68 RANIGANJ COAL FIELD. [CHAP. IV. § 2. 



the shaft was hardened by trap, and the seam mined elsewhere may- 

 prove of good quality. 



Of the next seams seen, No. 59, 16 inches thick, and No. 65, 

 8 inches, are stated to be of the best quality of coking coals ; their size, 

 however, would prevent their being extracted by the present system : 

 seams also of so small dimensions may very possibly thin out in these 

 beds within a few yards. No. 82, 10 feet thick, is very inferior, but 

 No. 86, seen just South of the bridge on the Grand Trunk Road, and 

 7 feet 6 inches thick, is apparently of good quality, and is probably 

 that already spoken of as having been cut into in a well at Taldanga 

 dak bungalow. A thin seam is seen just North of the bridge. 



A little further up is seen No. 103, 9 J feet thick, of very inferior 

 shaley coal. The two seams, 109 and 116, which are said to be of fair 

 quality, are seen about a quarter of a mile from the Grand Trunk Road, 

 and may be traced for some distance towards Hejiakhund. The seams, 

 however, which cross the road West of Hejiakhund are not clearly conti- 

 nuations of those last mentioned ; it appears rather as if the more Easterly 

 seams died out, and others came in nearly on the same general level 

 in the series. All seams below these are described by Mr. Williams 

 as worthless, and only two are seen, and those by no means well, in 

 the banks of the stream. 



In the Kudia only thin strings of coal occur as far as Sangamahal, 



Section in the KMia anc * South of it, the few beds seen are too much 

 Etream * disturbed by the neighborhood of the fault, 



bounding the field to the South-west, to be of any use. Just South 



being acquainted with the researches of the few previous observers, and I went to the spots 

 fully impressed with their estimate of the richness of the district, and the excellence of the 

 coal. Nor did I change my opinion without ample evidence to the contrary. Nevertheless, 

 I may be mistaken, or it may so happen that only some seams are variable in size and quality. 

 That a very large proportion are greatly injured by trap is unquestionable. As will be seen, 

 the evidence in the Raniganj series is different, and there is far more evidence of seams being 

 continuous over considerable areas. 



