The newly formed Cromwell & Bannockburn Colliery Company purchased Wilson's Mine. The company also purchased the 'Excelsior No 2 Coal Mine (location #194) which was about 750m from the Kawarau River on the right bank (east side) of Bannockburn Creek. The Excelsior No 2 Mine was connected underground to Wilson's Mine. The coal seem in this mine was from the lake margin faces of the Manuherikia group sediments like all of Bannockburn. In this mine the seem averaged 2m of fair quality coal in a large field. The coal was unbroken by faults and had very little water at this time. It required little timber, and no explosives to mine. It was one of the best coal pits in Otago, supplying clean burning coal for gold dredges and domestic use. The coal was delivered across the Kawarau River by way of a flying fox. (see location #159)

In January, the miners working in the eastern end (Wilson's) of the connected Wilson/Excelsior mine were John (Jack) Taylor and John and James Cooper. These miners were still working here in November (from J P Parcell memories - he worked in Excelsior No 2 during this period).

Miners working in Wilson's mine were : Samuel Tregilgus, John Richard Crombie, William Wilson, Edward Healy, John Short, George McKillop, Frederick Jones, Hugh Donnelly, Louis Francis Parcell, John Barclay, George Saxon. (from photo Heart of the Desert p134). Once the two mines were connected by the coal company, the mine was just referred to as the Excelsior mine.

The Cromwell & Bannockburn Colliery Company tried unsuccessfully to sell their coal lease in Bannockburn Creek on the Cairnmuir seam. In November they cloased down their Excelsior Mine and abandoned their Cairnmuir seam lease. For more details of the Wilson's / Excelsior mine - see The Excelsior No 2 mine - location #194.