NRS-8132 | Reports of William Keene [Examiner of Coal Fields, Department of Lands]

William Keene was appointed Examiner of Coal Fields and Mines on 28 December 1854. Following responsible Government the office came under the Department of Lands until it was transferred to the new Department of Mines on 1 May 1874. On 18 February 1863 his title was changed to Examiner of Coal Fields, Hunter River District, and Keeper of Mining Records. At the same time John Mackenzie was appointed Examiner of Coal Fields, Illawarra District. This position continued until Mackenzie's resignation on 26 August 1865 when Keene became the Examiner of Coal Fields and Keeper of Mining Records. Following Keene's death John Mackenzie succeeded him as Examiner of Coal Fields on 22 March 1872. The reports are concerned with: application of Messrs. McLaughlin, Pearce, and Walsh to rent a portion of the Newcastle Coal Field, 1855; discovery of Australian Agricultural Co.'s Fiery Seam, 1856; discovery of Port Hacking Coal Seam, 1862; palaeozoic fossils, fossil wood at Scone near Kingdom Ponds, fossils at Mount Muralla, 1862; examination of strata at Stoney Creek for Philosophical Society of Victoria, 1863-64; forwarding reports of the Inspector of Collieries, Mr Thomas Lewis, on the state and condition of New South Wales Collieries and Kerosene Shale Mines, and accidents therein, 1869, together with his own report on the condition of the Coal Fields, and a Return of Collieries, and Kerosene, Coal and Shale Mines in New South Wales in 1869 showing name of mine, proprietor, tons of coal, shale or oil raised, number of persons employed and remarks; plans of the village of Greta, 1869, showing where coal is likely to be found; fire at Anvil Creek Colliery with diagram, 1871; and undated report on a number of coal districts. See also Department of Mines, Special File SF7A, "Report of W. Keene on Branxton Coal Field", 1865 (2/2322 part). (4/8036A.2). 1 box (part). Note: This description is extracted from Concise Guide to the State Archives of New South Wales, 3rd Edition 2000.