e k7 & 
CHAP. 9.] ECONOMIC RESOURCES. 279 
in weathered surfaces is of a brownish red color with a red streak ; and 
when freshly broken is of a tolerably brilliant metallic grey color. "This 
variety is from thin interealated bands or seams among the ferruginous 
quartzites in the hills east of Roodrar, which village is the centre of this 
iron smelting area, At the time of our visit to this village there were 
four furnaces at work. These are after the usual model in Southern 
India, as illustrated in our Report on the Salem district. We were 
informed that 19 double-handsful of the pounded ore were placed at a 
time in the furnace; that the result of one furnace is a split-block of 24 
seers (a seer being reputed to be Rs. 20 in weight), which split-mass is 
afterwards forged or beaten four times until a mass of iron is produced of 
18 seers weight which is worth Rs. 13. Considering the high price of 
labor and food latterly prevalent in this part of the Kurnool district, the 
people said that this price of a forged block is not high. In many of 
the villages about here the iron is forged as well as reduced. The native 
product is largely used for plough-shares and other agricultural imple- 
ments; but it is not suitable for tires of wheels; English iron being 
brought up from Madras for this purpose. 
The band of ferruginous quartzites shows all along the western flanks 
of the Nullamullays, from some distance north of Nundiallumpett up . 
to opposite Nundial. The principal iron villages are Bachapilly, 
Roodrar, with adjacent hamlets, Serinapoor, Kuddamal-calwa, and 
Galchinpollam. These seem to have furnaces always at work; other 
villages only work at intervals, or have given up smelting altogether. 
The ore used at Bachapilly is brought in from the valley behind the 
outer line of hills. Iron making at Roodrar and the neighbourhood is 
referred to in an interesting paper by Mr. P. W. Wall, in the Madras 
Journal of Literature and Science:+ and again in Dr. E. Balfour’s 
Cyclopcedia of India. 
* Mem. Geological Survey of India, Vol. IV, part 2. 
+ Vol. XX, New Series, p, 299, ct. seq. 1869. 
(OD 
