The Washington times., 1901-09-12
COAL In AUSTRALIA.

coal was the first mineral discovered III
Australia, its existence having been as
certained shortly after the work of settle
ment had commenced Jon the shores OF
Port Jackson. This was in August, 49,
and the following reference is made to
the event by Mr.. Collins in his account
of the establishment and progress of New
South Wales. Mr.. Collins says: Mr.
Clark, the supercaryo' iJf the Sydney
Cove, having mentioned that. two days
before he had been met by the people IN
the fishing boat he had fallen in with
great quantity of coal with which he ana
his companions had made a large fire ana
had slept by it during the night, a whale
boat was sent off to the southwark Win
Mr.. Bass the surgeon of the Reliance 10
discover where an article so valuable was
to be met with. He proceeded about sew
en- leagues to the southward OF POINT DO
lander where he found in the face OF
steep cliff, washed by the sea, stratum
of coal. in breadth about six feet ana ex-
tending eight or nine miles to the south-
ward.
Upon the summit of the high land, ana
lying on the surface he observed many
patches of coal. from some of when II
must have been that Mr.. clark was 81
conveniently supplied with fuel he aisv
found in the skeletons Of the mate anu
! carpenter of the Sydney Cove an uhe-
| quivocal proof of their having unIort
| nately perished, as was conJectureo. pS
| the specimens of the coal whcn "ei'
| brought in by Mr.. Bass the quaii's ap
peared to be good; but from its Amos. M
accessible situation no great aoVal'as'
| could ever be expected from IT, anu IN
deed were it even less difficult TO be pro-
| hnr
| near 1t, It could not be of much utility To
| the settlement.
| Tho MACE is now known as Coal Cliff,
| and is extensively worked, as are other
| rich coal mines in the vicinity. During
the following month of the same year
in September. 179T-coal was found TO the
north of Sydney. According to MT Coi-
lins. Lieutenant Shorthand proceeded
with a whaleboat as far as Port stephens
ON his return he entered river, which he
named Hunter River. about ten ieasues
to the southwark of Port stephens INTO
which he carried three fathoms OF water
in the shoaIest part of its entrance hhu-
ing deep water and good anchorage wl'h-
in The entrance of this river was out
narrow and covered by a high rocky Is
land living right off 1t. so as to leave a
good massage round the north end OF the
island between that and the shore reei
connects the south part of the island Win
the south of the entrance of the river
| In this harbor was found very consioer-
able quantity of coal of very good sort
and lying so near the watersde as to be
conveniently shipped, which gave 1t IN TINS
particular a manifest advantage ovel
that discovered to the southwark. Some
specimens of this coal were brought VI
in the boat"
In 1893 it seems to have become custo
mary to send regularly to the Hunte
River for supplies of coal. and under tn
heading of April. 1888 MIR. Collins has tn
following entry in his journal:
The discovery of vast strata of Goa
must be reckoned among the new light
thrown upon the resources of the colon!
The facility that this presents in workin
/, the iron ore (some of this iron ore whic
has been smeIted in England. has bee
= reported to be equal. II not superior. I
: | Swedish iron). with which the settle
| ment abounded, must prove OF inhnit
| utility whenever a dockyard shall be Is
tablished here; end the time may com
| when the productions of the country ma
I | not be confined within its owU sphere.
In the early days of the State the HUI
ter was for some time known as the Coz
n | River In September. 1870, another entr
records the discovery of coal, althous
a in this case the seam appears to a,s nav
= been valueless: 1T having been repor
y ed that coal had been found upon tn
! banks of Georges River. the Governf
i visited the place, and on examinatlo
) found many indications of the existent
r OF coal. that useful fossil. of which. shor
t ly after, a vein was discovered on tt
west side OF Garden Island Cove.
During the last few years it has bee
a ascertained that the Newcastle coal bee
extend under sydney Harbor and soutl
l. ward along the coast. and pits on an e;
/, tensive scale are being sunk, and wi
y soon be in active operation. The Austria
h ian Agricultural Company, formed in IS
, with a capital of f1.000,VOo and fr,
: grant of 100000 acres of land. gave II
| first impetus to the great coal trade no
| carried on in the State The charter po
y sessed by the company conceded to the
y the sole right to work the Newcastle co
% beds. This monopoly expired IN 1917; al
:, since then the New South Wales co
mining industry has reached large pr
o portions Newcastle, the principal co
l. port. not only of the State, but of Au
= traIasia is situated at the mouth of q
Hunter River. about seventy-five mil
'e north of Sydney, to which city 1t STAN
second in commercial Importance,
" though its rise has been so recent as
20 be within the memory of comparative
.e young men.
,e The first commercial recognition of Z
10 port, which was named after its busy pr
IT totype on the Tyne, to which town it pr
sents many points of resemblance, was
M 1876 when the first sub-collector of GU
ID toms was appointed. Yet in 1899. litt
4 more than half a century later. the Gu
i'm | toms collections were fl3,2S2-a lar
" sum for a young port in free ira
- | country. In 1861 the annual export
r coal from the port amounted to lSl.:
=, tons. In 1899 Ii had reached 2,i7S. .397 tor
= | In 1861 the Newcastle imports amount
=, to the value of EDS, 1872. but thirtyeig
mr. years late, in 1893. the value had risen
re- G522. .4i6. The total quantity. of coal ra
K ed In the Stat. to the end Of 1893 W
|