50 
Records of the Geological Survey of India. 
[vol. III. 
The coals below that were very inferior, and much that has subsequently been furnished from 
the sinking at this pit for the use of the steam boring machine is scarcely worthy of 
the name of coal at all, with difficulty keeping up the fire, and not giving steam at all 
in sufficient quantity. The present assays show that this is the character of much of the 
Telwassa coal also. One thing is quite certain that, as pointed out long since, any estimate 
ot value based ou the duty obtained from carefully selected coal from these will certainly 
give a false idea of the average value of the whole ; while in any ordinary mode of mining, 
the irregularity of these better beds, and the certainty that they will not continue for any 
great distance ou the same horizon, will seriously interfere with the economic working of 
seams of such thickness as those we have shown to occur. 
It remains to consider what is the amount of coal which may be considered fairly and 
economically accessible in these Wardha river coal-fields so far as examined, that is, in other 
words, in the country lying between the Wardha and Pemguuga rivers in the south and 
the general outline of the trappean rocks which cover everything on the north. If we 
take this estimate in two distinct portions, as referring to the east and to the west side of 
the river Wardha, we can then combine the two to get the general results. In Wi'm 
district, to the west of the Wardha, there may be estimated to he about 70 square miles of 
country under which the thick coal may fairly be presumed to extend, and will probably be 
found nowhere at a greater depth than 120 yards below surface. Now, from this wo must 
deduct a fair proportion for ground cut up by faults and disturbances, and so not likely to 
yield very profitable return from the working of the eoal. If for this we deduct, say, one- 
third of the area, we will have 45 square miles yielding coal. The average thickness of 
coal established by the numerous trials may be taken as nearly 40 feet, that is, of coal, 
coaly shale and beds of varying character taken as a whole. As I have shown, a very large 
deduction from this must be made, and I believe that an admission of 20 feet would be not 
only a maximum thickness of workable coal, but be even too high a figure. But taking 
this as 20 feet of workable coal over 40 square miles, and assuming 600,000 tons as a fair 
amount of coal obtained from the square mile per foot iu thickness, we have 
600,000 X 40 x 20 = 480 millions of tons of coal, of such quality as it is, available in East 
Berar at depths below the surface not exceeding say 60 fathoms. 
Passing into Chanda we have equally an area of about one and half square miles near 
Gliugus, (making the same allowance for disturbed ground as before), and an area of about 
five square miles in the north of the field. And as the beds of coal are precisely the same, 
we take here the same estimate of thickness, viz., 20 feet of workable coal. And proceed¬ 
ing on the same data, we will have, therefore, in Chanda, 600,000 x 6’5 X 20 = 78 millions 
of tons. This latter result fully bears out wliat was stated months since, that there was 
a very much larger amount of coal available in the ‘Assigiied Districts’ than in 
Chanda, in the vicinity of the Wardha. 
We certainly ought not to estimate more that one-half of these quantities of good 
coal. 
While engaged in the practical exploration of these coal-fields. I had frequent applica¬ 
tions from tho Engineers employed in making trial sections and estimates for a proposed 
line of railway for information ns lo the position, quantity, and quality of the coal, and 
as to the general question, which would he the lino best adapted to meet the requirements 
of the case, so ns to facilitate the transport of this coal to the existing lines of railway 
to the north and southwards to the Godavery. It was also asked that the opening up 
of the cotton country should be borne in mind. Every information was readily afforded 
from time to time as new facts were ascertained. 
But this necessarily led to the consideration and discussion of the best direction in 
which to carry a line of railway with these avowed objects. Tin 1 intended point of junction 
with the Bombay and Nagpur line was stated to be the Wardha station, and it was at first 
assumed that the line must go to Chanda or through the Chanda district. Long since I 
pointed out that it required but a very trifling acquaintance with the country to show that by 
much a larger area of eoal existed in Berar than in Chanda, and that it was simply 
misleading opinion to speak of this coal-field as the Chanda coal-field. I also had occasion to 
show that, t he pit which was being sunk to the coal near Ghtigus was quite unnecessary if it 
were only intended as a means of trial of the coal, and that if intended as a moans of working 
