6 



MINERAL STATISTICS. 



other than railway uses has ceased^ and^ with improvement in general 

 trade^ there has been also an extension of the demand for coal. 

 Taking the same years as before, we find the — 







Amount of Coal 







Amount of Coal 



used by East Indian 







raised in Bengal. 



Railway for locomo- 

 tive purposes. 





1861 



77,85,085 



9,91,215 



67,93,870 



1862 



86,30,843 



12,29,709 



74,01,134 



1863 



95,04,975 



18,37,717 



76,67,258 



1864 



90,32,405 



26,96,442 



63,35,963 



1865 



88,10,425 



28,27,953 



59,82,472 



1866 ... 



1,07,90,035 



50,79,612 



57,10,423 



1867 



1,18,47,178 



50,60,206 



67,86,972 



1868 



1,34,50,829 



58,4£>,759 



76,10,070 



Or if we take the total railway consumption for the only two years 

 for which I have returns, we will find that the amount left for use in 

 other ways in 1867 was only 50,51,618 and in 1868, 59,90,069. -The 

 returns on which this is based wiU be found further on. 



Another view of these numerical results will also tend to show the 

 vast increase in the development of this important Ranigunj field. 

 In 1860, the total number of steam engines in use in this field was 28, 

 with an aggregate horse-power of 490, while in 1868, we have a return 

 of 61 engines with an aggregate of 867 horse-power. That is the 

 number of engines has more than doubled in eight years. It is not 

 so satisfactory to see that the horse-power has not doubled, inasmuch 

 as this indicates a more frequent use of small engines, and probably, 

 therefore, of small workings, or open quarries. It is at aU times more 

 economical to work with engines having power to spare than with 

 such only as are equal to the work required of them, when strained to 

 their utmost duty. But independently of this want of attention to 

 economy in the use of steam power itself, the multiplication of small 

 and nearly surface workings is most objectionable. 



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