RECORDS 
OF THB 
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA. 
Part 3.] 
1878. 
[August. 
Note on the Peogress of the Gold Industry in Wtnad, Nilgiei District, 
Madras Presidency, hy W. King, b.a., Deputy Superintendent, Geological 
Survey of India. 
Tlie official boundaries of Wynad baring of late been altered by tbe annexa¬ 
tion of its soutb-eastern frontier, or tbe country around Dayrallab, to tbe Com- 
missionersbip of tbe Nilgiris, it becomes necessary, as in tbe beading of tbis 
paper, to refer to tbe present area of tbe gold industry as being in tbe Nilgiri 
district, instead of as bitberto in tbat of Malabar. 
It is now nearly three years since my first noticei was written on the gold¬ 
fields of WjTiad, at which time a commencement was about to be made by the 
pioneer Alpha Gold Company in working them. Since then two other Com¬ 
panies, tbe ‘Wynad Prospecting’ and tbe ‘Prince of Wales’ Tribute,’ have made 
essays with the same intention; but none of these have, until very lately, suc¬ 
ceeded in obtaining from tbe quartz an average percentage of gold at all equalling 
tbat of my preKminaiy crusbings, namely, 7 dwts. to tbe ton. It is only within 
tbe last few months tbat some stone from ‘Wrights’ level’ in tbe Alpha works 
has yielded from 11 to 17 pennyweights. 
The returns obtained were all so much below the amount ex 2 iected, tbat I was, 
at various times, applied to by those interested in tbe successful working of these 
Companies for any suggestions as to improved manipulation, or better mining; 
and in July last I made a hurried inspection of the works and tbe machinery. 
In all cases, the mining bad only been carried on near tbe surface; and in 
most instances disappointing results bad driven the Managers and working Direc¬ 
tors from one point to another of tbe reefs, as more or less promising stone seemed 
to present itself to tbe search. Tbe Alpha Company was at a standstill through 
exhaustion of funds and breaking down of machinery; the Wj-nad Prospecting 
Company had nearly run through its capital, but hoped to be able to hold on by 
obtaining gold sufficient to pay working expenses; and the Prince of Wales’ Com¬ 
pany, which has no machinery of its own, had leased that of the Alpha Company, 
’ llceords Geol. Siirv. of India, Vol. VIII, Part 2. 
A 
