THE KASHMIR SAPPHIRE MINES

RICHARD V. GAINES

In August 1944 I was able to secure three weeks leave from my duties with the U.S. Army in Calcutta, and, although the time available was barely sufficient, decided to attempt to visit the sapphire mines in Kashmir. As I was not able to obtain reliable information as to the best routes or their condition, I had to base my choice of routes in information contained in the 1st (1922) edition of Hutchinson's Guide to Dalhousie and Chamba and the Inner Mountains between Simla and Kashmir. In addition, I studied all available maps of the region and its approaches, and found other useful information in the library of the Geological Survey of India,

I was fortunate in that Capt. Robert C. Rice, also stationed near Calcutta, was able to get leave at the same time and accompany me on the expedition. We went by train to Pathankot, thence by car to Dalhousie, and set out from there with two riding and two baggage ponies, on 8th August. As it turned out, the ponies were too small, or we were too heavy, for them to be of much use for riding; still, they made easier a number of tiresome climbs on the trail from Chamba to Alwas.

In Chamba, we saw Mr. Slattery, Commissioner for Chamba State, and also a member of the Himalayan Club, and he very kindly gave us such information as he had about the trails, and also prepared letters of introduction to village head men along the way, instructing them to give us all possible assistance. I also borrowed a copy of the 1936 edition of Hutchinson's Guide, with much more detailed and up-to-date information about the trails, without which the trip would have been well-nigh impossible.

From Chamba to Alwas took us three days, although it is ordinarily listed as four stages. There are rest houses in Masrund, Kalhel, Tisa and Alwas, the latter one being so new that we were only the second visitors to sign the book. At Alwas we dismissed our horses, because Sach pass just ahead is impassable to any animals except sheep. We secured coolies to carry our food and kit, and made the rest of the trip on foot.

Alwas to Kilar was another three days, with stops for the night in a native hut at Sitrundi, and a rest house at Domei. As both Capt. Rice and myself had been living during the last year or more near sea-level, with little exercise, the 14,328-foot pass was a slow and exhausting proposition to climb. Fortunately it was free of snow, except for occasional patches. The mountain-sides above the timber line were solidly carpeted with flowers of many varieties and colours, but a persistent mist and some rain cheated us of the views we had expected of 17,000-foot peaks nearby, and of the main Himalayas in the distance across the Chenab valley.

The rest house in Kilar was a large and rambling affair built in 1865. Scratched on the window-panes of the house were the names and dates of many of the earliest visitors, some going back nearly eighty years, and including many of the early explorers of the region. We were able to obtain some fresh vegetables, which made a welcome change in our diet. Between Kilar and Atholi, which took two days, we had four different sets of coolies, as they could not be induced to go farther than the next village ahead. All this changing and procuring of coolies took a great deal of time, and delayed our start several hours each day. On the remainder of the trip, we were generally able to hire men who would stay with us two or three days, which greatly simplified matters.

Kilar to Atholi is generally listed as four stages, but can be made in two without undue effort. We spent the night in a native hut at Ashdari, in Kashmir State. The border between Ghamba and Kashmir is the Gunaur Nala, in which flows a raging torrent of a stream which a few hundred feet farther down empties into the Chenab. This stream is crossed by means of a jhula, or rope bridge. We had been advised that this one was in poor condition and probably impassable, but we had to chance it, as a detour around the Gunaur Nala would have taken an additional day. The jhula was made of vines which were largely rotted, and was indeed in very bad condition; so much so, that one of our coolies refused to cross it loaded, and one of the others had to make two trips to carry his load across. But the jhula did not choose to break on that day, and we were able to proceed.

At Atholi we had been told we would find a shoemaker, a hospital, and other improvements. The shoemaker was of vital importance to us, as our Army boots had succumbed to the roughness of the trail, and were in bad condition. But the town turned out to be nothing but a dirty and dismal collection of mud huts, with no hospital or shoemaker, and the most depressed and disease-ridden populace I had seen in India. The rest-house was also in disrepair, and the chowkidar a ten-year-old boy who knew nothing about running the place. Nevertheless, we got along as well as we could.

Next morning we started up the Bhut Nala, a very beautiful valley forested with holly and walnut trees, and flanked by high snow peaks. The valley contained a large stream which flowed alternately in rapids and wide lake-like stretches with islands, and there were two cataracts of magnificent proportions. The first day's march brought us to Ghashoti, where we had expected to camp; but there was a fine new rest-house there with a most enterprising chowkidar, and we were able to secure a good night's rest. The next day we went on to Matsel, where there is a large post of Kashmir Police, the headquarters of a network of smaller posts guarding all approaches to the sapphire mines, these being a monopoly of H.H. the Maharajah of Kashmir. As I had not secured prior permission to visit the mines, it appeared that our trip would have to end there, as access to the mines can be obtained only with great difficulty upon presenting a request to the proper authorities. Fortunately, I had documents from the Geological Survey of India and a membership card in the American Institute of Mining Engineers; these, along with our statement that we wished to visit the mines only briefly for scientific study, finally convinced the Chief of Police that we were harmless, and after having us write out statements of our intentions, he allowed us to proceed under escort. We continued on to Soomjam, which is also a police post and is generally listed as the locality of the mines. However, they are actually 6 miles farther on and 4,500 feet higher up. At Soomjam we changed escorts and were accompanied by two of the police to Kudi, a very steep climb of 3,000 feet in 3 miles, which we reached just at dusk.

Kudi is another police post, and consists of one barracks-like building at 13,500 feet. The view from there was impressive, with Mt. Raul in the foreground, and to the left of it, the broad U-shaped Bhut Nala leading to a series of peaks and Unasi-La pass in the distance. We spent the night at the post and the next morning were allowed to proceed to the mines in the company of three of the police.

The mines are at 15,000 feet and about 3 miles from Kudi, and we reached them in two hours. They are a series of irregular openings, pits, and alluvial workings on and just below a sharp ridge. They were not being worked in 1944, but had been worked in 1943, and many of the openings had been carefully walled up and sealed with stones to prevent access and possible looting. In the earliest days, after 1886, when the mines were first discovered, most of the stones recovered came from what was called the 'old mine', about a mile from the present workings. These latter were discovered much later, about 1927, after the old mine was exhausted. Most of the producing area is in about an acre of steeply sloping mountain side, and just above it on the crest of the ridge is still another police post called 'Black House', in allusion to the bleak and lonely life of the three constables who are stationed there. One of these constables is at all times to be seen standing on a platform overlooking the mines, armed with a rifle and on the watch for unauthorized trespassers.

I inspected such pits as were accessible, and later climbed some distance along the ridge to about 16,000 feet,'where, in a brief parting of the clouds, I was rewarded with a fine view of Nun and Kun in the far distance. Afterwards I descended again to a spot just below the mine area, where in loose sloping dirt it is possible to find many tiny blue fragments (of little or no value) of sapphires. Some of these were quite pretty; but at this point our actions were being watched like hawks by no less than six of the police, and we had to surrender every piece found. We eventually tired of this tantalizing pastime, and as the afternoon was advanced, started back toward Kudi.

That evening, late, we were back at Matsel, and, after further formalities with the police, we were allowed to leave the next morning. We made Atholi in one day. It was by now apparent to us that our route into the mines was not the easiest and quickest one possible, and that to go out again by way of Kishtwar would be advantageous, especially as our leave had only six days to go. Therefore we chose this route, and reached Kishtwar in two days, a distance of 51 miles, camping overnight at Piyas as there are no rest-houses along this way. We had hoped to get horses at Kishtwar, but could not do so at such short notice and so had to continue on foot. From there to Batote took us four, days, with an easy trail all the way. From Batote to Jammu and Calcutta was three days by bus and train, thus making us three days late in returning from our leave.

It was unfortunate that our trip had to be so hurried, as the brief inspection I was able to make showed that the occurrence of the sapphires in Kashmir is a most unusual one and one which merits much study by both geologists and mineralogists. The region is one of sediments which have been metamorphosed into schists, slates, and marble, and which are further intruded and altered by numerous pegmatites. Many of the pegmatites in the vicinity of the sapphire mines have cavities lined with crystals of quartz, feldspar, tourmaline and aquamarine, some of which are of good gem quality. These have been little explored or exploited, possibly because the far greater value of the sapphires nearby has overshadowed their possibilities. The sapphires themselves are the result of interaction between intrusive pegmatites and a band up to 100 feet wide of pure green actinolite, forming contact metamorphic minerals including corundum (i.e. sapphire), some of which is of the clear bright 'electric' blue colour so highly prized by connoisseurs of gems. Most mining operations in recent years have been attempts to follow the contact of these pegmatites with the actinolite, in the hope of finding pockets of soft kaolin containing crystals of sapphire, ^'as thick as plums in a pudding', as was described in an early report, and which could be easily scraped out by hand.

Although Batote is one day farther away from Calcutta, by commercial transport, than Dalhousie, the route to Atholi through Batote and Kishtwar is easily the quickest and least difficult. From Dalhousie to Atholi took us nine days, as against six days from Atholi to Batote. But the route we took through Chamba and Pangi, while more difficult, is far more beautiful and interesting than the other, and I would .not have missed it if that had saved a week. I had hoped to do some moderate climbing while in the vicinity of the mines, as there are a number of tempting 20,ooo-foot peaks near by. With the limited time at our disposal, however, this was out of the question. It seems certain that many of the 18,000- to 20,000- foot peaks in this area have never been scaled, and some of them would offer, as near as I could determine from distant scrutiny, enough rock and rope climbing to please the most ambitious. In addition, the country is exceedingly beautiful and the trails up the valleys excellent.

Our food on the trip consisted largely of K-rations. These are compact ; however, for men doing protracted heavy exercise they provide neither sufficient calorific value nor are they sufficiently filling to do more than somewhat appease hunger. Although both Capt. Rice and myself became rapidly acclimatized to the altitudes we reached, the march of approximately 325 miles in nineteen days without rest was a bit too much for us in our soft physical condition, and toward the end we found our stamina decreasing rather than increasing. This was probably partially due to the diet.

I hope to .go back some day, and make another, but this time leisurely, trip through the same country, and try one or two of the peaks. For the success of our 1944 trip, I am deeply indebted to Mr. J. B. Auden of the G.S.I, and the Himalayan Club, who lent us equipment and gave us excellent advice, and to Mr. W. D. West of the G.S.I., besides Mr. Slattery and many other people along the way who gave us assistance when we needed it.

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