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_ “The No. 2 seam is 15-5 feet above the No. 1 seam and is 30 inches
thick where exposed in a pit. It is underlain by 3-5 feet of fine siltstone
that grades downward into the hard, coarse sandstone that forms the
hanging-wall of No. 1 seam.

Packwood Mine

‘Packwood coal mine is 22 miles west of Hudson Hope. It is situated
on the steep, southern end of a south-trending spur of Butler Ridge,
1 mile north of the river by road and about 480 feet above river level.

“The property was acquired by Mr. George Packwood in 1940. During
the same year the mine was opened and 125 tons of coal taken out. There
was no production in 1941, but during the following winter the mine was
reopened and approximately 104 tons of coal were trucked to Fort St.
John. Hauling was stopped in the spring of 1943 due to the bad condition
of the road, although 100 tons of coal remained to be transported. During
the summer of 1943 the remaining 100 tons were removed.’ About
7,260 tons of coal were mined during the 5-year period ending December
31, 1947.

“Underground workings consist of two entries along the strike of the
seam: one at an elevation of 2,500 feet, and the other at an elevation of
2,380 feet. Prior to February 1948, only the upper entry existed, but
work is now confined to the new, lower entry.

“The upper entry is 230-6 feet long, in which distance four raises,
each about 30 feet high, have been put up. No. 1 raise is connected by a
crosscut to No. 2 raise, and extends to the surface as an air shaft. The
seam on this level is 3-1 feet thick at the portal, but thins to 2-6 feet at the
face. It contains no partings or concretionary bodies, and consists mainly
of bright coal.

“By September 7, 1943, the lower entry had been driven 150 feet.
On this level the seam measures 2 feet at the portal and 1-6 feet at the face.
A large, lens-like projection of sandstone from the hanging-wall starts 66
feet from the portal and persists for 30 feet. This ‘cut-out’ locally pinches
the seam to less than 1-8 inches.

“Coal removed from the upper entry had to be lowered by cable down
a steeply inclined track to an old bunker at the foot of the hill, a vertical
distance of nearly 200 feet. This required a hoist at the portal. The new
entry is 120 feet lower, and coal is now trammed a short distance on a
trestle and emptied into a newly constructed, 2-compartment bunker having
a capacity of 2,400 cubic feet, or about 65 tons. This bunker is provided
with a screen that separates most of the slack.

“Work planned for this winter (1943-44) included completing the
lower entry as far in as the present face of the upper entry, and then driving
raises between the two entries. No large amount of coal will be removed
until work in the lower entry is complete.

“Removal of coal from the raises is facilitated by the high dip of the
seam, which is 54 degrees to the southwest. This allows the coal to slide
into the cars from the chutes. Mining is hampered by the necessity of
removing considerable rock with the coal. For this reason a compressed
air drill is used in the drift, whereas coal augers are used in the raises.