G4 



MALLET: GEOLOGY OF DARJILING AND WESTERN DUARS. 



The cost of carrying the Darjiling coal to the foot of the hills by 

 tramway, would probably not exceed a few annas a ton. Allowing, how- 

 ever, Rs. 3 for carriage in the first instance by carts, we have roughly— 



Rs. A. 



Carriage to foot of hills ... ... ... #i 3 q 



Conversion into patent fuel ... ... 10 



Cost, exclusive of mining, at Sukn a ... ',„ 4 q 



Carriage by rail to southern terminus of the Northern Bengal 



State Railway ... ... ... #>j 3 q 



Cost, exclusive of mining, at southern terminus of Northern 



Bengal State Railway ... ... ... ... 7 



as compared to Rs. 15 a ton at Sukna and Rs. 12 at the southern 

 terminus for Raniganj coal. This leaves a margin of Rs. 11 in the 

 former case, and Rs. 5 in the latter, for the cost of mining the Darjiling 

 coal. If, therefore, the difficulties of mining the latter could be over- 

 come at over double the expense of raising the Raniganj coal, the Dar- 

 jiling coal would pay at the southern terminus, and it would pay at 

 Sukna if it could be brought to bank at over five times the expense of 

 raising the Raniganj coal.* If we allow, say, 8 annas a ton for carrying 

 the coal to Sukna by tramway, the margin for mining will be still 

 larger. Serious, therefore, as are the difficulties to be encountered — 

 difficulties which, it is not to be concealed, may prove insurmountable^ 

 the Darjiling seams are clearly well worth a fair trial ; and I would 

 decidedly recommend that the experimental drifts be carried on. 



Graphite. 



I have already explained that the carbonaceous shales of the 



Damiidas are, in their most highly altered condition, converted more or 



less into a graphitic schist, and that similar beds are occasionally met 



with in the Daling beds. The change, however, of the carbon from the 



* This is on the assumption that the coals are of equal heating power; as I have 

 showu, the Darjiling has some advantage in this respect. 



( 64 ) 



