112 hughes: wardha valley coal-field. 



a success to enter upon its manufacture at present has to be proved. 

 To my mind the chief drawback is the quality of the coal ; good ore 

 and limestone being abundant. The attempts hitherto to make iron at 

 a paying cost have so constantly failed, that one cannot help entertainiDg 

 gloomy doubts of the success of the present undertaking at "Warora. 

 The data, however, of costs that will be obtained from the trial going on 

 ought to furnish decisive evidence of the feasibility of erecting larger 

 works.* 



Section XV. — Limestone. 



Limestone, both in the form of rock and as kankar, occurs in abun- 

 dance in the Wardha valley. 



The principal sources of rock limestone would be the beds constitut- 

 ing portions of the Vindhyan and Lameta groups. The most constant 

 in composition, however, is the Vindhyan limestone, the Lameta lime- 

 stone varying a great deal. By selecting it, however, and working only 

 those portions that are free from the usual cherty segregations which 

 characterise it, a very pure calcareous rock can be procured. Whenever 

 the choice lies, however, between Vindhyan and Lameta limestone, I 

 should recommend the former. 



I apppend two analyses to illustrate that portions very alike in com- 

 position may be obtained from both groups : — 



Carbonate of lime and magnesia 

 Oxides of iron and alumina 

 Phosphoric acid ... 



Insoluble 



Vindhyan 

 limestone. 



Lameta 

 limestone. 



96-8 



94-5 



1-2 



30 



trace 



trace 



2-0 



25 



100-0 100-0 



* Since this was written the experiments which Mr. Ness was about to undertake have 

 been made, and the results of his trials are noted in Section XXI, Chapter IV. 



( 112 ) 



