2 RAMGURII COAL-FIELD. 



wliicli we retain as above. Impressed, owing to the inferior quality of 

 tlie coal which he saw, with a belief as to its unimportance in an 

 economic point of view, he appears to have given most of his attention 

 to the more productive field lying to the north of it. 



A brief enumeration of the principal physical features of the 



country surrounding the coal-field will not inap- 

 Physical features. . . , , . . 



propriately precede its geological description. 



The tract of country which includes the Ramgurh and Bokaro fields 

 contrasts strongly with both that on the north and that on the south. 

 Though by no means devoid of elevations, there is still a general flatness 

 of feature prevailing throughout. 



On the north, on the one hand, there are the Jilunga and other 

 ranges of hills, and the remarkable plateau upon which the Station of 

 liazareebagh is placed; and on the south a well defined scarp which bounds 

 the hilly country included in Cliota Nagpoor. 



The principal river is the Damoodah or Deonud ; outside the area 



of the coal-field it is characterized by having sandy 

 Rivers. 



reaches from one-third to half a mile wide, and 



from one to two and sometimes even three miles long. Within the 

 Damoodah not suitable coal-field, however, the bed is much narrower and 

 as a means of carriage. ft-ec^ently SO rocky as efi'ectually to settle the 

 question of the uusuitability of the river as a means of conveyance for 

 either timber or coal. 



The tributaries of the Damoodah within the limits, or in the immedi- 

 Tributaries of Damoo- ^^^ vicinity of the coal field, are of trifling length ; 

 ^ ' they are, however, veiy numerous, owing to which 



circumstance, it frequently happens, that a few hours heavy rain is suffi- 

 cient to convert its otherwise narrow stream into a raging torrent, which 

 can only be forded with a considerable amount of risk. 

 (110) 



