1 4
2 cIs-INDUS MINES.
3 Work in the Mines con-
4 tinued,
5 The Nurpur Mine.
6 The Kilabégh Quarries.
7 Accidents at the mines.
8 Excavation and cost of
9 rock salt.
10 Excavation in the Mayo
11 ine.
12 REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE NORTHERN INDIA
13 entrance, is 7 feet in height by 6 feet in breadth, and has been
14 roofed where necessary with masonry, so that it forms a safe
15 means of ingress and egress. The construction of the tunnel
16 was a difficult and dangerous piece of work as part of the
17 strata traversed was friable and unsound, but the work was
18 safely accomplished without accident. The old mine, which
19 had become very dangerous, has been completely closed up. A
20 new storeyard for salt has been made on the hillside at the
21 new entrance, and the distance to which the salt has to be
22 carried by the miners has been much reduced. The hill above
23 the old entrance to the mine hasbeen cut back ; and surface
24 drains have been constructed to protect the hill above the new
25 mine from the percolation which in course of time rendered the
26 old mine so unsafe,
27 Mining work continued to be carried on upon the same
28 principles as in the Mayo Mine. An exploration tunnel in
29 working block No.4 has shown that below the seam now
30 worked there are 3 workable seams, 17'7, 12:8 and 54°7 feet in
31 thickness. There is in fact salt enough inthe hill to supply
32 the Warcha trade for centuries, and much has been done during
33 the year to improve the mine. The 9 miles of road between
34 Warcha and the railway form, however, a futal obstacle to any
35 great development of the Warcha trade. The line of rails
36 formerly laid down from Gunjyal to Warcha has now been
37 taken up by the Railway Engineers ; and any hope there may
38 have been of dn extension being opened to Warcha has thereby
39 been extinguished.
40 The Nurpur Mine.—This supplies only a small quantity
41 of salt for local consumption. It was maintained in good order.
42 The Kélabégh Quarries.—These continued to yield good
43 salt during the year.
44 34. Two minor accidents occurred in the Mayo Mine. A
45 boy’s finger was fractured by a piece of salt falling from his
46 head upon it while his hand was resting on a railing; anda
47 woman broke her arm (a simple fracture) by falling accidentally
48 in an awkward manner upon the floor of a working. There
49 were no accidents at Warcha, Nurpur or Kalabagh.
50 35. The total quantity of rock salt excavated in the divi-
51 sion during the year was maunds 25,95,126, compared with
52 maunds 20,40,755 in 1898-99.
53 The outturn and stocks of salt at the Mayo Mine are shown
54 -below :—
55 1898-99, 1899-1900.
56 Mds. Mds,
57 Opening balance of stock ... bs we 4,68,838 2,83,280
58 Excavated during the year ... sue vee §=18,36,104 23,36,138
59 Total ae 28,04,942 26,19,368
60 eee eve 20,21,712 21,21,743
61 _
62 Deduct salt sold ...
63 Closing balance of stock aes ewe 283,230 4,97,625
64 The miners were, as usual, paid by measurement of the
65 salt excavated at the rate of 104 pies a cubic foot. The out-
66 turn of the past year represents 17,21,596 cubic feet of salt,
67 for whicha sum of Rs. 94,150 was paid. The cost of oil,
68 powder and mining tools is met by the miners. The yield for
69 every hundred cubic feet.was 135°7 maunds and the average
70 cost per hundred maunds was Rs. 4-0-5'79, These results are
71 ( 20 )