[D9233AAB], Letter from H Goodrich to T Forster Brown, January 6th, 1892
https://edisondigital.rutgers.edu/document/D9233AAB
Transcription
Dear Mr. Forester Brown, I have extracted from the reports of King & Bruce Foote. Geologists to the Government of India (printed in the fourth volume of the memoirs of the Geolil: Survey on India.) the leading points relating to the beds of Iron nearest to the main Railway line and the chief town of Salem. Within 30 miles there are several other very rich beds. The worlds of the report are:- “Many thousands of millions of tons of ore are at command nothing but the want of fuel will prevent this part of India from being capable of supplying the world with a never failing quantity of the very best iron.” The Porto Novo Iron Co these beds for a few years but when in 1869 I was appointed to conduct the Re Settlement of the land Revenue of the Salem District they had ceased operations. The Government of Medras would grant the right to mine on very liberal terms. I will send you a separate note on this aspect of the question. The fourth Volume Memoirs Ind: Geol: Survey is accessible in the India Office Library. I am sorry to say I gave my copy with most of my books relating to India to a llbrary in that Country when I left. Yours sincerely, H. Goodrich Extracted From a Report published 186° Kumjamullay Hill is situated in Lat 11° 36° and Long 78° 7’E., attains an elevation of 2000 ft above the sea and 1000 feet above the plain around it: at its foot is the railway station of Tooramanaglam (Madras Railway) which serves the town of Salem, four miles distant (pop: 50,000 the headquarters of the district of that name. h The form of the hill is that of a ridge rather over four miles long from E to W. Around this ridge the several beds of magnetic iron form in plain very elongated and somewhat irregular concentrical ellipses, the major axis of which is parallel with but lies a little to the North of the ridge. The mountain is composed of distinctly bedded rocks belonging to the great Messic rock series of S. India: the whole has undergone great alteration since the period of deposition, and may be regarded as metamorphic rock. The sketch in the margin indicates the observed sequence of the beds from below upwards. They formed part of an elliptical basin owing its origin to a modified synclinal fold. The North side of this basin has been almost entirely removed by gigantic denuding forces. The average thickness of the beds of magnetic Iron seems [DIAGRAM OF HILL WITH FOLLOWING LABELS A.B. Axis of synclinal fold 1. Garnite ferrous gnesis 2. Indurated Talcose shia 3. 7.9 Magnetic Ironn 4 Hornblendic gneiss 5. Indurated Talcose schist 6. Alternating quartz hornblendic & Hornblendic beds of quartzo felspathic gneiss (some compact) beds of quartzo felspathic gneiss (some compact) 8. Quartzo Hornblendic & Hornblendic beds alternating 10. Garnite ferrous Quartzo hornblendic 3 mines + water power to be about 50 feet. The beds consist of a rock which to the eye appears to consist of from one eighth to one half quartz and the residue magnetic Iron; the cubical & retaledral forms of the crystals of magnetic Iron can occasionally be traced: the ore occurs in grains lying in the plane of foliation sometimes uniting with strings or laminar patches; freshly broken grains have considerable metallic lustre. The yield in the furnace was about 55% of iron pig or 62% of finest metallic iron requiring 13 ¼ tons of charcoal for every ton of iron obtained (Porto Novo Co’s experience) Balfour (Cyclopedia) seems to rate their quality higher and says they are quite free from Sulphur arsenic and phosphorous Basis- Royalty basis or cash royalty all cash put cash + 4 part mortgage Minimum 300,000 cash- 120000” + 25° guaranteed minimum of 100 tons day* 20,000 down + 50° Royalty + guaranteed a well costing not less than $50,000 Report Lawer[?] properties Owned by R.J. Bough, Jos Stolen and Ronald M Cornwall Tough James Stable Robert Tough