DESCRIPTION: Gold had been found in Blackball Creek as early as 1865, but it was not until November 1890 that coal was discovered by the Blackball Coal Company which had been established to supply an English shipping line with fuel for its ships. Quartz mining began in the area at about the same time, but it was for the mining of coal that Blackball township and its mine became important. The return air vent and electric fan chamber were designed to clear the mine of the highly toxic methane gas given off by freshly exposed coal faces from the mine drives using the main entrance of the mine as the air intake. Originally a Capel fan imported from England was installed in the fan chamber, replacing the ventilation chimneys built above Blackball Creek in the 1890s. This mine supported the development of Blackball township. Blackball miners and their union which was formed in 1899 established a tradition of union radicalism which influenced New Zealand industrial and political life over several decades.