History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c12.s1.t3.4

v1.c12.s1.t3.4

As said earlier the ore was cracked at the face by fire- setting. For fire-setting at the face some 150-200 maunds (5.6- 7.5 tonnes) of fire wood was stacked in a compact manner which was set on fire, and immediately thereafter miners went out of the mine quickly lest they should be smothered in the galleries and meet with fatal accidents. On approximately the third day of fire-setting the miners went inside the mine to find that the rock/orebody at the face was cracked and split into huge masses by the violence of intense heat and when the workings were sufficiently cooled, they proceeded with the work of extracting the ore. Each face worker was provided with a lamp, a ‘gad’ or mining chisel and a small basket. The lamp placed upon workmen’s head not only provided illumination for the execution of his work but also enabled him by watching the glittering particles of metal to detach only such portions of the ore as might promise him the best remuneration for his labour. While at work the miner seated himself upon his heels with the lamp upon his head, the hammer in his right hand and the ‘gad’ in his left hand and the small basket upon his knee in which he received all the fragments of ore that were struck off by the chisel.