1 SALT REVENUE DEPARTMENT FOR THE OFFICIAL YEAR 1899-1900.
2 The tunnel from block No. 12 was carried on for 62°5 feet and ©/S-INDUS MINES.
3 two small seams of salt, 19°6 feet and 24°5 feet in thickness,
4 were met with. The tunnel from block No. 22 was pushed
5 on for 460 feet, and has exposed a stratum of salt 110 feet in
6 thickness measured horizontally.
7 It was mentioned in the report of 1898-99 that the re-
8 moval by steam pumps of the water which had collected in
9 parts of the mine had been taken in hand. This work was
10 continued and completed during the year, and the approximate
11 quantity of water so removed amounted to nearly 44 millions
12 of gallons. The total cost of the work was Rs. 8,869-6-9, of
13 which Rs. 2,223-0-7 were spent in 1898-99, Rs. 5,075-5-7 have
14 been charged in the accounts of the year under report, and
15 Rs. 1,571-0-7 have yet to be adjusted. The immediate effect
16 of this removal of water has been that eight fine workings
17 in the Bagi-Sujiwal, Sujiwal and Pharwala seams, 787 feet
18 in length by 40 feet in breadth, and admitting of consider- ,
19 able extension, have been made available for mining’ work;
20 and workings in the neighbourhood of those which contained
21 water are now safe from the danger of inundation. There is
22 still some percolation into two of the workings which have
23 been emptied in block No. 9, but the quantity of water is not
24 large, and it can, if necessary, be removed with a hand pump.
25 The smoke from the engine was trying and caused consider-
26 able annoyance to the miners, and it is to be hoped that the
27 necessity for using steam pumps will not again arise. In the
28 course of mining work some water was met with at the higher
29 levels, but this has been run out of the mine -by a system of
30 drains along the tramway lines, the length of the drains so
31 constructed being 1,935 feet. The mine is now very free of
32 water, and the surface of the mine hill was still further pro-
33 tected during the year from percolation, by an extension of
34 1,160 feet of the drainage system which exists upon it.
35 The filling up of the old Sujiwal mine with waste salt, with
36 the object of supporting the roof, was continued during the year
37 and the work has been nearly completed. In the new mine, por-
38 tions of some workings in the Sujiwal seam, from which all the
39 salt available had been excavated, were similarly filledup. As
40 soon as the shoring up uf the roof of the old Sujiwal mine is
41 finished, waste salt will be systematically and continuously
42 utilized for filling up workedout portions of the new mine.
43 Purdon’s tunnel, a masonry lined tunnel, which ran into the old
44 Sujiwal mine, and which is now one of the principal ventilating
45 shafts of the new mine, was repaired at a cost of Rs. 834, as
46 the pressure of the hill above was found to be crushing the
47 masonry.
48 All tunnels and shafts in use were maintained ina safe con-
49 dition during the year; and pathways were kept in good ;
50 repair and were properly fenced wherever necessary.
51 The mine tramway was extended during the year to a dis-
52 tance of 191 feet. Necessary additions were made to the per-
53 manent way and rolling stock, and the lines continued to work
54 efiiciently. .
55 33, The Warcha Mine.—The new entrance to this mine, Tbe Warcha Mine,
56 which was commenced in 1898-99 owing to the hill above the
57 old entrance becoming unsafe, was completed during the year.
58 The length of the entrance is 236 feet, of which about 20 feet
59 is an open cutting, The tunnel, forming the rest of the
60 ( 19 )