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- 66 VICTORIA ILLUSTRATED.
THE UNION COLLIERIES.
The Union Mines, or as they are spoken of by many as the Comox mines, are situate at Union, which is a short distance from the village of
Comox, or rather the settlement of Courtney. Union is a thriving mining town, the houses being ranged along the main road which traverses
the place, others, as it were, being set down in a rather promiscuous manner among the blackened stumps. There is an air of newness about
the whole place which is refreshing, but the appearance of the miners going to or coming from the work of their eight-hour shifts, and the
populace that traverses the thoroughfare, demonstrate that there is real, energetic life, which is putting forth its efforts in an
important department of industry. The trains of coal cars continually passing and re-passing on the railway leading to the wharves, and
other incidentals, enable one easily to locate the scene of operations. At No. 4 slope they were at the time of writing getting out between
400 and 500 tons of coal per day, and were expecting to considerable augment the output without delay. Near the entrance to the
slope is an eighty-ton railway weighing machine. It is at the foot of the main chute, and weighs only the coal as it is screened and
loaded on the cars, the remainder being taken away by means of elevators and deposited in bunkers, to be cleaned and then turned to
advantage. Moreover, what is now practically thrown away, is by the washing process expected to be made available for consumption to the
extent of about sixty per cent., so that the existing loss on the entire output of twenty-five per cent. is expected to be reduced to not
more than ten. This process of washing is very simple. The refuse is agitated in the process by what is termed a plunger, the available
fuel being brought to the top. No. 4 slope is in about 450 yards, the incline at the entrance being about one in seven, which is nowhere
exceeded. In this mine there are in full operation two branches running from the main gangway, producing large supplies of the best coal.
Another branch, which is almost ready, will give another 200 tons per day, and so soon as the necessary works have been completed the output
will be run up to 1,200 to 1,400 tons per day. The coal, wherever it has been tried, is thought very much of, having a very high per cent.
of carbon and a minimum of ash.
The appliances in No. 4 slope are probably the best to be found on the Coast. Among these may be mentioned the Jeffrey Electric Coal
Mining Machine, which consists of a bed frame, mounted upon which is a sliding frame, upon the front end of which is a cutter bar, secured
with solid steel shoes. The cutter bar contains steel bits, which, being held firmly against the face of the coal, force their way into it
and form an undercut to the extent of six or seven feet, according as is the length of the sliding frame. The motor is placed directly on
top of the carriage of the cutter, the power being transmitted from the armature shaft to the lower drive shaft by means of steel cut gear.
The current required is from 30 to 50 ampires, at a pressure of 220 volts, each motor being able to develope fully fifteen horse power. The
armature is calculated to run at a speed of 100 revOlutions per minute, the cutter bar working 200 revolutions. The momentum is
such that ordinary obstructions are not perceptible, and the machine runs steadily and quietly, running out its full
length of six feet in five minutes easily. The face each cut covers is three feet five inches, so it will readily be seen how
short a time is taken to undercut a seam and make it ready for the miners to go to work with their picks and explosives. It takes, of
course, a few minutes to move the machine in front of the face of the coal and set it to work again, fixing the teeth, etc., but at
Union as many as thirty cuts have been made by one of them in eight hours, each of them six feet deep by three feet five inches in width.
Moreover, an advantage is that the coal it makes is principally large coal, there being no less than twenty per cent. more lumps obtained.
The coal is unexcelled for coking, the washed stuff producing an excellent quality of it. The seam averages from seven to eight feet in
good solid coal, and the ventilation of the mine is perfect with the aid of the Guibal fan, which is in use all over England. The fans for
this and the other mines were built by the Albion Iron Works, Victoria, where also a Murphy fan was erected for them. In this mine, by the
use of the most improved machinery, labor can be turned to its very best advantage. The
CORRIG COLLEGE.
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