'Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society, from January 1847 to May 1849. Edited by the Secretary. Volume VIII.' [‎39] (54/496)

XXXIX
A paper, by Captain E. P. Delhoste, on the Phoonda Ghaut country betwixt
Viziadroog and the Ghauts.—Captain Del Hoste is at present employed in super
intending the construction of a road through the Phoonda Ghaut. The primary
object of the enquiries directed by Government to be made by Captain Del Hoste
was to examine the coast from Bombay to Goa, and to fix upon a point, and a line of
road leading from it to the interior, such as might improve the communication of
the Southern Mahratta Country with places to seaward. Yingorla is an open
roadstead : the road from it to the interior is through the Ram Ghaut by a line
pronounced incapable of improvement. Kolapore was almost isolated—the only
means of reaching it being by Poona and Sattara, a roundabout of two hundred
miles; the other by the port of Rutnagherryand the Ram Ghaut, a circuit of eighteen
miles, with a port and a coast as bad as Yingorla, and a road worse than that by
the Ram Ghaut. The new line recommended was by Yiziadroog, with a road
thirty-three miles in length to the Phoonda Ghaut, thirty-eight miles east of
Mai wan. The first part of the line is over laterite ; after which a fine rich un
dulating country is traversed Villages are plentiful, and their environs are beau
tifully wooded : the people seem contented and well-behaved. There are
temples everywhere ; but there are no roads deserving of the name. Carts are
unknown, and loads of every kind are carried on men’s heads or bullocks’ backs.
The rocky ridge is considerably lower opposite Yiziadroog than anywhere along
the mountain line, which runs nearly north and south : the summit level of the
Phoonda Ghaut is sixteen hundred feet, that of the Ram Ghaut two thousand three
hundred, of the Mahabuleshwar four thousand five hundred. Captain Dei
Hoste stated that he had found granite, quartz, clay slate, primitive lime-
stone, and old red sandstone, and he hoped to fall in with coal. The
descent from the Ghaut to the Southern Mahratta Country was gentle and easy;
The salt is sold in the bazaar at the rate of from thirteen to fifteen seers per rupee.
The mines are guarded by a party of the Raja’s hill troops. In the central division of the
town of Find Dadur Khan, (it being divided into three.) which contains about 10,OO<» inhabitants
there is a mud fort, also garrisoned by a battalion of these troops, with some horse artillery •
facing it, there is a wide plain, on which the salt was lying in great quantity ; here also scales are
erected for weighing it prior to loading the camels, of which there were about seventy or
eighty present.
KouraMine —Further to the westward is the largest mine, viz. that of Koura, so named
from a village of that name. It is four coss from Find Dadur Khan, and the route to it is simi
lar to that which leads to the other mines, up the bed of a mountain torrent, containing but lit
tle water :—its banks however were in many places covered with efflorescence of salt, resembling
much, from its pure white color, snow that had newly fallen. The village of Koura, built on the
acclivity of a small hill, is close to the mine, and contains about 250 inhabitants. Here we w^ere
metby some of Raja King Goolab Singh’s people. The shaft is similar to those already described,
but of a greater length, being not less than 300 yards. In sinking it, much practical knowledge
has been evinced ; thus, in the gallery we frequently pass beds of ten and twelve feet in thick
ness ; these however, have been cut through, and left untouched, and the shaft carried on to the
great deposit; but how the individual wdio first opened the mine was led to conclude that a large
bed of salt existed beyond the smaller ones, (it being so contrary to the native character to risk
capital if a means of repaying him with interest for that he has already laid out is presented,
which undoubtedly the beds mentioned would have done,) whether by "the out-cropping of the
salt in another part of the hills, from mining operations carried on in some other place, or from
geological reasoning, we could not ascertain. Even as to the definite time when the mines were
opened, we could not get any information, further than that it was during the time of the em
perors. On entering the mine all the natives took off their shoes and proceeded barefooted.
After we had gone down the gently inclined plane some two hundred yards, the air became very
oppressive. To descend into the great cavities we found a similar arrangement of steps cut in
the solid rock salt, but the sight presented here was truly magnificent, far surpassing any geolo
gical exhibition that we had ever witnessed, and well repaid us for our suffocating trip. By the
innumerable lamps the mine was well lighted up, which, being reflected by the beautiful crys
talline walls, formed a splendid and brilliant hall of about three hundred feet in circumference,
by fifty in height, contrasting well with a deep dark abyss, to the end of which the eye could not
penetrate, formed by an old abandoned shaft which water had inundated. Adjoining to this.