24 HUGHES: SOUTHERN coal-fields of rewah oondwana basin. 



The first boring was commenced on the 22nd January 1882. It was 

 Boring commenced, placed a short distance to the north of the out- 

 22nd January, 1882. CT0 ^ Q £ ^| ie seam ^ ail( j wag sun ^ i 0 procure in- 

 formation as to whether the coal thickened or thinned to the deep. It 

 proved three bands of coal, measuring respectively 3 feet, 7 feet and 2 

 feet, the reading being — 





ft. 



in. 



1. Surface, soil ...... 



1 



6 



2. Sandstone ...... 



. 42 



6 



3. Sandstone, carbonaceous, shaly . 



. 3 



0 



4. Shale, carbonaceous ..... 



. 2 



0 



5. Coal ....... 



. 3 



0 



6. Shale, carbonaceous .... 



1 



0 



7. Sandstone ...... 



1 



0 



8. Coal 



7 



0 



9. Sandstone, carbonaceous, shaly 



. 9 



0 



10. Shale, carbonaceous .... 



2 



0 



11. Coal 



2 



0 



12. Sandstone, carbonaceous, shaly 



. 3 



0 



13. Sandstone, white, not gone through . 



. 16 



0 





93 



0 



At the outcrop the main band measures only 4 feet 4£ inches to 4 

 feet 8 inches, and its increase to 7 feet was a pleasant confirmation of the 

 hope which had been entertained of its probable behaviour. 



As many as 15 bore-holes were commenced before the rains put an 

 end to the seasou's operations. Most of them were 



Borc-liolcs. 



sunk within the limits of the Umaria holding, and 

 satisfactorily indicated the occurrence of coal over a sufficiently large area 

 to supply several million tons of fuel. 



On the other side of the river, five borings were started. Two of 

 these proved coal, but a series of misfortunes rendered the holes between 

 Kalesar and Lalpur useless as indicators, none of them having been com- 

 pleted. The question, therefore, as to what becomes of the coal in that 

 direction is an open one, but I incline to think that the coal is there, and 

 that, had the borings been carried deeper, they would have proved 

 this to be the case. 

 ( 161) ) 



