60 
Records of the Geological Surrey of India. 
[VOL. IT. 
I reached Diimagtidera on the 25th December 1870, and learned from Colonel Haig that 
besides the coal at Lingala near the mouth of the Till, some had been reported farther down 
the river at a village named Madavaram below Bhadrachalam. This place is below 
the first barrier on the Godavari, and is consequently at all times in free communication by 
water with the coast, whilst Lingala is above the first barrier, and although communication 
is now possible during the greater part of the year, it is not easy for laden boats except for a 
few months. At the spot where coal was said to have been found, I could detect nothing except 
some ghaly dark coloured sandstone, but the rocks around were unmistakeably Damudas 
and there was every reason to hope for success in the search. 
An examination of the ground showed that the Damuda rocks extend for a short 
distance on both banks of the river, but that sections are very few and imperfect. On the 
left bank which belongs to the Upper Godavari* districts, there are scarcely any rocks 
visible except at the hills near Daorpali, and these are probably of a higher group, nearly the 
whole surface elsewhere being covered with alluvium. The beds appear to extend about 
six miles along the river from Gogubaka to Nandigur, but not more than from a mile to a mile 
and a half from tlie bank. On the right (south) bank of the river they extend about five 
miles from Palaram to the bend below Madavaram, stretching for a mile and a half to two 
miles inland. Above Palaram there is a break occupied by metaniorplric rocks for a mile 
and a half; above this, again, at Pundigdl the Damudas re-appear and occur for about 
one and a half miles to a little above Amravaram, then they are covered apparently by 
the Kamtbls, but the two groups here resemble each other so much in mineral character 
that their limits are difficult to define, especially as nearly the whole surface of the country 
is thickly covered with alluvial deposit. The Damudas near Amravaram cannot be traced 
more than about a mile and a half from the river’s banks, beyond this limit they are entirely 
overlapped by the Ivamthls. 
Along the right (or south) bank of the Godavari a tolerable section of the Damudas 
is exposed, consisting of conglomerate, sandstone, shale and clay, hut no coal. There are, 
however, many breaks in the section, and it is evident that an examination of these by boring 
would prove conclusively the presence or absence of any bed of coal extending over the whole 
field. Local beds, of course, might be found elsewhere, but their value must be comparatively 
small. It is also manifest that a thorough exploration can only be made south of the 
river, as to the north the beds are so much concealed that, except in a few spots, all borings 
must be put down at haphazard. 
The general dip seen in the river’s hank near Madavaram is to the westward, the rocks 
at the village being inclined at a high angle and much broken and disturbed; a short dis¬ 
tance to tlie east down the river there is an anticlinal, at the spot where a small stream enters 
the river. From this point eastwards to the bend of the river, a distance of less than a quarter 
of a mile, the rocks either have a low dip to the east or are horizontal, and the prevalence 
of conglomerate shows them to be in all probability near the base or limit of the formation. 
It is evident that the anticlinal exposes the lowest rocks to he scon on the river hank, 
and that a boring at this spot must penetrate beds lower in the series than any exposed 
elsewhere. On the arrival of the boring tools, I arranged with Mr. Vanstavern for a borehole 
to be begun at this spot. This was commenced on January 17tk and carried on until April 
12tk, up to which time 192 feet had been penetrated; the borehole was then stopped in 
* I do not know who bestowed this name on the districts, but it is an absurd misnomer. The Upper Goddvarl 
can only be that portion of the river’s course above its junction with the Pranhitd, if not higher still, where it 
traverses the Bombay Presidency. Siroueha at the upper extremity of these “Upper Godavari districts” is 210 miles 
as the crow flics from the mouth of the river and 400 miles from its source ! 
