56 
BALL AND SIMPSON: COALFIELDS OF INDIA. 
The most i)roductive portion of the field lies between the Kunar 
river and the eastern boundary. Among several thick seams of 
good quality in this latter area, one measuring 88 feet in thickness 
stands pre-eminent. In the same locality the dips vary from 5° to 
10° and the ground is, therefore, much more favourable for working 
than in other parts of the field. 
Mr. Hughes mentions 1,500 million tons as the probable amount 
of available fuel which the field can yield. A few workings have 
been made on the outcrops of the seams for the purpose of supply- 
ing coal to the civil station of Hazaribagh. Although the inferiority 
of much of the fuel and the cost of transport would cut it out 
from the Calcutta market, yet now that the railway companies 
are extending their lines to the west of the Jharia field it is not 
unlikely that the opening of a limited number of mines for the supply 
of coal to up-country markets would be a successful commercial 
venture. During the coal boom of 1907 a large amount of prospect- 
ing work was done by firms interested in the field, but no details 
are yet available for publication. In 1910 four collieries were at 
work and 2,166 tons of coal were got. The Bengal-Nagpur Railway 
Company is now engaged in building a line to this coalfield. 
Ramgarh} — This coalfield is situated in the Hazaribagh dis- 
trict of Chota Nagpur. It lies along the valley of the Damuda 
river some 5 miles to the south of the Bokaro coalfield. Its 
area is about 40 sq. miles. The rocks exposed have a total thick- 
ness of more than 5,000 feet and consist of Damudas and Talchirs. 
The rocks of the Barakar stage contain a large number of thick 
coal-seams, of which some are of fair quality, but much disturbed ; 
on the east where low dips prevail the coal is very inferior. 
Ball ^ estimated that about 5 million tons of coal are available, 
but did not think it probable that the coalfield would ever be 
worked to any great extent. It is beUeved that small quantities of coal 
have been worked by the natives and carried to Ranchi for sale. 
North and South Karanpura. — These extensive coalfields occupy 
the head of the Damuda valley and lie at the base of the southern 
scarp of the Hazaribagh table-land, from one to four miles west 
of the Bokaro and Ramgarh coalfields. Their respective areas are 
472 and 72 sq. miles. Although separated from one another by 
1 T3aU: Mem., G. S. I., Vol. VI, p. 109 (1867). 
- Manual, Vol. Ill, p. 84 (1881). 
