6 RANIGANJ COAL FIELD. [ChAP. I. 



the Coal Committee, and who was at that time the manager of 



Messrs. Jessop and Co.'s colliery of Narrainkuri, 

 Mr. J. Homfray, 1842. 



contributed " A description of the coalfield of the 

 " Damuda Valley, and the adjacent countries of Bheerbhoom and Poo- 

 " rooleeah, as applicable to the present date, 1842," to the Journal 

 of the Asiatic Society of Bengal* This is the first published general 

 account of the Raniganj field, and it lays down the boundaries with 

 tolerable correctness, except that the coal-bearing rocks are said 

 to extend up the Damuda to an unknown distance, thus making 

 the Jeria field and those South of Hazaribagh parts of one great 

 basin, whereas they are separated by wide intervening tracts of meta- 

 morphic rocks. The geological statements, however, are, for the most 

 part, erroneous. For instance, Mr. Homfray states that there are only 

 two workable seams of coal in the field : 1st, that worked at Narrain- 

 kuri, Raniganj, Chinakuri (Saltinchi), and on the Barakar and Ktidia 

 streams ; and, 2nd, a lower -seam worked at the old Chinakuri mine and 

 Barmuri, on the Barakar. It has long since been proved by Mr. 

 Williams, that this statement was absurd, and, indeed, the most limited 

 geological knowledge and the most superficial observation should have 

 sufficed to show the distinctness of the coal seams worked at Rani- 

 ganj and at Narrainkuri, within half a mile of each other. Again 

 Mr. Homfray declares the Salma trap dykef to be a great fault, 

 and that the " upheave is evidently to the North-east." Nothing 

 can be clearer than the total absence of any " throw" whatever. One 

 more instance will suffice. Mr. Homfray says, page 725, " At some 

 " distance up the Damuda River, on the South-west bank, is the 

 " great hill of Pachete, from which innumerable dykes issue, and all 

 " around its base and between it and the river, a space of about 

 " 4 miles, the country, although abounding in coal, is full of these 

 " dislocations." It is curious that the country between Panchet (Pachete) 



* Volume XI., page 723. t P a g c 725. 



