees. The coal, in which there are three bands of stone, is about 4 feet thick.

8. The Tantivy Seam. — This seam has been lately opened up by a tunnel from the outcrop to the east of Tivoli Creek on the portion lying to the N.E. of Portion 168, parish of Chuwar, and is being worked by Mr. Bennett and his sons. It was also formerly worked from a tunnel on portion 78 further east, and is found at a depth of about 40 feet in the Waterstown Shaft. This places it about 230 feet above the Fiery Seam (Cuffe's Upper). The coal is rather dirty, but is disposed of locally for household and smithy purposes.

9. The Garden Seam. — The Garden Seam must be from 100 to 150 feet above the Tantivy Seam. Its outcrop can be defined from Tivoli Creek on the west over the summit of Tivoli Hill to the claypit of the Waterstown Brickworks on the east, where the original tunnels and workings are being disclosed by the excavations made for a brick clay, which is found overlying the seam. It appears to have been worked by various tunnels all along the outcrop from this point west as far as Gulland's Tivoli Tunnel, on Portion 169, but to what distance from the outcrop I was unable to find out. The seam has not been exploited east of the Waterstown Brickworks nor west of Tivoli Creek, but the probable line of its outcrop in these directions is shown on the map.

The seam is reported to have furnished an excellent steam coal all along its outcrop between these two points, and was thus referred to by the late Rev. J. E. Tenison Woods, as quoted by Mr. Jack in his Geology of Queensland, f page 349 : —

" Waterstown Mine.- — This is a colliery which is being worked by two or three shafts, all on the north side of the Bremer and very close to its banks, and where it is navigable for small craft. There is a shaft upon the Garden Seam, wrhich is about 7 feet thick and crops out on the surface. It has a dip of usually 1 in 5, S15 degrees 20 minutes E. The coal has a short fracture, breaks into small cubes, soils the fingers, and is full of bright bituminous streaks."

Of the coal from this mine Mr. A. C. Gregory reports: — "The coal is a fairly hard coal, cokes well, and is a good steam coal. The following is the analysis: —

Fixed carbon ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 62'0

Volatile hydrocarbons ... ... ... ... ... 252

Ash ... 12-8

100.0"

Bremer Basin Company' s Seam. — A shaft sunk by the Bremer Basin Company south of the river from Gulland's Tivoli Mine, on Portion 71, met a seam of coal at — as I understand from Mr. R. D. Graham — 150 feet in depth ; Mr. James Archibald gives the depth as 300 feet. This was, no doubt, the Garden Seam, but appears to have been of inferior quality, possibly owing to percolation of water along the Seam from Tivoli Creek, which cuts across the outcrop further west.

10. Future Extension of the Work of Winning the North Ipswich Coals. — As mentioned before, the bulk of the coal won from the North Ipswich Seams has been obtained from between Mihi and Sandy Creek. East of Sandy Creek at least four of the seams have been exploited, but none of them to any great extent, and apparently the seams are not of such good quality in this direction. Thus the Tivoii Seam is distinctly inferior as found at Wright's new tunnel compared with its quality where it has been extensively worked further west, while the seams found in the Haighmoor Shaft cannot compete against the same coal as found in the Waterstown Shaft.

West of Tivoli Creek coal was formerly obtained from some of the lower seams, but no work has been done there for some time, though the coal is reported to have been good in this direction, and was worked with success across the river at Woodend Pocket. The average dip of the coals is between 1 in 4 and 1 in 3. The dotted line on the map cutting across the Basin Pocket shows roughly the position at which the Garden Seam may be expected to be at about 1,000 feet in depth if this dip continues, and as the other seams are all contained in the 1,000 feet of strata next below, they may all be expected to be found within a depth of 2,000 feet to the N W. of this line. It is probable, however, that the dip decreases with the depth; since the beds are found rising again on the other side of the basalt between Bundanba and Hinmore, and naturally may be expected to lie more or less horizontally for some distance round Booval. The whole of the land along both sides of the river from Woodend Pocket down to Bundanba Creek, roughly comprising the areas enclosed in the bends of the river and covered by alluvium, may be reckoned upon as likely to afford coal at reasonable working depths when the coal nearer the surface on the north side of the river has become exhausted.

The strike of the beds to the west of Tivoli Creek swings around and runs in a north-westerly direction with steep dips of up to 70 degrees and 80 degrees to S. 60 degrees W. It is probable that the same coals may be found along the line of strike shown on Map 1, in the land lying north from the Coalfalls towards the Pine Mountain though their highly inclined condition may possibly be accompanied by considerable faulting and crushing.

' Geology and Palaeontology of Queensland and New Guinea," p 344. i " Geology and Palaeontology of Queensland and New Guinea," Jack and Etheridge. Brisbane : By Authority, 1892.

Fig. 7.

IiJO feet

230 feet

50 feet

240 feet

120 feet

150 feet

Thick bed of sandstone. GARDEN SEAM.

Shales.

Tantivy Seam.

Sandstone.

<T1 FEE'S ITPPEIt SEAM OR FIERY SEAM.

Shales.

Cl Fl'E'S LOWER SEAM OR WATERSTOWN SEAM. Shales.

Sandstone.

Shales.

Sandstone and line conglomerate.

Tivoli Seam.

Slmly sandstone.

Bishop Seam.

Sandstone.

Benley Seam.

Shales principally. with thin coals.

Coal of Ipswich Coal and Coke Company's property (approximate position;.

Sandstones.

Argillaceous sandstone foul at Ipswich Waterworks

Basal conglomerate with mterbcdded sandstones.

Vertical Section North Ipswich Coal linns from Basal Conglomerates to Garden Seam.

Iii.— The Coal Beds At Blackstone And Bundanba.

1. General Disposition of the Beds. — The mines and prospecting work in this locality expose coal seams over an area of about fifteen square miles, lying to the south of the Brisbane and Ipswich Railway Line, between Bundanba and Dinmore Stations, extending from Bundanba Creek on the west to Six-mile Creek on the east, and for at least five miles to the south of the railway line.

The surface of the ground is uneven and hilly, and thickly timbered, except where the timber has been cleared to afford supports for the underground workings, and surface machinery of the mines, for which purposes it has proved very valuable.

The strata consist of the usual lenticularly-bedded conglomerates, sandstones, and shales, none of which afford sufficiently well-marked features to allow of their being traced on the surface for any considerable distance.

A plan of this portion of the coalfield has been prepared for the Government by Mr. R. D. Graham, licensed surveyor, and is at present waiting publication at the Geological Survey Office.*

Mr. Graham and myself have come to different conclusions on several points, and reference to his plan will be found throughout this report whenever such differences occur.

The beds dip away from the centre of this area on the Cooneana Estate to the east towards Six-mile Creek, to the west towards Bundanba Creek, and to the south towards the southern portion of the Cooneana Estate. In the latter direction the beds are bent up on a synclinal axis along the southern boundary of the estate, but regain the former dip further south (Map 1).

The north-eastern corner is intersected by a large fault striking about N. W. and hading to the N.E., which was met at about 20 yards from the mouth of a tunnel on Portion 2-56, by Mr. -T. Stafford, of the Whitwood Colliery, and which can be traced by the upturned edges of the strata to the S.W. through Portions 255, 267, and 270.

Mr. Graham in his plans shows the downthrow of this fault to be to the S.W.,but the position of the beds on its north-eastern side dipping steeply to the N.E. shows that the downthrow is in all probability in the latter direction.

To the N.E. of this fault the strata rise very gradually to the N.E., but are disturbed by numerous faults with throws of up to 100 feet.

The seams have been worked most extensively along the outcrop of the westerly dipping beds from Bundanba to some distance to the south of Blackstone, and also in the neighbourhood of Dinmore to the N.E. of Stafford's Tunnel Fault.

Owing to the scattered nature of the workings in this district a considerable amount of information can be gained as to the general lie of the coal beds, especially along the north and west. Numerous bores, however, have been made, holes sunk, and tunnels driven on seams, which, if a proper record had been kept, would have greatly added to our knowledge of the positions and value of the different seams. This is particularly the case along the eastern and southern fall of the beds -where a considerable amount of prospecting work in the shape of tunnels and shafts on coal' seams has been made. Most of these have fallen into decay and give little information as they stand as to the value of the seams in this direction.

2. The Coal Beds at Blackstone.— A. fairly continuous section of the westerly dipping coal beds in the neighbourhood of Blackstone and Bundanba is obtained from records of bores and shafts m these localities. Fig. 9 is an approximate vertical section of ihe strata and seams as found in the Aberdare, West Moreton, Borehole, and Braeside Shafts. It shows five seams in the lower beds in a distance of from 250 to 850 feet, separated by alternating thin sandstones and shale. These seams were worked along their outcrops between Blackstone and Bundanba on the eastern bank of Bundanba Creek under which they dip to the west. The second highest of them is still worked at the Braeside Colliery at Bundanba. There seems to be some doubt as to whether the Braeside No. 1, and Stafford's Four-foot-six Seam are not really identical, in which case the number of these seams must be reduced by oue. Above Stafford's Four-foot-six Seam, the highest of these lower seams, there is, as seen at Blackstone, a considerable thickness of sandstone, above which are shales and sandstone containing the Bluff or Dirty and Aberdare Seams. A bed of coarse conglomerate lies some 150 feet above the latter seam, and above it again there are thin sandstones and shales in which occurs the West Moreton Seam found in the West Moreton Colliery.

All these seams, with the exception of the uppermost, crop out either at Blackstone or immediately to the east of it, where they ai'e marked by various tunnels on their outcrops on portions 174 and 178. To the south the outcrops of these seams can be more or less accurately inferred from the strike of the accompanying strata bending to the east of the prominent hill lying to the south of the village, till they are lost under the alluvium of the gully draining into Box Flat, Portions 294 and 295.

North of Blackstone the outcrops of the two upper seams are obscured under the alluvium of Bundanba Creek, but those of the lower seams are exposed by various tunnels along the right bank of Bundanba Creek as far as the Brisbane and Ipswich Railway Line at Bundanba.

(1.) — The Aberdare Seam and Colliery. — The most northerly exposed point of the Aberdare Seam is marked by a tunnel driven on it in the Borehole Company's Property (Portion 174, Parish of Goodna), and it runs thence south through the village along the eastern brotv of the hill lying south of the village. Here the outcrop is marked by an air shaft on the N.E. corner of Portion 270. The hill is capped by a thick bed of coarse conglomerate and grit, lying about 150 feet above the seam, which can be followed to the south till it is obscured under the alluvium of Box Flat.

West of this line of outcrop the seam is again exposed by a gully cutting down through the conglomerate on the western side of the hill and draining into Bundanba Creek. This outcrop when mapped shows as a closed oval-shaped line. It was from tunnels driven on ihe seam from the outcrop in this gully that the seam was first worked, and the coal has been practically worked out from under the hill up to the eastern outcrop. At Blackstone the seam dips west at about 15 degrees, further south the dip swings around towards the south till on Portion 286a, it is almost due south.

No. 142 of the Geological Survey publications,

As the coal became worked out from under the hill it had to be obtained from further to the dip, and the two shafts. Nos. 1 and 2, were sunk for that purpose. The former reaches the seam at 235 feet, and the latter at 450 feet. No. 1 Shaft is at present used only as an upcast for the workings round the No. 3, or Coolgardie Shaft, which was sunk later on, almost on the direct dip of the coal from No. 1, and which meets the coal at a depth of 523 feet. The greater portion of the coal at present turned out from the colliery comes through this shaft, and the level extends into Portion 154, north of the Blackstone Road, where the dip is to the S.W.

A considerable quantity of coal has been taken from Portions 300 and 286 from the No. 2 Shaft. Here the dip of the coal is from S.W. to S. at about 20 degrees. The sinking of a new shaft had been commenced on portion 183 for the purpose of striking the coal to the dip of the levels running east from the No. 2 Shaft, which were abandoned owing to fire, but this work has since been stopped.

The Aberdare Seam in the Coolgardie Shaft is broken through by what was no doubt an igneous dyke, as the coal is coked for eight or ten inches on either side, though it is now altered to a soft white clayey material. The dyke running in a direction a little east of north cuts obliquely across the levels, south from the shaft ; it has perpendicular walls, and is about four feet in width. The dyke has been traced south into the workings of the West Moreton Colliery, and its position taken from the plans of these two collieries is shown on the map.

Another intrusion is found in the southern levels and in the dip workings from this shaft. This is of a soft black clayey material with small pieces of coal included by it, the black colouring being due to carbonaceous material. It lies at a slightly steeper angle than the coal, and can be observed in the workings cutting very obliquely across it in a flat sheet of about 4 feet in thickness. The edges of the coal are ruffled up in places by the intrusion, but the coal is not coked or altered in any way.

(2.) The Aberdare Seam at the West Moreton Colliery and the West Moreton Seam. — The West Moreton Shaft on Portion ISO reaches the Aberdare Seam still further to the dip than the Aberdare No. 1 Shaft, at 630 feet from the surface. The seam dips at about 22 degrees to the S.W. The seam was worked over a considerable area, hut all the workings to the dip met with a fault, the position of which, taken from a plan in the Mines Department, is shown on the map. Mr. Rands inspected this fault in 1894, and concluded that its upthrow was to the S.W.* The Aberdare Seam has not been found S.W. of the fault, where it should occur at shallower depths than in the old workings if the upthrow of the fault is to the S.W. A shaft was begun for the purpose of striking it on Portion 228, but, unfortunately, it was put down in one of the altered igneous dykes which occur associated with the basalt between Ipswich and Bundanba Creek, and was abandoned after a depth of 80 feet had been reached.

The Aberdare Seam has been abandoned in this mine, being practically worked out on the N.E. side of the fault, and is at present inaccessible owing to the accumulation of water in the mine. What is known as the West Moreton Seam is worked at a depth of 160 feet in the shaft, and gives about 2 feet 3 inches of coal. Journals C and D, pages 28 and 29, give a section of the strata met with in the shaft. Pig. 1, Plate I, is a section on the line C. D. on the maps showing the lie of the coals in the West Moreton Shalt.

(3.) Character of the Aberdare Seam. — Pig. 8 gives a section of the seam taken in the workings near the No. 3 Shaft of the Aberdare Colliery. The seam is worked in two sections, the point of division of the two being the 1-foot band of stone about the middle. At present the lower section is mostly worked giving 7 feet of clean coal with a 6-inch band of stone at 4 feet 2 inches from the floor. The upper section, however, was also extensively worked near the outcrop, where it furnished a greater thickness of coal than that shown in the figure. It has recently been opened up again in the levels to the north of the No. 3 shaft of the Aberdare Colliery, where it furnishes a good coal.

Fig. 8.

Coal, 3 feet 3 nehes

Stone, 5 inches.

Coal, 1 foot 8 inches. Stone, 1 foot.

Coal, 2 feet 10 inches.

Stone, 6 inches.

Coal. 4 feet 2 inches.

Section of Aberdare Sham as worked near the Coolgardie Shaft in the Aberivare Collirrt.

Annual Progress Report of the Geological Survey for the year 1894, page 2G.

h ,, TKhe berd?rf Sea" undoubtedly furnishes the best steam coal found in the district. It is rather , tea mg into cubes, is dull in lustre, and soils the fingers when handled. An analysis of a ofTiseTcnff A Edition, Bowen Park, Brisbanefl897, where the coal received first prize

is in wthefP8WiCh Pield> being second only to that from the Howard Mine, Burrum Coal Field, is given m the table of analyses on page 21.

hltbnAtb Extfsi(in °fth? Work on the Aberdare Seam to the West and North.— This, the most valuable and j 1 c,m extensi'7ely worked of the seams found near Ipswich, has been proved almost continuously,

n/ f constant m character , over an area of somewhere about two-thirds of a square mile. It

° utm°st importance to the district on account of its superior qualities as a steam coal, and its deAAnAv AAbA cbaracter' Its average dip to the west in the Aberdare Colliery is about 15 and A' A Ab A any given point can be fairly accurately judged from its depth in the No. 1 would h 6 eads which are 011 very nearly the same level. A continuance of the same dip

would bung the seam to about 1,000 feet below the level of these shafts in the middle of Portion 157.

BundCtedSt°r 8ha eSi "if f(Td diPPing t0 tbe east under the basalt, which extends to AC '?ef 1011 at fcbe toot of Map 2 shows the lie of the beds under the basalt as far as

Seam m the/nfo™atl™ available. Prom this it may be inferred that the dip of the Aberdare

2 000 fi t iS V8! !S .°i!°Wtd t0 greater dePtbs, a"d it is probable that it is nowhere more than the VVel °/ theN% Shafts between the Aberdare Colliery and Ipswich,

round -i little Ath f'0m tbeTT°' 3 Shaft have crossed the Blackstone Road, and the dip here swings matter of t A t +°b TI°'V far the Seam PreserTOS its suPerior qualities in this direction is a to the eaJPnf tl 1 ' b AmA U° r®ason1to suPPose that it will deteriorate. The outcrop of the seam

This a 1 hudi, m ' v! under tbe alluvium' and its probable position is shown on the map.

wav fm smnl d t n° d°r almost continuously saturated with water which may be expected to find its found nerMsarv tTr al°ug the seam, so that in working towards the surface here it will probably be of the surface ™nli ® & cousldfab ° bame coal along the outcrop. An accurate contour survey rise the coal c U t tbUS iPrve ot great b?'iefit here as affording a means of estimating how far to the T te T°?ed S° al,t0 aP'd tr°uble from this linage. The seam may be reckoned on the pwmfinn nf°UQe°a /i reasonable working depths under all of the Portions from 144 to 161, with vmlTr?nf!l f 149 Pd 15°- As we pass? n01'fch and west from this area the prospects of the profitable be worked* A™ ,110rB uncertain— but there is every probability that the seam will one day

be worked over a large area around Booval and Newtown. J

Bluff Borehole Shaft (Portion 174, Parish of Goodna) reached the

the " A w if1bel0Wtbel Aberdare (See Journal B, page 28), while the distance between

at tirform n acenbc (J°Urnal C' ?age 28), is about 200 feet. The angle of dip

and the aTA ofhAftb AA degre?s g,ves 116feet as the vertical distance between the two seams, them at This atJbe.latter bTg 22 degrees gives 185 feet as the vertical distance between

sandstones Th Ah lhef -lournals sh°w tbafc ™ both Pces the intervening strata are shales and shaley sandstones This character is also noticed at their outcrop to the south of Blackstone Tillage.

Mr James ArcbiltTd118 "A7 A™ °n the Borebole Company's Property on Portion 165, and

alternate stone Ad l' A A Jfe COmpanj:' iaformed me that sb°wed about 30 feet of

West Moreton Shaft TlP °urnal C, page 28, shows that it was of much the same character in the Vest Moreton Shaft. The seam has not yet afforded workable coal near Blackstone.

feet r>f ' t t S eam - — dlbe Borehole Shaft (Journal B, page 28), shows about 296

lower half o? W A Blu* 8eam. tbat "ext bel°— P§our-foot-sk Seam The grit and s fllt l 3' as seen on the outcrop, is sandstone, which passes further south into coarse

the Borehole PronertSPlSd°Ut °Q T °f P°/'ti0n 286a' The seam -a worked to some extent on

perty, and, according to Mr. James Archibald, gave 4 feet 6 inches of clean coal The

by Messrs f worked in the Rose HiH Colliery, to the north, on Portions 163 and 164,

by ,viessis Stafford Bros and also on Portion 162, but not further north than this.

below Stafford's" Fonr°fnnf S Four-f°ot-&ix fam-~ According to Mr. James Archibald, three seams creat distant r l l i Seam were opened up on Portion 165; but they were not worked to any

PortionsSlCaifd°163llieNhCr<fPp Tw° fa"l' probably the tvvo uPPer ones'of these> were worked oil lairiault which was'mfJ 5b TT 1G? the continuity of the seams is reported to be broken by a h It on of th is faTil A m! tU1inel W°rk!nP- f COuld get information as to the

downthrow is sail " Parallel w'th the other main faults of the district. The

that shown on Map 1. 6 Mr' Graham draws the fault m a line almost at right angles to

Bacon " and S Bnb ,%seams. wfe worked, called respectively, " Bergin's Seam," the "Strip of

Seam is fdent cal *7# Sjam m dend.ng order. There is nothing to show whether Bergin's latter, and"" ™ °"e iM -ppoeed to be® the

of those foundtheoribnl11011 BoBon T2d' stjP lower than the above three, is one lower thau any

lVTTtl Pt known as Dob'S Seam- 0n Mr. Graham's Plan two portion! and tTe second a 'te. fn f a tour-foot. seam croP.P>ug out along the road east of the above " 1 u a " sec°nd a ten-foot seam cropping out on Portion 241 east of the road. These seams

of an An I °Pfned UP, and I could get no information about them. It is doubtful whether they are of any value, as they would no doubt have been worked before this. 7

r Coal Seams at Bundanba—il.) The Braeside Collier y.— Four seams diuDimr at about 14

&iees o ie west are met with in the two shafts of this colliery on Portion 159 The No 1 Shaft to

JesVeSir 'froT & bnd"V °f ,P?,rti0" "et these -W oS feef f30 and lyolet

(or Hard Cod) The NoShfft4 h''3! ,are. k,10''," 15 Braeside No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 depth of about 100 feet The' ab,twel chains to the dip, met the uppermost of these seams at a Mi- Lindsay sho v that tb AA °f th® WC;rkings from these shafts, kindly lent me by the proprietor,

Lindsay SSms me tW SlT T!m0St/T were rrked a considerable area and Mr 02 nasay mtorms me that they all furnished good coal between three and four feet in thickness The No 1

Seam is generally supposed to bo idol utical "d Dob,'' Berlin's Seam, in which case the lower ones are no ctouoc i

S"'" VoTo?"h?Se°tm8 are at present worked from the shall the 'f

being extracted from the No. 1 team by nnnn med dnve No 4 seams are giren m the tab e

seams were inaccessible during my visit. An j.

of of,U Scan* Nora W oftU

Colliery, the strike of the beds swings round to N.E and I . o d'e„rees to the E. of N. at about lo the old Day Dawn Colliery, on Portion 246. H" ® ' the >f0 f Seam 0f the Braeside Colliery,

degrees. Judging from the outcrop of sandstone ), " i r) „v j)aWn Mines, the seam worked iu

which can betted across the gully between the ' "dDay h'as beeu driven into

the latter mine is identical with the IN o. - Portion 244 Mr. Graham has marked a fault o Braeside No. 3 Seam, on the northern boundary of Portion 24 evidence 0f sUCh on the surface,

some magnitude between these two mines. I was una°l®t0,. -rhe chan<Te of dip on passing iroin

nor did I hear of its being met with m any of the 0°f the strata, and although

the former to the latter mine is easily accounted t y i(1ence of one of any magnitude. Ihe

some slight faulting may occur there appears to p ti 256 by Messrs. Stafford Bros. East of

same seam has also been worked further to the east on Portion zoo y

this the outcrops cannot be traced. quoted by Mr. Jack in his Geology of

These two collieries are thus referred to by Mr. tryai, as quoicu y

Queensland on page 342 ,. , witb three small variable bands, irregular in thickness

" Scarborough s Seam is four feet in thickness, with tnrec sm

and position, it is worked at the Day Dawn Mine, ar ked by Messrs. Stafford), adjoins Scar-

" Stafford's Seam (which, however is not the me It has many small

borough's Seam. Its thickness varies from two feet six inches

dislocations and usually two thin bands worked by two tunnels on Portions 149 and 141,

What appears to be Lindsay s No. 1 u ? ind Wallsend respectively, but I could

immediately north of the railway, and known as the speed wen an

obtain no information as to the extent of the working. TtunAanba and their probable depth below the

4 Value of the Lower Coals between Blacks one and as7the tunnels from which

Surface JuU, r W.-K n.Ne perkily i2 d".y it the time of my

they were formerly worked, except at the B.aes ' 1 ... ; ' j , to trouble with water m the mine trout

visit the seams were inaccessible in the Braeside Collie ry . , shown by the numerous

old workings. Judging, however, from the ?"ount seem that

tunnels along the outcrop and from information fated froD deptbs madc the

the coals could be profitably worked at shallow depths, b cQal could be obtained at less expense,

working more costly the tunnels were abandoned StUfE.SL's Four-foot-six Seam along the

As estimated from the bore and snatt ] 1 ' ? nortb as where the line takes a slight bend

Aberdare Branch l.inn must be about 00 STm all probability lie. at a to the west, so that over all the all u ' ' .torres00ndiu,rly lower depths.

less depth than 600 feet. The lower coals would lie at u,rie,P° t its depth along the western

Taking the dip of the Braeside No. 1 beam as U deg ecs it 2! lshaft of the Braes.de

boundary of portion L5S should be about 6A) oct eo' Stafford's Eour-foot-six Seam, which is

a'hne'in 'continuation direct south of the enstem houndar.es o

Portions L57 and 158. . , R :de M0 p shaft we have here at least

As shown by the depths. of these lower seams in the Bracside bctvvccn each other. As

four seams within a vertical distance of 2oo ce , oi a'1 'lV. g a js identical with the Braeside No. 1 or shown before it is doubtful whether Stafford 8 niC a liberal estimate as far as can be judged

not, but supposing it to lie 100 feet above, wnci is 1 . i- between from about 600 to 1,000

from the information obtainable, these tour or tive ; seams correspondingly shallower depths

feet below the surface along the wes tern edge of the 1 'l 1 f "ure of the neighbourhood that

towards the east. It is very probable from the goner* area under consideration ami the dip flattens towards the west, at least in the n railway line immediately east of Bundanba

an exposure of the sedimentary beds under the b.lt. mi ° f 1 dJurbcd where the basalt lias flowed

oteftSemTd - lie more nearly to the horizontal than they

do further south. . , . f ten f.nal field extends and the demand for

c„n, Ai hlosifion as the more easily accessible outcrop coal

m woi ked °}jkness oj. fhe Conl j {ensures at Blacks tone and Mv(q0n Shaft to the Abor-

distanee of 630 foot from the. topmost bed of sandstone met . knegg of str;lta of about 5S0 feet, dare Seam, which, allowing for a dip of — „,;d ..." Sc.un and the Four-foot-six Seam, which.

Journal B, page 28, shows 416 feet between the A be d 40meet. This gives a thickness of

allowing for a dip of 15 degrees, gives a th.ek.icss ot tho West Morcton Shaft to

strata of about 980 foot from the uppermost bod of sandstone pioieu

Stafford's Four-foot-six Seam. 'Stafford's Four-foot-six Seam as occurring near the

Mr. Graham, in lus plan and section, gives Stan . but Mr Lindsay, the owner of

Emrfftco iu l he Braeside Ne. 2 Shaft (called No. I on A,sumiua that the

the colliery, informs me that no seam was mot w th neaa Fo „ fo?t-.x

Fig. 9.

Thin shales and sandstones. (WEST MORETON SEAM.i

Thin shales and sandstones.

Sandstone and coarse conglomerate.

Thin shales and sandstones.

(Aberi)Are Seam.)

Thin shales and sandstone. (DIRTY OR BLUFF SEAM.)

Thin shales and sandstones.

Sandstones,

(Stafford'S 4 Feet 6 Inches Seam.)

Thin shales and sandstones.

(BRAESIDE No. 1 or BERGIN'S SEAM./

Thin shales and sandstones.

(BRAESIDE No. 2 SEAM.)

Thin shales and sandstones. (BRAESIDE No. 3 SEAM.)

Thin shales and sandstones.

(BRAESIDE No. 4 SEAM.) Unknown strata.

117 feet

335 feet

447 l'eot

592 leet

702 feet

1.009 feet

1.109 feet ...

1.284 feet ...

1,321 feet

1,356 feet

Vertical Section of Strata and Coal Seams Found at Blackstone from Surface at West Moreton Shaft to

Bottom ot Braeside No. 1 Shaft.

xy. the coal beds at swanbank and cooneana.

1. Continuation of the Seams to the South of Blackstone- The grit and conglobate overlying

the Aberdare Seam and forming the summit of the hill on Portion -7 , s0U ot 0f the flat there is followed to the south-east is lost under the alluvium of Box Elat. On the north-east o

at the south end of Portions 294 and 295, a hill of coarse grit, underlain by shales. A sunk into coaly shale beneath the grit, and the dip, as shown by e s a es pP vin<rS on the swung round to S. 50 degrees W. at about 15 degrees. The dip m the Aberdare Colhe southern boundary of Portion 270 is to the S.W. This gr.t is therefore

of the bed of coarse sediments overlying the Aberdare Seam at Blacks one, a P , . j £ sandstone

accounted for by the change of dip round from west towards the south-west. The *""ed of -ogtone overlying Stafford's Four-foot-six Seam at Blackstone is again seen croppmg out on the northeast corner of Portion 286a, with a dip to the S.W., and sandstone is again found below the grit and

on 1 °rQ0rjLjwiii th0 outcrops further to the south-east, what is apparently the upper bedof grdcan

be picked up again, forming the capping of the hill on Portion . jj tunnel on the

escarpment to the N.E., and slopes away along the dip of the beds to the S.W., and a tu abufc

north-eastern side exposes a thick seam of coal immediately underlying e gri , PP °

10 degrees to S. 20 degrees W. A second tunnel, a few yards to the N.E.,

prospecting holes show shales between the two. A little further o le eas inT,;n(Tfirst east and

Ld lower bed of grit is seen, and can be traced as a continuous escarpment, running first east and

then north-east to the eastern side of Portion 286b. .

The two seams of coal found under the upper bed of grit are apparently on the ""®h°rf,zon the Aberdare and Bluff Seams-t.e., in the shales lying between the upper

sediments. Whether they can be regarded as the same seams is more Prl®"Ca1' , andquew

possible that in such a distance the original seams may have thine ou or p heds which are at

seams have come in. In any case the shales and sandstones between the two coarser bed., .which are at

least 250 feet thick at Blackstone, are considerably thinned here, and if we regar £ L7fn he' Vberdare Aberdare Seam, the 140 feet of shales found between that seam and the conglomerate bed in the Aberdare No. 3 Shaft is here almost entirely absent, the coal immediately underlying the coarser be .

Following the outcrop of the upper bed of grit-which is here of considerable "ew-the south it is lost in the bed of the watercourse, which, running west, cuts through it near the ro.

Portions 297 and 18. The dip has here come round to the west again.

Mr. Woolley, manager of the Swanbank Colliery, has stripped down the face of coa ded

the tunnel on the upper seam on the S.W. corner of Portion 286b since my visit, and has kindly me the following section : —

Coal

Batt and Stone Coal Batt Coal

Batt and Stone Coal

Black Smut, inclined to be Coal Coal

Feet. Inches.

°2

He considered that the lower 3 feet 9 inches would afford a good workable seam.

2. The Swanbank Seams.- On Portion 13 and the southern part of Portions 17 and IS is a M capped by coarse conglomerate and grit which presents a steep face to the east and . 1 ' '

towards the west. Under the coarse beds are fine ones of sandstone and shale containing sevei. of coal which crop out on the south-eastern side of the hill, and dip under the hill in a general wester y

dneamn. _The shaft of the Swanbank Colliery is situated to the SJ of tins

hill on Oaky Creek, and reaches the uppermost seam underlying the conglomera e a 1

feet. The seam was first worked by a tunnel from the outcrop on the eastern face of the hill du ju east

from the shaft and on the boundary of Portion 13. A second seam is found ,"°PK?f

eastern face of the hill below the former, and is marked by a tunnel further no . Abandoned

present worked at a depth of 167 feet in the Swanbank Shaft, the upper seam having been abaudor

owing to its inferior quality. , c Q

The main dip, which is about S. 60 degrees W., has been extended about mighty yards from tl e shaft and levels have been driven off to left and right. The levels going to the north met with a fault o the boundary of portions 13 and 17, striking about W. 20 degrees N., the position of which, taken the plans of the mine kindly lent me by Mr. Woolley, the manager, is shown on the map.

Perkins' Freehold.- On the N.W. boundary of Portion 12, a seam has been opened out which is supposed to be a still lower one than the Swanbank No. 2, and a trolly line takes the coal to the

terminus of the Swanbank Railway Line on the northern bank of Oaky Cieev. - . .

commenced near the bank of this crock, but had not reached the seam at the time of my wit. he seam

shows about 5 feet of coal with some bauds of stone.

3. Probable Extension of the Aberdare Seam under Box Flat towards the Swanbank Collieyr-At the summit of the hill north of the Swanbank Colliery, and some distance to the north of the fault foun in the workings, coarse sandstone and grit is found dipping at degrees to i . ' '

beds are apparently much disturbed, and it is impossible to say whether this bed 1 ' '

Since writing the above I have been informed that the fault ha* been driven through, and good coal found to the north. The throw of the fault is only a few feet.

that found further north on Portion 297, brought into this position by the tilting up of the bed. If it is, the Swanbank Seams are very probably on the same horizon as the Aberdare and Bluff Seams. They do not resemble them in thickness nor in their sections, but judging by the variations of the other seams in the district when followed from point to point, it can hardly be expected that the seams in this neighbourhood would remain constant in character over such a wide area. This occurrence under a similar bed of conglomerate with dips that accord well with the supposition leads one to suspect that they are on the same horizon, and they may provisionally be supposed to be so till the contrary is shown.

The furthest point to the east to which the Aberdare Seam has been worked from the No. 2 Shaft was in the levels along the southern boundary of Portion 286a, which terminated at a fault shown on Map 1. The south-eastern extension of the West Moreton Fault is shown by the broken red line. The reversed dips seen on the road south of Portion 220 seem to indicate that the influence of the fault extends at least as far as this. The tilting of the beds north of the Swanbank Colliery, and the position of the fault in the northern working, which Mr. Woolley has penetrated since my visit, and which he says has a downthrow to the north, seem to indicate that the West Moreton Fault is continued here with a more easterly bearing.

If the inference drawn above from the observations made are correct it would appear that the Aberdare Seam should underlie the whole of the area occupied by Box Flat, and the enclosing higher ground up to the inferred outcrop of the seam. An estimation of its depth at any point must necessarily be only a rough one, but a very good idea could be formed by the sinking of a few bores over the area and a rough contouring of the country. It is probable, however, that the seam will be found at a depth of less than 1,000 feet at the bridge over Bundanba Creek near Portion 185. The whole of this area would thus seem to be well worth prospecting for this valuable seam of coal.

4. Goal Seams to the South and East of SwanbanJc. — A traverse of the road leading east from the top of Swanbank Hill passes over the shales in which are the Swanbank Seams underlying the conglomerate till a tunnel on coal is met with near the northern boundary of Portion 131, Parish of Groodna. The coal dips gently to the north, and apparently underlies only a small area of the higher ground. We are here passing over a north and south anticlinal axis, as the beds further east dip away to the east. The seam of coal exposed is no doubt one of those worked at Swanbank, brought in again by the bending over of the strata. Further east the same shales are passed over till grit and fine conglomerate is again met with on the road between Portions 127 and 135. The extension of this capping of coarser rocks is roughly outlined on the map. A tunnel has been driven into a seam of coal immediately underlying it at the north of Portion 127. The seam appears to be of good quality and thickness, and dips gently to the east. The conglomerate is apparently the same bed that is found to the west at Swanbank, brought iu again by the folding over of the beds across the north and south anticlinal axis mentioned above.

5. The Goal Seams on the Cooneana Estate and Adjoining Eroperties. — The outcrop of the lower grit-bed, underlying the two seams exposed on the western boundary of Portion 286b, runs as a continuous escarpment east and north-east across the portion to where another seam is exposed below it, in the two tunnels dipping east 20 degrees south at about 10 degrees, as shown on the map. Further than this the outcrop cannot be distinctly traced, but it probably crosses the Redbank Plains Road east of the bridge over Ferny Creek. Here the dip is east. Coarse grit is again found on Portion 281 and 282, and is apparently the same bed brought down by a fault running through Portion 281. The effects of the fault are seen on the surface of Portion 281 in the tilting of the strata aud sudden change of dip.

On Portion 280 a shaft sunk under the grit exposes a seam of coal which I am informed showed 30 feet of coal and bands. Coal is seen cropping out under the grit near the top of the hill in the southern portion of 252, and in the gullies on the east of 257. Tunnels have been driven into coal at the top of the hill north of Portion 252, aud a shaft has been sunk on to coal at the northern boundary of the latter. These exposures are apparently all of the same seam, dipping at 10 degrees to the east, and underlying the grit, and the irregular line of outcrop is caused by the hilly contour of the ground.

At a considerably lower level (about 150 feet below) another seam has been worked to a small extent by a drive at the bottom of the gully on the north of Portion 253, but it is now abandoned. It is apparently one of the lower seams found at Blackstone, and the outcrops in the gully above it up to the grit at the top of the hill shows coaly shales and thin sandstones.

On the eastern boundary of Portion 276, on the Rhondda Estate, a tunnel has been driven at the bottom of a gully into a seam of coal which may possibly be the same, as it is apparently on about the same level, and it has accordingly been mapped as such.

The tunnels and shafts noticed on this area were all part of a system of elaborate prospecting formerly undertaken for the purpose of floating the Cooueana Coal Company, but at the time of my visit they were not in sufficient repair to afford much information as to the nature of the coal exposed. The mapping shows that a considerable area to the east is underlaid by seams which are probably identical with ones which have afforded good coal further to the west, and there is every reason to expect from the exposures seen that the coals are here also of good workable quality.

The mapping places the upper of the two seams on the same horizon as the Four-foot-six Seam found at Blackstone.

The nature of the coarse grit overlying, and the softer sandstone and shales with thin coals between the two seams, resemble very greatly the conditions found at Blackstone, where the Four-foot-six Seam is overlaid by a considerable thickness of grit and underlaid by alternating sandstones and shales with coal seams. This, together with the general dip and strike of the strata traced round the southern boundary of the Cooneana Estate, render it probable that the position of the seams is as mapped.

North of Cooneana the strata are too little exposed to afford much definite information as to the positions of the seams. The beds over Portions 272, 253, 254 and the eastern parts of 255 and 256 are practically horizontal, and consist of soft sandstones and shales belonging to the lower series below the

B

coarser beds. Along a line to the north-east of this they are bent sharply over 'the Et

into Stafford's Tunnel Fault, which separates tbe mines around Dm.nore fron, the rest oi the Last

Ipswich Area. , , ,,

6. Stafford's Tunnel Fault.- The tunnel driven by Mr. Stafford on coal of Portion 256, following the dip at 23 degrees to the -E., as g from mouth

meeting a fault bv which the coal was completely cu o a a , . t 43 decrees

In the gully on the north-west corner of Portion 267 sandstones are een d pp g

to the N while within sight a few yards to the north sandy shales are dipping south at an angle of about 3 degrees. This point gives the line of the fault, which can be traced the

Portions 267 and 271 by the dip of the upturned strata, and is made evident aQa

is to the north-east, supposed l to 1 be that

seen at Gilliver's Cutting on the railway line abreast ot Portion _o- P f , jt This has

shales are seen in the cutting dipping from both sides into a apace ,6[Jed P Jru!Ll and the basalt in apparently been a fissure from which the basalt found to the north has been extruded, .and

the fissure on consolidating and cooling has contracted and drawn strata here than this

is no evidence to show that there has been any greater displacement of raberethan this.

This fissure is perhaps sufficiently in a line with Staffords Tunnel Fault and the New Chum Pa ult, the latter of which is more particularly described under the lew 1 „ U as ..own 0)1 the

a continuation of them. The positions of the Stafford s f unnel an e." 0 a -s COTered bv

map arc seen to converge in the direction of Gilliver Cutting, bn ie m ® demonstrate their

alluvium, and the workings of the Whitwood Mine are not sufficiently developed to demonstrate

identity with the Gilliver Cutting Fault.

y_THE COAL SEAMS IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OI DINMORE.

1. General Disposition of the Beds. — The Few Chum This area is

Tunnel fault on the S.W. and the Ebbwvale Fault on the N.E. Ihe New Chum "hl° to

on the east in the gullies leading into Six-mile Creek, has been shown b; 'the

underlie the whole area between the faults, as lar, at least, as ie wes ern . v bv the following

at present the only seam worked in this area, and has been reached at various depths by the following 8haft8 ' Feet.

New Chum No. 1, portion 264 "bO

New Chum No. 2, „ 264

New Chum No. 3, „ 266

Ebbwvale No. 1, ,, 262

Whitwood, „ 258

Dinmore No. 2, ,, 140

The surface of the ground falls awav to tbe north towards Dinmore and to the east bwaisls Sii mile Creek! The seam dips at low angles, generally from south to west, and the the general fall may be taken to be about S.W at a gentle inclination.

Numerous faults have been disclosed by the mine workings m this area of up to 100 ieet or o in displacement, which have proved very serious obstacles to the economical w oi ung o i ' . ' of the larger and better known one, are shown on Map 1. They will be referred to more particularly in

treating of the mines. , , ., . .

The New Chum Seam, as a rule, affords from 4 to 5 feet of good steam coal, but its thickness is very variable. It is not used for coking. Fig. 10 gives a generalised section ot the seam as seen Dinmore Colliery.

Fig. 10.

C'oal, 10 iuohcs.

Stone, 1 foot.

Coal, 4 feet

Stone, 1 foot 6 incite*.

Coal. 3 feet incites.

Section or New Chum Seam in Dinmore Colliery

The centre 4 feet has been mostly worked in Ibis mine, but in places the )°"ei. ','V.]i'v

worl ed At the Whitwood Mine, what is known as the bottom coal, ot about 4 leet 6 inches, is „eiieia wo k d while Iron' "o to 30 ieet Move is found the top coal, the intervening strata being composed of bands ot Joal and stone In the Ebbwvale and New C hum Mines the workable thickness ot the coal runs

to about 4 feet 6 inches.

,, . 2; Ghum Colliery — The New Chum Seam was first worked from tunnels driven north, west and ££ °H,tcl'°P found ln the gullies which converge together on the eastern boundaries of Portions

264 and 265. The seam here dips gently to the south-west. Later on shafts Nos. 1 and 2 were sunk lurther to the west, and the workings extended from them into Portions 260 and 266. These tunnels and shafts have since been abandoned The shaft is thus referred to by Mr. Fryar, as quoted in Geology and Palaeontology of Queensland and New Guinea," page 345

, Ne™ Chum Shttf, if— At Bundanba there is a colliery worked by a pit (New Chum Shaft), the property of Mr. Gulland. Ike shaft is about 220 feet deep, tapping two seams, the lower one of which only is worked. The latter shows in all about 27 feet of carbonaceous matter, but of this 4 feet to 4 feet 8 inches is good, clean coal, without any partings or shale. The dip is about 1 in 9, a little east ot south. It is a good, firm, shining coal, with much mother-of-coal in the partings ; yet it does not soil the fingers as much as other coals on this field. It is entirely sold for steam purposes, with the exception or the slack, which finds a ready market for smiths' work."

The drive going north from the outcrop on Portion 264 met with a fault, which intersects the boundary road between Portions 564 and 215, and is no doubt a continuation of the Ebbwvale Fault to und cutting across the south-west corner of Portion 262 in the Ebbwvale Mine. The fault was never penetrated from these workings.

, , w°rkings to the south-west from the No. 1 Shaft drove up against a fault which cut off the

coal to the south This fault is no doubt a continuation of that seen at the entrance to No. 4 Tunnel in tfte north-west of Portion 268, where the New Chum Seam is driven into on the south side of a gully ni'!lg fe5f> ltt hilV]"S been thrown up here to near the surface. The coal is distinctly seen at the

hrmmht !ithlS -ie I CfUt °m. .bJ tbf h,ding north' bemg replaced by sandstones that have been iou&ht down agamst it. Ihis is the New Chum Fault referred to before.

r1? 4 Tu"el* as ®howu by the plan of the workings deposited with the Mines Department

was extended to near the southern corner of Portion 269, and levels were driven east and west. The dip of the coal over this area is almost due south, and is about 5 degrees at the mouth of the tunnel.

he workings to the west from the No. 2 Shaft met with inferior coal.it being replaced as I Jn ppSblll<1 trora .r- Archibald the late manager, by clayey matter. A similar occurrence is also seen in the eastern workings of the Whitwood Mine on Portion 269. Here clayey matter, which comes in as J'n inte'b®dded bands, quickly thickens, while the carbonaceous matter thins out till the whole seam is southerbmlnfln deposit of white tenacious clay. The zigzag line on the map represents roughly the A tv f boundary of this area of clayey matter, which is apparently continuous between the workings

" Clav Fault.''168' " C° aSl'eriaiu fr°m tbe info™ation supplied. It is locally known as the

nndtinn1! c°a\{rom the ceutre and west ot' Portion 2d6 No. 3 Shaft was sunk in the

position shown on the map laults were met with both in the shaft and on opening out the coal in the immediate vicinity, which have entailed considerable expense in the working of the coal.

north tf°Ur C'haifnS t0nhe, n°rtb of the shatt the coal is cut off by a large fault hading to the

mum wn if T saudsLtone brought down against it. Mr. Jefferies, the manager of the

not vet PfW anillclincd drive through this sandstone in order to reach the coal below it, but had not jet penetrated it when 1 visited the mine. This fault I take to be the western continuation of that above called the New Chum Fault. Apparently the same fault is found again further west at several points m the workings to the south of the Whitwood Shaft on Portion 258 and 259.

Whit ,3' Whitwood Colliery . —The New Chum Seam is worked by Messrs. Stafford Bros, from the

226 227° 2 0 8 a 229° Fin d ° 8' E deptb 244 feefc' tbe workings from which extend over Portions

ssnHAntp mclfinefd +-dlti £i0m thj Zrf/Ce the Seam Passes through 50 feet of shales, 80 feet of white The coal dip. gently to ' the S.W the P°rti°" th®

on the 1:i!!:rr17ngS t0t 'A® S0Uth the COal Was eut off b? a fault hading to the north, which, as shown Portions 9'J7 d Foro °m?e mme' rUnS T " 6ast and west direction along the southern boundary of amfiThe u ' 'mentioned before, is probably a continuation of the New Chum Fault

geeerS JXnTSSf 3te loZ ZtJf f°"nd "

is worktd bte .Pln™0re, The Dinmore Colliery, lying north of the railway line on Portion 140,

Chum Seam7ath2 fent°an 4 A° Company. The main shaft near the railway line reached the New

Min?uude"the road ThTlnh-r exnte?d2d south till they met those from the Whitwood mine under the road. I he coal here dips at about 1 in 7 to the south

tie coal u Am LT1 ™lT.edir-ly rA °f the Shaft b? " fault which throws

thU J f r been extensively worked to the north of the fault at

north of the pi' at ±e(d; in the aft— and a second shaft has been sunk 12 chains to the inimp1 the U mam shait', and 18 U8ed as an upcast. Numerous small faults have been met with in the mine, the largest of whicn runs east and west, about 6 chains north of the large fault previously noted anJ develop, a throw of about 40 feet in the eastern wcrk.ugs, pinching Jut almost entirely 0,1 the

faulting" fJcol? shaft.thr°"Sh 'MS an<t ,h<J Whi'W0I>d Colli"f "d

Portion 2R06 CoUiery. -The Ebbwvale No. 1 Shaft was sunk to catch the New Chum Seam on

nnalitv -o fl T f?(:k at 100 feet aild worked to some extent, but was of inferior

quality, to the south-west of the shaft a fault was met with, hading to the south-west and apparently

not of Sffi eCr f0WF m that d,recti0n- A seam was met with in the shaft at SlfLTCt Z Chum sFmn buVbhev ZrT V extensi!e working. Apparently neither of these two seams is the New

accoSinMv sunk to fhe lnlh TTX nearer to the surface by the fault. No. 2 Shaft was

he seam was tb ® it? ! aUlfc &lld "et the Nevv Chum Seam at 180 feet> and from ,t

the coB from PorHol f south:wfestern corner of the portion. Having obtained the right to work

the coal from lortion 61 the proprietors then drove through the fault from the Vo 1 Shaft and at present all the coal is being obtained by means of this shaft. '

The Ebbwvale Fault, the position of which taken from a surveyed plan by Mr. T. O'Connor, Licensed Surveyor, kindly lent me by Mr. Jones, one of the proprietors, is evidently a continuation ot the fault noticed before as cutting off the coal in the workings to the north or the outcrop or the - ew mm workings on Portion 204. I have not been able to trace it at any other point, though it is e\i en r a fault of some magnitude. It apparently throws the New Chum Seam out entirely to the north-east, as neither of those found to the north-east of it resemble in any way the seam found to the south-west.

Fig. 2, Plate I., a section along the line E.F. on Map 1, through the Xew Chum Nv°- 3 an Ebbwvale Shafts, shows the dislocation of the coal by the Stafford's Tunnel, the IN ew Chum and the Ebbwvale Faults in the workings of the New Chum and Ebbwvale Mines.

6. The Old Alerdare Seam.—ki about 200 feet above the New Chum Seam in the New Chum No. 3 and No. 2 Shafts is found the old Aberdare Seam. It is found cropping out above the X ew L hum Seam m the gullies to the east of Portions 264 and 265, and has been traced from there west through the village of New Chum. Its outcrop is also found in Portions 266, 267, and 269, south of the N ew Chum F ault by which it is brought to the surface again. It was formerly worked by a drive from the latter outcrop striking south from the north-west corner of Portion 267, by Mr. Thomas, of Blackstone. This appears to be the seam referred to by Mr. A. C. Gregory as quoted by Mr. Jack in the Geology and 1 a .eonto oe} of Queensland, page 335, " Thomas's Mine."* " At this point Thomas's Mine has-been opened on Portion 270, Parish of Goodna, the workings being on a dip of 15 degrees to the south for laO yards. I he thickness of the seam is about 6 feet, of which 4 or 5 feet are available, as there are some bands of clay and shale which vary considerably in thickness. The coal from this seam is hard and bright, and bears carriage better than the average of the district, while it is in good repute as a steam coal. The specifac gravity is 144.

It makes a fair coke, but not equal to that from the coals found further to the west near Ipswich. About 200 yards to the east of Thomas's Mine the coal crops out in a gully."

This mine is now abandoned, and the seam has not since beeu worked.

It may be noted that the workings are described as being on Portion 270, but the tunnel is rea y on Portion 267 to the north. The workings probably extended into Portion 270.

I have found it quite impossible to correlate with certainty the New Chum Seam with those found at Buudanba or on Cooikna, but the strata appear to resemble more closely the lower series ot softer sandstones and shales found at Buudanba and Blackstone, and to place the New Chum Seam on the same horizon as those worked in the Braeside Colliery.

Vi. — Characteristics And Commercial Valle Of The West Moreton Coals.

1. Analyses and Tests , with Tables and Votes.— Appended are two tables, which will be of

service in forming an opinion jon the qualities and commercial value of the coals from tne YV et>t Moreton Field. Table I. gives a list of the analyses of 6 coals from south of the Bremer, of 5 from north of the river, of 1 from Walloon, and for purposes of comparison, of 4 from the Burrum Coal Field. These analyses were made at the (iovernment Analyst's Office, on samples from exhibits at the Queensland International Exhibition, 1897. Following are means of percentages of the constituents of 14 coals from Newcastle District, N.S.W., of 7 from the Bulli District, of 17 from Newcastle (England), and of 31 from Wales— the figures being abstracted from tables given in "Mineral Resources of N.S.W.," published by the Department of Mines of that Colony. Table II. gives the results of a series of experiments on the steaming powers of 5 coals from south of the Bremer, 2 from north of the Bremer, 1 from the Darling Downs, 2 from the Burrum Field, 1 from the Newcastle District, N.S.V ., and 1 from the Bulli District, N.S.W. These experiments were made on the Government steamer " Otter," in 1892, by Mr. Robert Wilson, Engineer, under the authority of Sir Horace Tozer, then Colonial Secretary. A few notes made by Air. Wilson on the physical character and behaviour iu the furnace of each of these coals accompanies the table. A paper dealing with the resuits was read by Air. Wilson before the Queensland Institute of Alechanical Engineers, and through his courtesy I am enabled to publish the paper in full as au Appendix. It will aid those wishing to judge of the commercial value of the West Moreton coals in forming an independent opinion as to their suitability for steaming purposes.

2. Difference between the Coals from North and South of the Hiver — The Walloon ( oal. lhe

coals from north of the Bremer River contain a considerably higher proportion of fixed carbon and ash than those from south of the river. They cake well, giving excellent coke, but are not, as a

rule, so suitable for steam purposes. The coals from south of the river contain much less fixed

carbon and ash, with correspondingly more hydrocarbons, and do not cake sufficiently well to give good cokes, but are more suitable for steam purposes. The Walloon coal is of an entirely different appearance and character, containing only 47 '94 per cent, of fixed carbon, and a correspondingly higher percentage of volatile hydrocarbons. It makes an excellent gas and household coal, burning very freely with a bright luminous flame. It contains much less mother-of-coal, the main portion being hard and lustrous, and showing no cleavage, but breaking easily with a conchoidal fracture. It does not soil the fingers.

3. Comparison of Analyses with those from New South Wales. — The analyses show that the

composition of lhe West Moreton coals is intermediate between those of coals from the Newcastle and Bulli districts of New South Wales. The mean of percentages of fixed carbon in 7 samples from the Bulli district is 67 23, and that of 14 samples from the Newcastle district is 56'51. The

minimum for the Bulli coal is 64-65, whilo the maximum for the Newcastle coal is only 59 56. The

mean of 7 from south of the Bremer River and 5 from north of the river both lie betweeu these two latter figures, being 6t)'7S and 63-59 respectively. Similarly the mean of percentages of ash in the Ipswich coals lie between those of the two New South Wales Fields. Professor Liversidge of the

Report on the Coal Deposits of the West Moreton and Darling Downs District. Brisbane : By Authority.

Sydney University gives the mean of 42 ash percentage of samples of Newcastle (New South Wales) coals at 6-80, but this probably includes some specimens of outcrop coal in which the ash percentage is abnormally high.*

4. Ash Percentages. — In ash percentages, then, the Ipswich coals do not compare unfavourably with the New South Wales coals. This character, however, is not maintained in the steamer trials, except in the case of the Aberdare coal, which compares very favourably with the New South Wales coals in this respect, the unburnt residuum being in all other cases considerably higher. This is perhaps accounted for, first, by the fact that the Aberdare Seam has an ash percentage below the average of the other West Moreton coals, and, secondly, by the fact that the seam is freer from bands of stone than the other seams of the district, and so can be put on the market in a cleaner condition. The superiority of the Aberdare Seam as a steam coal is also shown in Table II. by its high calorific and evaporative power. The New Chum Seam comes next in order of merit in the steamer trials. Mr. Wilson deals with the question of impurities in the coal in his report (Appendix, page 27), and suggests that if more care were exercised in placing the West Moreton coals on the market in a cleaner condition their qualities would compare very favourably with the southern coals. This is no doubt a matter of difficulty in many cases in the present state of development of the mines owing to the frequent bands of stone in the seams and the fact that the owners cannot afford to erect expensive machinery or employ the necessary labour to thoroughly clean the coal, but it is a drawback which will no doubt be lessened to a considerable extent as the mines become better developed and the working capital of the owners increases.

5. Friability. — The friability of the Ipswich coals is an often-raised objection to their taking a good position as bunker coal. Mr. Wilson makes light of this objection in his paper, as he says the small of the coal cakes well in the furnace, and does not entail as much waste from its falling through the bars as might be expected (Appendix, page 25). Judging from the evidence available it seems certain that the Ipswich coals are of very high commercial value as fuel, and that a considerable increase in output is to be expected as the demand for industrial purposes becomes greater.

Table I.

Analyses of Coals.

Coal from South of Bremer Fiver , West Moreton District —

1. Aberdare Seam, Blackstone

2. Braeside, Bundanba No. 4 or Hard Seam

3. Braeside, No. 1 Seam

4. New Chum Seam, Whitwood Colli eiy

5. New Chum Seam, Dinmore Colliery

(!. No. 2 Seam, Swanbank Colliery

Mean of Values

Maximum

Minimum

Coals from North of Bremer Fiver. West Moreton District —

1. Tivoli Seam, Wright's New Tivoli Colliery

2. Tivoli Seam, Water, stown Colliery

3. Bishop Seam, Bishop Colliery ...

4. Bishop Seam, Donnybrook Colliery

5. Haighmoor Colliery Meanof Values Maximum Minimum

Coal from Walloon — -

Wright's Caledonian Mine ...

Coals from Burnt m Coal Field —

1. Torbanlea ...

2. Howard

3. Wright's Burrum ...

4. IN ew Biver Bank ...

Mean of Values

Maximum

Minimum

Coals from Northern or Newcastle District, Neiv South W ales —

Mean of 14 samples ...

Maximum

Minimum

Coals from Southern or Bu/li District New South Wales—

Mean of 7 samples

Maximum

Minimum

Coals from Newcastle, England —

Mean of 17 samples

Maximum Minimum Welsh Coal —

Mean of 31 samples ...

Maximum

Minimum

Minerals of N.S.W., by A. Liversidge. London : Triibner & Co.

Moisture.

Volatile

Hydrocarbons

Fixed

Carbon.

Ash.

Sulphur.

4"52

1 '81

2 To

1T01

2T0

53"05

'55

;66-oo

Its

!72 69

95

1-2,1

55

1T0

70

1T0

70

91

2'75

l'Go

49

61

99

65

28

v

9T2

20

06

21T5

T57

64

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Notes wbitten by Mb. Eobeet Wilson on Coals feom which the foeegoing eesults webe

Obtained.

No- 1-— coal is a soft friable coal, fairly heavy, the friability, however does not seem to interfere much with its steaming qualities. It is a coking coal, very uniform in quality burning in the

suitable fofmarin? ® giVmg °®. a,very Sood heat- is a fairly fast steaming coal very

suitable for marine purposes as it leaves no clinker on the firebars, the only residuum being a light white

the firelT- 1 kee£ the fil'e8 heav?' us,nS the T'head ce to keep the firebars clear, the faresalso require breaking up from time to time as the coals coke in the furnace.

it ?u°' 2'—I I°.u?f this t0 bti a coal similar in some respects to that supplied by Mr. Lewis Thomas it is of the same friable nature, the amount of small coal in a given quantity being considerable This coal is a good steaming coal; it burns with a very good clear flame giving off a strong heat and is very easy to work m the furnaces as it stands a lot of knocking about. With this coal I usually keep heavy

coals coTe8 ® Cl6ar' aUd the bar slice t0 break UP tbe fires with when the

to the firebar1 & Hght "h and a SmaU Wn ciinker; the clinker' h°wever, does stick

No. 3.— This coal is a bituminous coal, having a bright pitchy appearance. Like most Queensland coals, it is very friable, with an uneven cleavage. Queensland

cakes vprvwptf this coal the smallness of some of it did not appear to affect its steaming qualities. It cakes very well in the furnace and burns with a long clear flame ; it seems to be a coal that would work very w® I wltb an artl cial draught. It leaves a light white ash with a small percentage of free clinker.

. L od° ob working the fires with this coal was to work them rather heavy, sprinkling the coals

at short intervals so as to keep the fires always bright, using the T-slice to keep S>e firebars clean and e bar slice to break up the fire when the coal caked too much; the rake was very seldom used.

hnwAv °' L, iC°al Presei'ts a fairlJ good appearance when looked at in the bulk. Individual pieces lh ? 'l fh-euiC °Se,y exam,"ed> sh°w clay bands and other impurities running through them It is of

some otthe'yarietie8Ure ,,e' r '° " M°r6t°n is f*®J "d "a8 a belter eleayage than

nercentsapf °oal .bu.rns vei7 well> givdig off a good heat with a clear flame. The large

In working the fires I kept them a moderate thickness, using the T-head slice to keen the firaW The glVen °tf 18 a hght ESh With a Sma11 brown clinker that does not stick to the i o- 5.— This is a dull -looking coal, the larger pieces being streaked with grey and looking as if StngTt rhed W,th C% Water- K iS 0f the friable there beingga Lge pttnfage of

fe „ In.tbe fu™a9e the coal burns fairly well, the flame being long and moderately bright it also cakes

for drawWk t0 its

No..6.— This coal presents many of the characteristics peculiar to most of the West Moreton coals It is very triable, the cleavage is very uneven, and clay bands appear to be the principal impurity

coalsTn11 P°Wer f|n0t 0t| a V6ry hlgb order when compared with several of the other West Moreton

ZwingtaLToTfrom6 hite -h along with a smaH brown clinker, thechnter

, pn in working this coal 1 have found it best to keep the fires fairly heavy, usbm the T-head slice to

appear' b" fTbei'efft tlloThee," fofi't

with in preference to Ihe Send 2e 'UmaCe8 We" Ch"B<'dl Wr sli" t0 break the "P

without any trouble.11 re°"rtaMj "a!- "d ">"ld k-P good head of .team with it

of boiler, if WhiCh "aJ bC S"UrCe tro"ble CW,

t , fo.und this a coal Presenting some of the characteristics of Welsh coals. It is a very

to be atte"'iou a°d Ught firi°g the

With a fresh wind this coal gives very good results. It appears to me that it would do very well for land boilers having a good draught and a moderate consumption of fuel per square toot of firegrate, but I do not thinkit is so suitable for marine boilers where a high duty is required from each square foot of firegrate with only a moderate draught, and at the same time continuous e. g.

No 10 — I found this coal possessing many of the qualities peculiar to the coals froin tie urrum District. It is a friable coal, burns slowly in the furnace with a good local heat and will not stand muc knocking about. There is a large percentage of small, but it seems to burn well enoug

I found the fires to do best when they were kept to a medium thickness and fi .

often. When burnt, this coal leaves a brown ash and a thin cliQk®r that sticks to the b ' certain amount of iron in this clinker that makes it heavy on the bars. amount

This coal has the same fault as the other Burrumcoal I have tried— -i.e., ovmg tothe of clinker that accumulates in the furnace after a few hours steaming. It is not so well adapted continuous firing as some of the other Queensland coals that have been tested by me.

No. 11.— I found this to be a semi-bituminous coal ; it is fairly hard and looks like £in °

Scotch coal ; it is a fairly fast steaming coal with a moderate amount ofin"jJ *sbea lo(*edb well in the furnace and had to be worked in a manner similar to the West Moreton coals. It burns with a modera long clear Same, having a good local heat. I worked the Urea fairly heavy and had no difficulty in keeping a good head of steam.

No. 12.— This is a hard dull-looking coal, not unlike some Welsh coals in appearance. e pieces of coal are for the most part small in size; there is, however, very little dross amongst rt ; it c.kes very little in the furnace, and will not stand knocking about. It is not a fast steaming cod burning best with a strong draught, giving a very clear flame with a strong local heat ; the ashes are brown with a mixture of small clinker. I worked the fires fairly light, firing often, and using the bar slice to ease up the coals with ; this fuel would not force, but had to get its own time to burn.

No. 13. — I found the coal to be dull-looking mineral having, like most of the West Moreton coals a fair amount of small amongst it ; however, it seems to be on the whole harder than some of the .amp

I have had from the same district. . , . , , , i f t*.

In the furnace I found it to burn with a long fairly clear flame having a good local heat steaming power is fairly good as is shown by the results obtained The great drawback to the coal tor steaming purposes is the large amount of refuse contained in it ; the coal itself is a ve g ' .

is wanted is that it should be put on the market with a less percentage of impurities, then I am certain

much better results would be obtained from it. , , w

I have worked my fires fairly heavy using the T-head slice to keep the firebars clear and the b.

slice to break up the coals after coking. This coal cokes fairly well. , t :n anv

I may state that the sample I received was from one of the company s punts and was not in any way a picked lot, but rather the opposite, as the part of the punt it was taken from contained more than

the average of small coal. , . ,

The trials have been made on our usual runs to St. Helena and Dunwich.

Appendix.

Queensland Coal: Its Economic Value As A Steam Coal.

(A Paper read before the Queensland Institute of Mechanical Engineers, December, 1992, by Mr. Kobert Wdson,

Engineer.)

This paper is written for the purpose of laying before the members of the Queensland Institute of Mechanical Engineers the results of a series of trials that have been conducted by the writer or ie Pl"P s ascertaining the evaporative powers of several of the better known kinds of Queenslan coa s. ' 6 P .

subject the* writer hL been actuated by a desire to lay before the members a series hguves, winch he hopes -11 go a long way to prove that the coals of this colony are well able to hold their own with uy othe V™*™ found in Australia. This may seem a bold assertion to make in the face of the well-known p q will have

many quarters to our coals, but " facts are duels that wmna ding and before this paper is fa: shed xoth 11 ha e formed the opinion that a very good case has been made out for Queensland. It may hen u ni c 1 4

prcTuffice is S some cases wearing away, as may be seen from the fact that steam users who a few year ago would not have the coals that are supplied here unless they could help it, now use them of our fastest coastal steamers get along about as well with Queensland coal as they do southern colonies. Our home mail steamers also now take away large quantities the E Mb left Brisbane a few days ago, taking with her some 1,200 tons for bunker use. In testing the every reasonable precaution has been taken to ensure correctness m the returns, and they are placed with the fullest confidence in their reliability. The trials have not been made with the determining the ultimate amount of water that each pound of coal is capable of evaporating iindei t i - favourable circumstances and when the surroundings are so arranged that the S

be obtained. Eeturns so obtained are very misleading to the ordinary individual, for the reason that they form no index to the value of the coal when subject to the careless usage of ev< eryday work, g in the furnace. During the whole of the time that the trials were carried on one point as kept steadily in view-namely, to keep boiler and engines working as nearly as possible under normal conditions The writer aware that in working out coal-trial results there are always certain errors liable to creep in ; these errors he has tried as much as possible to eliminate, and where a doubt lias existed, the coal has not got tubenehtotit_o th on the whole the Averages may be considered to be rather under than over the mark. In this w ay . t is felt to be perfectly safe in stating that the coals tried are fully equal to the powers they are ; given credit Ihc tnals

were alL made with an ordinary return multitubular marine boiler, 12 feet b inches m diametei and It feet g, having three furnaces each 33 inches in diameter and (? feet long, with a separate combustion chamber to each furnace. This boiler was constructed to supply steam to two pairs of compound surface condensmg engine., having cylinders 15i inches and 30 inches diameter, with a stroke of 20 inches. The pressure of steam earned during the as foil

nuinned into tlio boiler, temperature oi hib iuou nu um nwg... . .

Lore complete had it been possible to have ascertained the temperature of the furnace and fimne1 gases, but no apparatus was available for that purpose. The fires were at all times fairly well worked and at the finish ach trial tlicv were left as nearly as possible in the same condition as they were mat the start. For the purpose of measuring the feed-water, two small tanks were made for each pair of engines. These tanks were connected by pipes to the

ving cylinders 151 inches and 30 inches diameter, with a stroke of 20 inches. The pressure of steam caiTud ring L trials varied from 83 lb. to UK) lb. per square inch. The various points attended to during the tnaL w ere follows namely Pressure of steam, horse-power of engines, weight of coal consumed, weight of hed-irater imped into the idler, temperature of the feed water, and the weight of the ashes ™

hot-wells and to the feed pumps, the arrangement being such that when the contents of one tank were being he]dPw?lnt0 tJ!e b°' T tlle otller taak was being filled from the hot- well. The exact amount of water the tank!

actual vveih1lng' S01tha* a.ta% of the number of times they were filled during a given time s the weight ot water pumped into the boiler. The coals were carefully measured out for each trial the

done with the ashes. The height of the water in the gauge-glass of the boiler was always kept as from them hruoffi exP,lame}iat the refinement of returning the ashes or of separating the unburnt fuel fall! tl mr, ! ) ! b g°nef mto; When coals are worked about m a furnace a large proportion of the stuff tha t

Cr St t! C°US1S S ,of nnburnt small coal. This small coal and also the cinders are measured out W 1 ask,slrare1?d s™Ple' nd SO make the return much larger than it otherwise would be. The coals remiiine a bdefffer°ebtallle coa fields each kind of coal presenting different characteristics, and

i n of treatment. In all, twelve different samples have been tested; seven from the

at Moieton ?°a,Pled' t/o from the Burrum Coal Field, one from the neighbourhood of Toowoomba one from

The New sSwB°m E f dd ""f1 f°f, Sydf aud "f £ro™ New Soutl1 Wnles from a field south of Sydney, coal Ws been iswf Ln i™* 1 i S° ? standard o£ comparison could be formed. Before a sample of coal lias been tested inquiry has always been made as to the best modes of working it in the furnace and in all

S,SymreT1Ved baVe bT f S Cl0fely aS P°ssi!t acted "P The boilfr had afays been worked as unrtormly as possible, the engines each tune being set with the same grade of expansion the power given out

it lC C°al be"g burnt at an average rate of 2U lb. per square foot1 of firefrate per

0 give sZe of fc !'S 18 to°£lgl1 a ratf to burn at, and that to make it uniform for all coals, does

uushg Ind dWvf ft! I CftnCev, rhat may be so ; but it must be remembered that in these days of p .b and drive, the only matter the engineer considers is how to get steam out of a boiler the

question of giving com time to burn properly or economically is seldom or ever thought of Well

knowing this to be the case is the reason why the work lias not been made to fit tlm coal-on the

Xn mdeto fit tlmworli exPe™ts has been to determine the value, and behaviour of the coals

lien made to fit tlie woik. Had the trials been made with furnaces burning from 12 lb to 16 lb of coal ner

for mLSf nurSsT1 Ttf hour the returns would have been higher, but they would not have been so reliable f r rt Pi ls not intended to individualise the several coals operated' upon. They will be grouped

together as follows :-The West Moreton coals will be divided into two groups; the Burrum coals will be eatecl as om? group ; while the other coals— all coming from different fields— will be treated singly Of the

gewtoammg coals. They are all bituminous coals, coking well in the furnaces, giving off a long clear flame with

fXd h„" „ .Kll?- *w; PW*- clinker, fbat Ls not Sill to 5""n

indeed, one ot t ic samples does not show any clinker in the true sense of the term. They all seem to be verv free

ClaSS r\S fr fTg®S' blast-furnaces, and other7 mitXrcal pesSs div?sio,? tbrpn ,'l 8 T-tmg far back as 1876, says of the West Moreton coals : " In the Ipswich

are suiteJfoffd hl!Tf S' ° g WeU ; f le proportion of gas being small and the fixed carbon large, they

to hear ! g n 1 blast-furnaces ; are good steam coal when not broken too small, but are so friable as not

Sebfound in mLTlI +1 1°™ eXp°?U? to Wet' So that tbe llarder varieties, though containing most ash

aie found in practice to be the most economical, m consequence ot the smaller proportion of waste " The above

STlVo? Very % mai11- be does not attach To llhtportance to Z

make veiw lfftle differefce S fil l SeemS t0 d°' hl.s tlia ™ters> experience teaching him that the size of the coal 7,!,' / J -Y little difference in its steaming power ; indeed, in some cases he has found that the small coal was more

WesMor frgtl C°f ' Td breC\1,etter' The follo7ing are the resuIts obtained from the three

i £ J-Vdoreton coals placed in the front rank :— Mean pressure of steam, 86'83 lb. per scraare inch mfa„

cnpeiature ot steam 328'80 degrees F. ; mean temperature of feed water. 127'8 F - mean weio-ht of water

consmmSV-W b °f cons?fed< 7'0,6 lb- i mean weight of water evaporated from and at 212 F. per lb of coal consumed, 7 96 lb. ; mean weight of water per indicated horse-power per hour, 16'74 lb. - mean weiVlit of ma I ui n . per square foot of firegrate per hour, 19'63 lh. ; mean percentage of ashes, 15 per cent The renTainino- four

§aYefthe °Tg — lt-s:-M?an pressure of steam, P86 lb met

consumed fffoYl ! tendx'ratl+lre of feed water, 123 F. ; mean weight of water evaporated per lb. of coal consumed, 6 423 lb. ; mean weight of water evaporated from and at 212 F. per lb of coal consumed 7-1 lb mean

horse lp!we! perhoiTlffP7lb dlmt6d h°r4°er ?er llour- f543 ]b- 5 mean weight of water used per indicated noise power pei Hour ,16 54 lb. : mean weight of coal consumed per square foot of firegrate ner hour 21-49=; li, .

posfSX"Mgfe!wrthi91 Pei' 7tf" ,SaUipl!r °f coal received from the Bnmim District were found to p .ess several features that stamped them as being distinct coals from those of the West Moreton District Tn appearance they are not unlike some varieties of Welsh coals, and like Welsh! Sals wiS

burnTlcwlvtbe a,m°ngst tIlenV Tbe smaU' however, seems in most cases to burn well enough They wfith a o-ld 1 i riaf,e wlle? oompared with some of the other Queensland coals, giving off a long clear flime

b beanSaer wSg t

well for laud boife, w!."d L tbeJ glve good results, and appear to be coals that would do very

1 loi lancL Doners Paving a good draught, and burning- sav ti-om 19 lh tn n, c , 4

firegrate per h„,lr. Tl.e fSlo.viug „ tL W*Uh obt.Sirf K4S?5 'to™°,

r: jlosvss z

coals. The lion A C Gregory CMP l ;Ze.'. p'e Pm'cenfage ot diit being less than for any other Queensland

obtained :-Mean preTsure ofteam lb T exfr,ence/" w°?'*g coal. The following are the results water ioUb P , stam- 87 4 lb-; mean temperature of steam. 329 '2 F mean temneratnre of foerl

Wtor, 126 3F.; mean we.ght of water evaporated per lb. of coal roasomed, 714 lb meap® Em of

evaporated from and at 212 P. per ft. of coal consumed, W*ft, ImlLf w toTEm? &A mwhi

power per hour, 2'34 lb. ; mean weight of water used per ujc ica ri ; P J? asjies p-g per cent. The New of coal consumed per square foot of hregrate per hour, - o3 P 1-,,/vni-na- fast-steaxnine coal. It was fairly South Wales coal from the Newcastle District was found to be ' in the furnace, and had to be

hard, and looked very much like some of the Scotch coal?. It burning it made a grey ash,

worked in a manner similar to that required for most of the y firebars However, if used in furnaces

and aheavy brown clinker that soon choked up the air spaces ie te . " pQlir p would give very good

where only a moderate amount of coal was burnt per square oo ' g ar, inch; mean tempera-

results The following are the results obtained -.-Mean pressure of steam 8 Iff pea shave r evapo*ated

turn of steam, 329b F. ; mean temperature of teed water, 123 83 h . , mean weignr ox „

the wind fell off and the draught decreased they did not do nearly so well. fQ&] }The fiTst and third

draught The following are the results ot the trials In all, I had three trials ot inis . . we ],ad a

took place in ordinary weather; the second trial was carried out under afferent days 'separate, v.c.

strong head wind to steam against. It has, therefore, been considered best to keep the different aay P

third day's work will be put together as one return, ana tne seoouu uaj . y" J - . , j_aueht then be able to iudgefor yourselves exactly how this particular coal is affected by the inte -1 F fean

First and thircl ®ay s ' trials :-Mcan pressure of steam, 83 5 lb. ; mean temperature ot steam,, __326;13 mean

ght of

Pbrcii and third days trials Mean pressure ot steam, ooio. ; mean — y ' ,

of fS Vater, 121T25 l ; mean weight of water evaporated per of coM consumed. 70j

mean weight of water evaporated from and at 212 F. per lb. of. fVSuted per indicated horse-power coal consumed per indicated liorse-power per hour, 2'4 lb. ; mean wei ight of er jsed p entage 0f ashes,

per hour. 17 lb,; -an weight of coal consumed per square foot of steam, >'9 F. ;

Cl 1C levy ux , i 3 ")Q Q T?

15 per cent "Send'day'l trial :-Mean' pressure of steam, 87 lb.' ; mean temperature of_ steam, 328*9 JM temperature of feed wateiy 124 F. ; weight of water evaporated per Hr ot coai consumed S.

water evaporated from, and at 212 1. per lb. of coal consumed, 8 35 weight indicated horse-power per hour, 2-26 lb ; weight of water used

weight of coal consumed per square foot ot hregrate per hour ,19 06 lb. pei c entege Through the courtesy of the Acting Chief Engineer tor Harbours and Bm p '

the following results of tests made with the Queensland and New South Wales

/ 'J XVJ. y .. '-''£1

coal consumed per per hour, 16'9o lb. ; ashes, 14 per cent. . Vaughan Stewart, coals by means of

ie results ot tests maue wnu me ucrosiauu , v „ . „ „-;ii v,,,

Mr Lewis Thompson's calorimeter, or fuel tester, have been placed at the writer s di s p s - p fessor

shown the machine in action further on in the evening, the f ollo™S |cripbon of i.P fcalorimeter is

.Tamieson's textbook on the steam engine, may be ot interest to you .- Bi mctples on u c . ]ieat .

w" eXLt0theb6samer S of Tmt as when ,c% W in

being WmdlcaS in 'water capabK being boUed : by

l,y the perfect combustion of the fuel. As 1 lb. of coal is an inconveniently large quantity of fuel £ such an apparatus, it has been specially designed for burning 2 grammes ot fuel at a tinu water

will be observed that if we contrive to thoroughly burn 1 gramme of fuel in the nndst ot Jh/ 0 ram me .

theincrdksecT temperature of the water will show us the number of grammes of water which 1 "

inoSnisS to convert into steam 212 F„ and we at once come to the evaporative value ot the fuel LA it lias been found advisable to use a larger quantity of coal or other fuel than 1 gramme, the appaia t ' 1 V

Signed SstrS lust remarked.) C 2 gdrnme quantities and of course, are Tree V

()f water — viz 9G7 x 2, or 1,934 grammes. As the weight of fuel burned and of uatei used L ai c y

C'"d l any in"e7L£d 3

roots have been taken from " Seaton's Mannal of the Marine Engine. ' then compared mth

from the calorimeter trill be found to be very instructive. Average Welsh coals 15 52 s ~Snt

iFriff 1 coals 15 32 lb. ; average Lancashire coals, 14'56 lb. ; average Scotch coal s,146o lb. lb- ' P v

the evaporative powers of the coals in pounds of water from and at 212 F. Mr. F. M . Hartley, A. ns . .

v meins of thealorimeter an evaporative efficiency of 14-4 lb. from and at 212 F. with Welsh coal; and Mr J. Vauo-han Stewart, with another sample of Welsh coal, obtained an efficiency of 14'3'-° Jb. icse ' ll Pes " close that tteTmay he taken as average values for Welsh coals. Then if the 15-52 lb. given above as the av ei age theoretical value for Welsh coals be reduced to 14-4 lb., the highest value obtained l>y the ea orimeter and the ot effickmcies he reduced in a like ratio, we will get the following averages : Welsh 'coal. 1 1/4 lb. ; Newcastle (Eng ) c?a? lSl4 lh Lancashire coal, 13 516 lb. ; Scotch coal, 13-B lb. Returning now to Queens and coals I e eaforimeter tests made in Brisbane give the following values :-The West Moreton coa s forming the lust group to 13 997 Tb. of water evaporated from and at 212 F. for each lb. ot fuel consumed; the West. Moreton coals forming the second group have not been all tested in the calorimeter. I he Buiinm i ca s ga uTs lb the Darling Downs coal, 13111 lb!; 1 he New South Wales, from the north of Sydney gave 13 537 lb. , New South Wales, from the south of Sydney, 13-535 lb. Supposing an ordinary steam boilt i to luue . coefficient of efficiency equal to Offi, the following table will then show the values ottbe coals tor w orbing pm pose, and to show how the calorimeter tests agree with the actual boiler tests, the two are here gnen :

Name of Coal.

Welsh ...

Newcastle (England)

Lancashire Scotch ...

West Moreton, 1st Group ...

West Moreton, 2nd Group ...

Burrum ...

Darling Downs

New South Wales, Northern District New South Wales, Southern District

Reduced

Theoretical

Calorimeter Tests, x.C.

Other Tests.

Value.

Lb.

Lb.

Lb.

8*508

Some time ago various samples of Queensland coals were tested in a 16-h.p. boiler in Brisbane, when the results from the first group of West Moreton coals showed an evaporative power equal to 8'271 lb. of water from and at 212 F. Grouping the above values together, we have the average evaporative power of the home coal equal to 8'359 lb. of water ; Queensland coals, calorimeter tests, 8 '291 lb.; Queensland coals, "Otter" tests (leaving out the West Moreton second group), 8'023 lb.; New South Wales coal, calorimeter tests, 8'1335 lb ; New South Wal,es coals, " Otter" tests, 8'058 lb. From the above returns it will be seen that the better class coals from the Queensland Mines have a high economic value as steam coals, and as before stated, are very well able to hold their own with any other coal at present found in Australia. There is one matter in connection with our coals that now demands our attention — that is the matter of the large percentage of impurities mixed with most of them. No doubt some of these impurities are so intimately mixed with the fuel that it would lie a difficult matter to separate the two, but in considering this part of our subject we have to differentiate between impurities that are chemically combined with the coals and other that are only mechanically mixed. The former must perforce be left alone ; most of the latter, however, can and should be dealt with. Most of the impurities in the Queensland coals appear to be clay bands and sand. The only method at present in use to get rid of these foreign matters is to screen the coal at the pit head. Screening is all very well in its way ; still, it is only a rough and ready method of getting rid of the part of the small coal and dirt. In some cases it was to be feared the screenings had not been so perfect as it might be, the consequence being that the coals had been sent away to market with a greater amount of unburnable stuff mixed among them than should have been the case, and so they have given our coals in many quarters a bad name. With coals, as with any other commodity, it is a case of give a dog a bad name it will stick to it. Now, unless our colliery proprietors themselves try something to get this bad name removed, it has every chance of remaining, The first thing to be done in this direction is to clean their coals that the proportion of unburnable stuff can be brought down to reasonable dimensions. They should make it their aim to put the coal on the market in the cleanest possible manner. By doing so they may not be able to reap any immediate benefit, but, assuredly, they would be handsomely repaid in the long run. A coal to make headway in a new market must be better or cleaner than the coals that have held that market previously. So that it is an absolutely plain fact to anyone who has given the matter a thought, that unless the coals of this colony are put on the market more free from dirt than they are at the present time, they will never command the position that is theirs by right. In France, Germany, America, and in Great Britain the washing of coal is at the present time receiving a considerable amount of attention. As an instance of what may be done by means of an efficient system of washing, mention may be made of a coal-washing machine (a German patent) that Messrs. Merry and Cunninghame, the coal masters in the west of Scotland, have had fitted up for dealing with the coals at one of their pits. This machine stands about 60 feet high, the coals being hoisted right up to the top. It then gravitates through the different stages until it finally falls into the wagons placed under the different shoots. Before the machine was erected the coal was screened in the usual manner, and two or three sorts of coal sent to the market. Now the coal is so carefully graded that they can send no less than six different sorts to the market. The cost of the machine was something like £10,000, and the cost of washing comes to about fd. per ton. It cannot for a moment be imagined that our coal owners are in a position to initiate a process of such magnitude as that mentioned above. Still something might be done with the view of testing whether our coals would stand an efficient system of washing or no. The Queensland coals all being more or less friable, the amount of small coal that gees through the screens with the dirt is very large. As matters are now there is practically no outlet, for this slack. &c., if we except that which our local gas companies use for gas-making purposes. Now, if this slack can be profitably used in that manner, it is surely also good for other purposes. There are three ways in which slack may be of use — first, by constructing boilers with special furnaces suitable for burning it ; second, by making patent fuel from it ; and third, by making coke. The first may be dismissed as impractical at the present time, and with regard to the second mode of disposing of it. it may be remembered that a well-known colliery proprietor in the West Moreton District some years ago had machinery erected to make patent fuel, but after working for some time the industry had to be given up as a local market could not be found for it. A large proportion of the patent fuel made in Wales and England is exported, people at home, where coal is cheap, will not use patent fuel. The same reason here operated against the sale of patent fuel, hence the failure of the enterprise. Locally, our coals are too cheap, and if the patent fuel industry is to be a success here it must be by getting a market across the sea. The third way — viz., making coke, has been to a certain extent successful, but the coke-making industry is capable of very great expansion. Many of our bituminous coals have a large percentage of fixed carbon, and are suitable in many ways for the production of first-class coke. Yet the coke trade for the principal market in the colonies — viz., Broken Hill, is practically the monopoly of the Durham coke-makers. Coke made from Queensland coal, having to be carried only an eighth part of the distance that English coke has to be carried , should surely stand a very good chance of securing all the colonial markets. The very small amount of sulphur in most of our coals gives them an additional advantage in this respect. In the early part of this paper it was stated that the work had not been made to suit the coal, but, on the contrary, the aim of the experiment had been to determine the value of the coal when made to fit the work. The question may then be asked : Are the furnaces that we now use or are the boiler proportions the best that can be desired for the purpose of economically burning coals P Well, it is pretty safe to say that they are capable of improvement. The writer's own idea is, that so far as marine boilers are concerned, the coals would give better results with narrow firebars, having narrow air spaces between, the air space in the aggregate, however, to be greater than it is at present, also to have large combustion chambers, care being taken to arrange for a proper supply of atmospheric air being admitted to them to allow of the gases having the proper supply of oxygen necessary to complete combustion. It would also be a good thing to increase the tube area, as the large amount of soot given off by bituminous coals in the ordinary way of burning very soon fills up the bottom rows of the tubes ; it is an improvement to divide the smoke box into separate divisions, i.e., have a separate smoke box for each furnace. Other alterations and improvements will do doubt suggest, themselves to the members. In drawing the paper to a close it must be stated that the work involved in ascertaining the powers of our coals from a steam user's point of view has been a work of absorbing interest, and one which at some future time could be carried out in a far more complete form than has been done in the present instance, and with even better results to the coals under review. No notice has been taken of the great extent of our coal resources, that being a matter that may safely be left in the hands' of our geologists, who tell us that coal extends in an almost unbroken line from near Cape York to the southern border of the colony. In conclusion, our thanks are due to the Honourable the Colonial Secretary, Mr. Horace Tozer, for giving a very ready assent to the trials being carried out, and also for giving instructions for the original trails to be so extended that they have embraced all the different coals that have been mentioned in this paper. Our thanks are also due to Mr. J. Vaughan Stewart, Acting Chief Engineer for the Department of Harbours and Fivers, for his ready assistance in supplying dates, and for the use of the machine that is now standingbefore you. Mention must also be made of Mr. B, L. Jack, Government Geologist, who in the kindest manner placed all the departmental reports on our coalfields at the writer's disposal.

Adden Da.

I.— SHAFT JOURNALS OF ABERDARE, WEST MORETON, AND BOREHOLE COLLIERIES.

(A, B, and C, from Annual Report of Andrew Gibb Maitland, Assistant Geologist, for the year 1895 ; D from Office Records.) A. — Section of Strata in Coolgardik Shaft, Portion 159, Parish of Ipswich.

Surface debris and basalt Soft shale Black shale Sandstone Conglomerate ... Sandstone and shale

—

Thickness.

Depth.

Ft. in.

Ft. in.

140 O

No data.

bands

B. --Section of Strata in Borehole Shaft, Portion 174, Parish of

Strata — Coal, Aberdare Seam

Strata — Coal, Dirty Seam ...

Strata (sandstone and shale) — Coal, Fuur-foot-six Seam

Goodna.

Depth. Ft. in.

... 104 0

... 224 0

0. Section of Strati in the West Moreton Old Shaft, Portion 180, Parish of Tpswich.

—

Thickness.

Depth .

—

Thickness.

Depth.

Ft.

in.

Ft.

in.

Ft.

in.

Ft.

in.

Strata

Dark shale

Dark shale with bauds of sandy

Strata

shale

Coal (Thomas's Aberdare Seam)

Grey and dark shale

Dark shale

g

Sandy shale

Sandstone with bands of shale

Dark shale

ranging Irorn 4 inches to 8

Coal with bands of stone every

inches thick ...

4 to 6 inches (Dirty Seam) . .

Grey sandy shale with bands of

Band of coal

hard sandstone 6 inches thick

Dark shale with bands of coal...

Dark shale

Sandstone with coals from 2

Coal

inches to 8 inches

White band (? fireclay)...

Coal

Coal

Sandstone and dark shale

Very sandy shale

Coal

O

Fireclay ...

(5

Band

Dark shale

Coal

0'

Sandstone...

White band

Sandy shale

Coal

Grey shale with coal partings ...

White band

Grey shale with hard sandstone

Bands of coal and stone

bands from (! inches to 8 inches

(5

/ 2t)

Dark shale with white bands

Dark shale with coal partings ...

Dark shale with bands of coal .

Grey shale

Dark shale

Dark shale with coal streaks ...

Sandy shale

Grey shale

Dark shale with coal bands

Dark shale

Blue shale . .

Grey shale with sandstone bands

Dark blue shale with white

Dark shale

bands, L inch to 2 inches

Fireclay (P clay shale)

Dark shale

Grey and dark shale

(!

Grey shale with bands of sanl-

Grey sandy shale

ti

7(55

stone, 1 inches to 9 inches . .

Dark shale with coal partings ...

Sandy shale

Grey sandy shale

(5

Sandstone intersected with coal

Grey and dark shale

D. — Section of Strata in West jVEoreton Shaft, Portion 180, Parish of Ipswich, from Surface to

Aberdare Seam.

Description of Strata.

Thickness.

Depth.

Description of Strata.

Thickness.

Depth.

Ft.

in.

Ft.

in.

Ft.

in.

Ft.

in.

Soil and Gravel . . .

Sandstone

Sandstone...

Dark shale

Sandstone and shale

Shale with coal streaks...

Clay

Coal (stony)

Sandstone and shale

Sandstone

Dark sandstone with sliale

Shale

Sandstone and shale

Conglomerate

Sandstono

Coal

Shale and sandstone

Shale and sandstone mixed with

Sandstone

coal ...

Shale

Fine conglomerate

Sandstone

Black shale

Blackstone and shale

Sandstone and shale

Coal

Conglomerate

Shale

Dark shale

Sandstone and shale

Conglomerate

Shale

Light shale

Sandstone with shale

Coaly shale

O

Sandstone

Conglomerate

Sandstone and shale

Coaly shale

Dark shale

Sandstone

Sandstone and shale

Light shale

Grey shale

Sandstone

Sandstone

Conglomerate

fcihale (jointy)

Light shale

Coal and dirt

Conglomerate

Shale

Shale and sandstone

Coal and dirt

Soft sandstone with coal pipes

Dark shale

Blue shale with streaks of sand-

Sandstone and dark shale

stone ...

Shale and sandstone

Dark shale and coal, with bands

Dark shale

of metalliferous stones or

Shale and sandstone

boulders

Ironstone band .

Shale and sandstones with irreg-

Dark blue shale

ular bands of ironstone

Sandstone and shale

Coal (Thomas's Aberdare Seam)

Dark shale

Stone with streaks of coal

Grey shale

Sandstone and shale

O

II.— TABLE SHEWING OUTPUT OF COAL FROM THE IPSWICH COAL FIELD FROM 1860 TO 1898.

(See Mineral Wealth of Queensland, R. L. J. , 189S; Geological Survey Publication No. 48; and, Annual Reports

Department of Mines.)

Tear.

Quantity.

Value.

Year.

Quantity.

Value.

Tons.

£

Tons.

£

1860-1882

814,407

414,368

215,535

91,798

98,310

49,114

202,429

86,582

114,577

56,475

81,201

180,744

71,258

239,712

89,150

189,608

72,054

280,094

106,740

193,286

71,851

277,172

254,778

97,851

310,444

103,927

217,240

95,202

276,063

120,476

Total

4,294,837

1,803,215

222,766

97,757

No. 147 of the Geological Survey Publications.

Price 3s. 6(7.]

By Authority : 110110110 Gregory, Government Printer, William street, Brisbane.

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Horizontal Strata. .

Sandstones Conglomerates Grits Ac Shales -

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CEOLOCICAL SURVEY of QUEENSLAND

To accompany Report

By

WALTER L. CAMERON It. A. Assistant Government Geologist

Scale 20 Chains lo a

Drawn on Slone by H.//.F01 ol the Geological Survey Office grijbenv 1899

By Authority i IWMI) Ouooar, (Jovi-fnnunt Printer, William lirlabane

Wl LL_I AM_ H. RANDS COVERNM ENT GEOLOGIST

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SHEWING THEIR JUNCTION WITH THE CYMPIE BEDS ALONC THE BRISBANE RIVER To accompany Report on (he Ipswich Coal Field

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WALTER E. CAMERON B.A. Assistant Government Geologist

Scale 1 Mile to an Inch.

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Compiled from information collected by Offic Geological Survey

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Index fo Colours & Signs

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Recent Superficial Alluvium . ... Basalt

Ipswich Bods UpperTrias Jura VolcanicTuff latbase of Ipswich Beds.

Grani te. .

Gympie Beds t P&rmo-Carboniferous'.

Felsite Dykos

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Jiy Authority i Edmond Oacoonr, (loviwnmanl Printer, William .trrot, Drlibane

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May 2 7 1929

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Universe Of Eeksland.

THE PERMO-CARBONIPEROIJS COAL MEASURES OF CLERMONT AND ASSOCIATED FORMATIONS.

(Repoet On, By B. Dunstan, F.G.S., Assistant Government Geologist.)

[ With 1 Map, 6 Plates, and 7 Figures.']

Presented to both Houses of Parliament by Command.

Letter Of Transmittal.

To The Honourable The Secretary Eor Mines.

Geological Surrey Office,

Brisbane, 21st April, 1900.

Sib, — I have the honour to forward herewith a report on the Permo-Carboniferous Coal Measures of Clermont, and Associated Formations, with a Map and Plates.

I have, &c.,

William H. Rands,

Government Geologist.

Contents.

Introduction

Physical Features

Previous Reports, &o., on the Clermont District Geological Formations —

Granite

Slates and Schists with Quartz Reefs Intrusive Rocks ...

Fossiliferous Limestone Marine Beds Coal Measures Quartzites (" Billy1')

Tertiary Basalt Flows Magnesian Limestone Tertiary and Recent Alluvial Deposits

Table of Geological Formations at Clermont The Blair Athol Coalfield—

Probable Area of the Coalfield

Variations in the level of the Coal Seams ... Returns of Coal Output— quantity and value Coal available in the future — quantity and quality General Remarks

Page.

Table of Analyses of Clermont and Other Queens- 12 land Coals

The Collieries and Prospecting Shafts Blair Athol Colliery Imbell Colliery Eldorado Colliery Hope Colliery The Newcastle Shafts Bastet's Shaft Mercer's Shaft Other Localities ...

Sites for Futuhb Prospecting Operations for Coal 16

Gold Deposits in the Coal Measures 17

Note on the Examination of Gold Deposits ... 17

Petrological Notes on the Dolerites of Wild Cat 18 and The Springs

Table of Altitudes ...

List Of Illustrations.

Map.

Geological Map of Clermont— Showing Blair Athol Coal-Measures.

Plates.

Plate 1.— Geological Sections, Clermont

Section across Capella street and Quarry Hill (c to /).

(6) Section connecting Quarry Hill Shaft and Enterprise Shaft (9 to h).

Plate 2. — Clermont Coal-shaft Sections

Plate 3. — Plan of Underground Workings, Imbell Colliery Plate 4. — Plan of Underground Workings, Eldorado Colliery ...

Plate 5. — Plan of Underground Workings, Hope Colliery Plate G.— Geological Plan of Coalmining Leases at Blair Athol, Clermont

Tags.

Facing Page 4

Figure 1.- Figure 2. Figure 3. Figure 4. Figure 5. Figure 6. Figure 7.

-Section at Black Ridge— FIGURES.

A band of coal above an auriferous " wash "

— Section at Apsley Creek —

An outcrop of " billy " surrounded by a basalt flow

—Section at the Springs —

An old channel in the " All Nations " lead containing dolerite (basalt) and boulders of "billy ' — Section at Wild Cat Lead —

Showing auriferous deposits above and below basalt

— Fault at Imbell Colliery —

Dislocating the coal seam by an upward thrust

—Section at Newcastle Mine-

Showing the contact of coal and slate . .

Section at Hurley's Diggings —

A coal band probably covering an auriferous " lead "

a

C. A. 82-1900.

fNTKODU CTION: .

The field work connected with this' Export on" ihe Geology of Clermont and the Blair Athol Coal Field was started on the 27th September, and, except for a week engaged on other work, was continued up till the 1st November, 1889, when the work was completed.

Clermont is the present terminus of a northern branch of the Central Railway Line whose junction is at Emerald. From this junction to Clermont by the railway line the distance is sixty-two miles, and from Rockhampton 228 miles.

A railway to connect Clermont with one of the towns on the Northern Railway Line has been suggested, and three preliminary traverses have been made to connect Clermont with three different places on that line.

The Locality Flan attached to the accompanying Geological Map will show the position of Clermont with regard to the Northern Railway at Charters Towers, Ravenswood, and Townsville, and to the Central Line at Emerald and Rockhampton.

Physical Featdbes.

The main watershed of the district examined is the Drummond Range, which has a north-easterly extension at a distance of about twenty miles to the west and about twelve miles to the north of Clermont. From the range, in both directions, the country very gradually falls away towards Clermont. Some of the ridges and spurs between the range and Clermont are rugged and conspicuous, but, generally, the country is of a monotonous character.

Gowrie and Ti-tree Creeks drain this area in the extreme north and north-east, while Apsley Creek drains the centre — all three creeks running into Wolfang Creek on the east side. Wolfang Creek junctions with Sandy Creek at Clermont. On the west side Yankee Creek, heading in the north, joins Green's Gully from the west, both coming together at the Washpool at the south end of the coalfield. Bathampton Creek heads in the coalfield and runs south-west to the Washpool ; then south to the Venus to join Hurley's Creek coming from the west ; then trends south-east and joins Oaky Creek heading from the west and south-west, which together form Sandy Creek.

The country near the Drummond Range to the north is partly basaltic; to the east and north-east it is all basaltic ; but in all other directions the creeks drain country more or less auriferous, and all the creeks are concentrated in Sandy Creek at Clermont, where a large amount of sandy alluvium has accumulated to form large flat areas.

Previous Reports On The Clermont District.

R. Daintbee. — Notes on the Geology of Queensland," published in the Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. Loud., 1872, Vol. XXVIII., p. 285. In this the Coal Measures of the district are referred to in general terms.

W. H. Rands.— " Report on the Geology and Mineral Deposits of the country in the vicinity of Clermont." 1886. This report and accompanying Map was the basis on which the recent work was carried out. It is since this report was written that the Blair Athol Coal Field has been developed.

Jack and Ethebidge. — "Geology and Palaeontology of Queensland and New Guinea." 1892. Numerous references are made in this work to Clermont.

R. L. Jack. — " Progress Report for the year 1891." In this an account is given of a visit to Clermont and The Springs.

A. Gibb Maitland. — Proposed Boring for Coal on the Central Railway." 1895. In this report Capella and the granite masses there are referred to, and also a note of the various sedimentary beds in Portion 18v., parish of Capella.

R. L. Jack. — Progress Report for the year 1896." The notes on Clermont deal more particularly with the Quarry Hill Shaft, and the probability of finding gold there. There is also some information concerning the alluvial workings in the district.

Reference will be made in the following pages to these reports where necessary.

Geological Formations.

Gkanite.

Although granite does not occur close to Clermont, it is exposed away towards the south-east near Capella about half-way between Emerald and Clermont, and is associated there with the same class of rocks (schists and slates) which occurs at Clermont. Mr. Maitland states that "the heads of the creek to the west of the township of Capella show these beds resting directly upon granite, which, where not covered by basalt, occupies a considerable area of country. The granite is exposed in Little Abor Creek at 199£ miles, where it is crossed by the railway, but does not extend many yards to the north"*, and also according to Mr. Jack,t at about twelve miles to the south of Clermont, between Douglas Creek and Policeman Creek.

From the presence of the granite boulders and pebbles which are found in the beds of the Quarry Hill Shaft, however, it seems probable that the configuration of the country at that time was different to what it is at present. The boulders were probably brought by streams from the vicinity of Policeman Creek to the position in which they are now found.

Report on Proposed Poring for Coal on the Central Railway. A.G.M. By Authority : Brisbane, 1895. t Progress Report for the year 1894, p. 10. By Authority: Brisbane, 1895.

Slates and

m ' mm of m

2? 1323

Slates and schists surround the Coal Measures on all sides. The town of Clermont is partly situated on chloritic and talcose slates, and the country to the west, north-west, and south-west for several miles is mostly slates and schists of various kinds. On the Drummond Range to the north and north-east the slates are exposed in places above the level of a great flow of basalt. (See accompanying plan.) At the Blair Athol Coal Field in the Newcastle air-shaft the seam of coal rests on the inclined surface of slates, an illustration of which is shown in Fig. 6, page 15.

There is considerable diversity in the mineral composition of the slates as they are in places talcose, micaceous, chloritic, hornblendic, siliceous, or clayey.

Near the watercourses, particularly in Sandy Creek, they have suffered very little weathering, but on the hills and ridges they are so much decomposed that it is difficult to say whether they are very old deposits, or recently formed deposits from the debris of the old ones.

Their age has not been determined, paleontologically or stratigraphieally, as no evidence has been forthcoming, so far, to indicate what position they should be assigned to, further than that at Douglas Creek a bed of fossiliferous limestone occurs close to the slates and schists there, whose relation, however, to the slates have not been established.

Mr. Daintree refers the slates to the " Lower Silurian Series, or even to the still older metamorphic system of Victoria."* §

The agency which altered the mineral composition, although perhaps not the chemical composition of the old sedimentary rocks, also produced changes in their geological position, and in consequence small fissures have been made and subsequently filled with quartz to form quartz reefs and veins.

The occurrence of the reefs here is a matter of importance as some have proved very rich in gold ; but attention was not paid to them. They have been referred to by Mr. Rands and Mr. Jack.f

The denudation of these reefs and veins have been going on from a time prior to the formation of the coal deposits, and the gold shed from them has been accumulated in the old channels at Hurley, The Springs, Wild Cat, &c., of the Coal Measure Period, and in the present innumerable watercourses which at the present time lead into Sandy Creek at Clermont.

Intrusive Rocks.

It is generally supposed that there is a total absence of intrusive igneous rocks in the Clermont district; but during the recent examination a shaft was inspected near Douglas Creek — put down by ihe Clermont Prospecting Association — which had penetrated a decomposed felspathic dyke, and was abandoned on coming to a rock which, from the microscopic examination of a section, seemed to be partly decomposed diabase.

Fossilifebous Limestone.

During Mr. Rands's examination of the Clermont district in 1886, he observed that " a bed of darkcoloured crystalline limestone crops out close to Douglas Creek, about three miles below its junction with Drummond Creek, and about four miles south-east of Copperfield." +

The limestone is exposed on Bettridge's Selection No. 35, near Douglas Creek, and takes a northnorth-east and south-south-westerly direction. It is continued on the opposite side of Douglas Creek, on Selection No. 75, where it is fossiliferous. The limestone is quarried on Selection No. 35 for limemaking, and is said to be quite equal to that of Rockhampton for this purpose.

In some places the limestone is undoubtedly crystalline, and small calcite veins can be noticed in it; but where the limestone is quarried it is non-crystalline, is very free from silica, and does not appear to have suffered much alteration in structure.

In the bed of the creek and on one side of the line of outcrop of the limestone a felspar poiphyry is exposed. Schists occur near the porphyry on and around which the limestones have probably been deposited. Close to and above the level of the limestone occurs a bed of quartzite. The quartzites are traversed by veins of white quartz, and the limestone to some extent is silieified. Further than this no information regarding their relationship could be obtained on account of the rocks being hidden by more recent deposits.

It is said other outcrops also occur two miles to the south-east and also one mile to the north-east of the Douglas Creek outcrop, but they were not examined to determine what connection they have with the latter. §

The fossils found by Mr. Rands, and during the recent visit, are species of Favosites, Cyathophyllum , Stromotopora, Syringopora , Pachypora , Pentamerus , Atypa, and fragments of Gastropods.

The Marine Beds.

After the formation of the limestone of Douglas Creek, which probably are Devonian, there is nothing to indicate the presence of any other succeeding formation until we come to a marine series of rocks belonging to one of the "Bowen" Formations.

On the northern side of the Drummond Range, and to the south of Clermont at Capella, and also at the bottom of the Quarry Hill Shaft, marine shells have been found, and each of these localities are probably on the same geological horizon. From a general aspect it seems quite probable the marine beds extend and dip northerly from Capella where they are found on the surface, to Clermont where they occur about 4o0 feet below the surface. From Clermont they might be continued under the Freshwater Beds and basalt towards and under The Springs, where they would thin out, and then to make and rise again to the surface further north of the Drummond Bange.

Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. Lond., Vol. xxviii., p. 301.

t(l) Report on the Geology and Mineral Resources of the country in the vicinity of Clermont. \V. H.R. By Authority: Brisbane, 1886, pp. 4-7. J

(2) Progress Report for the year 1894. R.L..J. By Authority : Brisbane, 1895, p. 14.

X Ibid., page 4. — Copperfield is situated about four miles south-south-west of Clermont.

§ The position of these limestones is below the area covered by the accompanying Geological Map, but they are shown on e map accompanying Mr. Rands s " Report on the Geology and Mineral Deposits of the country in the vicinity of Clermont." q, , 1! Unfortunately, a beautiful collection of these fossils, obtained by the writer, together with others from the Quarry Hill "halt, have been lost recently in transit from ©lermont.

The beds containing the fossils hare been provisionally classed as "Middle Bowen, although they might be interbedded with the Freshwater Series recognised as the Upper Bowen formation

The Sections on Plate 1 show the relation of the Marine Beds to the slates on which they rest, and

also to their supposed relation to the Freshwater Beds above them.

The altitude of the Marine Beds at the bottom of the Quarry Hill Shaft is a littie over 500 feet above sea level. If their position has not been altered they would be found at a depth of about 4UU below the coal seam at present worked at Blair Athol, and at about the same depth at I he Spring ,

From the Section (a) between Quarry Hill Shaft and Clermont shown on Plate 1, and from the general trend of the slates between Clermont and The Springs (seen on the accompanying eolog Map), very probably an old coast line existed connecting these two places. On thc easlern side matei accumulated to form marine deposits, while the old paleozoic rocks on the western side remained dry Jand. Further accumulations resulted in this marine area being filled up and transformed

water deposits, where only the remains of plant life were preserved. .. . A oi+hmiah

Apparently no break occurs during the change from marine tO) freshwater conditions, and aLthou h in the present report the two formations are separated — one to be called the Middle B°wen ( )

the other Upper Bowen (freshwater) -yet it is a question for future consideration whether it would not

be better to place them as divisions of the same formation. i

During the recent work the following fossils collected from the Quarry Hill bhaft have been

recognised : —

Edmondia sp. Froductus brachythcerus (Sow.)

Eenestella sp. Spirifera sp.

Dielasma saccula (Martin) var. Stenopora sp.

Mourlonia sp. Astartella sp. /-cu-i,

Connularia inornata (Dana) Aviculopecten mulUradiatus (Bth.)

Martiniopsis subradiata (Sow.)

The Coal Measures.

Localities. — The main exposed area of the Coal Measures is around also found in many other places (see accompanying Geological Map). At clermont ' t f

been penetrated in the Quarry Hill Shaft, in the Enterprise Shaft a httie over the

the Quarry Shaft on the opposite side of the railway line (sections of which are shown on J te l), at the Wild Cat Lead, and at McDonald's Flat. At these two latter places old channels tave been cut in slates, and have joined together to the south-east of Clermont. It is unknown how

east of Clermont than Quarry Hill the Coal Measures extend, as basalt covers the country tor miles m that direction At Blount Jscar, however, north-east of Clermont,

basalt, so the Coal Measures must be in width less than this distance, which is about twelve n e .

At The Springs to the north-north-east of Clermont, in the beds met with m sinking prospecting shafts for alluvial goM, Mr. Bands obtained several specimens of the characteristic Permo-Carbomferou:

fern watercourse8 at Hurley's Diggings a shaft was sunk to test the

gold, but was abandoned when a band of coal was encountered. Piobai v i vv_a.s p. formation

the Blair Athol area received most of the sediment which now forms the Coal Measures as shown on the accompanying Map, can be traced from Hurley s to Blau- Athol, with the older of slates and schists on either side. , ,

Bocks.— The rocks comprising the Coal Measures include sandstones of carbonaceous and clay shales. Generally the rocks near the surface are sandstones and veiy me0 y bedded, but close to the coal they become more defined. . , ,

Sometimes the sandstones bear a close resemblance to the rocks of the older tormatmn bom wh 1 they were formed. They also bear a resemblance to the more recent formations and, on lithological evidence alone, there is some difficulty in deciding which are Coal Measures and which aie n .

Thickness. — The total thickness of the Measures at Blair Athol are not known but been no alterations in the relative positions of the Measures here and those at the Quan> Hill bhatt, cannot be more than 500 feet.f

Coal SEAMs.-The two coal seams already known to occur are approximately about UWteet above sea level and vary in depth to about 100 feet below the surface. P ie top seam, which the ope woXrat pLseM in L HopPe, Imbell, Eldorado, and Blair Athol Collieries,

4 feet 6 inches thick, and the unworked one about 15 feet thick, with a distance than about 17 feet, so far as known. They do not appear to have suffered much

a general elevation must have taken place over the whole of the district to bnng the Mamie wens at Quarry Hill Shaft and the Coal Measures with them so many feet above sea level.

Disturbances anb Faults.— Local disturbances have produced faults in two of the colbenes, and have had the effect of modifying the original plan laid down for w orking out the c

occurs at the Blair Athol Mine, and takes the form of a curve on the eastern side of the shaft Creek is just on the line of fault, and probably the position of the fault las affected the -tienffipi. the stream here. In working out the coal, the movements of the rocks m settling d,>JJ lbbi lo

been removed have opened the fault to such an extent that the openings had to be filled with

allow the coal wagons to pass over. T , fnl,u nf about 12

Of the Imbell faults-for there are two of them-one is a downthrow or mam fault of about W

feet drop, the other is a minor thrust fault with an upthrow of 2 feet b inches. (For the direction,

position, &c., of those faults see Plate 5.) , fvom

The faults have been proved for such a short distance that little information can gleaned tiom

their inspection. The downthrow side will show the general direction where to expect

and this will be a future consideration when sinking to prospect tor otliei seams who 0 -

those already known. -

tThe "Section across the Coal Measures" on the accompanying Map incorrectly represents the Measures to We much shallower than this.

Geological Survey Of Queensland

Plate I

Surface Weathering. — A noticeable feature of the surface around Blair Athol is the almost total absence of denudation in the Coal Measures. Since their formation there has been very little material worn from the top of them, and this is due to their protection by basalt which once almost entirely covered

them.

At Clermont the Coal Measures have been much exposed to weathering, and consequently do not preserve the same uniformity of surface as at Blair Athol.

Age. — Prom the presence of Olossopteris, the Age of the Coal Measures is at once indicated to be Palaeozoic. Compared with other coalfields, the Clermont Coal Measures are the equivalent of portions of the Bowen "River, Dawson River, and Mackenzie River Coal Fields, and will be considered as belonging to the Upper Bowen Formation— a division of the Permo-Carboniferous System.

They therefore are older than the Styx and Burrum Coal Fields ( Lower Trias- Jura), and the Ipswich, Callide, and Stanwell Coal Fields ( JJpper Trias- Jura) all of Lower Mesozoic Age.

Spotted Shale and Coal. — The coal at the Newcastle Shaft, and the shale above the coal, are marked in places with spots about one-sixteenth of an inch in diameter. Mostly the spots are hollow with a, fine greyish powder irregularly lining the interior, apparently the residue of some decomposed mineral substance, but sometimes the spots show a radial structure where the mineral matter has been removed.

A very similar shale is found at St. Peters, near Sydney, containing caprolitic remains of fishes, and it would be interesting to discover in the shale or coal at the Newcastle Shaft some of these spots undecomposed for further examination and comparison. The coprolites in the shale at St. Peters do not occupy the whole of the interior of the cast, but form a nucleus around which an incrustation of carbonate of iron is formed by the organic decomposition of the contained material. The coprolite and the incrustation is ultimately removed by further decomposition, leaving but a small residue behind.

Quartzites ("Billy").

A bed of quartzite caps the Coal Measures in many places around Clermont. It is usually evengrained and semi-vitreous, with a smooth, conchoidal fracture, but occasionally it is found gritty and ferruginous. Sometimes the bed occurs as a well-defined stratum, sometimes as masses broken up into large boulders by spheroidal weathering, but commonly as small boulders and pebbles in recent alluvial deposits.

The structure and surroundings of the quartzite, or "billy," as it is locally and conveniently termed, suggests that the sandstone from which it was formed has not been altered by the general processes of metamorphism. Many places have been inspected, and special attention was given to this matter that some light might be thrown on its origin, but, so far, it has not been found (either as a bed, or as boulders or pebbles in beds) in the Coal Measures, and apparently it is of more recent age.

At The Springs and other places the " billy" occurs in the gold " leads," and at the Black Ridge it occurs on the high ground, and protects the " cement " of the Coal Measures there. The basalt of more recent age occupies the lower ground close by. (See Fig. 1.)

Boulders of Billy (quarlxite)

Fig. 1.

Section at Black Ridge.

A Band Of Coal Above An Auriferous "Wash."

Near the residence of Mr. Grant, at Apsley Creek, a black soil flat covers a flow of basalt, boulders of which are to be seen on the surface. Protruding through the basalt and black soil, and above the level of the surrounding country, occurs an isolated hill of white " billy," and its close association with the basalt suggested the change of the sandstones into a quartzite being only superficial and due to the effect of molten lava, but the present level of the plain very evidently is about the same as that of the lava when it was molten, so that the " billy" was always exposed high above it, and was never covered completely by the basalt. (See Fig. 2.)

Fig. 2.

Section at Absley Creek,

Showing A Hill Of " Billy " Surrounded By A Basalt Flow. . .

At the crossing of Sandy Creek, near the cemetery, at Clermont, a bed of " billy" is exposed covering a gritty fireclay which belongs to the same series as the rocks of Quarry Hill. The bed has been somewhat disturbed as it forms an anticline , but basalt or other igneous rocks are not to be seen, and nothing to indicate that the change has been produced by contact metamorphism. The gritty fireclay below the "billy" has not been perceptibly altered, although it is in close contact with the "billy," and apparently has been subjected to the same action. In the case of the " billy," the cementing material, silica, has bound the clean grains of sand together without any clayey substance interfering, while in the case of the fireclay the particles cemented together being partly composed of clay might have become disintegrated by subsequent weathering.*

Where the "billy" is ferruginous, the silica cementing the sand grains is charged mechanically with fine particles of both red and yellow oxides of iron.

At numerous other places "billy" occurs, particularly at Quarry Hill, Wild Cat Lead, Wolfang Creek, and Blair Athol

With regard to the age of the " billy," all the information to hand is of a negative character. It has not yielded fossils at Clermont, although similar quartzites occur in other districts which have been classed as Desert Sandstone. It is not so young as the basalt, as in several localities this rock covers not only "billy" but also beds containing boulders of it. (See Fig. 3.)

On the Dawson Fiver, in the direction of Banana, south of the Central Failway Line, a small boulder of quartzite was found containing a number of marine fossils of Bowen or Gympie Age, but associated with other boulders which could not be distinguished from the Clermont "billy." Taking into consideration this fact and the mode of occurrence of the rock at Clermont, it is suggested that " hilly " has heen formed hi/ some surface action , and that this action has affected sandstones of all ages which were exposed on the surface at that time.

If this be assumed, then the rocks which have been altered to "billy," when occurring as a defined bed, ought to be placed with the formation they are associated with, and consequently the beds at Sandy Creek and other places around Clermont should be classed as Coal Measures.

In the classification adopted in the present case, the "billy" has been placed by itself and independent of what the age of the beds which it is composed of appear to be. To classify according to the age of alteration instead of the age of deposition is perhaps an unusual method to adopt, but it -will be one of present convenience.

Tertiary Basalt Flows.

A flow of basalt has taken place to the north and east of Clermont on an extensive scale, but, being outside the scope of the work, no attempt was made to trace it to its source. The Drummond Fange contains several prominent peaks, around which the basalt extends for miles. On the latest edition of the Geological Map of Queensland,! and also on previous editions, these peaks have been shown as volcanic peaks, but from the records of the wells sunk by Mr. Grant for the Clermont Divisional Board, and also from the wells sunk on Wolfang, it seems that in some cases at least these very sharp peaks are the outcrops of tilted beds of slate around which the basalt has flowed, and are not volcanic vents from which the basalt has been ejected.

The slope of the surface of the basalt flow is almost imperceptible but apparently inclines from north to south. On the western edge of the basalt the flow has been confined in part by the slate formation extending from The Springs to Clermont. At Blair Athol the basalt- has filled or partly filled old watercourses, and at The Springs and other places the gold drifts — Permo-Carboniferous and more recent — have been overwhelmed by streams of this lava, of which sections are shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

Fig. 3.

Section across the Drift at the Springs.

AN OLD CHANNEL IN THE ALL NATIONS LEAD CONTAINING DOLERITE AND BOULDERS OF "BILLY."

To determine whether the basalt (dolerite) from The Springs was different to that at the Wild Cat Lead, sections of the two rocks were prepared and examined. The results of these are given further on, and show so close a resemblance to one another that there is hardly any doubt but that the basalt in the two localities belong to one and the same volcanic outburst.

" If sections of the quartz grains occurring in the fireclay were made and subjected to microscopic examination, some light might be thrown on the question whether a film of silica has or has not been termed around the crystalline quartz grains in the clayey matrix. If the cementing silica is present on the pebbles in the fireclay as well as in the " billy," we might assume the beds to be closely related, also that the fireclay was possibly once as compact as the " billy," but because of its complex mineral composition it has suffered decomposition from surface weathering agencies.

tJEdition of 1899.

ridiculedhbyS f fJ°.uld be f°und below the spot where this dolerite occurs has been

been fouudtbp y rock is identical with the dolerite at The Springs under which gold has

tound, the idea of finding gold below the dolerite of the Wild Cat might be worth consideratfon

Fig. 4.

Section at Wild Cat Lead.

AN OLD BASALT (dOLEBITE) ABOTE THE PEBMO- CABB ONTFEBODS HOLD DBIET, AND A BECENT WASH ABOVE

The Basalt.

Magnesian Limestone.

In association with the black soil around Clermont, nodules and masses of limpstnno 0 + V

found in several places. It occurs in some abundance on LarSISX fast of e a

also on the railway line near Langdon Siding about six miles from Clermont where it has been auarSed for railway ballast. About three miles to the north-east of Clermont the lil!!? 1 been quarried

lingJorr °£ ll,t' biaCt and 1'',SS'lj,y "S11 baTe some connection with that exposed on the°s°ui£e"

Magnesian Limestone fbom Langdon.

Free silica (Si02)

Combined silica (Si02) ...

Iron and alumina (as Fe20.,, ALO J Lime (as CaCo3) ... ...

Magnesia (as MgCo3) ...

4'5

Tebtiaet and Recent Alluvial Deposits

Pievious reference has been made to the auriferous deposits occurring in tho Cool i\r0, i ,

the younger deposits, although sometimes difficult or even impossiL 3S but

are usuaHy to be indicated by the presence of boulders and pebbles of billy1 and bTthf b """i shales, coal bands, and the fern G-lossonteris The old alluvial rrr.li a ™e absence of

more or less clayey, while the recent posits are irons Wd 8Pnn are white

of the titZl g, 5' the "bmy" - th. botton,

near c£on"™W JSLTtfpreAtV..'' f V 1 P"k " McDonald's Hat

other bones and teeth werlTbt?ined P 1 by Ml' aIld d""g reeent ™it to the locality

selves, and the subsequent formation of shadow leads, is a matter ofcof je'cture baSalt tW

Loc, cit Plan 1. " — .

t Annual Progress Report of the Geological Survey for the year 1894. Brisbane : By Authority, 1895.

No attempt baa been made to trace the (except where they illustrate

tbe older formations which they have been derive he found all over the district either on the

some geological feature) but deposits g&CCQm yin„ Map are shown the localities where gold

CtlrWothel These deposits are drained by channels leading into Sandy Creek at Clermont, an important consideration from a gold-dredging point of Clermont and at

Reference may be made here to the presence of t ® colour but they are inferior in

the Black Ridge. They have been local y called rubies tS colour, aeculiarity very

io from 8mets.

Mesozoic

Paleozoic

Table Oe Geological Formation At Clermon 1

r

Post Tertiary

Tertiary

(?) Cretaceous

C Black soil. Recent alluvial deposits j Sandy soil

02U-LU.J auu. M

Shallow auriferous " wash.

Auriferous leads at McDonald's Plat. Magnesian limestone at Langdon, &c.

C Post-Pliocene deposits ...

Deposits from aqueous

V olcanic'erupt ion ...

[ Alluvial deposits Am-.ferous leads below basalt.

Upper Permo- Carbon I Ferous

Bowen Coal Measures (approx, in descend- , ingorder)— freshwater j beds

Bowen marine beds upper Devonian Burdekin Series ..

Age Undetermined

Formation (on the surface) of Quartzite (''Billy ), from sandstone.

Old auriferous " leads" with Glossopteris fern. Coal hands in old watercourses.

Old auriferous "leads" with Grlossoptens.

Coal seams of Blair Athol.

Probable auriferous deposits below- coal seams. Coal bands in the Quarry Hill Shaft.

; Pebbles of granite, chlorite schist, &c„ in the Quarry Hill Shaft.

Ferruginous sandstones, containing shells, &c.

Limestones of Douglas Creek, containing corals, &c.

( Slates, schists, auriferous quartz reefs and veins. Granite of Capella and Policeman Creek.

The Blair Athol Coal Field.

with bands of fine-grained fissile sandstone and shale, were met with, dipping a B

ft. result of this d, scorer,, Lores were put down Athe

At Blair Athol a flow of basalt on the surface was fouu {or gooj c{al. This seems

supposed that where the basalt occurred on the sui ' ' A, tp coaf The line of fault possibly

rocks might have originated a watercourse along which the basalt nowe

At the Hope Colliery a portion of the lease is covered by basalt,

fault which disturbed the but nothing came under

observai tKIlS - Inferior because of this

The probable area of the coalfield variations in the levels o the coal seam J for

the coal, the! quantity of coal available for future use, the gold deposits in the Goal future prospecting operations, &c., will be treated separate y.

Probable Area of the Coalfield.

The aim of the cal- bearing fonnation at miles 'wtlflir'wliihgocmmf'u'r

Shaft as a centre, there is i around it an aiea 0 ' ,. 1 lg0 anq the most probable extension of

will he found. (rood coal might lie tumid oulsidt - ' (o tp0 we8t „u,l south of the

ft. Cual Measures wore laid down will probably bo

found at a shallow depth.

oology of Queensland -ai}d New GuirieaT Jack Etheridge. By Authority : Brisbane, 1892, page 170.

Clermont Coal-Shaft Sections

To the east of Mercer's Lease the Coal Measures thiu out and appearances are not favourable for their containing a large area of good coal in this locality. To the north of Mercer's and east of Blair Athol the conditions would also be unfavourable.

To the north of the coalfield at Bathampton, the Coal Measures extend under the basalt, and might contain good coal, but nothing has been done to test them in that direction.

Taking everything into consideration, it is very probable that the Blair Athol coal basin contains at least five square miles as coal land, and that future developments might indicate twice this area as being possibly coal-bearing.

The extension of the Coal Measures at Hurley's Diggings has been examined, and although the coal exists there, it can be omitted from consideration entirely. In the vicinity of The Springs and Black Ridge to the north-east of Blair Athol, the country, although containing coal of an inferior quality, does not promise well as the coal is found only in small bands.

The country along Glowrie Creek on the Wolfang Ruu, to the east of the slate and schist formation (see accompanying Map) might possibly contain coal, but from the indications shown in the Quarry Hill Shaft and the Enterprise Shaft near Clermont (see Plate 1), and also in what is seen at The Springs, the chances of finding coal other than in bands is very remote.

On the Wolfang Ruu a great number of wells have been sunk through black soil, basalt, and various kinds of sandstone, and they point to the occurrence of shallow deposits of what probably are Coal Measures. They exist under the basalt and over a large area, but of all the wells sunk none have penetrated coal or anything resembling coal.

At Clermont the presence of the Marine Beds in the Quarry Hill Shaft iudicates that the main coal-bearing beds (the equivalents of the Blair Athol Beds), if they existed at all, must have been denuded and washed away from above the slates and schists now outcropping on the surface.

At Elyspeck, to the south of Clermont and near Copperfield, some coal bands three or four inches thick have been passed through in shafts that have been sunk to prospect the alluvial deposits for gold, but the conditions are not favourable to the formation of even a small area of Coal Measures that would contain coal seams of sufficient thickness for working.

Vauiations in the Level or the Coal Seams.

The variations in the level of the seams in all the shafts are shown on Plate 2, and a datum line is placed to represent 1,000 feet above sea level. The position of the coal in each of the shafts is shown with relation to this datum line, also the altitude of the surface at each of the shafts.

This will prove useful in future developments, as the difference of level between two places (say between the shafts at Blair Athol and Newcastle) will indicate the relative position of the coal at any spot between them, and so also indicate the probable inclination of the coal seams.

It must not be forgotten that between two collieries or shafts there will be fluctuations in the seams, and they will sometimes dip in a direction contrary to what might be expected. As an example the Hope Mine may be taken. The underground workings of this mine show that several apparent dips occur, indicating that at the south-west end of the mine the coal seam dips to the north-east at about an inclination of 5 degrees, while at the north-east end the dip of the seam is to the south-west. As these local inclinations together have the effect of producing a trough near the shaft, other troughs or depressions might exist, but all will have a general direction striking north-west and south-east. (See Plate 5.)

Again, between the Eldorado and the Hope there is a difference in level of 30 feet (see Plate 2, showing sections of the shafts), and although the workings of the Hope do not indicate an inclination towards the Eldorado, yet the inclination must exist, and when the seam is driven on toward the southeast, the further the coal is found to keep level with the present workings at the same end of the colliery the more severe the inclination will be when it is found.

At the Eldorado Mine water is met with at the southern workings in the abandoned bords and in the main heading. The water probably conies from the direction of the Hope and passes by the Eldorado to the west, south-west, and south, and makes for the south end of the Blair Athol Lease. The Imbell fault might augment the quantity by allowing surface water to percolate through to the coal seam and then to follow the seam down in the direction of the dip at the Imbell Mine.

The dip at the Imbell is about 5 degrees north-easterly, and the coal will most likely continue to dip in this direction until it crosses the boundary of the lease and meets with the water the Eldorado has struck in its workings. The presence of the fault at the Imbell might have some effect in preventing water making its appearance in the present workings ; but in future the coal on the southern side of the fault might prove more troublesome to work if it has the same inclination as the seam on the northern side.

The coal basin as it existed during the Permo-Carboniferous Period might not have been very much inclined whereby the area would be drained, although the present position of the coal seam at Mercer's Shaft indicates a difference in level of 80 feet from the seam in the Newcastle Shaft — -taking the top of the seam in both cases as a basis for estimation — in a distance of about 65 chains. The coal in Mercer's Shaft is at the lowest position on the coalfield (see Plate 2), but it does not, therefore, indicate that direction being the outlet for the water which flowed into the coal basin, but rather that the Measures, subsequent, to their formation, have undergone local subsidences. The coal in the Newcastle Shaft rests on the slates, and being shallow has suffered no alteration in level, and it might be inferred from this that the coal in Mercer's Shaft having subsided so much the Measures there would be very deep. If the subsidence be due to a shrinkage in bulk of the material composing the rocks, such as would be the case if they ai'e composed of shales, it may be inferred that the Measures are certainly very thick at Mercer's ; but that if the subsidence is due to a movement in the rocks of the older formation below, no inference regarding the thickness of the formation could be drawn.

From a general point of view it can safely be stated that the Coal Measures have been lowered from their original position at all places except where the coal occurs in the Newcastle Shaft ; that the maximum amount of movement has taken place where the coal occurs at Mercer's ; that there is a slight inclination in the coal seam from Bastel's Shaft through the Blair Athol Lease and Freehold down towards the Newcastle and Mercer's boundary, and that between Mercer's Shaft and the Newcastle Shaft there is a possibility of the coal strata being broken by a downthrow fault on the eastern (Mercer's) side.

Eetuen Oe Coal Output— Quantity And Value.

Output of Coal from the Blair Athol Coal Eield to 30th September, ]899.

The following returns have been supplied by the Eailway Department showing the coal received from the Clermont district. As almost all the coal obtained from the mines is received for railway consumption, these returns represent nearly the total output up to 30th September, 1899. A thousand tons, it is understood, would perhaps represent the maximum quantity consumed locally up to the same date : —

Date Contract Let.

Name of Mine.

Price per Ton

Quantity Supplied.

Total.

d.

T.

Q-

T.

Q-

1890 — June

Peak Downs Copper and Coal Mining Co.

August

Ditto

3,016

1891 — February

Ditto

3,066

August

Ditto

3,000

1892 — January

Ditto

January

Ditto

3,069

July

Ditto ... ... ... (over supply)

September

Ditto

3,000

1893 — -March

Ditto

2,515

1894 — January

Ditto

4,008

1895 — January

Ditto

1,580

September 11

Ditto

O

6,004

1896 — October

Ditto

3,002

33,114

1892— May

Eldorado Colliery (Jensen and Co.)

July

Ditto

3,000

1893 — March

Ditto

2,500

1894 — January

Ditto

2,999

n

1895 — January

Ditto (Smith, Jensen, and Co.)...

1,498

1898 — J anuary

Ditto (McKean and Petersen) ...

4,000

1899— Julv

Ditto ditto

14,552

1895 — J anuary

Hope Colliery Co., Ltd. (0. Niedermeyer and Co.)

1,502

July

Ditto

1,000

September 11

Ditto

4,999

1896 — October

Ditto

3,007 13

1899 — -February

Ditto

2,002

A ugust

Ditto (at Imbell Company's risk)

*16

12,765

1896 — January

New Eldorado Colliery ...

1896 — February

Newcastle Colliery Co. ...

August

Ditto

1898 — August

Imbell Colliery (Thomas and Spring) ...

4,014

1899— May

Ditto (in existence)

4,766

Total

65,346

Net

From the above statement it will be seen that the total quantity taken out of the mines, exclusive of local consumption, is 65,316 tons, and would, at the average rate of 18s. 9d. per tou, represent a total value of £61,461.

Coal Available in Future — Quantity and Quality.

From what has been stated generally regarding the Coal Measures, and the Blair Athol Coal Field in particular, a fair estimate can be obtained of the quantity of coal contained in them.

The Top Seam.

Taking the area of good coal land as three square miles, and allowing only four feet as the minimum thickness of the top seam, which we will consider first, and assuming the average specific gravity of the coal in bulk to be 12, we have 2,02241b. — a little less than one ton — in one cubic yard (a ton of coal would contain about lTl0- cubic yards), and in an acre over 5,000 tous. In the whole of the area of three square miles there would be over 11.000, 000 tons. If only two-thirds of this could be utilised, taking one-third from this for what has been already taken out, and for waste, pillars, &e., we would still have over 7,000,000 tons as the smallest estimate of the quantity of the best Clermont coal available. Any allowance over 4 feet in thickness would, of course, make a corresponding increase over this amount.

This 7,000,000 tons would have approximately the following composition, being the mean of all the analyses made of the top seam : —

Analysis of Blair Athol Top Seam.

Moisture ...

Vol. Hyd. Carbons Fixed Carbon ...

Ash

Sulphur... ...

5-G

32'4

57'5

4'5

Trace

The Lower Seam is proved to extend ovei taken as five square miles.

larger area than the top seam, and this area can be

The thickness of the seam may be taken as twelve feet, but this is about three or four feet under the average. In an acre there would be about 17,000 tons, while in the whole area of five square miles there would be about 56,000,000 tons of coal, or about 37,000,000 tons available for use. Taking the two seams together there would be a total minimum quantity available of 44,000,000 tons.

The quality of this coal may be gauged from the following mean approximate analysis : —

Analysis of Blaie Athol Lower Seam.

Moisture ...

Vol. Hyd. Carbon

Mixed Carbon ... ... ...

Sulphur ...

Trace

It has about the same specific gravity as the coal in the top seam, and so would be about the same in bulk — that is, a cubic yard would weigh a little less than a ton.

As the coalfield has not been prospected in depth nothing is known below the second seam. This seam is about 120 feet from the surface and only a few feet below the top one, but from what has been already stated with regard to the extent of the field it is extremely probable that the Measures are much deeper than this, and possibly other seams will be found to increase the already large amount of coal known to exist.

General Remarks.

Samples of coal from all the mines were obtained for examination, and most of these have been tested by the Government Analyst. They show that the coal in the Blair Athol, Eldorado, Hope, and Imbell Collieries vary but slightly in quality from one another, although portions of the seam occasionally are found to be inferior and dull in appearance. Iu all of them it is necessary to exercise care in removing dirty portions of the coal, otherwise the " ash " increases considerably above that shown in the table of analyses following.

In the Newcastle, Mercer's, and Bastet's Shafts the coal has a perished appearance, and there is a difficulty in understanding why this is so. In the centre of the field the coal is bright, and at the places mentioned it might be supposed that the dullness and apparent inferiority of the coal has been produced by its proximity to the older rocks near the edge of the coal basin. This, however, does not appear to be so, as the coal from the Mercer's Shaft shows from analysis a rather large percentage of ash, while the same kiud of coal at Bastet's shows a very small percentage. It has been observed also that in places around Clermont, although only a few hundred yards from the edge of the formation, the coal is quite bright and very free from impurities. At " Flyspeck," on McDonald's Flat, to the south of Clermont, in a narrow tongue of Coal Measures 400 yards wide and 100 feet deep, three bands of coal occur about four inches thick and of very good quality.

It has been suggested that the basalt ou the surface has caused the deterioration of the coal, although the seam varies from 70 feet to 100 feet in depth below the basalt. It is quite possible, however, that the basalt flow has, when molten, covered some springs or water channels, and that the imprisoned steam generated from the water below the heated lava has permeated the strata and removed as gas a portion of the hvdro-carbons from the coal.

1 rom the analyses of the coal given further on, and from a general comparison of the coal sections shown on Plate 2, it is evident that the three shafts which have struck the thick seam — i.e., Newcastle, Mercer s, and Bastet s also resemble each other in the quality of their coal. From what information could be obtained concerning the thick seam in some of the other shafts and below the top seam worked at present by the Blair Athol, Hope, Eldorado, and Imbell, it is probable that it is of somewhat the same quality m all the mines.

APplyiug this information generally, it may be supposed that the coal in Mercer's, Bastet's, and the Newcastle Shafts belong to one and the same seam — the lower thick seam— and instead of the appearance of the coal iu that seam being locally affected by surface agency, it is its inherent quality throughout the whole of the field.

With regard to the coal on the outskirts of the field, little need be said. The quality in some cases is good, but the quantity is so small, and in thickness amounting only to a few inches, that working the deposits is entirely out of the question.

The suitability of the Clermont coal for coking has not been demonstrated satisfactorily. The test made by the Government Analyst indicates that the coal does not coke ; but some coals will not coke unless burnt within twenty- four hours after being mined,* and the samples submitted had been exposed for several weeks before they were tested. Some of the men engaged in the mines assert that the coal will lust. brought to the surface, aud that it was a common practice to fill a clay pipe of the Blair Athol coal, and after burning off the gas to show a small piece of coke in the pipe as a result of the experiment.

Undoubtedly the coal will require special care in treating, and perhaps special machinery too if coke-making is to be introduced, so for the present we might sum up the conditions as to cost, &c., as being unfavourable. That other seams might exist below must not be forgotten, and these mio-ht yield coking coals. ° J

T he suitability of the coal for railway purposes has long been recognised by the stokers on the locomotives and also by the blacksmiths. The former have very little trouble in cleaning the fireboxes when using the coal, and the coal bums very freely and leaves very little ash. Iu a copy of a memo, to the Commissioner for Railways, Mr. W. II. Nisbet, Chief Mechanical Engineer to the Railway Department, states that "several thousand tons of coal from the Clermont District have been used on our locomotives within the last nine years with fairly satisfactory results. This coal deteriorates very much rom exposure to the atmosphere, and a trial made a few years ago of coal after being exposed for a consi eia ® nue s owed that the percentage of ash about doubled. There is not an extraordinary amount of flame or smoke with newly raised coal, but some ashes and slaty matter, which, however, are

See Percy's Metallurgy ; Fuel — coking coala.

easily removed from the firebox. Some trials were made in 1895 to see how this coal consumption with other coals then being used on the Central Railway, reports concerning which were sent you at the time. These tests showed the following results :

Locomotive Tests oe Coal.

" Wyralla, New South Wales 147 lb. per train ton mile

Maryborough, Queensland

BundSmba, ditto 156 d

Clermont ditto 182 dut0' .

In the above memo, the statement that the coal deteriorates very much from quite correct, but that the percentage of ash is about doubled is rathei extiaordma y.

might be due to the accumulation of dust from some outside source. , consists usually

° Ash is the incombustible material or residue after the carbon, &c. is removed and eons jts usuaUy of silica, lime, potash, magnesia, alumina or iron oxides, or admixture of some of these nothing, so far, has been discovered which would account for the increase of these incombustible

substances in a coal from simple exposure. . , ,, , , t r n i in Central

Tor blacksmiths' use Clermont coal is undoubtedly the ics J'Tv "nn 1 for that nurnose

Queensland, and some blacksmiths affirm that it is better than Newcastle (N.S.W .) coal f oi that purp . Tt does not, however, cake or bind together in the forge under ordinary conditions, fiom nhich tact m &

itte1fi3:£inith8Fefera coal with thin white flak es ofm not because of the presence of this mineral in the coal, but because the coal which contains

suitablefor of sul hur almost a negligible quantity as all the analyses only show traces of

this substance. In examining the coal at the pit mouth it was observed that the jointem places coni d sulphide of iron as marcasite (a variety of pyrites), and in some of the holds the P

of this mineral would give considerably more than traces of sulphur. .. . thp mines

A factor of importance in limiting the output is the cost of transit to the on by a The cost averages 10s per ton,** but this would be avoided were the mines connected with Ueimont by branch ratlwavUnm 8 This would also prevent much of the handling at present necessary. The distance from Clermont to the mines by road is about thirteen miles, and by the proposed branch rai waj ]us

ten and a-half miles to the centre of the field. . „ nVp<?encp of

A frequent complaint by the stokers using the coal on the railway locomotives "theMeo inferior coal mixed with the good coal, this inferior coal being locally but indefinitely ter e j

Where the coal is faulted in the Blair Athol Mine the coal acquires adirtydul PPedlde;"df iov

away from the fault, although just the same in appearance is still called fault coal, instead of nr u rlirtv" c*onl in the other mines the same term is used. . c 2 ,

So little attention is paid to keeping the coal clean that frequently laTge pieces .of d clay ironstone are included with the coal. This might be looked upon with difference by tbe ' of the mines so long as no complaints are made, but ultimately it must have the effect Tils being a bad impression with regard to the quality of the coal, and perhaps necessitate adopted to prevent this dirty coal from being put out with the best coal in 8;"e is sampled in the railway trucks, and on the result of analyses payment is made to those supplym0

coal. This is a very fair method, as it is a check both on the buyer and seller

In the following table are shown the analyses of average samples of Clermont coals .

Table of Analyses of Clermont and other Queensland Coals.

West Moreton Coals —

Aberdare, Blackstone ...

New Chum, Whitwood New Chum, Dinmore ... No. 2 Seam, Swanbank Tivoli Seam, Waterstown Burrum Coals —

Torbanlea Howard ...

Wright's

New Riverbank ..

Styx River Coal

Stanwell Coals —

No. 1

No. 2

No. 2

Bowen River Coal Dawson Coal

Capella Coal ...

Callide Coal*

Clermont —

Quarry Hill

Imbell

Mercer

Eldorado ...

Bastet

Hopof

Ho pet

Moisture.

0"55

1'48

9 '95 3'75

4 '51 5'39 5'27 6'61

4 '37

Volatile Hxed Hydro- oarbon. Carbons.

30'50

28'70

Ash.

Sulphur.

Trace..

Trace

Specific Gravity (in powder) 1

Remarks.

(-)

Picked from samples supplied by proprietors for exhibition purposes.

Ditto

Ditto

Ditto

Ditto

Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto

(Dixon).

Ditto

Ditto

Mean of several samples stripped from exposed coal face.

Ash, white ; slightly caking Ash, white; slightly caking Ash, white ; caking, but cokefnable Ash, white ; non-caking Ash, white ; non-caking ; sample previously exposed Ash, white ; non-caking ; sample previously exposed

Average of best four samples taken by Mr. Bands, 1891. I SaiiilGe of thc be. 1

§ In bulk the specific gravity of the Clermont coal is about u i less.

Sample of the inferior coal.

§ 111 UU1IV Dill- opcvmv h*w,'V . 1 OJ

'The cost per ton of winning and carting the coal at Blair AtholCoUierv cartage, 10s. ; top expenses, 6d.; timbering, 6d. ; incidental, 6d. ; total, lbs. bd. Roy alty . Id. per ton from

from leasehold.

CEOLOCICAL SURVEY OF QUEENSLAND piatelll

Section on A B.

(from the surface) W.37N. MAIN SHAFT AIN SHAFT

E.3 7S.

Plan

Oe

Underground Wordings

Imbell Colliery

By

B . Dunst an F. G. S.

Assis tartfy GoverriTrterobG&oljogisb.

'Thrust Fault

Z eotMRD O. Gf?£Jet/, £?e/.

The Collieries And Prospecting Shafts.

It is proposed under this heading to give some details regarding the collieries, the shafts which have been sunk to prospect for coal, and the places where coal has been found either in sinking for water or for gold.

Blair Athol Colliery.

This is an important mine on the field, and it was intended to include in this description a plan of the workings. The original plaus of the mines which were to have been made use of in connection with this Report have been either destroyed or lost, and relying on seeing these plans special attention was not given to prepare drawings for publications. The absence of this information is to be regretted, as this portion of the work remains almost a blank.

After the discovery of the coal at the old Blair Athol Well, some trial bores were put down by M. Joubert. The first company formed to work the coal was a Sydney one called the " Peak Downs Copper- Miuing Company," who acquired the ground to obtain coal for copper smelting at Copperfield. In 1879 the assets of this company were handed over to a local company called the " New Peak Downs Copper- Mining Company." In 1892 the present company, called the " Peak Downs Coal and Copper Mining Company," took possession. Recently the "Optionists" Syndicate have taken over the coal and copper properties for flotation purposes.

The coal property of the Peak Downs Coal and Copper Mining Company is comprised in two blocks of land — a Freehold (269) of 100 acres, and a Lease (M.L. 5) of 410 acres. This position of these blocks will be seen on reference to Plate 6, showing the leases, &c., on the coalfield.

The main shaft is in size about 7 feet by 3 feet, and in depth 100 feet to the top of the coal seam, and about 111 feet to the bottom of the well. The strata passed through in sinking consisted chiefly of sandstones with dark shales and white fireclay. The seam averages 4 feet 10 inches in thickness, and below this is 1 foot 6 inches of shale, then sandstone, and then coal bands at 3 feet below the floor of the coal seam.*

The coal seam undulates slightly with a general inclination of 1 in 60 ; but occasionally this dip is steeper. From the main shaft it dips easterly 1 in 30, in the south-western workings it is almost level, and in the north-western workings it dips northerly 1 in 30, and further away from the shaft rises 1 in 60.+

No samples were taken of the coal for analysis, as the coal on the surface has been exposed so long that the result would have been unsatisfactory. The quality, however, would be very similar to that of the Hope and Eldorado coal.

The fault in the Blair Athol Mine occurs at the end of the eastern heading, and the direction from there is north-westerly. The amount of throw of the fault has not been determined as no work has been done on the other side, neither is it known which is the downthrow side of the fault.

There are three main headings, each 4 yards wide, one going north-west for 140 yards, one east for 140 yards, and one south-west for 170 yards.

The number of bords open are fifteen or sixteen, but several have been abandoned in the workings at the end of the south-west heading, and near the fault to the east and south-east.

From the main shaft the air shaft is 66 feet slightly to the east of north. The air currents first pass to the north-west workings, along the south-west heading to near the main shaft, then to the workings to the south-east, next to the east heading, and thence to the air shaft where the furnace is placed.

The output of coal commenced during the year 1890 and continued up till 1896 when the mine stopped working. The quantity taken out amounted to over 33,000 tons. (For details of the coal production see page 10.)

Imbell Colliery.

This colliery was opened by Messrs. Thomas and Spring in 1898, and the first delivery of coal to the Railway Department took place in August, 1899. The Lease, M.L. 9, of 90 acres (Thomas and English), is on the western side of the Eldorado, with its northern boundary in part adjoining the most southern boundary of the Hope Lease. There are no leases joining the property on the north-west, west, or south (see Plate 6).

The surface here, as is mostly the case where the rocks of the Coal Measure are not covered by basalt or " billy," is a sandy soil, the slope of the ground being from the north-eastern corner to the west and south-west towards Gowrie Creek, and to the south towards the " Washpool." Where the shafts are sunk the altitude of the surface is 1,105 feet above sea level, this being about eleven feet higher than the top of the Eldorado main shaft, and about ten feet lower than the Hope main shaft. (See Plate 2.)

The main shaft at the Imbell (6 feet by 4 feet) is in the north-eastern corner of the lease, being about 100 feet from both the northern and eastern boundary. The depth of the shaft from the surface to the top of the coal seam is 70 feet, about 74 feet to the floor, and about 80 feet to the bottom of the well.

In sinking the air shaft the coal was not found at the depth it was expected, and a fault was discovered which had thrown down the coal seam seventeen feet lower than in the main shaft. (In the drawing of the section on Plate 3, in illustration of this, it is incorrectly shown less than seventeen feet). Fifteen feet below this the lower thick seam was found on the same side of the fault as the main shaft. The presence of this fault will have an important bearing on subsequent development, when the coal has to be taken out from the side opposite to that now worked.

Another fault having an upward thrust of two feet six inches disturbs the coal beds. Apparently it is more recent than the main fault, as the disturbance can be traced into the fault-rock at the furnace near the air shaft. The following illustration (Fig. 5) shows the manner in which this thrust fault has

These and other details have been supplied by Mr. Howard Smith, and are slightly different from those given by Mr. Jack in his " Progress Report for the year 1894."

+ To reduce such values (as 1 in 30) to degrees, divide (the 30) into 60 ; 1 in gives 8 degrees, which is absolute ; but all values higher or lower than this are only approximate. The error becomes excessive in angles greater than 1 in 4, .but m small angles the error for practical purposes can be neglected.

broken the coal seam, together with the rocks above and below it. The material in the fault is made up of coal dust and rock debris, the coal dust being diffused in the fault above the level of the coal, and the rock debris being mixed with the hard coal in the seam : —

Fig. 5.

Section of the Imbell Fault.

Dislocating The Coal Seam Bt An Upward Thrust.

The top seam of coal at the main shaft is three feet eleven inches thick, but in the northern workings, which extend to the northern boundary, the seam is six feet thick. To the west of the main shaft the seam becomes thicker also, and the workings furthest west show the thickness to be four feet six inches.

As in some of the other mines the seam will abruptly decrease in thickness by an accumulation of hard carbonaceous sandstone on the floor, or by a similar accumulation below the normal level of the roof. These undulations amount sometimes to as much as two feet. Sometimes the good coal decreases in thickness by an accumulation of inferior coal on the top. This inferior coal is found throughout the workings, varying generally from six inches down to one inch.

The general dip is about 5 degrees to the north-east, although there are apparent dips fluctuating from this.

For the plan and vertical section of the underground workings see Plate 4.

The quality of the best coal is very similar to the best coal of the other mines, and the quality of the inferior coal similar to that of the Hope, with, perhaps, a little less percentage of ash than what is shown by the analysis of that coal. (See Table of Analyses on page 12.)

The lower seam is apparently the same as that found at the bottom of Bastet's Shaft, and probably is similar in composition, as it resembles it in other respects.

Regarding coking qualities, the coal, after some weeks' exposure, was determined by the Government Analyst to be a slightly caking one. Probably its coking quality would be improved were the coa1 to be burnt as soon as possible after it is brought up to the surface.

Since the first delivery of coal to the Railway Department in August, 1898, to the 2Gth of May, 1899, the Imbell Colliery has taken out 4,706 tons of coal, and at present have a contract in hand for a further supply.

Eldorado Colliery.

This colliery was opened in 1892, and the first supply of coal was taken out in May. The Lease, M.L. 6, has an area of 80 acres, is bounded on the north by the Hope, on the east by the Blair Athol, and on the west by the Imbell. The south boundary is close to the Carriers' Reserve.

In the north-west corner a small outlier of "billy" occurs, but otherwise the surface is sandy soil formed from the rocks of the Coal Measures. The ground gradually rises from the south end of the lease to the north end, and between these two boundaries there is a difference in level of 50 feet.

The main shaft is six feet by four inches in section, and in depth is 102 feet to the top of the coal, and 108 to the floor. The air shaft is four feet by two feet six inches, and from the main shaft is about 80 feet in a nearly west direction.

The thickness of the seam varies. At the shaft it is six feet, towards the south seven feet, in the east heading it is five feet six inches, and in the north heading six feet six inches.

The seam has not been disturbed by a fault so far as the present workings show, but there is a probability of one existing to the north-west of the shaft, as the Imbell fault having a north-east strike will probably be found in this direction. The fault, however, having only a throw of seventeen feet, might have diminished or even died out before it reached very much further than the Imbell boundary.

With regard to the water found in the southern workings, and which caused them to be temporarily abandoned, reference has been made to it on page 9, under "variations in the level of the coal seams." On Plate 4 the positions of these abandoned bords are shown, together with other information concerning the underground workings and the inclination of the coal.

The quality of the coal is very similar to that of the Hope and Blair Athol Collieries, but it has the highest percentage of hydro-carbons of all the coals on the field — an important item when considering their gas-making qualities. Occasionally the quality of the coal sometimes varies in one spot, the better class of coal generally being at the bottom of the seam. The thickness of the inferior coal varies from seven inches to two feet six inches, in the latter case due to sudden undulations in the roof. These undulations do not affect the good coal.

Hobe Colliery.

This mine was opened in 1894, about two years after the Blair Athol Mine started operations. The Lease, M.L. 8, consists of 120 acres on the western boundary of the Blair Athol block and on the northern boundary of the Eldorado and Imbell Leases.

Sandstones are exposed on the surface, but masses of " billy" occur in places. About ten acres in the north-west corner are covered by basalt and black soil.

Geological Survey of Queensland.

Plate IY

Underground Workings

Scale

Hannon fe/ ° 1 ° 2°

3o to v

-i Yards.

Eldorado Colliery

C Lermo.Yt

By

B. Bun stan F.G.S.

Assistant Government Geologist

SeetLoTv on lirbe A B

/900

Air Shaft

Main Shaft

White Fine Sandstone

Gritty Sandstone

Fine Sandstone S' Hal Y Sandstone

Sandstone

Shalt Sa Nostone

Grittt Sandstone Sands Tone

BLUE SHALE N/TH G/oSSOpRer/S ' EERN,

. Soft Sandstone.

Coal

Ha Pd Carbonaceous Ironstone

Leo#Nrcnr. (Freer,

del.

For to tXl'fXl rt! higl?' 0,1 oos"?,d. M"S 1.U5 feet above sea-Ievel.

n regard to the shafts and other underground workings see Plate 5. - — .

diatarbaocVaodirSeliLrienSallv 'l"*!1688' re!dom varie, . from five feet, is without fault,™

5r;f FH?f " -

joins the first depression -ihnnt ,i nf ri)°ld £mthest west, crosses the west heading and

perceptible lncIiuatiouSaIfa*ashewokiugsStoUthis0direetioexteu(ft, " a

lowest. mctmecl to the &.S.E., this is the direction where the seam would be found

the a JwesTn oal fi °a! ? ".in varies to some erteut, and on referring to quantity of the inferior emal in the gtoaHmT*

which hdTeen ernofeT iff "T* iS t'1"5"'" '° be "".-caking, but the sample was taken from a heap percentageThXelrhons which Z f", 8""e ""'bs- "is exposure might also have affected the Eldorado coal. CZSIittS'" t , 'a T 4 Per Iess than that in the was not obtainable. h P ™' worked bas bee" P"uotrated in the well, but a sample

1895 ; upeto',theebeemninn°of h""™.0 tb? B"?war Department took place in the beginning of

12,765 tons g g °£ 1899' 'vhen the "topp'd working, the total coal output reached

hi,m "loot this mine* but the depth of the shaft as and is 105 feet to the top of coal 110 feet to rl'.'ef1' ' ' p a,.a"d is different to what he has stated,

120 feet to the neat seam of coal ' ' 'S ' C'W and sandstone, and

The Newcastle Shaft.

Blair aS mn " 0,1 the b°""dan the

the western boundary adjoins the Carriers' Reserve. boundar exteuds mto slate country, and

°f it are basalt, black s'ZLta tSesiTthf soJhdT'

.'he western boundary, and close to the same and the Jositaon of the shaft, te shin o'n PI ziT ™ BatbamP'" eeh. Tb features

and the floor is'sfxteen'fet Wow this*1 ll,e ip'T .tbo S°al was str"ck at seventy feet from the surface, below. Beneath Sale is a tndstone 1 n." Sr,e'clR' hard and "f' " l*— with a blue shale in Fig. 6) in about the middle of the seam but i"1' . 'S? .and t°"r inches thick (shown as eighteen inches extends some distance. ' 1S n0t known whether this is only local or whether it

Fig. 6.

Section across the Newcastle Shafts.

Showing The Contact Of Slate And Coal.

aiui OUA.L.

best coal on the field! butU f ?W° feet o£ i£ eclual to the

of the seam ; reference has previously been made to thi/on geT"' 18 mottled in some l,arts

# Pr°greSB ReP°rt f°r the year 1894'

The'fossil fern' Olossopteris together with Phyllotheca occurs here in 1 the shales coal, as 'in some of the1 other shafts on the coalfield and a limestone is reported t0

seam, of which there is evidence on the surface, as limestone pieces are to be found in the debris around

thCKhaA drive connects the main shaft to the air shaft, and from here ;fiial taken ment for very similar

Bastet's Shaft.

Bastet's Lease, M.L. 36, of 160 acres, is situated to the north of the leasehold block of Blair Athol. The surface is a sandy soil with outcrops of "billy.

The shaft at eighty feet penetrated a band of coal, and at ninety feet came on a seam o coa ten feet thick. The floor of the coal is shale. '

The quality of the coal, as shown from the analysis is better than what might be expect ™m appearance The coal is not bright, like the Imbell coal for instance, but is rathei dull like the coal from

Mercer's Shaft. , , ,

The analysis shows a low percentage of ash and a higher percentage of fixed carbon than cod from the other mines A bulk sample has been submitted to the Railway Department, and it will be fXefng to know what the result of the test will be. It will not be a very flaming coal, but should be very suitable for locomotive requirements*

Mercer's Shaft.

The position of Mercer and party's Lease, M.L. 32, of 210 acres, is to the west of the Newcastle and Blair Athol Leases. The surface features are similar to those of Blair Athol having basalt on portion and sandstone or sandy soil on the other, with "billy occurring in one isolated spot.

The shaft is a small prospecting one (5 feet by 2 feet), the depth from the surface to the top o the coal beimr about 112 feet, and to the bottom, which is on the floor ot the coal, about 122 feet, this g g ten feet of a coal seam. Coal also occurs in the shaly rock on the roof, and the change fiom shale a shaly coal to good coal is gradual.

The quality of the coal from this shaft may be gauged from the analysis on page 12. This shows a rather high percentage of ash, but the coal is higher infixed carbon than the Imbell coal.

Bulk samples of this coal have been sent to the Railway Department to test, but the result has not yet come to hand.

Other. Localities.

Wilson's Well.— The coal found here is very bright, but very little work has been done on it as the ground is included in the Camera' Reserve, and a lease m consequence cannot be granted. Plate 2 will how the depth and altitude of the coal, and Plate 6 will show the position of the shaft with regard to

the other leases.

Old Blair Athol Well.— In this well, which is in the freehold block of Blair Athol, the coal was first found. No record can be traced of the strata penetrated, but the depth ot the coal is shown on Plate 2, and the position of the shaft on Plate 6.

The Old Shaft East of Blair Athol, The Enterprise .Shaft, Quarry Hill Shaft, Hurley s Diggings, Black Ridge, and McDonald's Elat are places referred to m the preceding pages, and do not require special mention from a coal-bearing point of view.

Sites For Future Prospecting Operations For Coal.

tn case future contingencies demand that prospecting operations be conducted on parts of the field not now opened up, perhaps positions ought to be shown where such work should be earned out.

The area of country covered by basalt at Blair Athol and the Black Ridge on the Drummond

Range should receive some consideration. . , .

Everything indicates the extension of the Measures under the basalt here, and no outcrops i of i slate or other old rocks are to be seen to indicate the coal formation to be shallow.

Batliampton (P.P. 79) the surface rock is basalt, but all around everything shows the Goal Measuies to exist below, and to find coal here would considerably extend the area where coal is at present known

To the west of the Hope would also be a good position for prospecting, as there is very little doubt the coal will be found below the basalt there. . ,

Perhaps the most important site for future prospecting operations would be £ ams

Blair Athol Coal Field. The Coal Measures have not been prospected in depth, and if other coal sea were discovered below those already known the importance of the held would b®

The Eldorado Shaft, or the corner of the Hope and Eldorado Leases where they join the Blau Athol Lease, would be a good position for sinking, and the best method would be by boring with a diamond

dnl1' As the total thickness of the Coal Measures would not be more than 500 feet that could betaken as the maximum depth required to be prospected, but at the same tune the fact must not be r overlooked that the slates when tilted have a tendency to form high peaks and deep depressions, and veiy piobably the slate bottom on which the Coal Measures were laid will be very irregu .u.

No teats have been made determine the calorific powers of these coals, but such determinations would be of importance in showing the amount of mechanical energy they are capable of producing.

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF QUEENSLAND Plate V

REFERENCE A ir - Ways

Apparent- D/ps

Plain

llnderground Workings

Hope Colliery

Clermont

B.Dunstan F.G.S.

jissis bcvrct; Go vernmen/ GeoZocfisJ/.

Scale

Horizontal 8j Vert/ cat

Section online CD

F h om S urface

L £o/v* no C. C&EEW, Del

Gold Deposits In The Coal Measures.

pm a Perusal of the accompanying Geological Map of the Clermont District, it will be seen that the Coal Measures at Blair Athol are covered by basalt on the northern side. It is not known what relation the Coal Measures bear to the older rocks in this direction, hut on all other sides auriferous slates and schists outcrop on the surface and surround the Coal Measures. It may be taken for granted, then, that much of the material derived from the disintegration of the older rocks have in the past gone to orm the rocks 01 which the Coal Measures are comprised, arid also that any gold contained in the older formation might be carried to form auriferous deposits in the younger one, although it must be home in mind that in the transfer of the gold from one formation to the other, it does not follow as a result that the gold is concentrated by the operation.

Considering the Measures from au auriferous point of view, there is no probability of the o-old occurring m a bed or series of beds throughout the field in a manner similar to the coal, hut there might have been streams entering the old freshwater lake or lagoon or swamp bringing gold into channels now hidden by more recent accumulations, and future developments might lead to the discovery of some of these old gold leads below the coal seams. It is quite within the range of possibility that some of the shafts now utilised for coal-mmmg purposes might in future he used for prospecting the Coal Measures m depth for alluvial gold. .

i j. The C(?al itself has £iyeu cations of the presence of gold in the " ash," although only in traces, but the samples tested by the Government Analyst were only a few in number, and much requires to be done before the matter is settled as to the occurrence of gold in the coal in payable quantities.

The scope of the present inspection of the coalfield did not permit of special attention being paid to the subject but it might be suggested to those interested in the Blair Athol Coal Miues that the

presence of gold m the "ash" of the coal is a subject which should he investigated from a commercial point of view.

, i t,e °.uts,k?rts tie coalfield the Measures are more confined, and so the deposits there carrying t le gold are limited in extent. Some of the deposits are very rich in gold, and in some cases coal bands

mild is obtained111118 GlossoPteris~t]lG Coal Measure fossil fern— have been sunk through before the At The Sjirings, to the north of Clermont, the ffold is found nndfvr vq.rvino- pnndif.inna tmf iLo

Fig. 7.

Section- acrossj Hurley's Diggings.

A Coal Band Probably Covering An Auriferous Deposit.

Note On The Examination Oe Gold Deposits.

The recent geological work was undertaken more to place on record all information reuardine the

7*D/f,nP.V f.lum -prT flv a ruivriAcm J ' -A ' ,1* if iii . ,

B

operations have ceased, and the prospecting work done to pick up this lead has been carried on in anything but a methodical manner. Had a systematic geological examination been instituted, expenditure of money might have been avoided in some cases, and ground that is not opened at all might now be yielding good returns of gold.

Petrological Notes on thk Dolerites oe Wild Cat and The Springs.

Occurrence. — The specimen of dolerite from The Springs was taken from a shaft near the All Nations Lead, and is the dolerite shown above the deposit containing the white "billy," in Fig. 3, on page 6. The specimen from the Wild Cat is the dolerite represented in Fig. 4, on page 7, and was taken from a shaft which was abandoned because it was thought useless to expect gold deposits to occur below it.

Macroscopic Characters. — -Both rocks are hard and compact, without any decomposition showing except in cracks and joints ; fracture is irregular and jagged; no cavities or amygdules ; no porphyritic constituents ; lustre in both cases glimmering ; colour bluish-black with traces of greenish clayey substance in the joints. In the specimen from The Springs a white clay is also present in traces in the cracks of the rock.

Microscopic Characters. — Wild Cat. — Base, occasionally semi-vitreous but usually devitrified ; oliviue, almost colourless, decomposed on borders aud in cracks to form serpentine ; felspar, idiomorphic, lath- shaped; augite, ophitic with optic orientation marked, crystallised boundaries rare, cleavage rare; magnetite, as inclusions in all the minerals in the section but rare in the olivine ; apatite microliths as inclusions in the felspar and augite in such abundance as to give a character to the rock, but absent from the olivine ; glassy inclusions occur with the magnetite in the olivine and felspar.

The Springs. — Base, semi-vitreous, with a development of spherulitic structure common ; olivine, partly decomposed to serpentine, but crystalline form preserved ; felspar, idiomorphic, with polysynthetic twinning ; augite, ophitic, cleavage absent, colour brown ; magnetite, not crystallised, in irregular patches and blades along the sides of the felspar crystals ; apatite, as inclusions common, but not in such abundance as in the dolerite of Wild Cat ; glassy inclusions in felspar and augite.

A rough estimate of the proportion of the principal minerals and basic matter in the two specimens yielded the following results :

Olivine Felspar Augite Magnetite Base

The above shows a variation in mineral composition and a variation in the proportion of chemical substances, but in the individualised portions of the rock the amount of silica in proportion to the basic constituents would be about the same in each specimen.

Wild Cat.

The Springs.

Table Of Altitudes Of Localities Referred To.

Cement Hill

Feet above sealevel (approx.)

1,090

Old Shaft South of Eldorado

Feet above sealevel (approx.)

1,075

Springs Hotel

1,066

Wilson's Well

1,070

Gowrie Creek (at The Springs) ...

1,026

Newcastle Shaft ...

1,120

Bastet's Shaft

1,130

Mercer's Shaft

1,080

Old Blair Athol Well

1,120

Venus Hotel

Blair Athol Shaft ...

1,092

Quarry Hill Shaft...

Hope Shaft

1,115

Enterprise Shaft ...

Eldorado Shaft

1,095

Railway Reserve ...

Imbell Shaft

1,105

Clermont (Lagoon)

Brisbane, March 30th, 1900.

No. 148 of the Geological Survey Publications.

Price 3s. !)rf.]

By Authority : Edmund Gregory, Government Printer, William street, Brisbane.

Is

Cold below IZ'seam of coal

/Billy' 6 ft thick

tV\(Rj;dge

Shaft

with gold below coal ,

Hen YankeoCamp

Crave

/'above Doleri /

(1096)

Whiled

Nations

Limestono

'Ings

0 d YenUgc Camp

M

j Well 40 f! deei ' bottomed on Sr

B/Th|Ampton

|(E560;

;iferous gravels

Sandstone*

\Shaf> 65 ft to Coal

,0ld Shaft

Eldortid i

Prospect

waft 40 ft through nsh on to dark Jrtfale Shpff SO ft Ueotlomed on Coal

Black soil am Basalt bould*

Wilson's .

irley's

Quartzite For. fiandsh

Coal-moasuros mo* recent gravels and

Decomposed clay slate

Aurjferoufc gravel , or.rldgep anil i n'w a t e r c u rs s

in clay slate

ridge.

Auriferous travels clay /-slate

I or's

Water Here in Apsleyl Creek

cm;-'-

slates

Sandy soil with quartz pebbles

'vr

I Basalt flow jail around utcrop\

-+JS5 Miles

<152 Milts

\2SI Miles

EOLOCICAL SURVEY of QUEENSLAND

William H. Rands Government Ceolocis '

Reference

B a s a 1 r

1 B 1 1

Billy" Quartzite

Bowen Coal-measures

Slates & Schists

-L s J

Dip & S tri ke

j

A 1 r i tudes

Section on E.F see

Plate .1

Section on G.H see

Plate..!

Locality Plan

Mica schists Inlorbedded quartzite

Mica schists clay slates

is found irregii'r''i on Wie scVusts and states in gcavet I drifts and sometimes covered a soft sVaYy debris-' tvsV-ftve a&i d dr ifts re in some cases Recent VA some protoabVj betong to Wie Cost-measures

Four Mile Diggings

' Sl.t.,

Ceolocical Map

C1Leem0Mt

Shewing Blair Athol Coal-measures

Accompanying Report on the Permo-Carboniferous Coal-measures of Clermont and Associated Formations BY

B.Dunstanf.G.S.

Assistant Government Ceologist 19 oo

Decomposed cley

Mica schists intorbeddod quartzite

drifts and eomenmes coMcrod a sof> de'om-'Xvs'o-'Uve d W\e dr'\ft6 m m some cases Recenf VA some vrobabV'j

Four Mile Diggings

Tu*

AY 2 7 / 929 Y 0F tistekois

Pressboard

Pamphlet

Binder

Gaylord Bros. Inc. Makers

Syracuse, N. Y. PAT. JAN 21, 1908