Generally speaking foreigners in China and Japan know nothing about the Mu Coal Mine except its name. Those interested in the coal trade are aware that the coal from the mine is shipped in large quantities from the ports of Kuchinotzu and Misumi in the Shimabara Gulf, but where exactly the mine is situated, how it is worked, and the extent of the coal field are known only to the few. And yet this coal mine, the most important in Japan—and indeed the largest in the East,—is within easy distance of Shanghai, can be reached without any trouble, and is a place which would interest any visitor whether scientific or otherwise. The Takasima Ming is more generally known by foreigners, Twenty-five years ago it was leased by a foreign firm and from that time the name became familiar to foreign residents in China and Japan nearly every visitor to Nagasaki has had its situation close to the entrance of the har-
Lour pointed out, and very many foreigners have visited the island on which it is situated, and inspected the mine itself. Takasima coal has found a ready sale everywhere in the Far East, and it is not therefore strange that it should generally but wrongly be considered to be the largest and most important mine in Japan. But the real fuct is that the Miike coal field would contain Takasina iany times' over, and when the latter mine is worked out at no distant date, there will be a practically endless supply of Miike coal, as w little attention to the
show, following particulars about this mine will The Miike Coal Mining Concession lies in 393° north latitude and 135" east longitude, in the Island of Kiushiu—the southern most division of Japan—and comprises an area of 16,000 acres, the half of which are in the province of Chikugo—or as it snow styled the Fukuoka Ken—and the other half in the province of Higo, or Kumamoto Ken. The mining town ix known as Ohumuta, and is situated on the east shore of the Shimabara Gulf, and close to the head of that vast inlet, which is itself some 50 miles in length, and of an average breadth of 8 miles, forming an inland sea of great Deauty, and washing the shores of the three important provinces, Hizen (Nayasaki Kew), Chikugo, and Higo.
The existence of coul in the Miike district was known many yours ago, as the seam crops out in one direction, and although there is no authentic record of the date when the coal was first mined, local tradition ussigus the date to the year 14 The extent of the old. workings most tainly shows that mining operations of some sort must have been carried on at a very carly date, and there is positive information that before the Rev systematically pursued, one part of the district having been worked by the Daimio of Miike, Lord Tachibana, and another part by' One, the chief retainer of the Daimio of Yanagawa. The coal so mined was used for salt works on the shores of the Inland Sea and Shimabara Gulf, and is still in great request for that industry on account of its highly Dituminous nature, the great heat to be easily obtained from it, and the consequent rapid evaporation of the brine. Of course the method of mining was of a very primitive nature, the coal having been worked from the outcrop on the side of the hill, the seam being followed in galleries until the flow of water prevented further progress, and when the Japanese Government purchased the mine in 1873 from the then proprietors for some 40,000 yen, the same simple system of mining was followed. Pumping was done only by the native tread-wheel and draining was effected by gullies, but at the time when the Government purchased the mine the water had drowned out the workings, and an immense amount of pumping work by the simple methods at command had to be resorted to before an ounce of coal could be mined. Convict labour alone was used ; for mining, and the purchase of the mine by the Government seems to have. been influenced solely by the object of so finding occupation for the convicts. For some years the mine was worked for this purpose by the Government, the output being very small, but year by year this increased, ready sale being found for the coal produced for use at the salt works and for the gradually increasing number of steamers that commenced running in Japan waters.
In 1876 the Government transferred the management of the Miike Mine to Mitsui Ca., and that firm, rightly thinking that much more could be done with the mine than had hitherto been the case, set to work with a will to improve matters. Under the name of the Mitsui Bussan Kaisha, branch offices were opened at Shanghai and the principal Japanese ports, and subsequently sub-agencies were established at Hongkong, Singapore, and other ports in the East. The Government were fortunately induced to adopt better methods of mining, and from that time onward there was a gradual but improved change in everything connected with the mine. At the time that the Mitsui Bussan Kaisha took charge the output was only about 300 tons a day, the coal yoing obtained from the Euro Mine, the site of the ancient workings, and carried to the surface in baskets on in shoulders. The first change was effected by making new engine incline with a hauling engine on the surface. and a ventilating shaft and turn ast coast of Shimabara Gulf is very shallow, and at low tide vessels of even the shallowest draught are unable to approach near to the shore. Consoquentnecessary to build a tidal basin and gate, and_a basin covering an area of 2 acres was then sutlicient for the purpose. This Wet Basin was connected with the Oura Mine by a tramway, along which the tubs containing. the coal were hauled by ponies to the Wet Basin, and shipped in junks of about 30 toms capacity. The next undertaking was that of sinking a shaft at Miyanoura, on the outskirts of Ohumuta, and within easy: reach of the Wet Basin. This was commenced in February, 1887, and coal was reached in August of the same year; the machinery for viriling, ete., was at once placed in position and mining commer without delay. As this shaft was close to the isting horse tramway, that means of conveyance was used to transport the coal to the shipping plice. The most important work that was next undertaken was that of sinking a shaft at Nanoura. yt to the south-east of the Oura Mine, and much further away from the coast. than Miya oura. This was commenced in July, 1879, and completed in June, 1882, coal having Deen struck at a depth of 240 feet. The long delay in completing this shaft' was owing to the great influx of water, but the didiculties of pumping it out were eventually overcome, and Nanoura then became, and still is, the principal and most productive mine. Twmediately after the Nanoura shaft was completed another shaft in the neighbourhood was sunk for ventilation, which was completed in June, 1883, and was immediately fitted up with a Fan Engine. In September, 1883, some of the convicts engaged in the Oura Mine set fire to one of the coal pillars, forming a side of the engine incline which served also for the in-take airway, hoping in the confusion that this would cause to be able to make their escape, but never supposing that the results would be so terrible as turned out to be case. The coal being so bituminous readily caught fire, and forty-seven human beings and sixty horses lost their lives, the rest only escaping with the greatest difficulty. When further rescue was found to be hopeless the airways were closely sealed up in order to prevent the fire spreading; the water then gradually rose in the mine, and it was closed to work for more than a year. A shaft was quently sunk.for the purpose of draining the lower part of the Oura Mine thus drowned out. In October 1886 the ground was opened up for sinking the Katchidachi shaft, which is situated beyond Nanoura towards the limit of the concession, boring operations having shown that the coal scant could be reached at the depth of 420 feet. Thus the Oura, Miyanoura and Nanoura mines were in full work in 1888, and the output had been increased to 1,200 tons a day, when the Government came to the conclusion that the Miike Mine should be suld to some private purchaser if the reserve price of 4,000,000 dollars could be obtained, and on the Ist January, 1889, the entire property was transferred to Mitsui for the sum of 4,550,000 dollars, and the working and management. passed to the Mitsui Bussan Kaisha, 'The new owners were determined that no expense should be spared in providing the very best anachinery' and modera mite ing appliances, and lost no time in carrying out all necessary improvements. The first thing to be done was to provide a new and more commodious tidal basin, as the existing one was not sufficient for the langoly increased shipments that were made. The old basin was considerably altered and connected by a water-way with anew basin covering an area of 4 acres, so that together the two tidal basins gave a workin; area of 74 acres, each basin being furnished witha lock-gute'36 ft. wide, having depth of 10 fevtat ordinary high tides, This arrangement enabled the barges to enter.xt one gate and pass out when loaded at the other, tint dio freyuout collisions, and. con? fusion that formerly existed were avoide In order to provide access to this dock it was necessary to dredge the channel out, into the bay for about a mile and a half, for which purpose a Priestman's dredger imported, and this is kept constantly to preserve the requisite depth of ater in a channel 130 feet wide, and also in keeping the docks clear from silt.
The Oura Mine is still worked with the old tramway and tubs, the latter being nude of wood, as it was found more useful and economical to have them so constructed than made of iron, But the shaft at Kutchidachi, and the Nanowra and Miyaoura, Mines are connected with the dock by w railroad of Bf. 6in. gauge, to conform with the Government standard, The roud bed gradually rises after passing Miyanoura so that it passes over the Kiushiu Railway tines un high level to the pier" "The line Jine vulnning through Ohuuuta, and con-
is a single track, and the distance from Katchidachi to the dock is about 3} miles, The Mitsui Bussan Kaisha provided the Nanoura and Miyanoura Mines with complete screening and cleaning machinery and fitted the Oura Mine with endless rope haulage; and they of course proceeded with the sinking of the Katchidachi shaft, but there met with unlooked-for ditticulties from water, being obliged to pump out upwards 3,000 gallons per minute. Thist be ton till the 2ist July, 1889, when the rear earthquake took place at Kumamoto, immediately after which the influx of water was so great that the pumps were drowned and the work had to be abandoned. But the owners were not daunted, and they ordered from messrs. Hathorn, Davey & Ca. of Leeds two large compound differential engines of massive construction, having the capacity of raising 6,000 gallons of water per minute, and these are now in course of being erected at the pit's mouth, so that ina very short time the work of sinking the Katchidachi shaft will be resumed, and when completed the mine will be worked in the direction of the Nanoura Mine, so that the powerful pumps at Katchidachi will deal with the entire drainage, (To be continued.)
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.