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	Louis Frost Sydney	Dominion No. 18		Old Victoria Mine	Dominion No. 20

The Louis Frost Notes 1685 to 1962 Dominion No. 18 Colliery Phalen Seam This is a slope mine opened from the crop of the Phalen Seam in 1938, to work the Phalen Seam only. The seam is 5 ft. 2 inches thick and of good metallurgical quality. The main slopes were driven a distance of 6400 ft. from the surface and at a point 4600 ft. from the outcrop the seam is split by a stone parting 2 ft. 9 ins. from the pavement. This parting thickens in a westerly direction and had reached a thickness of 29 inches in No. 5 level when the operation of the mine in this seam was discontinued. This parting crossed all the West side workings from No. 3 level 3000 ft. from the crop to No. 5 level, the limit of the workings in the West side of the mine. The method of working was room and pillar, and it was intended to draw the pillars when a sufficient depth of cover was reached. The parting in the seam rendered this method of work impracticable and the operation in the rooms uneconomic. The operation in the Phalen Seam was discontinued in September 1946, when a tunnel driven to the overlying Harbour Seam was put into operation to work an area containing approximately 5-1/2 million tons of coal. 1,531,320 long tons of coal was produced from a worked over area of 512 acres during the operation in the Phalen Seam. Harbour Seam In 1946 two cross-measure tunnels were driven from the main slopes in the Phalen Seam to operate the Harbour Seam, which lies over the Phalen Seam in this area at an interval of 476 feet. A level tunnel 1760 feet long was driven from a point on the slopes 4200 feet from the surface, to serve as an intake and haulage for the workings in the Harbour Seam. An incline tunnel 670 feet long rising at 45 degrees to the horizontal was driven, as a return airway for these workings. The mine is ventilated by a Sheldon type fan having a rated capacity of 80,000 cubic feet of air per minute at 12.3 inches of water gauge. The present operation requires 56,000 c.f.m. at 13.25 inches of water gauge. The method of working in the Harbour Seam is longwall advancing. The colliery is completely mechanized and DOSCO Continuous Miners loading into Python conveyors are used to cut, load and transport the coal from the working faces. The seam is 6 feet 3 inches thick and the coal is suitable for metallurgical purposes. In working the Harbour Seam, the workings crossed No. 17 Colliery slopes, closed since 1921. Consequently, No. 18 Colliery pumps the water from both mines. This amounts to 260 gallons per minute. The water is acidulous. This colliery has produced 3,768,266 long tons of coal from a worked over area of 512 acres since production started in 1950.

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Last Modified: 98-01-05

Authored by: Louis Frost

IMPORTANT
The information contained on this site is not provided for the purpose of factual
representation. Instead, it is provided in an historical context. Every effort has
been made to ensure that this information represents the actual content of the
original document authored by Louis Frost for the Dominion Coal Company
on or around 1962. Nevertheless, no warranties are provided in any respect.

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