212 WYNNE: TRANS-INDUS SALT REGION, KOHAT DISTRICT. 



2. Lachee (Lachi). — Close to the west of the village of Lachee 

 (Lachi) on the Kohat and Bahadur Khel road, quarries in salt have 

 been worked in former times, but have long been closed (from the state- 

 ments of old people of the village probably about the year 1830 A. D.) 

 From their occurring so near the road, these quarries are of some interest, 

 and because they are nearer to Kohat than any of the others. They 

 occur close to the foot of a limestone-covered hill, and over a rising 

 ground covered by gypsum, hollows in which indicate the sites of the 

 old quarries. In the valley of a small stream crossing this gypsum a 

 weak brine spring issues. The hollows mentioned are very deep, yet no 

 salt crops out in them. Concerning this locality the following informa- 

 tion was collected : — 



An old miner of Lachee (Lachi) village, stating his age at 7 1 years 

 in January 1874, said, the salt quarries were worked in the life-time of 

 his father, and that he also had cut salt in them. 



The salt was sold at the Affreedee (Affridi) pass to Peshawur for Its. 2 

 per maund, but was not carried across by the Lachi people to Peshawur, 

 they being afraid of the tribes in the pass. 



The quarries were covered with a heading of clay, gypsum and 

 debris higher than the two-storied bungalow of Lachee (Lachi) fort, 

 even 30 guz (? cubits). 



The quarry he worked in was about the size of a room in Lachee 

 (Lachi) bungalow, and the salt was about as high as a man's stature all 

 round. A spring filled the lower part of this quarry, but there was still 

 salt below. 



The water did not burst up in every place, and he thought it might 

 be led to the river (that is, that it was higher than the stream to the 

 south) . 



The salt was good in every way like that at Jatta. 



The quarries were closed about forty years ; they had been worked for 

 forty years previously, and were abandoned on account of their depth and 



( 316 ) 



