PART 1.] 
llvghes : Iron-ores of Kumaott. 
19 
Even taking the most unfavorable view of the ease, however, there is an immense mass 
of ore. I was somewhat sceptical at first as to the quantity being large, but half an hour’ 3 
steady walking over a more or less continuous baud of it, removed any doubts that I had 
entertained. 
I cannot, however, speak very enthusiastically about the general quality of the ore. A 
sample, which I consider contains more than the average quantity of iron, yielded 49’91 per 
cent, of protoxide, or 38 82 per cent, of metallic iron. 
On referring to the printed records on the subject, I find that in trial-assays made by 
Mr. Davies* the percentages of iron were 48, 47, 40, and 28 ; Piddington gives the maximum 
as 52 and 29. And Dr. Maenamara from best quality samples obtained 48'53 per cent. 
Summary. —No appreciation of the value of the Kaladhungi deposit oan bo made by 
merely reading a series of maximum and minimum percentages of samples sent in to an 
analyst. One must go over the ground as I did to see what the general proportion of rich 
to poor ore is—and I am of opinion that the poor ore predominates. At first sight this state¬ 
ment might appear to condemn the Kaladhungi ironstone, but this is not the case, for if the 
“ getting ” of it were properly supervised by some person who could distinguish the good from 
the bad portions, the deposit is so large that an immense amount of superior ore might be 
made available for smelting. Unless some plan of discrimination, however, is adopted, a 
mixture of high and low class ores will take place, and as the better class of ore is not 
extravagantly rich, it will do no more than just raise the entire mass above the standard of 
condemnation. 
Flux .—Limestone blocks occur in several of the small streams near Kaladhungi, and 
notably in the Baur river. An estimate of quantity is scarcely called for, as the supply is 
more than ample for the wants of half a dozen furnaces. 
Deh-chattm. 
The ironstone which occurs at Kaladhungi extends westward to Ddh-ohauri. Mr • 
Sowerhy spoke highly of the Deh-chaun ore, and asserted that it was more abundant than 
the deposit at Kaladhungi. This latter statement was a point which Mr. Matthews, 
equally with myself, wished to investigate, and we spent three days in looking up every section 
that was to be seen, and we came to the conclusion that the deposit of ore was less extensive 
than that at Kaladhungi, but the quality was generally much better. Several different beds 
are spoken of by Mr. Sowerby as being in situ, but I can neither confirm nor disprove this 
assertion. None of the natural sections furnished me any satisfactory evidence, and to have 
opened out a shaft, or driven an adit, would have occupied two or three months. With only 
the quantity of ore, however, to operate with that I saw on the surface, there is enough to 
supply all the requirements of the number of furnaces that are ever likely to he kept in blast 
at Deh-ohauri, so that whether three beds or four beds exist is really not of much consequence. 
The following analyses of Deh-chauri and Kaladhungi ores exhibit side by side the 
composition of^amples which are somewhat above the average quality :— 
Dch-chaurl. 
KfOddhungi. 
Losa in heating ... 
458 
7-67 
Oxide of iron 
70-88 
49 91 
Alumina 
4-79 
5*27 
Lime 
3*11 
11 
Phosphoric acid ... 
1-67 
‘66 
Silica and insoluble 
... ... 15‘81 
36*62 
100-84 
100-23 
Metallic irou 
5513 
38-82 
There was no sulphur, and the amount of phosphorus is not excessive. 
* Selections from the Records of the Government of India, Supplement to No. VIII, 1865, page 41. 
