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David Drew wrote:
> "Mr L F Braun" <braunli1@pilot.msu.edu> wrote in message
> news:39863935.1D54F3E4@pilot.msu.edu...
>
> > (Historical note: This was true only until proper
> > geological surveys were carried out at the end of the 1800s, which • revealed the
> > nature of local mineral wealth in colonial regions.)
>
> For those who are interested...
>
> According to my 'History of Coal Mining in Australia'. (Hey! I'm studying
> Mining Engineering, I'm allowed to have it!), Coal was first mined in
> Newcastle, sometime prior to 1798. (When Australia's first coal export
> occurred). The seam was discovered by passing shipmen, due to having an
> exposed seam. This was also the case with the Wollongong seams.
I'd always been under the impression that the grade of coal in the exposed
seams wasn't quite up to RN standards (they only want the best anthracite,
have to keep that smoke down to a minimum!)--but I may be wrong, because I'm
going off the geology of other continents (South Asia and Africa).
> The first coal mine discovered by geological survey, was the Balmain seam,
> which began operations in mid 1820's.
Whereabouts is that? I didn't know any extensive geological surveys were made
outside the immediate areas of major settlement (~80km from shore) until
nearer the end of the 19th century. That's kind of interesting, given that
most of the (future) US territory wasn't surveyed by that time!
Magnificent that they've actually got a book on the history of coal mining in
a specific region; everything I've read is horribly steeped in generalisations
across huge swaths of territory.
best
LFB
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"Mr L F Braun" <braunli1@pilot.msu.edu> wrote in message
news:39892EAA.BF50F2E3@pilot.msu.edu...
> I'd always been under the impression that the grade of coal in the exposed
> seams wasn't quite up to RN standards (they only want the best anthracite,
> have to keep that smoke down to a minimum!)
As far as I'm aware, that wasn't a problem, as steam ships were pretty damn
thin on the ground back then. Coal was used for heating and furnaces,
mostly. Besides, only the couple of metres of coal which is closest to the
surface suffer from environmental damage. Once you tunnel far enough into
the seam, it's up to its full grade.
> > The first coal mine discovered by geological survey, was the Balmain • seam,
> > which began operations in mid 1820's.
>
> Whereabouts is that? I didn't know any extensive geological surveys were • made
> outside the immediate areas of major settlement (~80km from shore) until
> nearer the end of the 19th century. That's kind of interesting, given • that
> most of the (future) US territory wasn't surveyed by that time!
Balmain is about 5 km due west of Sydney Cove, which is the original Sydney
settlement. In fact, they were mining for a period of time directly under
Sydney Harbour. The mine closed about 1930's, I think.
> Magnificent that they've actually got a book on the history of coal mining • in
> a specific region; everything I've read is horribly steeped in • generalisations
> across huge swaths of territory.
Coal mining has always been very big in Australia, (still is the single
biggest industry, in terms of $), and the AusIMM (Australian Institute of
Mining and Metallurgy), is always keen on printing books. :) The book I'm
referring to is very good on detail, since there are only a few major
coal-mining areas, and most of them have a well-documented history.
later,
David Drew.
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