334 



Economic Geology of Assam. 



[No. 4. 



ing with the feet, this operation occupying a period of ten or 

 twelve days. 



The washing out and collecting the ore having been accomplished, 

 the smelting process is commenced, and a furnace made after the 

 common Indian fashion on the spot. 



The operations of smelting are carried on by five of the party, 

 one of them being the oustad, ojah, or head-smelter, whose business 

 is to supply ore and fuel when the furnace lias been heated, and 

 to draw out the melted lump of pig-iron from every fifteen seers of 

 ore, which he elongates and cuts (as shewn with sample sent). 



The process is simply that which prevails throughout India, 

 besides the master there being two assistants, one man to blow 

 the bellows, and another to bring the ore and charcoal, which is 

 thrown into the heated furnace, in quantities of a chittack of ore 

 with its accompanying charcoal at a time, no flux being used — in 

 this manner working day and night, with two men, as a relief 

 thirteen pieces of crude iron were turned out of the ore furnace in 

 twenty-four hours. The lumps of pig-iron averaging about four 

 seers in weight were sold for two, three or four annas a piece, 

 according to quality and the quantity of pure malleable iron they 

 contained. 



The following is a table shewing the number of persons employed, 

 the number of days, and the expense of digging, washing and smelt- 

 ing one hundred maunds of the Bosa Doyung ore. 



Table No. 1. 



Detail of work. 



In searching for the ore bed, 



To. dig up ore, &c 



To wash the ore, 



To make charcoal, 



Smelting the ore, 







d . 



m 







t(H O 



en 



°P< 



O 







O P 



O 



fc ° 



fe 



6 



5 



6 



15 



6 



11 



6 



30 



5 



20 



of men em 



ployed... 



-u o 

 o 



30 



90 



66 



180 



100 



466 



