6o HATCH: THE KOLAR GOLD-FIELD. 



Dynamite.— The explosives used on the Kolar gold-field consist 

 of blasting gelatine and gelignite which with fuse and detonators are 

 manufactured and imported by the Nobel Company. The imports 

 for the past three years were — 





Dynamite (gelignite). 



Blasting gelatine, 



1897 



120 tons 



300 tons 



1898 



90 „ 



225 „ 



1899 



3° » 



22 5 >t 



In the mines, blasting gelatine (93 per cent, nitro-glycerine) is 

 used almost exclusively. According to returns made by the mining 

 companies to the Mining Inspector for last year (1899) 8,968 cases 

 of 5olbs. were consumed in underground work, and the average 

 price paid by the mines under the control of Messrs. John Taylor 

 and Sons was 7 is. per case ; while the only company not under their 

 management (the amalgamated Mysore West and Mysore Wynaad) 

 paid 80s. per case. Gelignite costs the Taylor companies 54s. 6d. 

 per case of 50 lbs. 



General Stores, — Having dealt with fuel, timber, and dynamite, 

 which are the most costly items in the list of materials used in 

 mining, there remain the numerous stores of which a supply has to 

 be kept up in any well-conducted mine. Of these the bulk are 

 imported by the companies direct from England. The principal 

 items are machine spares, shoes, dies, cams, cam-shafts, mortar- 

 boxes, screening, bolts and nuts, pipes and pipe-fittings, steel, bar- 

 iron rails, truck-wheels, wire ropes, belting, candles, oils, greasej 

 kerosene, cement, quicksilver, cyanide, zinc, and assay chemicals. 



The following are one or two selected examples of consumption 

 and cost for the whole field during 1899: — 



Material. 



Candles 



Mercury . . . 



Cyanide . 



Zinc 



Quantity consumed 





Cost. 



in lbs. 







£ 



547,012 



. 



. 



10,537 



24.127 



• 



• 



2,864 



414*553 



• • 



• 



19.909 



43. 2 42 



. 



. 



602 



