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THi: 
 
 COAL TRADE OF BRITISH AMERICA, 
 
 WITH 
 
 RESEARCHES 
 
 ox TBI 
 
 •I 
 
 • 
 
 CHARACTERS AND PRACTICAL VALUES 
 
 OP 
 
 AxMERICAN AND FOREIGN COALS. 
 
 Hi* ll\§ liTMiR JR, J^OMrJVSOJ\\ 
 
 CIVIL AND MININO ENGINEER AND CHEMIST, WASHINOTON, D, C. 
 
 WASHINGTON: 
 
 TAYLOR U MAIKY, FENSDVLVANIA AVEHt'I. 
 
 P ir I L A I) E L P H I A : 
 
 A. HART, BOVTHGABT CORNER UP FHIRTU AND CHESTNtTT STRICT. 
 
 1850. 
 
Entered according to act of Congress, by Walter R. Johnsoii, in the Clerk's 
 Office of the District Court of the District of Columbia, 1850. 
 
 ^U-ht- 
 
 • 
 
 T-.nKRs, I'RisTEB, H'aMngton, 
 
 .y 
 
 ■ 
 
 
■PHH! 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 he Clerk's 
 iO. 
 
 Pagt. 
 
 PRSFACe 5 
 
 Coal Mineti fnd Coal trade of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia 9 
 
 Section I. Situation of th<> Minin? districts 9 
 
 II. P«i<*itinn of cnM teum^ in rc«ii>>ct to water level 13 
 
 III. Tiiicknpsji and inclitmtion of hpds 13 
 
 IV. Situation wiJh fcopect to navijyaMe waters IS 
 
 V. Cos* of minins, tran!«ponin{». and loading coal , 16 
 
 VI. W.»{»f!s earned hy miners and othera, 19 
 
 Vn. Origin and stability of mining popuJation... 9l 
 
 VIII. Length of th«' s*"f»8on for shippins; coal , 31 
 
 IX. Prioe of Coal for home cnosiirnptiort and for export ....... 2i2 
 
 X. Wi'iijht of a chaldron at Picfo)» .md Sydney 23 
 
 XL Use to whirh the fine or "sbck" coal isappUed 2i» 
 
 XH. Frpiiihts to Hoston and other Anipricarj ports ., S3 
 
 XIII. DilTerence of fr«tj;ht at Dostan between Nova Scotia and Phila- 
 
 delphia, and its causes...,. 26 
 
 XIV. Number and class of vp-ssefe pnip}oy«»d in the Coal trad*-,,... 99 
 
 XV, Importation of Nova Scotia and oiJter coals into thtr United States 30 
 
 XVI, Faciliti»-9 fur increasing mining operations „.., 33 
 
 XVII, Nova Scotia coa!(» compared with Anthrncitf* 34 
 
 XVIII. Ahsolut*- and v.tri(iWff density of Pictoii coal 38 
 
 XIX. Control, Manaij 'men?, and Rent of Mines 40 
 
 XX. Appeal of the Minins; Asaociation to i\w Government 48 
 
 ApPK.vptx A. Letter froTn S. Cunard, Esq., to liord Viscount Falkland 44 
 
 AprF.yDjjf B, Return of the (jnantity of coal, rtiised, sold, and exported ^9 
 
 CoMPARtSOX OF BXPERI.MEVTS 0» AMF.niCAV AND FoRETaS CoAT.S !a9 
 
 Tabular view of the composition of Welsh furnace coals 60 
 
 Rkport of British Experiments 62 
 
 Table I. Showing; the specific and latent heat of water and steam 69 
 
 II. Showing the Economic Valtie.s of the coals...,. , , 73 
 
 III. Showiii? the mean composition of averag* samples of the coals... 76-7 
 
 IV. Sliowiii!» the caloriiic values of the coals , , 78-9 
 
 V. Showinir the nmonnt of various substances produced by the deslnic- 
 
 live distillation of certain coals , , 80-1 
 
 VI, Showing the actual duty and that which is theoretically possible, of 
 
 the coals , , 82-3 
 
 Remarks on the foregoing report. , 90 
 
 Manner of obtainins; the samples for trial ,.. 90 
 
 Evaporatins apparatus 9| 
 
 Economic weit;lit of coals ,. 92 
 
 Moisture in coals... .„.., , 94 
 
 Tafde of relations between fi.xed and vototite combustible matter 96 
 
 Cohesive power of coals , 98 
 
 Nitroi»en snd Ammonia in Coals 19 
 
 Expansion of water at high temperatures ; , 
 
 Tables of expansion of water in iron 
 
 Estimation of water supplied to the boiler according to temperature.. .. 
 
 Heating power of Coals according to classes .. « . 
 
 
4 
 
 Latent heat and heat of capacity of water. ,.... iiu 
 
 Use made of the h*'ntin!» power of coals {m 
 
 Coinposii iou anJ l.^ot-nl,s.,ihio:T power of the gases of chimney.!!."!!!!!"!!! ! lOS 
 
 *j.\ed Cnrhon as a m? aeure of bratwg power 106 
 
 Conipftrison of Ccrbon aud ifydrogen with practical heating pVwer.!!.*.'.!!!!!*. 108 
 
 Hwtmi; power m.aa.ued by ihe red.tction of litharge ... no 
 
 ret centag^ of Carbon as a liieasure of heating power !! in 
 
 I awe of Ameticm an-ilyses. proximate and ultimate, to show the Vaw'of 
 
 -r **"/"!!".",v«'P''wer according to percentage o( earhon 117 
 
 Table ot British coals in the order of their carbon constituent 120 
 
 Kantiy residiua of the coals joY 
 
 I'se ot wood in heating up the boiler and furnace.!!.'!!!!"!!! ! 12fi 
 
 '''Tr'aritr:.!*"'"'"" "■"' '^"■"' "^>^'«^'^ ,„ 
 
 Errata .!.'."'! o 
 
 Synoptical taWe of Aule'ricnn coaia.!!!!!!!!*! },? 
 
 Class I. Anthrncifes, Nafornl Coke, Artifici«| Coke mi;Vn;;;V,!'!!V;.!!!!;!'""! 132 
 
 II. In-e-hmtxwg hnmmom of Maryl.-md and iVnn.ylvanin nj 
 
 Specific gravity, as an hVdtV of VurVty'Jn coaVs ! Hf 
 
 balfs of Ammonia in the dust of anthracite fiirnact-a !!!!! 1 Tr 
 
 Mechfimral structure and relative a<4«-H of coals t'lr 
 
 crs''.!!?!!.!" I*'*' "***'''* ''^ ^*'"''' ^^'''''' *'"' «>m;' Vvnn«;i*;a;,ia'amhV.;! 
 
 Analyses of American and foreij/n eoaJs,*! ". |e^ 
 
 Analysis of the Natural Coke of Virginia ir* 
 
 Coal from the Valley of Hazle Creek, Pa..!!!!!! ,e^ 
 
 Coals of Bradford county, Pa . ?J 
 
 Recem Wn<;.vr,oxs fiEumt T^^^ 161 
 
 I. Coal fields of North Carolina :;!J 
 
 Analy.es of D..,, river coals. North Caroji^a!!.','!!:!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! us 
 
 II. Anthracite of Russia fj!^ 
 
 m. Kenhawa Cannel coal ".!! , .« 
 
 IV. Cannel coal from Beaver. Pa !! tJS 
 
 y. Coals of Littk- Sandy river. Kenntcky!."!!!!!""'*; ,!'« 
 
 VIII. Arkansa.^ coal *'^ 
 
 IX. Anthracite of IVn^bWk^^lii^Tsmuh Wal";: }i.? 
 
 XI ilS iS'?^^'^:;"^" "'"' ^"^«^-^ --'i^ MdZ::!!!!!!!!!!!!! IS 
 xij. Spring Hill, jv,,^., »;„,,)„ coal.*.!!!!'.!!!!!!*! I-? 
 
 VtJ- ^'''^* *>* J'i««lp "v^r, Cnpc Breton .";""" |:T 
 
 XIV. Coal of New Brunswick..,. ]i.i 
 
 -M-V ^'^^^''H'"'"*^'''' «:'"»J. Clover H.ii, va.!!.'!!!!'! }4r 
 
 t-oal trorn the «ame .ean, as above, and wiVhT,;'';* few'iy«"„V Vhe 
 
 LwKc an jppvcanoe pit «» vi uw 
 
 feummary of Analyses *'" 
 
 Practical Hints for ^^^^'c^^Ki^d;^;;;;;^^;^;;^-^^^ }2| 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 1^ 
 
 A wide spread interest is involved in supplying mineral 
 coal to the markets of the world, and for the multiplied uses 
 of modern civilization. 
 
 While employed, as informer times, almost solely for do- 
 mestic consumption, its value was little understood, except 
 by those who inhabited countries exhausted of other fue!, or 
 subjicted to th,« severity of a ri;-.>rous climate. But since the 
 discovery of its great advanla-es in many metallurgic pro- 
 ee«se.s-since its vast urility for the production of steam be. 
 came known, and especially since tlie pracUcability of navi- 
 gating the of-.an l»y sttvan was discovered— Oo.u. has assumed 
 for all naiions. i,» all climatrs, an importance which, a century 
 ago, had not entered into the conceptions of men. 
 
 As an article of commerce it is not even in our own time 
 estunatrd as its real importance slu.uld seem to warrant. 
 
 Of f>jhcr bulky articles in wliich commerce is carried on 
 mauulacturin^r industry conunouly returns to us some part of 
 the identical subsfanre which it had received as a raw ma- 
 terial, somefhin^' visible and tangible of which our senses can 
 still lake co-nizance-sonR.thiH^r wUich arrests our attention 
 and ehaneu<.,.s notice or admiration, recalling our minds to 
 the orj^nnal condition of those materials by which our wants 
 are supplied or our senses gratified. Thus the garments we 
 wear constantly renu.ul us of the «ax, cotton, «ilk, wool 
 hemp, lur,dovv«. leather, &e., which may chance to enter into 
 their comp(»sition. The urnamcnts of our persons, our dwel- 
 lings, or our lurniture, recall the precious metals, the gemv 
 the paints, the dye stuffs, employed in the decorative arts' 
 1 he needle which embroiders, the lancet which punctures, the 
 hair sprmg which so delicately balances and regu!ates-no 
 less than the ploughshare which turns our soil, the anchor 
 
ivhicli moors our battle ship, or the ehain, or the monster tube 
 whir a bear us safely, in mid air, over the chasm of Niagara, 
 or the strait of Menai — admonii^hes us, at every step, of the 
 obligations which vre owe to the metal of which they are all 
 composed. The cereal grains return from the manufacturer 
 in the form of flour, bread, starch, or fermented liquors, all 
 indicating the materials to which they owe their origin. 
 
 On the contrary, the material which furnif^hes motivr power, 
 is either wholly overlooked, or soon forgotten. The evanes- 
 cent movement of maohinery, which transports materials from 
 place to place, or transforms them from one sliape to another, 
 leaves nothing visible or tanj,'ihle on which our senses can 
 dwell. The corn, it is true, lias hiM-n ground, hut no trace of 
 the grinding power in seen in the bread, or tlie starch. Cotton 
 flax, and wool have l>ren syAin ; jron and ?i(»vl forgod ; copper, 
 zinc, gold, and silver nultcd ; drugs and tlye stud's pulverized; 
 but they show no external signs of the coal, or fire, or .sttam, 
 by the agency of which these tr:in.sformatt<«n.s have been ef- 
 fected. We see around us the fuhrics which were ordered 
 from Manchester a sliort month ago, and w<! lian«ll<^ the yellow 
 bars and dust which left San Francisco within the Inst forty 
 days ; but o( the miraculous power wlii< h lias wing<*d their 
 way hither, we see no traces on the surface, and are prone to 
 forget tlie useful labor of the black masses by which we are 
 so largely bene(itted. A piratical act lias hwn c<nnndttcd, or 
 a hostile invasion is attempted or intended, and the arm»)f our 
 national power is s^tretched forth to thwart the designs of 
 wicked men, but without the aitl of this dark, forbjddinj 
 mineral, the interposition of tliat arm would bo all too tardy- 
 its efforts altogether unavailing. 
 
 It is but a lew years since foreigners began to understand 
 that coal existed extensively in our country. The qmet man- 
 ner in which the development of a few detached coal fields 
 near the Atlantic border had been carried on, gave tha im- 
 pression, that if coal existed at al! in the United States, it 
 must be small in .luantily, and of doubtful qitality, and, there- 
 
 's 
 
fore, the less said about it the better. Since, however, we 
 have beffun to make known by oiTicial and authoritative .Jocu- 
 ments the numerous varietioH and the high qualities of Aihpri- 
 can coals, the attention of capitalists has been turned in the 
 direction of our coal fields, and monry has flowed into the 
 country to be invested in lands and mining operations, and 
 in the rail roads and canals intended for conveying coal, or in 
 ocean steam sliips to be propelled by American coals, or in 
 manufactories to be actuated by the same material. 
 
 To make known our mineral districts and the value of their 
 products, is, therefore, one of the most effective means of sc- 
 curinj? rlio investment of whatever capital may be necessary 
 not only for their development, but also for the construction 
 of the public works wluch n^ciHtate their transportation. 
 The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal has remained many years 
 incomplete, and might probably have continued so much 
 longer, hati it not been clearly established that its extension 
 would brit)g it to a coal liehl, alfording fuel of the most valu- 
 able kind, and in the greatest abundance. 
 
 In respect to the comparison which we have instituted be- 
 tween the results of experiments on American and foreign 
 coals, it may be stated, that their purpose is to make the 
 American reader ar<iuainted with a more extensive series 
 than our own researches had been able to embrace of the 
 celebrated coals of England, .Scotland, Ireland, ami Wales. 
 
 It is creditable to our own Government that it took the in- 
 itiative in researches respecting so important a subject as the 
 value of coals. Should it continue the same to completion, 
 both the interest and the credit of the nation will doubtless be* 
 largely benefitted; but without such completion it must stand 
 in the attitude of one listlessly neglecting the advantages of 
 his own position. 
 
 One highly important question to be practically determined 
 by further experiments on American coals, espeeiallv >n those 
 of the West, is their relation in value to the several kinds of 
 wood for which, both in steamboats and on shore, they are 
 
r f 
 
 likely to be extensively substituted. The necessity of this 
 branch of inquiry being carried on whe/the wood can be p.-o- 
 cured in all the conditions in which it is habitually used, would 
 indicate that the cxperhuents should be performed at the 
 WePt, whftrc both the woods and the coals, still awaiting trials, 
 are mostly found. 
 
 Following the discussion of the able and important Report 
 on British coals, will he found accounts of certain characters 
 and habitudes of coal in general, regarded as a mineral body. 
 The present volume cmbfaccf*, moreover, accounts of analy- 
 ses, mado by the writer, on American and foreign coals not 
 embraced iii his report to the Xavy D(>pnrfnietJt iti 1811, and 
 of certain coal firhls visited and explored, with a view to the 
 extent and character of their minerals. The most recent of 
 these explorations is that of the limited but exceedingly in- 
 teresfiHg and valuable coal ticld found in the centre of North 
 Carolina, aflbrding a curious illustration of the causes which 
 have operated to produce the various kinds of coal ranging 
 from highly bituminous through semi-bituminous, and an- 
 thracite, to perfect plumbago. 
 
 In regard to the information contained in these pages res- 
 petang the New Brunswick, Xova Scotia, and Cape Breton 
 eoal tiekis, the writer takes great pleasure in acknowle.lging 
 bis obligations to Richard Brown. Esq.. of Sydnev, to Henry 
 Poole, Esq.. of Alhion mines ; to J. W. Dawson. E.q., of Pie- 
 tou ; to Joseph Smith, Esq., of Atrdierst ; to Moses H. Perley 
 hsq., of St. Johns; and to Mcs.<.r.s. Archibald, Bracket and An- 
 drews. American Con.ub at Sydney, Pictou, and 8t. Johns 
 respectively for much valuable assistance. He would also 
 testify to the uniform courtesy and kindness with which 
 throughout his tour in the Provinces, he was treated by all' 
 wuh whom jt was bis good fortune to become acquaimed, or 
 from whom he had occasion to make inquiries. 
 Washington, December 20, 1849. 
 
 
 
> f. .-. 
 
 COAL MINES AND COAL TRADE 
 
 or 
 
 NEW BRUNSWICK AND NOVA SCOTIA. 
 
 The following statements of facts and observations con- 
 tain the result of a perHonal examination of the several 
 mining districts of t!ie Northeastern British Provinces made 
 during; the summer of 181(5. Th« coals "f tlios*' provinces 
 having been tostc'd by the author, during his research on 
 Am»;rican coals, and the coal lit^lds from which they were 
 derivcil, having hevn to some extent mad<! known by the la- 
 bors of Messrs. Jackson and Alger, Dr. Gcsner, Richard Brown, 
 Esq., and 3Ir. Lyell, the writer felt much interi'st and curi- 
 osity in making a comparison between the advantages and 
 capabilities of tliose mines, and many which he had profes- 
 sionally examined in various parts of the United States. 
 
 These statements are believed to possess an interest for all 
 who are concerned in the ownership or management of mines 
 in the United States, and with this view are submitted to the 
 public, together with the rxcompanying documents, which 
 will, perhaps, in some degree, enable the American reader to 
 estimate the value of those treasures of mineral fuel which 
 yet lie unexplored in various parts of our extended territory. 
 The citations may show with what fostering care the authori- 
 ties of the provinces, as well as of the parent country, have 
 watched over the mining interests of Nova Scotia, and of the 
 enterprising Association by whose skill and pei-severance so 
 valuable a trade has been secured in the United States. 
 
 I. — Situation of the Mining Districts. 
 
 The principal mining districts where operations are at pre- 
 sent carried on, are those of Pictou and Sydney. The former 
 is situated in the northeastern part of the peninsula ol Nova 
 Scotia, one hundred and six miles by the road from ILiIilax, 
 and eighty miles by t*ie course of navigation, in a due west 
 direct iou from the northern entrance of the gut of Canso. 
 The latter is on the eastern part of the Island of Cape Bre- 
 3 
 
 4^ 
 
10 
 
 « 
 
 ton, disiaut fVoiu l'i<.;!(ju, by the usual route of travel, about 
 one hundred and eighty miU's. 
 
 As to the extent of these two districts I may observe, that 
 
 ilif f>ntire .iren af the fie!d in which the coal-henrin,? strata of 
 Pictou occur, lias been estimated by Messrs. Brown and Smith 
 at twcnUj-eight squair nil/cs, but owinjr to numerous faults and 
 dislocations, the space actually available for riiining purposes 
 is far less than that. Indeed the oidy seam now worked, is, 
 by Mr. Brown's estimate, hnoicn to underlie not more than 
 three square miles. 
 
 The Sydney district is much more extensive. It reaches 
 from the north side of Cow Bay to the northerly division of 
 Mil e Bay, to the northern j)art of Boulardrie Island, a dis- 
 tance of thirty-live miles. An average of four or five miles 
 in width may be assi;;ncd to this district. But this includes 
 numerous bays and indentations of the coast. 
 
 From the authority just cited it appears that, after deduct- 
 ing the water surface, this coal field contains "owe hundnd 
 and ticenty square mihs of land containhi'j; ivorkafdc iriiis of 
 cof/Z." The most important mines in this district are situated 
 about nine miles distant, in a direction nearly due north from 
 the ancient town of Sydr?y. 
 
 About nine-and-a-half miles east-southeast from the above 
 mines, and near the enti-anee of Bridgeport basin, a*^ the head 
 of Lingan Bay, are the Bi-idgeport mines, not now in operr-'ion. 
 
 About three-and-three-fourths miles in a west-noriliwe.st 
 course from the Sydney min(s, are those of Little Bras d'Or, 
 situated on the channel of that name. At this locality, also, 
 operations are for the present suspended. 
 
 At the south end of this coal iwU\, nearly on a line witli the 
 above three collieries, and on the northern side of Cow Bay, 
 is an ancient min(> said to have been worked by the French 
 for the su])ply of Louisbm-g, while they licld possession of 
 this island some ninety or one hundred years ago. 
 
 Besides the above districts, there is a third near the north- 
 ernmost part of the peninsula ol" A'o\ a Scotia, a few miles 
 from the isthmus connecting it with New Brunswick. In this 
 district two small colUeries have been commenced — one on 
 the shore of the Cumberland IJasin, the casterh di\ision of 
 the west bi-anch of the Bay of Fi.ndy, at a place well known 
 as the "South .loggins," about ninety miles from St. 'ohn, 
 and about one hundred and fifty from Eastport, the border 
 town of the State of Maine: the otluM', s(ncnteen-and-a-half 
 miles inland, from the same ])oint at the .loggins, in a south-, 
 easterly direction, at a place called Sprin^^ Hill. 
 
 4 
 
 J 
 
n 
 
 
 Thus Wo finfl in Nova Scotia, including Cape Breton, seven 
 points at \\ liicli the mining of coal for comm«;rcial purposes 
 has been more or less extensively prosecuted. 
 
 In the Province of New Brunswick arc several small coal 
 mining establishments, five or six of which are on the waters 
 t)r tributaries of Grand Lake, which opens into the St. John's 
 river by a navigable passage called the Jcmseg. Near the he:.- * 
 waters of the Oromuctoo river, another tributary of the St. 
 John's, falling into it from the southwest, ten miles below 
 Fredericton. is an opening from which coal has been taken to 
 supply blacksmiths in the neighborhood. 
 
 The mines on Grand Lake are, by the course of navigation, 
 from sixty to seventy miles above the city of St. John. 
 Coasting vessels of one hundred tons burden may approach 
 within a few hundred yards of the drifts by which they are 
 worked. 
 
 On New Castle river, Salmon river, and Coal Creek, are 
 openings where a few hundred chaldrons are annually mined. 
 St. John and Eastport are probably the most distant markets 
 to which this coal has hitherto ^bund its way. 
 
 The breadth of the coal formation in this part of New 
 Brr.nswick is by the course of the St. John's river, from the 
 mouth cf the Washadamoak to that of the Keswick, a few 
 miles above Frcderiekton, something more than fifty miles. 
 But neither in this nor in any other part of New Brunswick, 
 could I learn that workable seams of more than twenty or 
 thirty inches in tliickness have yet been opened. I saw none 
 over twenty-two inches thick, but was informed that on Salm- 
 on river a drift had been carried four hundred feet in a 
 bed of twenty-four or twenty-five inches. About eight miles 
 from one ofthe mines on Grand Lake, an exploration was 
 made some years ago, by boring to the depth of four hundred 
 and three feet, but nothing was discovered of more impor- 
 tance than the seam of twenty-two inches. This bed, where 
 if is worked on the borders of the lake, is nearly horizontal, 
 and its covering very light, not generally exceeding ten or fif- 
 teen feet in thickness. 
 
 Besides the above districts, in which active mining opera- 
 tions have been carried on, it may not be improper to refer to 
 other portions of both provinces which are known to contain 
 coal. 
 
 1. On Inhabitants river, a little to the east of the Gut of 
 Canso, in the Island of Cape Breton, extending some miles op 
 that river, and believed to continue southcastwardly to its 
 opening into Inhabitants Bay, is a narrow coal district, in 
 
12 
 
 V- 
 
 which one or two openings, to supply coal for domestic use, 
 have been made by the owners of the soil. Accordinf? to my 
 estimate, the district, at the part traversed, has a breadth of 
 about three miles; aritl it may, in all probability, be from 
 seven to ten miles in length. This is inferred from informa- 
 tion received relative to points where coal has actually been 
 opened. 
 
 2. The northwest part of the Island of Cape Breton, extend- 
 ing from Port Hood, on Ht. George's Boy, along the coast north- 
 eastwardly to Mabou, and thence to Broad Cove and Chim- 
 ney Corner, contains a coal field, of which the limits inland, 
 are as yet undetermined, and in which the thickness and value 
 of the seams are yet to be ascertained. The coal is repre- 
 sented to crop out in the steep blull's of the sea coast, as in 
 other parts oi' this islan<l, and («• have been occasionally pro- 
 cured for use by the inhabitants.* The length of this district 
 is about forty miles, 
 
 3. Thin seams of coal are found within fourteen miles of 
 the town of Truro, on the road from Pictou to that place. 
 One bed of two-and-a-half feet thickness has been worked 
 by a resident on the ground, at a depth of thirty feet. The 
 coal was judged to be of inferior quality. 
 
 4. A seam, said to be five fe«>t in thickness, of impure coal 
 and slate intermixed, has been opened between the Ihbert 
 and Folly rivers, on the north side of Cobequid Bay, sixteen 
 or seventeen miles north-northwest from Tnn-o. The'pit being 
 filled with water at the time of my visit, the character of the 
 seam could be judged of only by information from the pro- 
 piietor, and the nature of the materials thrown out. They 
 concurred in proving that the seam, thus far pm-sucd, had nut 
 developed anything to warrant extensive operations. 
 
 5. In the county of Westmoreland, \ew Brimswich, a<!t«»ln- 
 ing Nova Scotia, is an irregular district of country eontainint; 
 coal ineasures, th<' limits of which have been describc<l wiili 
 some minuteness by Dr. Abraham Gesner, wljo math- a G<'o- 
 logical survey of that province. He has refprr<'d tv pf»ints 
 where coal has been discovered on Trout Creek, Pollef Kiver, 
 Coverdale River, and other tributaries of the Petit Cudiac. On 
 passing through t his district, from Amherst to St. .lohn, I was 
 
 • In relation to thin coal field, Richard Brown. Estj., in hisjrijier on ttif tUohgy 
 of Ciipe Breton, (Quarterly .Fouriial of Geolo^'y, No. 2, May, lf*-i'i.) r^-ruarks »h;it, 
 " On the weslerii shore of Ciipv Breton the millstone grit coniniences at thr nortli- 
 *rn end of the Gut of Cango, niid it unJerli-s the coal measures which extend in a 
 narrow Mt fronj Port Hood to Chimney Comer, near Marttarje. I tiavf tint visited 
 this part of the Island, hut am oreditily tnfunned that valuable seanwuf coal exist 
 at both extremities of this coal field." 
 
 i 
 
13 
 
 unal)!c to learn that any openings of good workable coal have 
 yet been made. 
 
 As the researches, by boring, made by Moses 11. Pf rley, 
 Esq., on Sahnan River, in 1810, above referred to, are cited 
 at large by Dr. Grsncr, I made inquiries of that gentleman, 
 relative to the suoeessof any investigations since that period, 
 in discovering va!u.'il)Ie seams of coal, but was assured that, 
 toUie best of his knowledge, no bed containing more than 
 twenty or twenty-two inches of ^oo^/rw// is yet known to exist 
 in New Hrunswiek. Mr. IVrley, however, among other facts 
 Miji(!h be obligingly communicated, stated that a wealiuy 
 English capitalist had recently purchased some forty thou- 
 satid acres of land near Hathurst, on the Bay of Chaleurs, 
 with a view to mining operations in coat and other minerals. 
 Should any ijcds M'orlh working be found at that locality, they 
 could scarcely compete in the American markets with the 
 cools of Nova JScotia, unless a ship cnnal should afibrd a com- 
 mtiniciition lu'tween the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Bay 
 of Fundy. 
 
 II. — Position of Coal Seams in REsrEcr to Water Level. 
 
 1. The lowest part of the present workings at Pictou are 
 f<r>ur hundred and fifty-one feet, vertically, below the surface 
 of the ground, and four hundrtrd and tM'enty-seven feet below 
 tide water, distant about half a mile. 
 
 2. At Sydney, the greatest depth of working below the sur- 
 face is three btmdre*! and fifteen feet, and below tide level 
 two hundred and twenty-five feet, distant about one-third 
 of a mile. 
 
 3. At Bridgeport, I^ittle Hrns d' Or, and the South .Toggins, 
 the mines have thus far been drained by horizontal drifts. 
 At the last mentioned point, the coal is also carried out on 
 the same level, and put on board of vessels, laid up at high 
 tide, directly at the mouth of the drift. 
 
 4. At Spring Hill, the workings have hitherto been carried 
 only along the out-crop, and the water has been kept out by 
 hand pumps. But at this, as well as at the three preceding 
 localities, vertical pits, descending below water level, will 
 doubt less be resorted to in easjc of any considerable extension 
 of the works. 
 
 III. — Thickness ano Inclination of Bfins. 
 
 At Pictou, the great seam is twelve feet thick, with an 
 inclination to N. 41° E. of W. It is worked in long, parallel 
 level boards eighteen Icet wide, by means of four pits, along 
 
14 
 
 the lino of the main " board gate," and from the bottom of 
 each pit runs a horse gate or road in opposite directions along 
 the level or strike of the bed. Each road takes the coal, not 
 only of its own excavation, but also that of the five boards 
 next above it, brought in by branch roads cut obliquely up- 
 ward through the walls of coal left between the boards. 
 
 At Sydney, the thickness of the bed is six feet, inclined in 
 an angle of about 1^, at the northern end, toward the X. (>'»* 
 £., and at the southern end, to the N. 80° E., showing a slight 
 curvature of the stratification. This bed is worked by driving 
 oblique headways from the main horse gate or level, rising 
 in an angle of about ir, and breaking off or turning out from 
 this with the rooms sixteen and a half feet wide, and leaving 
 pillars of the same breadth. 
 
 At Bridgeport, the thickness of seam is nine feet, divided 
 into three equal portions by two plies of slate, at first only a 
 few inches thick, but which on pursuing the bed to some 
 distance became much heavier, and slill further on had grown 
 to several feet, rendering it impossible longer to w^ork the 
 coal in a single level. The inclination is one in fourteen^ or 
 from 4 to 6% and the available breast or " riw;*' 1/JOO to 1,50() 
 feet. 
 
 At Little Bras d'Or, the thickness is four feet, and the incli- 
 nation in a northeasterly direction 7*. The coal is raised by 
 a horse gin. 
 
 At the South Joggins, the thickest bed is four feet. It dips 
 to the S. 28 W. in an angle of 23^. 
 
 At Spring Hill, the bed is said to be fifteen feet thick, but 
 only eleven feet are regarded as workable. The inclination 
 is to the N. 30 W. 3r. 
 
 IV.—SlTUATfON WITH HESrE«T TO NuiOABLE WaTKRS. 
 
 The Pictou mines are six miles by railroad from the load- 
 ing ground at the mouth of East river, which is three miles 
 by the course of the channel above the town of Pictou. This 
 railroad has an inclination towards the harbor of one fo<»t per 
 mile. It is laid with edge rails, and cost, together with three 
 locomotives, $280,000. Except at a passing place twi> miles 
 below the mines, the road is laid with but a single track. 
 The locomotives at present in use are able to make about five 
 trips each per day over the road, conveying about ninety tons 
 of coal in a train of thirty cars. Though really on navigable 
 w.iters, the loading ground is not reached with ease and 
 safety at all stages of tide and states of weather. For greater 
 security and dispatch, many avail themselves of the services 
 
 ;/ 
 
 \ 
 
;/ 
 
 15 
 
 of a steam-tug owned by the Association, for which a rate 
 of towaf?e acconJinR to tonna'^e is demanded. This, as well 
 as pilotafjie, lij^ht inonry, consuliir fees, atul port charges, be- 
 comes a charge upon thl'//f /^'•/(/,and ultimately upon the loal. 
 
 The Sydney mines arc within three-eighths of a mile of the 
 sea shore, but* as the coast is there too much exposed, and the 
 water too shallow for large vessels, a railroad about three 
 miles in length* has been constructed to reach a suitable 
 ioadiTig ground, at a point .just within tlie mouth of Sydney 
 harbor, called the ** Bar," where vessels ride in safety at all 
 times during the shipping season. 
 
 The Ih-idgeport mines are almost directly on the sea shore, 
 at which is an old wharf formerly used by the colliers. But 
 a railroad one and three-fourth miles in length, mostly con- 
 structed on a natural embankment of sand, now connects 
 tliem with the loading ground at Bridgeport basin. Want of 
 time compelled me to forego a visit to these mines. 
 
 The Little liras d'Or mine is but a few hundred feet from 
 the channel of that name and about four miles above its 
 mouth. The loading ground has but a single shute, and is 
 adapted only to small vessels. But little coal has yet been 
 taken from this mine, and that eheifly for smiths' use. 
 
 Preparations are made, and an engine house is erected, for 
 sinking a new pit during the ensuing winter, on a seam of 
 coal four feet eight inches thick, which underlies the six feet 
 seam now worked at Sydney colliery, by a vertical distance 
 estimated by jNfr. Brown at three hundred and pJnety feet. 
 This pit is to be near the line of the level part of the railroad, 
 and but two miles from the loading ground. The coal will 
 probably be reached at a depth of h'ss than three hundred 
 feet. I'he seam is said to be free from slate and of a very 
 pure quality. 
 
 At the South .Toggi,«/s district, the pit proposed to be sunk 
 for working the four feet seam will, it is supposed, be one and 
 
 •TtiiBroa«f is a somewhat inU'rnipU-ii orhroken line.t'Htploying various kinds of 
 powor. The coal pul upon tin- ro;nl (rom the pit's mouth, first (It'scends an inctined 
 pJatK" four hundred or five hundred feel lont;, drawing up ballast cars, which in turn 
 drsi'etul and draw up the empty cars, h is then takt'ii up by stationary power, 
 over an incliiifd plane, twelve hundred feet in length, to the commencement of a 
 level c;ctioJi of rood one a- \ one-fourth mile in length, over which it is drawn by 
 horae power. It then nrrivea at the head of a descending plane one and a fourth 
 mile in length, with nn inclina;ion of thirty-six feet to the mile, over which the 
 cor« descend by gravity, accompanied by horses riding in appropriate care to take 
 back those which are empty. It UnaUy passcB over a self acting inclined plane, one 
 thou»tnd (tet iu length, with an inclination of one in thirtif or one hundred a.td 
 8eveniy>Bix fe>i per mile, drawing up the empty cars, and thus arrives at a wharf 
 on which are the loading t-hutes, (lixteen feet above high water level. Trnnaporta. 
 tioD cos!8 mote here than at I'tctou. 
 
 
16 
 
 a half miles from thft loa<Iing ground near the mouth of the 
 river Hebert, about three miles al)ove IMinudie, 
 
 To bring the coa) of Spring Mill to tide-water, either on the 
 Macan basin or at the mouth of the Hobcrt, will require a 
 railroad of more tlian twelve, and in the latter case, probably 
 sixteen miles in length. Could a trade of forty or fifty thou- 
 sand chaldrons per annum be relied on, the Association would 
 doubtless feel warranted in at once incurring the expense of 
 this road. 
 
 From all the above statements it may be inferred that few 
 mining districts in any country present iacilities for reaching 
 navigable tide wateis, equal to those of Nova .Scotia and es- 
 pecially of Cape Breton, 
 
 The distance of Pictou and Sydney from Boston is nearly 
 the snme, or about six hundred and twrnty-tive milrs; that 
 from Minudif to Boston will not exceed four hundred and 
 fifty miles, which is rather less limn the distance from Boston 
 to Philadelphia. 
 
 V. — Cost of Mt.NiNo, TRA^feroRTI^c, and LnAniNc Coal. 
 At Pictou^ coal Is mined by the cu!)ic yard, the miner find- 
 ing his own lights and powder. To tlie end of July lasf, I 
 learned that the price paid per cubic yard, excavated in the 
 regular hoards, eighteen feet wide and twelve high, was 
 twenty-six and two-third cents; in headings only nine feet 
 high, thirty.one and two-third cents; in seven feet* gangway;?, 
 thirty-three and a half cents; and for passages or openings'of 
 still less heighth, thirty-six and two-third c(>nts. Far^the 
 greatest part of the coal is paid for at the first named rate. 
 From //ro cubic yards excavated is obtained, on an average, 
 one chaldron of coarse markefable coal, and on<^.fifth of a 
 chaldron of slack. Of the former the Pirfotf rhufdron weighs 
 1.575, ami of the latter 1.75 ton?. Consequently J. 9a tons of 
 the mixed coals cost fifty-three aud a third cents. 
 
 At the first of the above rales the U>n costs '^H.8 cents. 
 second " " 3;i.() 
 
 third « « 31.9 
 
 fourth " ♦• 3K.2 
 
 Considering the large quantity mined at the lowest rate, it is 
 probably very near the truth to reganl the whole as costing 
 thirty cents per ton. This charge covers the expense of put- 
 ting the co(d into skips, as well as the &Iate and stone, of 
 which one or two thin plies exist in the bed of coal. 
 
 To convey the skips to the pit's bottom, now about sixteen 
 hundred feet in each direction from the workings, one boy 
 
 « 
 
 
 
17 
 
 >^ 
 
 at forty cftnts per dav, and one horse costing thirty-seven 
 and a half conts per day, may be suifirirnt for each two cut- 
 ter" Thoy send up the produce of four and a halt cubic 
 yards each per day, or 8.fi tons, showing an expense of nine 
 cents per ton for this part of the mine charges, which w 
 doubtless a hirgf allowance. Propping may cost two cents 
 per ton ; firemen of upcast pit, watchmen, and road cleaners, 
 two cents per ton ; salaries of overseer and two assistants or 
 "oversmen," engineers, and the requisite firemen at pits 
 moulh, thrrc and a half cents per ton ; tools, materials and 
 sundries eight cents ; salaries U> manager^!, haihfls, and clerks, 
 nine ccn'fs.' These items, whie'f. of course I offer only ns ap- 
 proximations to the cost from such data and observations as 
 I could ol)tain, will increase the cost from thirty cents on the 
 sldps, to sixtv4hrce and a half cents per ton of 2,310 lbs. at 
 the pit's mouth. The calculations arc predicated on a J>"«- 
 noss of about ninety thousand tons, or sixty thousand 1 ictou 
 
 chaldrons annually. , , ,/. u i 
 
 Screening and loading cost eight and a half cents per chal- 
 dron, or 5.4 cents per ton, each laborer screening and lillmg 
 eight chaldrons per day for sixty-eight cents wages. 
 
 Transportation and loading on ship board, independent ol 
 trimming in the hold, (Avhich is at the expense of the ship,) 
 cost about five cents per ton. In this service are employed 
 three locomotives, of which two only are running while the 
 third has its turn in the *' hospital." The numl)er of road cars 
 used is one hundred and fil'ty-scvcn, of which thirty constitute 
 a train. In a full dav's work in midsummer, each locomotive 
 makes five trips, or performs a service equal to hauling ninety 
 tons thirty miles, over a descent of one foot in a mile, and 
 taking hack the empty cars. These locomotives have six 
 driving wheels, with vertical cylinders; the fire, of bitumen- 
 ouscoal,at one end of the boiler, and the engine at the other. 
 Including an extra return flue, they cost eight thousand dollars 
 each. A small passenger car accompanies every tram, pay- 
 ing its own way from the fares collected by the conductor. 
 
 The above e'stimates, amounting, for current expense, to 
 seventy.iive cents per ton on board, do not include the repair 
 of roaJl, wear and tear of machinery, interest on capital, or 
 rent and royalty to the Government. If ten cents per ton be 
 added for repairs, it ought, in my judgment, to cover every 
 expense of that nature, whether to road, cars, locomotives, 
 or other machiner\'. The very slow rate of travel J;'ecures 
 the road and its furniture from much deterioration. The use 
 of flat wire ropes, at the winding pits, renders the cost of re- 
 
18 
 
 If I 
 
 I 
 
 newal very light. With this addition the cost is eighty-five 
 cents per ton. 
 
 At Sydnry, the mining of coal is paid for at so niueh by 
 the tub, scut to the hank. The "tubs" are sheet hvn boxes 
 thirty-seven and a half inches lon^', thirty inches w ide, and 
 twenty-six and a half inches deep, and contain, Winn even 
 full, sixteen and a quarter cubic feet, and when livapfd, as 
 they usually come from the pit, are computed and ealKd at 
 the mines mne hushth, but they actually contain, when even 
 full, 10.3, and when heaped, fully eleven coal bushels. 
 
 In one end of the workings, the price paid is thirteen nnda 
 third cents, and in the other, owing to greater diUicuity in 
 working, fifteen cents per tub; conse{}uently, the average 
 cost of a tub IS fourteen and a sixth cents or 1.28 cents pep 
 bushel. Eight of these tubs make a ear load, or " New Cas- 
 tle chaldron," as taken by the Association. When tirst taken 
 from the mines, one ninth part of the whole is separated by 
 the screens in the state of slack, so that nine tubs must be 
 taken out to afiord one ear load, and will cost one dollar and 
 twenty-seven and a half cents for cutting and filling into tubs. 
 As the slack coal of this colliery is unsaleable, its cost be- 
 comes chargeable on that part of the coal which is actually 
 shipped. Three-fifths of all the coal niined daring the year 
 IS laid upon the bank, while shipping is suspended. On this 
 portion of coal the amount of slack is double of that taken 
 duectly from the pit; consequently ten and two-seventhstubs 
 must have come from the mine to afford a car load, atVer 
 some months of repose upon the banks. The cost of this 
 number of tubs is 81 15.5. Hence the average cost of min- 
 ing a car load through the year's operations is §1 38.3, and 
 that of one gross ton, forty-five and a half cents. 
 
 In this mme a single main road is made to answer fop all 
 the transportation to the pit's bottom, one winding enn-ine 
 takes out the whole of the coal, a much less number of^un- 
 der ground drivers and horses is required ; nearly thirty per 
 cent, of the matter cut, being in the state of slack, is thrown 
 mto the gobbmgs, instead of the whole being drawn up as at 
 lictou. l-or these reasons, I conceive that the remaining 
 mmc charges, besides cutting and filling into tubs, may be 
 at least eight cents per ton less than above calculated for 
 that place. This would bring it to the bank fop seventy-one 
 cents per ton. ^ 
 
 Screening and loading into cars costs but half as much at 
 Sydney as at Pictou, but the transportation costs proportion- 
 ally more. The two are computed by Mp. Brown to cost 
 
19 
 
 nine pence currency (fifteen cents) per clmldron, or say ten 
 cents per ton. Tliiw, witli an eiiual allowauee tor wear and 
 tear, !»rinj;s the expense on hounl, uuk-ptiulcut of interest and 
 royalty, t<» ninety-one cents per ton. 
 
 It is eviilent that many of tlu; charges ajjainst the ton of 
 coal, as at present mined,' will diminish with the extension of 
 business. Thus the salaries of rtsidtnt milna^'e^, viewi^rs, 
 oversmen, en;^'inccr.s, tin'mt-n, clerks, ajid various oilier per- 
 sons pcrmunentlv attaehed to the niiues, will remain very 
 nearly the same, as at pres4nt, even though tlic supposed 
 amount of business shoulil be d<MdiU'd. 
 
 From a report of a eommittee of the House of Assembly 
 of Nova Scotia, dated March '.M, 183i», it appears that the 
 working charges at the Albion Mines, (lUctou,) in September, 
 1H:JH, were as follows: 
 
 Pit charges 
 Sundries 
 Materials - 
 Salaries 
 Carriage - 
 
 £0 s8 
 
 d7j 
 10 
 4 
 8 
 
 H 
 
 81 
 
 dti? 
 
 $2 2b 
 
 S 11 u .£4 
 
 exclusive of duty, interest, or wear and tear. 
 
 The report does not slate explicitly on what amount of coal 
 the above ehar^es were computed*; but as the Association 
 are in the practice of reducing their returns to New Castle 
 chaldrons, I suppose these charges to refer to that measure, 
 which, being in tact 3.1a tons, will give the cost of the above 
 items on one ton, 71.4 cents. Unless operations were then 
 conducted on a vastly more expensive scale than at present, 
 I cannot suppose tliem to refer to the chaldron by which 
 coal is now aoW in Pictou. At sixty thousand chaldrons per 
 annum, there will be taken out every day during three hun- 
 dr*ul working days of tlie year, two hundred chaldrons, 
 which was, very m-arly, the ipiantity daily extracted both at 
 Pictou and at Sydney at the time of my visit. The cost of 
 mining near the hcall of Grand Lake, in New Brunswick, is 
 from seventy.iive to eighty cents per chaldron, or from lifty 
 to 4ifl} "three cents per ton. 
 
 VI. — Wages karsed by Miners and others. 
 At Pictou, I was informed by Henrj' Poole, Esq., the resi- 
 dent manager of the works, that miners cut four and a half 
 cubic yards per day, which, at twenty-six and two-thirds cents, 
 the lowest price per cubic yard, gave him 81 20. 
 
If 
 
 vj";:.$| 20 rents per ilay. 
 
 A f.rfho..,hroe ,Io.Iucfions, the el.ar *»: i v can hv^n are 
 
 the Inttor m. increave „f mfn; I ^f'"'-""","' Kr,-.„t,..I to' 
 
 not snecify the dSXS. ' t» ' ''"''''^'r' '^ '^^''ivf^l Woes 
 i^Wand sold in i ^^"1^^^^^^ f^)' '^"' «s then- were 
 
 measure) it is- cv de >f7 -Nf ^/'J^jMrons of <-oa| (PicJou 
 this accmmt Mi h HO cents '?i' ";;i '";^'''»'« charg.alde on 
 been 8.4f. cents. ''"^'' ^" ^"'""" ^«'»« it would Lave 
 
 ^^^'Z^^:aS,:^ and Sydney, 
 
 assistant ove.^pers- ^t'i/sn \; '* ^ "<^ "versnun" op 
 
 of £1,000 eurrencv or «4onn „"""'■ """"' ''''"•"■«' » ^nlarv 
 been »omewha7^k,c.,| Cn^" "L""""' ''»', """ "«« '"'» 
 as accompli*..,) a "l^l:!! ,,ST;^'"T •".,'''»« K™'!.™™ 
 Iht'sc whom I h,i,I tl e nie ,^ » „f '' '» '!"• '" """ cipacily as 
 
 oli«ed less than il,o sumffive iamll "^ '""^'y '«' 
 
SI 
 
 cent 
 
 VII.— Obwis and stability -^p Mining population. 
 A Rrent part of the mim;r» in Nova 8c'ofia arc irom Srot- 
 land; mmv fium flic north of Kn^laiul, aiul a fVw from other 
 parts of Uritahi. Small numhrM of native Nova Scotians 
 are cnj;nj;«Ml ahout the mines, chieily as tillers ami other labor- 
 ers ahdvc );;roiJa<l. i ut 
 
 The arraiif^ements of t!ie Association for the comtortablc 
 aceommo(hiti(m of niiners, for tlieir supply of fuel, for the 
 niedjcnl atten<laiice of themselves am! fruuilies, ami lor the 
 Cflucation of their children, toj?ether with their prompt incmth- 
 ly payment of all dues in vifsh, liave pr(>h.'il)ly seemed as 
 much'slahility and permanency amonj? thin elass of iheir op. 
 ciatives as are to bo found amoni; that clas>« of persons m 
 atiy other miuinj,' tlistriei. I met wilh a few miners who had 
 woVkcd in our anthraeite rc«;ions, an«l in t>lher parts ot the 
 United Slali's, l)ut sueh instances appeared to be rare, and 
 mi^M-ation lV<»m tlie Provinces to the Slates more frequeit than 
 in the reverse direction. 
 
 Tlic Association, I understand, j^'ive little encouraj?ement to 
 return, to those who have onee left their works for lite I. futed 
 States, ntid decline to employ sueh, unless in urgent want of 
 hands. I was several times 'asked by labnrini? men, mmers, 
 and otliers-, if 1 thouj;ht workinj;- peojde could get a "chance 
 now "in th«^ States,"' me.anifig of cotirse ^^ood tra<ifit. 
 
 I ?nav add, that in the present state of our mi nuig interests, 
 I did nol feel warranted in answering such incpjiries m a way 
 to excite undue hopes, or to induce a desire of eliiuigc among 
 those who were already obtaining a eomfurtable livelihood. 
 The cflmt/tr of Nova. Scotia does not, probably, ditier so 
 wtdtly from that of their native country as of itsidf to urge 
 theSr.oiish miners to seek a more southern regum. A tew 
 emigrants are understood to arrive every year Ironi Gre^t 
 IJrilain, but 1 <lid not learn that much etiort was made by 
 the Ass«)ciation to inlroduecthem. A native muung popu- 
 latitm is gradually growing up on the spot, superseding, in a 
 degree, the neees'siiy for a foreign supply. 
 
 Vlli. — Lr.Ncrii of the Ska!*on iok !»inrriso Coal. 
 
 The 8hippin<r season at ]»ietou, ciunmences, sometime*., as 
 
 earlv as the first of Mav, but, in gemrral, the trade cannot be 
 
 said to lie established before the tiffeenlh of that month. On 
 
 the average of seasons, it terminates by the middle of Novem- 
 
 beP. . i «• • 
 
 This statement is made on the concurrent testimony ot navi- 
 gators, residents at Pictou, and merchants engaged in the 
 trade in Boston. 
 
sa 
 
 The letiijth of the season is consequently sir months. Later 
 than the uiicUfic of N«vrml)er, the occurrence of jsudden and 
 violent Hforrus, thf iMTvalriiee of iht*H, and ihe freezitg up of 
 thf Ufirfmr, oj)j»)»ji» mtImun oliMtarlcM to navi|j;ation. When 
 wintfT has fairly fft in, the fonnafioa "f ice on the Norfhum- 
 hrrland Straits, and its coniph'te jantminy up tn the (Jut of 
 Cans(), rrndcr tlix' i)ris>a«^<,-of sliips pljysically ijupos.sjhle. At 
 Sydney, th»» harhor oprns on thr hroad Atlantic, and i.s acces- 
 sihlo !)orh «'arlicr and later than thai of J'iotoii. From the 
 middle of April to the middle of I»«'cf,nih( r vessels inot/ enter 
 nnd depart ; hut vrrr/j numths will generally be found the 
 praetiriil shippiri'^' time. 
 
 In point «>r filot, the active s'cason at Sydney eomrnenees 
 miieh later than at Pietou. This is mainly mvini? to the more 
 jreneral aj)[)Iication of Sydney e(»Ml to floniestie purposes than 
 to that of maniifaotures* The season for its consumption he- 
 pins only witli the approach of winter, while the uses to which 
 Pictou coal is applied, namely, manufaeturiaj? and steam 
 navi'.rr»fion, extend more equally throii-rhout the year. 
 
 Should minins^ operations he carried on extensively near 
 the head of the Hay of Fundy, a seasf)n not probably ex- 
 ceeding,' six and a half months could he relied on forshi])pinp. 
 The Si onus of sjirin'/ and the i'o<r^ of autumn, with tla; enor- 
 nious tides of nil seasons, (rising' sixty or seventy f<'et near the 
 head of that Hay.) eonspire tc render early and late navij^a- 
 tion uncertain and hazanlous. Thedistanee, it is true, to the 
 ports of the t'nitfd Slates, v ould be much less than from 
 either of the otluT points, and in f.ivorable s*Msons might in- 
 volve fewer delays thfm from Pi clou or Sydney. 
 
 Insurance on vessels navii^'atinjr the Culf of St. Lawrence 
 is ell'eeted for the .v<//.vo/i, terminating generally with ihe lirst 
 of October. 
 
 JX. — pRicc OF Coal for IIomk Coxgsu.Mi'Tio.v, anu for ExroRT- 
 At Pictou, tlio larsrr rorrf is sold by the small quantity, or 
 hy sinfrle car^^o.^s. at n.T .tO per chaldron. When one thou- 
 sand or more clialdrons arc taken, a deduction of thirty cents 
 per chaldron is made at the end of the year. 
 
 The sfffcf,- or fine coal is delivered on board at 81 50 per 
 chaldron, with a deduction of three per cent for cash nav- 
 inent. ' ^ 
 
 By the weij^hts above stat<Hl, of the chaldrons of coarse and 
 fine coal respeetively, the fbrnjcr costs $1 90.4, and the latter 
 83.1 cents per fan oh board. 
 
 At Sydney, the coarse coal alone is sent to market. It is 
 put on hoarti at S3 00 for the small qu-r.;ity, or single cargo, 
 
and 
 
 23 
 
 h.tiA at «3 no where one thousand or \ore chaldrons are tflkctt 
 by a ^fingle cu.Hfomer during the season. As this coal weighs 
 l.M tons per chaldron, the tun costs by retail 82 37, and by 
 wholesale $a 10. 
 
 X. — WbHHIT or A rHALDRON AT PiCTOU ANO SyONBV. 
 
 The woi^'ht of a chaldron, Nova Scotia measure, has !)oen 
 derived from sevcriil independent sources, inelii(liii}< dill'erent 
 methods ot'detcmiination. Among tlicm are, 1st. Tiie nieas- 
 urement of the cars in which the coal is transported to the 
 h>ading ground, and the weighing of given hulks of the coal 
 in diilcrent states and sizes of lumps, from hot h mining dis- 
 tricts ; •,'(!. Weighing of the ear loads, hy the Ibruier ag«-nt of 
 the Pictou mines; '.i(\. A comparison hctweenthe weight and 
 number of chaldrons, delivered at the custom houses, and the 
 number of chaldrons put on board at the mines ; 4lh. A state- 
 ment by the general agent of the mining association, of the 
 relation in pri<!e between a rltaldrou and a ton. 
 
 1. In 18t:j, 1 fouiul by actual weighing, in a box containing 
 two cubic feet, that the averagf weight of a cubic foot in the 
 marketable state is ow'.ON pounds, ami by carefully measuring 
 the ears both at IMctou and .Sydney, that they hold, when 
 heaped to the height of live inches in the centre, 13n.<>t cubic 
 feet.* This gives the weight of one chaldron three thousand 
 five hundred and lifty-eight pounds. 
 
 2. In 18.'}i>, .Joseph Smith, Esq., found by the average of 
 twenty-four trials of the weight of a car load, tliat the chal- 
 dron weighed three t'\ousand four hundred any nincty-sevcn 
 pounds. 
 
 • The followinif ski'iches exhibit the form nnd diniensioiis of the cars on a 
 Bcale of one-quarter of nil inch to the foot, toecther with the amount of heapiiiii by 
 the average of a great munber of observations. They are called two chaldron 
 
 care. 
 
 Sections of car bodies ufed at Pictou nnd Sydney. 
 
 LoKOlTUPINAL. I'rANSVERSE. 
 
 Ji.7/4 
 
 Contents, when heaped five inches, 136.64 cubic feet. 
 
 M 
 
24 
 
 q In 1838 he weighed twenty car loads, from the average 
 of wh eh the weighl of a ehahh-on is three ihoasatul our 
 hL^red and sixty pounds. The ears weighed, held our ehal- 
 
 "^7 Cattain Brouard, of the l>ietou and lk)ston Pneket, tak- 
 in^ on boanl ninety ehaldrons in Pietou, dehvers one hundred 
 anVten in Wareham, and, as in the latler jdaee, the ehaUlnm 
 we Jhs two thousand nine hundred and lorty pounds, (as in 
 Sos'olt) Tn the l\.rmer, it must have weighed three thousand 
 
 n'risiC'^' Matilda's cargo, in Pieton, measured one 
 hnndrd and thirty-two chaldrons when put on hoard, and one 
 h n red a sixtj^one were delivered in Warcham, showuig 
 Seha'ckon, in Pietou, to have weighed three thousand six 
 
 ^"f ^^l";lSuer^nard,Es,.st^ in his letl^c. to Lord 
 Faull and, hereto appended, that at the rate oi eighteen shil- 
 iin^ currency per AaUror,, tlu« cost of a ton ot Pictou coal 
 would lenne shillings and six i)(>nce sterling, or the weights 
 Z^ t^'o 3.00, which makes the chaldron weigh three 
 tlumsand four hundred and tifl y-six pounds. 
 
 T^^e above six independent determinations give an avernge 
 weight of ^/"'ce thousand pe hundred and Uccnty^cght pounds 
 
 ^^l^Kl^^^Xin 184.. Mr. Joseph Hall, measurer in 
 the Bo ton Custom House, measured and weighed eight) eai- 
 aoes o Bictou coal, by which he ascertained that the aver- 
 aS weidit of a chaldron, in Boston, is two thous^nnl mnc 
 Z.^:hnd forty pounds; and that Thc^jvs T..nU. t, Ls^, 
 of Tnat citv who deals extensively in ^o^a hcotia coais, 
 tlZ Ti memorandum of which theloHowmg . a^opy. 
 " Pictou coal overruns m measure, on the aNeiagc, UMiiiy 
 per c^it. so that one hundred chaldrons at Pictou, w>l meas- 
 ure oil" United States measure, one hundred and twenty ehal- 
 
 '^'Sm these two statements ^--^|ii"g,;>;^;^,;;f'f:-;^.;;:;;\.^ 
 
 the largest scale, we have the proportion WO-MHi) ''^^■;^^^ 
 giving the weight of th,.]>ictou chaldron precisely ecpial to 
 the average of the six preceding calculations. 
 
 Inl813 and 1844, Mr. Hall measured, at Boston, one hun- 
 dr a^ul tbrty-thre. cargoes of Sydney ecKil, -nd the merin 
 r^s It of the vvhole gives the weight of a Boston chaldron of 
 tha coal two thousand eight hundird and sixty-two pound . 
 This gives the weight of the chaldron at Sydney t^^rc tlnn - 
 sand four hundred and thirty-lour pounds or 1.5J tons. iUi. 
 
m 
 
 
 Smith found the slack coal at Pictou to weigh three thousand 
 nine hundred and thirty-five pounds per chaldron. 
 
 XI. — Use to which the Fcne or " Slack" Coal is applied. 
 
 The slack coal at Pictou is readily disposed of for black- 
 smiths' use at the price above stated, it hews; preferred to the 
 coarse coal for their purposes. A ply of superior purity falls, 
 in great part, into slack in mining, and this, doubtless, causes 
 it to be in request. Vessels of three hundred or four hun- 
 dred tons burden were receiving cargoes of it at the time I 
 left Pictou. As I have computed above, that the total cost 
 of mining and delivering on board is eighty-five cents, and 
 as the rate at which the slack is sold is eighty-three cents per 
 ton, it is evident that this part of the product of the mine 
 nearly pays its own cost, a great advantage, when compared 
 with many mining districts where it is either wholly wasted 
 or becomes a source of positive expense. Adding thirty per 
 cent, for duty, and one dollar fifty-seven cents per ton freight 
 to Boston, the importer there gets it at 83.1+24.9+1.57==S2 65 
 per ton delivered. 
 
 At Sydney owc-ninth part of all the coal \vhich goes direct- 
 ly from the pit to be prepared for the loading ground, is as 
 above mentioned, in the state of slack ; and also two-ninths 
 of that which is taken from the bank. In passing over screens 
 with three-quarter inch gratings, the slack is about equally 
 divided into nut co(/l for the domestic use of miners and others 
 about the works, and dust, which being received in a separate 
 car, is conveyed to the " duif heap,'" where it is allowed to 
 take fire spontaneously. This it does in the space of a few 
 months, and in the course of eight or ten years becomes 
 wholly consumed. The duff" heap or ridge of each year is 
 kept separate. Those of 18,38 and '.39 were pointed out to 
 me in a still smouldering condition; but the small amount of 
 ashes left from the heaps entirely extinct, indicated the small 
 quantity of earthy impurity {{ixe or five and a half per cent) 
 in the coal ; while the deep red color proved the presence of 
 no inconsiderable quantity of oxide of iron, resulting from 
 the decomposition of the sulphuret which had caused its 
 spontaneous ignition. Pirtou coal leaves from twelve to 
 ihirteen per cent, of earthy residue. 
 
 XII. — Freights to Boston and other American Ports. 
 
 The freight on a Boston chaldron, weighing as above, two 
 thousand nine hundred and forty pounds is stated by Mr. 
 
^ I 
 
 2S 
 
 Tremlett at 82 75 ; or on the pro»^ ton $2 09.5. During a 
 part of the present season, freights have been taken as low as 
 $2 50 per chaldron, or 1 90.4 per ton. 
 
 From S}/dnnf to Boston, the freights arc ver>' nearly the 
 same as from Pictou. The only instances particularly ascer- 
 tained were at the former rate, or $2 50 per chaldron of two 
 thousand eight hundred an'! sixty-two pounds, enual to $ 1 95.7 
 
 per ton. . 
 
 Prom Pictou to Promkncr freights have varied from wi 9l\ 
 to ^3 00 per chaldron at the latter place, and as the chaldron 
 there in use is the London chaldron of twenty-five and a half 
 cwt. or two thousand eight hundred and six pounds, the freight 
 per gross ton is $2 30.G; showing that at $2 75 to Boston and 
 83 00 per chaldron to Providence, the ton costs 30.1 cents 
 more freight to the latter place than to the former. 
 
 From Pictou to New York also, freights iiave been about 
 S3 00 per chaldron ; but as the chaldron there weighs but 
 two thousand five hundred pounds, the gross ton costs 82 09, 
 or 59| cents more than to Boston, and 20.4 cents more than 
 to Providence. 
 
 XIII.— Difference of Fre«oiits at Bostov between Nova Sco- 
 tia AND PniLADEIPaiA, ANU ITS CAUSES. 
 
 From a careful examination of the bill uf ladinj^ book of a 
 respectable commercial house, largely engaged in the shiji- 
 ment of coal from Philadelphia to Boston and to Providence, 
 1 have ascertained that the average of freight paid for two 
 hundred and forty-five cargoes to Boston, during the seven 
 years from 1839 to 1845 inclusive, was at the rate of $1 74.8 
 pel gross ton ; and that on two hundred and eleven cargoes 
 sent to Providence, they paid $\ 45.3 per ton, showing the 
 difterence between those two places to be twenty-nine end a 
 half cents per ton ; which, as will be seen, is almost identical 
 with the dilFerence in the Pictou rates for the two places. 
 
 From another house extensively engaged in exporting coal 
 from this city, I learn that they paid, in 1844, $1 71 1, and in 
 1845, $1 79 per ton, freight to Boston, or !^1 75 1 as the mean 
 of the two years. In 184.5, they paid U 24 to New York. 
 
 During the present season, freights have been something 
 lower than the average of several preceding years, haying 
 varied from ^1 40 to $2 18 per ton. But as the close of the 
 season generally finds them considerably above the average 
 of the year, the final average may still approximate those 
 
I 
 
 above given. Hence we may institute for the above three 
 ports, the following comparison, viz, per ton : 
 
 To Boston. To Providence. To New York. 
 Freight from Plcton is $2 00.5 $2 39.« 82 09 
 " from Pliiladelphia 1 75 1 45.3 1 34 
 
 Diflerences 34j 04.3 81 45 
 
 The first and most obvious reason for the clifTerence of 
 freight between Boston and Philadelphia, and Boston and 
 Pictou, is the greater distance of the two latter places. The 
 distances are nearly in the ratio of thirty-eight to twenty- 
 eight, or in miles as six hundred and twenty-five to four 
 hundred and eighty-seven. 
 
 The second cause is mainly but not altogether dependent 
 on the first. It is the greater length of time required to make 
 the round trip, in the one case, than in the other. Thus, from 
 Pictou to Boston and back, trips have been made by four ves- 
 sels, viz : the Grey Hound, the Pique, the Brothers, and the 
 Elizabeth, of which the average duration was thirty-nine 
 days. 
 
 From the records of one of our large eoal companies, I find 
 that twenty-four round trips, between Philadelphia and Boston, 
 occupied in all seven hundred and eight days, or twenty-nine 
 and a half days each trip. These were made by eleven differ- 
 ent vessels. 
 
 In the months of July, August, and September, of the pre- 
 sent year, twenty-five single passages were made by different 
 vessels from Piciou to Boston in three hundred and seventy- 
 one days, or, on an average, each prt.ssa^e took 14.7 days. 
 
 EigKt f'ays are probably a full average allowance of time 
 to come from Boston to Philadelphia during the same season 
 of the year. 
 
 By vessels exclusively engaged in the coal trade, the above 
 time of twenty-nine and a half days is more than an average 
 duration of a round trip from Philadelphia to Boston. Dur- 
 ing the favorable season, trips are often made in from twenty 
 to twenty-six days. Should steam propellers be employed as 
 colliers, the absolute, but I apprehend not the relative dura- 
 tion of trips, will be affected by their general adoption. 
 
 The third cause why freights are higher at Pictou than at 
 Philadelphia is the shorter season for shipping. While six 
 months, at Pictou, are all that can be safely counted on, from 
 eight to eight and a half months may be generally found 
 available at Philadelphia. 
 
I 
 
 28 
 
 A fourth cause is, that while Pictou has but little trade ex- 
 cept in coal, Philadelphia has an extensive commerce in ofher 
 articles rendering vessels often very abundant. Thus, while 
 vessels habitually engaged in the West hidia trade are with- 
 drawn, during the hurricane season, from the tropical seas, 
 instead of remaining, as in former times, idle at our wharves, 
 they take coal freights to the North and return in time to re- 
 sume their usual routes as soon as the dangerous period is 
 past. Vessels which bring return freights, doubtless make 
 longer trips than if they came in ballast, and were confined 
 to the coal trade. But they can alibrd t (. take coal freights at 
 lower rates than would otherwise be obtained for them. 
 
 A fifth reason, but one which is connected with the duration 
 of the round trip, is the fact that, under existing arrangements^ 
 considerable detention is liable to occur at Pictou during 
 the active season, owing to a want of facilities for despatch- 
 ing vessels, especially those of the larger class. Only seven 
 vessels, of all classes, can there be loading at the same time ; 
 and of that number, only two can be of the larger size. Five 
 of the berths have a depth of water sufficient only for the 
 smaller craft. At Sydney only three vessels can load at a 
 
 time, . , , T fr. 1 
 
 At Richmond, above this city, I am mformed by J. Tucker, 
 
 Esq., President of the Reading Railroad Company, that it is 
 
 possible for seventy-five vessels to be loaded at the same time, 
 
 though a much less number is generally found at the berths. 
 
 When twenty-five or thirty vessels are at Pictou together, 
 the detention, after they announce themselves "rf «</*/," and 
 before they are admitted to the berths, is sometimes eight or 
 ten days, while at Philadelphia it seldom exceeds half that 
 time. It is true that, as there are at Pictou but two kinds of 
 coaX,*" coarse'' and"*Z«cA," there is not the detention at the 
 shutes, which results from a vessel's waiting at the Richmond 
 wharves till a sufficient quantity of the particular kind of 
 coal which she has been ordered to take on board, can arrive 
 by railroad to the particular house to which she may have 
 been consigned. I may here add that, between the first and 
 the twelfth of August last, eight passages from Stfdjfcy to 
 Boston took an average of thirteen days, and that five pas- 
 sages from Pictou, in the same period, took exactly the same 
 number of days each. 
 
 From Pictou to Fall River, I may also state that, commenc- 
 ing with the first of June last, the bark E. Churchill ma<le 
 three round trips in one hundred and eleven days, or took 
 thirty-seven days per trip. Captain Jones, of the Bark Lu- 
 
 I 
 
cretia, who has been three years in the coal trade between 
 Pictou and Proridfnce^ ^♦ated to me that he had been able to 
 make no more than four trips during the season of six months, 
 in which the navigation ntjmains practicable and safe. Five 
 and a half or six weeks may be sufficient time for a trip, but 
 a fi^fth trip cannot be ventured upon at so late a season as 
 would have arrived after completing the /our. 
 
 XIV. — ^Number and Class of Vessiskls emi'loyed in the Coal 
 
 TRAOP.. 
 
 To the obliging attention of Luther Bracket, Esq., Ameri- 
 car Consul at Pictou, I am indebted for some interesting facts 
 relative to the American tonnage employed in the Pictou 
 trade, and to the increase in number and size of vessels dur- 
 ing the present season, (IStfi.) . 
 
 The first arrival of American vessels for coal, in 1816, was 
 on the twenty-first of May. From that time the arrivals 
 were as follows, viz : 
 
 In the motith of May, nine ; June, thirteen ; July, thirty- 
 nine ; August, fifty-seven ; to sixteenth of September, twen- 
 ty-three — Total in a hundred and nineteen days, one hun- 
 dred and forty one. Of this number, two were ships ; sixteen 
 harks; eighty-one brigs; forty-two schooners, one hundred 
 and forty one. 
 
 In the early part of August there arrived at Boston eleven 
 vessels, mostly British, laden with coal, bringing an aggre- 
 gate of seven hundred and ninety-seven chaldrons, or an 
 average of seventy-two chaldrons per cargo. Between July 
 twenty-seventh and August twelvtn, twenty-seven vessels of 
 the United States, received an aggregate of four thousand and 
 one chaldrons, Pictou measure, or one hundred and forty-eight 
 chaldrons each. Between August twelfth and twenty-ninth, 
 twenty-seven vessels received in all five thousand two hun- 
 dred and forty-six chaldrons, or one hundred and fifty-seven 
 chaldrons per cargo. Between August twenty-ninth and 
 September twelfth, twenty-three vessels took three thousand 
 seven hundred and eleven chaldrons, being one hundred and 
 sixty-one chaldrons per cargo. Not included in the preceding 
 number of vessels, there had arrived previous to September six- 
 teenth, one ship with a tonnage of three hundred and twenty- 
 one; six barks averaging three hundred and seventeen tons; and 
 four brigs of one hundred and seventy-four tons each. Sev- 
 eral of these had come directly from Europe, in ballast, where 
 they had been chartered, as was understood, by the Associa- 
 
li: 
 
 tion, to carry coal to the United States, with a view of being 
 stored under the recent Warehousing act. 
 
 Hence it appears that, with the increased briskness of the 
 trade, observed since the act to repeal the existing tariff was 
 passed, the size of vessels employed in it has been progres- 
 sively and pretty rapidly increasing. 
 
 The number of cargoes of coal exported from Pictou in 
 American bottoms, for a number of years past, as furnished 
 by the authentic records of the American Consulate at that 
 place, has been as follows : 
 
 In 1839, 237 cargoes. In 1843, 71 cargoes.. 
 
 1840, 107 " 1844, 53 " 
 
 1841, 190 " to September 1, 1845, 44* " 
 
 1842, 140 " and to August 25, 1840, 110 " 
 
 XV. — Importation of Nova Scotia and other Coals into the 
 
 United States. 
 
 With a view to present authentic information as to the ex- 
 tent and value of the coal trade of the Britisli Provinces with 
 this country, both absolutely, and as compared with the trade 
 in the same article from other parts of the world, the follow- 
 ing statements have, at my request, been obligingly furnished 
 by the Register of the Treasury. 
 
 It a})pears from the figures, that, in 1848, out of one hundred 
 and ninety-six thousand two hundred and lifty tons of coal 
 imported, one hiuidred and fifty-three thousand one hundred 
 and twenty.two tons, or seventy-eight per cent, came from the 
 British North American Provinces, at a cost of $312,295. 
 
 It also appears that, since 1843, the importations of coal, from 
 all quarters, have increased from forty-one thousand one hun- 
 dred and sixty-three to one hundred and ninety-six thousand 
 two hundred and fifty-one tons, or the increase is three hundred 
 and seventy-six per cent, over the former quantity ; while from 
 the British North American Provinces alone, the augmentation 
 has been from thirteen thousand one hundred and sighty-five 
 tons, in 1843, to one hundred ond fifty-three thousand one hun- 
 dredand twenty-two in 1848, or the increase is one thousand and 
 sixty-one, or say one thousand and sixty-one pr cent. The modi- 
 fication of the American tariff, in 1840, the releaseof the Mining 
 Association, as above stated, from all but a nominal rent for 
 Crown dues, the passage of our Warehousing act, which enables 
 
 • The records of the Inst part of this year were carried to Washington by tb e 
 late Consul, where he died, and that portion of the account is, therefore, wanting* 
 There is, no doubt, a great increase tit the trade this year, over the last. 
 
81 
 
 the importers to store their coal and await favorable turns of 
 the market for bringing it forward, together with the favorable 
 action of the Britisli Government, in granting a favorable 
 charter of incorporation to the Association, and using its in- 
 fluence to settle all controversies between it and other claim- 
 ants to the Cape Breton Mines — all these acts concurrently 
 performed on the two sides of the Atlantic, have evidently 
 given a vitality and energy to the mining operations in Nova 
 Scotia, which, without such a combination of favoring cir- 
 cumstances, they could scarcely have expected to attain. 
 
 Statement, exhibiting the quantity and value of Coal imported 
 under the tariff of 1842 and 1840, together with the amount 
 of duty which accrued on the same, prepared under resolu- 
 tion of the House of Representatives^ of the lAth December, 
 1848. 
 
 Period of iaportation. 
 
 From 1st Oct. 1842, to30th June,'43 
 Year ending 30th June, 1844 
 Year ending 30th June, 1845 
 Year ending 30th June, 1846 
 From July 1, to 30th Nov. 1846 
 From Dec. 1, 1846, to June 30, 1847 
 Year ending 30th June, 1S48 
 
 Coal Impobtbd. 
 
 Tons. 
 
 41,163 
 
 87,073 
 85,774 
 
 156,853 
 65,272 
 82,749 
 
 196,251 
 
 Value. 
 
 116,312 
 236,963 
 223,919 
 378,597 
 157,636 
 213,349 
 461,140 
 
 Rate of duty. 
 
 Duties. 
 
 I 75 per ton $72,035 25 
 •• 152,377 75 
 
 " 150,108 00 
 
 «* 274,492 78 
 
 «« 114,220 00 
 
 l30 per cent.! 64,004 70 
 « 1 1 38,342 00 
 
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38 
 
 
 XVI. — ^Facilities eor incrba(<ino Mining Ohebations. 
 
 It is prohnble that, by increasiniEr the force at prest^nt em- 
 ployed, the Victon mines might send out about Htty per cent, 
 more coal than is at present mined per day. I observed that 
 one of the four vindinj? pits was used only to convey persons 
 to and from the worlvs, though crapable of being employed in 
 the same manner as the other three. This pit is intended to 
 serve tlic upper tier of boanfs, which are as yet carried right 
 and left to a considerably h^ss distance than those in the deep- 
 er part of the mine. It was, doubtless, sound policy to work 
 the lower boards forward faster than the u])per, on account 
 of the greater facility which this arrangement gives forget- 
 ting rid of the fire damp, so abundant in that part of the 
 works, and because it holds in reserve a large body of coal 
 which can at any time be relied upon to meet an increased de- 
 mand. It also stands, in some degree, in the place of a stock 
 of coal upon the bank, to hold in check any unreasonable de- 
 mand on the part of laborers, as it might, if necessary, be let 
 out and mined by contract at very reasonable rates. Should 
 any accident occur to the pumps, or any unusual influx of 
 water take place, the temporary abandonment of the lowest 
 level would not, necessarily, suspend mining operations in the 
 upper hoard 
 
 iJesides fil'ing all the boards, it would be possible to work 
 with two turns of hands, and greatly to increase the quantity 
 of coal extracted ; but, as a permanent arrangement, this 
 would, doubtless, be objectionable, and would involve imme- 
 diately considerable permanent outlays for accommodations 
 to miners. 
 
 A proof tunnel has been driven nine hundred and thirty 
 feet across the Albion measures, cutting several underlying 
 seams, thinner than the one now worked. Some of these, from 
 three and a half to seven feet thick, may be found profitable 
 in working. I did not learn that any active operation on these 
 beds is at present contemplated. I suppose the present works 
 may, if urged, send forth ninety thousand chaldrons, or one 
 hundred and thirty-irvs thousand tons next year. Uailroad 
 and loading facilities must be considerably increased to get 
 this quantity on board in six months of the shipping season. 
 
 The Sydney mines, worked l:y the present pit, could proba- 
 bly furnish sixty or seventy thousand chaldrons, if in using 
 the winding pit, recourse be had to two cages on each rope 
 instead of one, for which I perceived provision was being 
 made at the time of my visit. The new pit at Sydney, just 
 
34 
 
 commenced on the untlcrlyinff bed ahove-menticmrd, may 
 proh.ibly not send to m.irlict a Inr^c cju.'intity of c«a> during 
 the next season, hut will he ready to su})[)ly, perhaps, Jwenty 
 thousand chahlrons witliin two years I'rom this time. Tho 
 operations at Bridjy;eport, and at Litth^ IJras d'Or, ni»y he 
 resumed at any time when the prospcet of a sulFicient inar- 
 ket in t!ie United States shall seem to warrant t!»e cnhirgc* 
 ment of a supply from that quarter. 
 
 The examinations in progress on tlie Bay of Fundy will 
 probably lead durinj? the next year to (lie openin}; of mines 
 of capacity to furnish annually twenty thousand chaldrons of 
 coal. 
 
 The much larj»er expenditure which would be required to 
 ht'mf; the more important Spriniy: Hill scam into activity, will 
 doubtless induce the Association to proceed with due delii>era- 
 tion In that quarter, as all their hopes of a market depend 
 on retaining? and improvinj^ their present advantajijes and 
 facilities for competing with American coals in the markets 
 of the United States. Even the neighboring province of New 
 Brunswick, situated on the opposite side of the Bay, would 
 not become to any considerable extent a customer of the 
 Mining Association of Nova Scotia, both because that pro- 
 vince has mines of its own, and because its immense timber 
 trade brings annually to St. John a vast number of vesseU 
 from England in hdlhist. As this costs from twenty.fivc to 
 fifty cents per ton, besides the expense of taking in and dis- 
 charging, it will, as often as possible, be subst it uted by English 
 coal, provided the latter can be sold in St. John at a trilling 
 advance on the price and export duty at Liverpool. If a 
 certainty of obtaining immediately a market for (ii'ty thousand 
 chaldrons per annum were felt by the Association, I learned 
 that they would proceed at once with works on the Spring 
 Hill seam. 
 
 XVII. — Nova Scotia Coals compared \vitii Anthracite. 
 
 During my experiments at Washington in 1813, 1 made trial 
 of two samples of Pictou, one of Sydney coals, and eight of 
 Pennsylvania anthracites, Pictou coal was burned tor six 
 days, during which were consumed 6,116^ pounds, evaporat- 
 ing 40,212 pounds of water from initial temperature, which, be- 
 ing reduced to the standard temperature of 212°, gave 8.455 
 pounds of water evaporated by one pound of coal. 
 
 Of Sydney coal, I burned in two days 1,001^ pounds, evapor- 
 ating from initial temperature 11,323 pounds of water, which, 
 
 t 
 
 r 
 
 ( 
 
85 
 
 being reducrri in like manner to 312% gives 7.99 parls of wa- 
 ter evaporatrd liy one of coal.* 
 
 The burning of eijj;ht samptrsof anthrarite occupiwl thirty- 
 one dnys during which :U,r>lHj poimds w<*re consumed, and 
 STtt.O?^** pounds of water eva porn ted, yjiving, whvn roduoed 
 to standard temperature, an avera^rc of IKiirif* pounds ol water 
 to one of coal. Hence, makiny: anthracite the stjuidard, we 
 have the relative cllieienccs as follows: 
 
 Anthracite, -.----- 100 
 Pictou coal, ------- H8.4 
 
 Sydney " 83.4 
 
 I have seen a published statement to the eflect that a sugar 
 refiner had, in IH t.% made trials of Lehigli, Bearer Meadow, 
 and Lackawanna anthracite, obtaining a mean of 9.11) pounds 
 of water evaporated by one pound of anthracite ; and also of 
 Pictouand Sydney coals, obtaining only 1.47 pounds of steam 
 for one of those coals. I hesitate not to say that this latter 
 number is wholly unworthy of reliance. I have been informed 
 that the trial referred to was made with the bituminous coals 
 under a simple cylindrical boiler without return Hues, or any 
 means of economizing thr heat, while the anthracites were 
 burned under an improved boiler of the best construction. If 
 this was really the unfair mode of treating the two kinds of 
 fuel, it is easy to account for the difTcrcnce, but it will not be 
 easy to persuade any one who understands the subject, to rely 
 on the results thus obtained as any standards of comparison.f 
 No one, I presume, would pretend that less steam >yould be 
 obtp" led by Pictoucoal than by an equal weight ofpinc uood. 
 An.- yet by a very careful experiment, I ev.aporated 4.09 
 poumfs of water, from 212% by the consumption of one pound 
 of that material. 
 
 Assuming the correctness of the data above given, it will be 
 easy to institute comparisons of value, and to determine what 
 ought to be the price of the one when that of the other is 
 given. _ 
 
 •From f'xaniining th« coal in all parts of the Sydney seam noic worked. I am 
 fully smisfieil thai the sample sent to Washington in 1843, of which specimens still 
 remain in my possession, was not taken from that bed. Its foliated structure, firm 
 texture, and Utile liability to fall into alack, ally it much more nearly to the splenl 
 and cannel coals. From satnples which I have seen and used from Bridgeport, I air, 
 disposed to think it came from that place, and not from the Sydney colliery. 
 
 tNoTE. Feb, <$, 1847. I have this day been again informed, by a gentleman of 
 Boston, that the experiments were in fiict made in the manner I have indicated, by 
 the sugar refiner in question. Yet these resulta have been paraded in the newppa- 
 pera of Philadelphia as data for computing the relative value of coala! 
 
36 
 
 Thus at $3 per chaUiron in Pictou, the price of one grojiis 
 ton is -.-..... )5i jM).4 
 
 At :i() per cent, the rfiitif is 57 
 
 And at $'Z 75 per chaldron, the /rc/]if/i/ on one ton 
 will be - - - 2 09.5 
 
 ^ 4 5(i.9 
 
 Or say $t Ti^ II,-nce 84 57 X ';jl.,=8ri 17 outjht to be the 
 contemporaneous price of a ton ol" anf hraeite. Hut as at Bos- 
 ton the Pietou coal is sold not by the j^ross ton, but by the 
 chaldron of '2,!) 10 pounds, while antliraeite is sold by the ton 
 ofiijOOO pounds, it is proper, in order to decide in cases which 
 have occurred and been referred to in the prices current of 
 the day, to compare together the relative values of these two 
 quantities. The comparison shows that at -SI 57 per ton, 
 Pietou coal is S<J 00 j)er chaldron; the p-oss ton of anthracite 
 $5 17; and the ton of ;>,000 pounds ought to command at the 
 same rate $i (51.G. 
 
 Should anthracite be put on board at Philadelphia at S3 00 
 per ^n OSS ion, and pay 81 75 per ton frei<>:ht, the ton of 2,000 
 pounds would cost in Boston 84 2t. The value of i>,000 
 pounds of Pietou coal would tfirn be roT'X'^l i.>4=83 75, 
 and a chaldron of 2,040 pounds would at th(; same rate cost 
 83 75X 1 3 1 ^=85 51 1. From this number, if we take 82 75, 
 the price of freight on the Boston chaldron, from Pietou. there 
 is left 82 70^ to cover the n>st and ditfi/. The latter being 
 supposed thirty per cent., the former will be 82 11, at which 
 rate the Pietou chaldron would cost 82 IIX 2aio=82 53.2 or 
 about forty-seven cents per chaldron less tlian the present 
 selling rates. 
 
 Again, as we have seen that at the present selling price in 
 Pietou, anthracite is worth 85 17 per gross ton in Boston, de- 
 ducting freight, 81 75, it is worth 83 42 on board, in Phila- 
 delphia. 
 
 An impression appears to have prevailed, that in our Eastern 
 cities, Nova Scotia coal has borne a price higher than its rela- 
 tive value would warrant. The above method of determina- 
 tion will prove whether the supposition be correct. Thus the 
 Boston Courier of September 21, 1840, gives the price of 
 Pietou coal per chaldron, new duty, - 85 75 a t» 00 
 
 Schuylkill, white ash, per ton, - - 5 75 a G 00 
 
 Schuylkill, red ash, " . . - g 00 a 25 
 
 Making the average for anthracite 86 00 per ton of 2.000 lbs. 
 Do. for Pietou 5 87| per chal.of 2,940 lbs. 
 
87 
 
 As the 2.000 ponruls anthracite arc eciiml in hratitifr power 
 to 'X^,X'^,000=="J;J(>0 pounds of Pictoii coal, the prior of 
 2,000 poiuuls of anthracite oii^ht to have been to that of a 
 chaldron of I'ictou coal as 2,'J(50 to 2,9 K), or as 8 1 W to ^r* 87.J. 
 This proves ihut the Nova Scotia coal was sold much lower 
 than the anthracite, ihe latter being 81 IN above its relative 
 value.* Nova Scotia then nmhrsohl Philadelphia. 
 
 Again: The New York Shipping and Coinniercial List of 
 of September 10 (piotes Pictou and Sydney at SO 00 to 80 50 
 per chaldron, and anthracite 85 00 to 8(5 00 per 2,000 i)ounds. 
 
 The average superiority of anthracite over PIc/ou oiuJ Si/d- 
 nei/ coals is sucli that 2,000 pounds of the tbrmer (-([ual 2,32H of 
 the latter in mixiure; and as 2,r)00 make a chnldron at New 
 Yurh; therefore 2,500 : 2,32H : : 0.25 : 5.S2-=the relative value 
 of the ton of anthracite. As it was actually selling at from 
 "five to six dollars" the calculation shows that its relative 
 value was much nearer to the highest than to the lowest 
 quoted rate. 
 
 As Pictou coal has been sold this season at 83 00 per chal- 
 dron of 3,52S pounds, one ton costs 81 90.1. The pirxrnt duty 
 is 81 75 per ton. In December next it will be fifty-seven 
 cents per ton. The difiercnce is 81 18 per ton, and 81 55 per 
 Boston chaldron.f 
 
 I cannot omit here to call attention to the great misappre 
 hensions which must inevitably exist in the public mind in re- 
 gard to the true values of coals, so long as they continue to 
 be bought and sold by incdsnrc. This evil would still be felt 
 even were the bushel or the chaldron everywhere the snmc,^ 
 inasmuch as coals vary so widely in the weight and value of 
 a given bulk, according to the sizes of lumps and to the spe- 
 cific gravity of the mineral. But the confusion becomes much 
 greater when the standard of measure itself varies from place 
 to place, and when even in the same place coal is bought and 
 mined by one measure, and sold by another, as in Nova Scotia ; 
 when, for example, we have the New Castle chaldron of 53 cwt. 
 or 5,030 pounds, the Nova Scotia chaldron, as above proved, of 
 
 »It \s posnhle that the Courier's (juotation referred to the price on board of the 
 Philadelphia ton of nnthracite, in which ease the calculalioii would be 100-88.4X 
 2.'-24()=2,r)34 and 2,'.) tO : 2,534 : : o.HTi : 5.()(i,whieh shows that even under that 
 supposition, the ruUng price of $G UO for anthracite, was ninety-four cents higher 
 than its relative economical value. 
 
 tA Boston Prices Current of November 4, quotes Pictou and Sydney coals ("du- 
 ty 81 75 per ton") at $7 a 8" 25. Anthracite, per "ton," 86 *J0. «"" 'o"" ''""a''* 
 per 2,«U0 pounds, 8<J ^^- 'I'his proves that the cargo price of anthracite was four- 
 teen cents per ton too low, and the retail i)nce 81 U3 too high, as compared with 
 the average price of 87 l2i per chaldron for Nova Scotia coal. 
 
 ' 
 
 I 
 
38 
 
 I 
 
 3,528 poiintls ; the so called " New Castle" chaldron of Nova Sco- 
 tia, double of the preceding, and forming one car-load of 7,05(5 
 pounds; the London chaldron by act of Parliament 2')h cut. 
 or 2,8()() pounds ; the iioston chaldron, (by custom-house"i)rac- 
 tice,) of twelve tubs containing eacli four even bushels, and 
 weighing as above shown 2,0 10 jjounds of Firfou, and 2,S(]2 
 pounds of Si/(fnei/ coal; the New York chaldron of 2,500 
 pounds; and finally the Providence and Philadelphia chal- 
 drons, containing twelve tubs of three hropnl bushels each, 
 and weighing, (as it happens,) of Pictou coal, almost exactly 
 the same as the statute London chaldron, or 2,805 pounds. 
 
 I see no probability that this confusion will cease until 
 manufacturers, navigators, domestic and other consumers, as 
 well as mine owners, transporters, and dealers in coal, shall 
 come to an understanding and determination to buy and sell 
 coal solely by weight. 
 
 As the ton of 2,000 pounds has been almost universally 
 adopted in the retail coal markets; as the State of Pennsylvania 
 has abandoned the ancient denominations of /o?w, hundred 
 iccights, ^-c, and charge- tolls on her public works solely by 
 the thousand pounds ; and, as when transported about a'city, 
 two thousand pounds form a more suitable load than the 
 gross ton, I can conceive no adequate reason why this weight 
 should not supersede both the old gross ton and the multitudi- 
 nous chaldrons above relerred to. It is apj)licable to ales 
 from the mines as well as to those from the coal-yard, and 
 to governmental as well as to individual purposes. 
 
 XVIIJ. ABSOLUTE AND VARIABLE DeNSITY OF PrCTOU CoAL. 
 
 As the organic matter in bituminous coal is, in general, a 
 less dense material than the inorganic or mineral substances, 
 such as silex, alumina, oxide of iron, lime, &c., which consti- 
 tute Its earthy portions, and which appear as its ashes after 
 combustion— the less amount of these latter materials there 
 are in a specimen of coal, from a given coal seam, the less may 
 we expect to find the relative weight or specific gravity of the 
 coal; and by converse reasoning, the greater is the\lensity 
 ot a specimen, the greater amount of impurity may we expect 
 to find in it. i j : i 
 
 This principle will, with some modifications, apply to the 
 coals of different coal districts, but is not to be implicitly re- 
 lied upon to indicate the amount of combustible matter in 
 coals from remote localities, since it is well known that in such 
 cases the composition of the organic part of the coal, as well as 
 the nature and amount of its wme/ a/ impurities, is liable to vary. 
 
 
 I 
 
39 
 
 The mfiin coal senm at Pictou is nearly thirty-five foct in 
 thickness, but only about twelve feet near the upper part are 
 rejjarded as protltal)le for present workinf^. In order to ob- 
 tain a correct section, and to determine approximately the 
 values of the subordinate divisions, a cut was some time since 
 formed diametrically across the whole seam, the thickness of 
 each ply carefully noted, and the specific gravity of the ma- 
 terials ascertained both by i\Ir. Poole and the writer. The 
 plies are nuud)ercd from above downwards. The cut was 
 made about the middle of the mine, between the upper and 
 lower '* boards." 
 
 Section of the maim Coal Bajjd, Albion Mines. 
 
 I 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 i:i 
 
 14 
 
 If) 
 
 IG 
 17 
 18 
 19 
 20 
 X 
 
 Description of Material Cut. 
 
 
 Roof Coal 
 
 Full Co il, mined 
 
 Holing Stniie, i\o 
 
 Top Bciirh Coal, do.... 
 Stone, not regular, do. 
 Hotlom Bench Coal, do. 
 
 14 feet Stone Parting... 
 
 15 t't'ct Coal 
 
 Iron Stone, not regular. 
 
 17 feet Coal 
 
 13at (slatey matter) 
 
 Coal 
 
 Ft. In 
 
 I 1 •'» 
 
 2 
 
 6 
 
 Pavement Rock, 
 lielow Floor 
 
 1 4 
 
 1 8 
 
 10 
 
 1 () 
 6 
 
 - S 
 
 a o 
 o ^-« 
 
 Ft. In. 
 1 fi 
 3 ;") 
 ;j 11 
 8 2 
 8 3 
 
 13 
 
 14 
 16 3 
 16 6 
 
 20 
 
 21 2 
 24 6 
 
 26 
 
 27 6 
 
 28 8 
 
 30 
 
 31 8 
 
 32 6 
 34 
 34 6 
 
 SrEciFic Gravitv. 
 
 By Mr. 
 
 Poole. 
 
 1.442 
 1.2S2 
 2.822 
 1.318 
 2.362 
 1..323 
 l.r>46 
 1.407 
 3.200 
 1.471 
 2.136 
 1.467 
 1.314 
 1.4KJ 
 1.547 
 1 .423 
 1.462 
 1.671 
 1.800 
 2.0!)0 
 2.231 
 
 By Mr. 
 
 Johnson. 
 
 440 
 
 300 
 
 :->m 
 
 308 
 371 
 334 
 465 
 418 
 288 
 1.487 
 2.175 
 1..524 
 1.307 
 1..564 
 1.610 
 1.432 
 1.602 
 1.825 
 1.854 
 2.105 
 2.194 
 
 Average. 
 
 1.441 
 
 1.2!)n 
 
 2.660 
 
 1.313 }. 
 
 2.366 
 
 1..328J 
 
 1.505 
 
 1.412 
 
 3.244 
 
 1.479 
 
 2.155 
 
 1.49.'i 
 
 .310 
 523 
 578 
 427 
 .'■)32 
 748 
 1.827 
 2 097 
 2.222 
 
 Experiments made by Mr. Poole, at six difi'erent parts of 
 the mine remote from each other, p;ave an average si)ccific 
 gravitv of the "Pall coal" (No. '2) of 1.271): the "top bench" 
 (No. i) 1.315; and the "bottom bench" (No. (5) 1334, the 
 general average of which is 1.3-Jl. But as the three plies of 
 coal are of different thicknesses, the true average sjjecific 
 gravity of the eleven feet of coal worked is 1..3-.>8. which cor- 
 responds to exactly eighty-three i)oiuuls per cubic foot, or 
 2,241 pounds (one gross ton) per cubic yard. 
 

 40 
 
 From nn inspection of the numbers in the table, it is cvi. 
 dent tlijit, with an unimportant exception, no other coal in 
 this tnick seam has so low a specific gravity as the three plies 
 above designated, and particularly that the massive body, 
 thirteen feet (our inches thick, from No. V* to No. 19 inclu- 
 sive, has but a single ply (No. 13) of one and a half foot thick, 
 which has so low a specific gravity as 1.31. The rest evi- 
 dently belong as properly to the class of bituminous shahs as 
 to that oi coals. 
 
 When broke up into lumps of the size usually given to the 
 lump coal in the market, experiment proves that Pictou coal 
 weighs 52.08 pounds per cubic foot, as above stated. If the 
 coal be broken up so fine that no piece shall weigh more than 
 one pound, the cubic foot will ueigh fiff y.five pounds, and the 
 gross touM^ould then require only 40.72 cubic feet of space 
 lor Its stowage on ship board. The anthracite of Beaver 
 Meadow, Pa broken to c^g .size, weighs fifty-seven and one- 
 fourth pounds per cubic foot, and the stowage space per ton 
 1.S then .11). 12 cubic feet. 
 
 As the Pictou chaldron is forty-eight bushels, each bushel 
 weighs seventy-three and a half pounds when reduced only to 
 the ordinary marketable condition of average coarse and tine 
 
 XIX.— Control, Mai*ageme\t, and Rent of Mines. 
 I have already referred to a mine of eoal, said to have been 
 worked by the French near Mire Bay, prior to their surrender 
 of the celebrated fortress of Louisburg in 1758. At Swivel 
 1 oint also, about one mile southeast of the present 8vdnev 
 mines IS seen m the base of the perpendicular clilT al^ hisrh 
 water levei a very ancient opening— the mouth of a horizontal 
 drift—on a five feet bed of coal, which overlies the six feet 
 seam now worked. 
 
 The cliff having been washed away to a considerable dis- 
 tance since the work was abandoned, the wooden props of 
 he ancient gangway stand in the open air and are washed 
 by the surf during the prevalence of easterly storms. More 
 and more of the props are exposed every year by the gradual 
 falling of the overhanging cliff. ^ 
 
 As the coal formation is exposed to the open day all alonjr 
 the eastern part of this island, from the Mire Bay to the Great 
 Bras d Or entrance, a distance, following the sinuosities of the 
 coast, of nearly seventy-five miles, it was impossible for even 
 the earliest navigators, to remain ignorant of the existence of 
 coal on that coast. But mining operations conducted in drifts 
 
41 
 
 . 
 
 from above tide level, could extend to limited distances only 
 before they reached the outcrop, because the land rises only 
 from eighty to two hundred feet above the sea. Hence the 
 trade never assumed any great importance until a more effi- 
 cient system, cue to extend below tide level, had been intro- 
 duced. 
 
 By Messrs. Smith & Brown's statement in Haliburton's His- 
 tory of Nova vScotia, it appears that prior to 1828 the Sydney 
 m*nes were worked by horse power, and yielded in a few of 
 the preceding years an average of about eight thousand five 
 hundred chaldrons annually. They now yield about forty 
 thousand chaldrons. 
 
 The mines of Pictou appear to have been first %vrought to 
 an important extent in the year 1818. On the first of January 
 of that vear two mines, one on the east and the other on the 
 west side of the East river of Pictou, were leased to Edward 
 Mortimer, Esq., for twenty-one years, for an annual retit of 
 £370 currency ($1,480,) and a royalty of three shillings (sixty 
 cents) per chaldron on every chaldron < ver one thousand four 
 hundred, raised and sold within the year. 
 
 On Mr. Mortimer's decease in 1819, the mines were leased 
 on the same terms to Messrs. Smith &c Liddell, by whom they 
 were managed till the 1st of January, 1828, when their lease 
 was surrendered to the British Government. 
 
 During their lease, it appears that the mines were worked 
 by Adam Carr, who is stated to have sold his coals at 13s. 6d. 
 ($2 70) per chaldron. In 1822 and '23, however, he sold them 
 at the wharves in Pictou at 20s. 9d. ($5 15.) But Carr's 
 operations, agreeably to the statement of Richard Brown, Esq., 
 before a committee of Assembly of the Province of Nova 
 Scotia in 1839, extended to no greater depth than fifty-four 
 feet. He exhausted the seams to water level before leaving 
 them. 
 
 The whole quantity of coal taken out before the surrender 
 of Smith & Liddell's lease, viz: from 1818 to 1827 inclusive, 
 was only 23,325 Winchester chaldrons, and the total amount 
 ol royalty paid was but £5148 15s. 9d., or $20,595 15. 
 
 During the existence of Smith & Liddell's lease, viz : on the 
 1 1th of July, 1826, a Royal Grant was made to the late Duke 
 of York, by which he became sole lessee, for sixty years, of all 
 mines and minerals in Nova Scotia, except of course those on 
 lands which had been previously granted by the Crown with- 
 out a reservation of royalty. These latter are believed to 
 comprise but a small portion of the territory of the province. 
 
 ;il 
 
42 
 
 The grant to the Duke required of him, his heirs or assiimsL 
 to pay a rent of one .shilling sterling per ton on all coalslhi 
 v.iihr^r^''P''r''r'iP"'^^^^ *«^^'^4h twenty.two Cd ed 
 
 3 six hrd^T^'1 ?"^ '^'^"^>^ P«""^^ '^'i-' two thou, 
 sand SIX hundred and twenty pounds. It also required him 
 to pay iour pence (eight and a third cents) for eT v ton ™f 
 iron ore or iron stone, and one twentieth part of the metal/ 
 gold, silver, eopper, lead, and all other orei and metalT He 
 was required to prove that searches had been madewifW 
 
 nn JS ?'T^\ °^ *^^ '"^'* valuable minerals in the eran^s 
 
 lorK, to all the mines and minerals in Nn-r^ «a«^f '^"'*^^"» 
 
 possess."* " '"""""■mcatrng any information .hey may 
 
 Du'L 'n?v ^r^"^- '^■""''''' ''"''«« * Co., assignees of .he 
 .7 J L *"'''•, "^^ '"'» possession of the Pictol min^ „„5 
 
 As to the dues paid by the Association to the Government 
 
 urrfnTj ft anr;4n''titv°re ™l *T *"''''.' «^- *''- ^' "'•'■^ 
 F^kia'^d, tdeVd°ate'':f'g:efX"2l I^oIT^T^ ^'J 
 
 tg.. ibe l«ie, u Unjlh, appendnl lo thi. rapoR. 
 
^9 
 
 New Castle chaldrons to be £3,000 sterling," (say 815,000) 
 and two shillings currency for the excess shipped beyond 
 that quantity.** '^'^ ^ 
 
 It appears that down to 1838, the Association took out in 
 all 190,147 chaldrons, understood to be Winchester measure 
 and that the sales did not in any year amount to twenty thou- 
 sand New Castle chaldrons. At the rate stated by Mr. Mur- 
 ray to Sir P. Maitland, this would have amounted to $140 (503 
 and at that put down by Mr. Cunard, to $105,000 for the 
 eleven yeai-s m which the Association had been operating. 
 
 By official returns from the several mining districts, hereto 
 appended, it appears that there were mined and sold by the 
 Association in 1842, a total of 39,333 chaldrons. New Castle 
 measure, which at the rates stated by Mr. Cunard must have 
 paid m rent and royalty $22,733. 
 
 In consequence of Mr. Cunard's representations in the let- 
 ter above referred to, setting forth the difficulty of competing 
 in the American market with the coals of the United Stated 
 under the tariff of 1842, Lord Stanley, on the 18th of FeC 
 ruary, 1843, communicated to Lord Falkland the decision of 
 the Lords of the Treasury, which was to allow the Associa- 
 tion for that year only, to raise twenty thousand chaldrons 
 beyond the number stipulated in their lease, free of charge for 
 royalty, thus, m effect, giving them the right to raise forty 
 thousand chaldrons. New Castle measure, for £3,000 sterling. 
 It appears by the annexed certified returns, that they actually 
 raised 33,550 New Castle chaldrons in that year, which was a 
 decrease of 5,783 chaldrons on the preceding year's operations 
 Upon urgent representations made, Lord Stanley, on the 
 31st of January, 1844, again wrote to Lord Falkland, grant- 
 ing him he pnvileu^^e, if he thought proper to exercise it, of 
 aUowing the Association to raise fifty thousand chaldrons 
 i\ew Castle measure, for a limited period, "say from five to ten 
 years, on the payment of the stipulated rent of £3,000 ster- 
 ling. In answer, Lord Falkland assigned as reasons for with- 
 holding this privilege, that the decision would embarrass the 
 adjustment of the "civil list" question, (a matter which he 
 appears to have considered paramount to all other subjects) 
 and that the indulgence granted the preceding year had not 
 resulted m an increase of sales, but the contrary. 
 
 The ofer, however, on the part of the Government to grant 
 this large concession, proves the regard which it feels for the 
 interests of the Association, and the liberal aid it was willing 
 to bestow, in fostering its growing enterprise, and sustaining 
 its competition in the American market. 
 
 s 
 
 11 
 
II 
 
 44 
 
 rr!!!f«r^'*"*l*J''^^.^^y'*"** *^^ ^•''««t interest which the 
 fimi ^n .7 '" ^^ "''•'"^*' productiveness of the roy«//y to 
 find an adequate commercial motive for affording this impor- 
 tant indirect protection to its colonists, and other subiects 
 As an additional . idence of this interest on the part J the 
 Government m t;.. .prosperity of the mining operations in 
 Nova fecotia I may mention that during the preset vear the 
 Association has for the first time become posLs^d of fcw! 
 
 w^htrhitt:;\%'r ^''"^^^"^^ *^ --^^« ^^« -^^^- 
 
 m chancery between the Crown and the assignS"the Duke 
 iL^rotfhT'"'r' which removes all embarrassment aris! 
 ing irom that quarter, are advantages on which the Associa- 
 
 rei tmod2^'r ""?l^. "r^^^^ ^"^^ satisfaction as on th; 
 
 fti^!r^^:^i^ Je^g-^-tK! 
 
 invesJed7nXvl°'i^ ^ r "" ^fPi^'^' «f ^250,000 ($1,250,000) 
 £20 P«Ph nn^T ft '''''^ ?^P^ *^'"«^«»- The shares are 
 4-20 each, and have lately received a dividend of eight or ten 
 per cent., understood to be the first which has ever bf en made 
 
 c'^ent.: or £l7p^r'shtf^^^ ^^^' ^" ^«"^- ^' ««^^«- P- 
 
 AslemWvIn '^8^0^ M ^' R '^^ committee of the Provincial 
 Assembly, in 1839, Mr. Brown states that the Association 
 formerly sold coal at 13s. 6d. ($2 70) per chaldron C«„^ 
 «equent,y raised it to 15s. andken ti Tts. ($3 40);'a.^ ht 
 at the former price they sold it at a loss, w th a view to in- 
 troduce It into foreign markets. This effect having n^w been 
 
 fnZ:,'^fl^^^^^^ -Pital was long S„ce 
 
 rJHL\'^.r*''^'''^^^V^^P^^^»«««'"P"tedon the New 
 tastle chaldron, as stated to me by several of the i^pZ^VZ 
 the rate mentioned was eighteen pLceSrn^^'ffi stated 
 ment be correct, and if by the " New Castle cLdL- £ 
 
 w"of "63 trS Th'^"'^^ f^'-^^«" of 5I tt but the ca? 
 kJ''''."J!I?^ foregoing statements, it appears that Pictou coal 
 
 1 
 
 f 
 
45 
 
 55.2 
 18.4 
 
 14.2 
 
 - 11.9 
 
 0.6 
 
 Per Top 
 
 1. Under the first lease from 1818 to 1828, the rent 
 
 and royalty averaged 55.4 cts. 
 
 2. Under the grant originally made to the Duke of 
 York, at one shilling sterling for two thousand six 
 hundred and twenty pounds, the royalty per ton of 
 two thousand two hundred and forty pounds, was 21.3 
 
 3. Under the lease to the Association, from 1828 to 
 1838, inclusive, it amounted, by Mr. Canard's state- 
 ment, on the coal actually mined at Pictou (exclud- 
 ing that of Sydney) to « - - . . 
 
 4. On the total amount mined in 1842 - - - 
 6. On the quantity taken out in 1843, under the spe- 
 cial permission of the Lords of the Treasury 
 
 6. On the total quantity, (forty thousand New Castle 
 chaldrons,) which might have been taken out that 
 year, had a market offered, the ton would have 
 paid -•--..... 
 
 7. On fifty thousand chaldrons, proposed to be allow- 
 ed by Lord Stanley in 1844, for five or ten years, 
 at £3,000 
 
 8. On one car load at eighteen pence sterling, as 
 stated above II. 
 
 If, therefore, the statements made to me be correct and ap- 
 plicable to the company under its new charter, the rent paid 
 will be 2.4 cents more per ton, than would have been paid 
 had Lord Stanley's proposal of 1844 been carried into effect. 
 It is but 2.3 cents per ton less than was t jtually paid in 1813. 
 Had eighteen pence sterling (thirty-seven and a half cents) 
 per ton, been the rate, it would probably have nearly corres- 
 ponded with the " mine leave" obtained by those who own 
 anthracite mines in Pennsylvania. Until the present year, 
 the Association have had a distinct lease of the Cape Breton 
 mines, independent of their engagement with the Duke of 
 York's assignees, not admitting that the Duke's grant covered 
 that island. The settlement of the chancery suit, and the 
 admission of the assignees to a participation in the benefits 
 of all the mines, merging the royalties into one, and co-operat- 
 ing to extend the trade, will, no doubt, be found favorable to 
 the interests of the crown, as well as those of the Association. 
 
 From the best information I could obtain, I compute that 
 the whole quantity of coal that has been mined and sent to 
 market from Pictou since 1818, is eight hundred and seventy 
 thousand chaldrons, or one million three hundred and seventy 
 thousand tons. Knowing the cost of mining, the amount of 
 
inus,at Picfou, are m vested iE 180 000 rsnnonnm «« ,.,u- u 
 interest at six per cent .•R'i i nnn^r,\T.! ^**'v\''""9 °** which, 
 
 '^ " " - CO 
 
 Making a total of . 71 
 
 • ^ • - - 25i 
 
 Then the cost and interest will be 
 
 As the ton, at wholesale, now costs 
 11 trom this we take 
 
 We have left as the nett profit . 
 
 SI 82| 
 
 1 00.4 
 1 57 
 
 33.4 
 
 Supposing the royalty to be thirty seven and a half^' ml 
 This would be reduced to - TT 
 
 brought' ftfpfc.o^riShts'rv'^^'"' '" ^^p'™'"' '"'«. 
 
 ,1,?™ J manitest, one hundred and sixty chaldron.! anrf 
 charged, as registered at the Custom House «52fl • wM t-. 
 
 will be observoil ic St on „ "»'"'" nouse, SS^S j which It 
 
 equal to two hundred and twenty-two and a half Philadel! 
 
 ihi 
 
47 
 
 7.9 
 
 phia chaldrons. It weighed six hundred and twcnty-two 
 thousand five hundred and thirty-three pounds, which div'ded 
 by three thousand five hundred and twenty-eight, the true 
 numher of pounds in a chaldron at Pictou, gives one hundred 
 and seventy-six as the true numher of such chaldrons in that 
 cargo, which multiplied by $3 gives 8528. This proves that 
 this " single cargo" was sold at the same price as if the pur- 
 chaser had taken one thousand chaldrons or more. 
 
 Again: A cargo of Pictou coal, recently imported into Pro- 
 vidence, llhode Island, is stated to have been invoiced at one 
 knndrcd and sixtt/'tno chaldrons, and charged at 8 180, which 
 is 83 per chaldron, (being, perhaps, part of a large order,) but 
 it actually weighed six hundred and nine thousand one hun- 
 dred and twenty pounds, and consequently must have been 
 one hundred and sevcnti/'tiro Pictou chaldrons. It measured 
 seven thousand seven hundred and seventy-six bushels, or two 
 hundred and sixteen Providence chaldrons. Here the sellers 
 in Pictou gave forty-eight bushels for a chaldron ; forty-five 
 bushels is their true chaldron. The true selling price was 
 $4.80x172=82 82| per chaldron, (81 79 per ton.) At three dol- 
 lars per chaldron, the cargo would have come to 8510. The 
 duties, on the first of December, 1840, on the invoice vrdtie of the 
 cargo will be 8145 80, while on the true value, if that be 83 
 per chaldron, it is 8154 80, which shows that this erroneous 
 manifest will cause a difference to the revenue of 89. If 
 there be no misstatement of the value, then it is clear that 
 the Association arc furnishing coa! to their customers in Pro- 
 vidence at 82 82^ per chaldron, or 81 79 per ton. This may 
 have been designed to place a Providence customer more 
 nearly on a level with those in Boston, where I have shown 
 freights cost thirty cents less per ton than at Providence. To 
 compare the Pictou coal with anthracite in Providence, at 
 the rate at which this cargo was sold, we have the following 
 statement : 
 Cost per ton in Pictou, - • - - SI 79 
 
 Duty, thirty per cent. - - - - 53,7 
 
 Freight, (at three dollars per chaldron^) - - 3 39.6 
 
 And the total cost of the ton is - - - 84 72.3 
 
 A ton of anthracite should, by what has already been seen, 
 cost at the same time and place 4 72.3X*ff.4=s=85 34 ; from 
 which deducting freight from Philadelphia to Providence 
 $1 45, and we have 83 89 as the price at which it must be 
 put on board at Philadelphia. 
 
 ;■ 
 
 i 
 
 n 
 

 XX.— ArrEAL op the Misrisrc Association to the Govbrn- 
 
 MilNT. 
 
 I append to this report the letter of Mr. Cunard, to which 
 I have more than once referred, and also a copy of the return. 
 made by the several collieries at the end of 1843. These 
 documents, and the other correspondence which I have had 
 Ji^^'^r.'^l"' V*^' ""-^ interesting, as they convey, in an authen- 
 tic torm, information as to the effect of the tariff of 18 42. in 
 impedmg the introduction of Nova 8cotia coals into the uiit- 
 ed States; as they establish the fact that the markets of this 
 country are of vital importance to the mining interests of 
 that province; as they exhibit the persevering efforts made 
 by the enterprising Association which controls those inteiv. 
 ests .to obt^m and preserve a footing in our markets; as they 
 admit the hopelessness of inducing those who have mlapted 
 their furnaces to the use of anthracite to return to that of 
 bituminous coal j as they assert that at 83 60 per chaldron* 
 no proht had been left to the Association, and that a grea re- 
 duction must be made in the price of coal to enable it to sul 
 tain, under the tariff of 1842, a competition with the Amen- 
 can coals m the markets of the United States. 
 
 1 he correspondence which I have cited also, shows that this 
 strong appeal, made to the Home Government, was not with- 
 out its effect in procuring relief to the Association. Mr. Cu- 
 
 ??!>,•*' l^'^'^''^ *^^^ ^""^ **^*t^«n years those clear-sighted 
 capitalists who are engaged in efforts to create and extend a 
 trade With the United States, were willing to forego all re^ 
 turns upon their investment. It declares that the expense of 
 
 that he mines must be closed unless the Government would 
 
 es the confident expectation, in case this favor from the Crown 
 tTJlffn? • f inducing manufacturers in the United States 
 intrth^^'f "^ even extend, their use of Nova Scotia coals, 
 notwithstanding the duty imposed in 1842, and notwithstand- 
 ing the competition then existing between our two great 
 rival lines of transportation.! 
 Philadelphia, N ovember 14, 1840. 
 
 ♦ £°!!!?r^''!' *^ ^H «i«!^"i<^"» «n «h« Pfeccaing page, 
 t Reading Rsiiroad and ScfauylkiU Navigation. 
 
 i T i anmHiim;B ft»^^ 
 
 ^v;jr.s3g^a-a5:ap-7; 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 10*0*0*0*0*0^^0^0^0*0*^0*0*0^0^^^^^^^0*0^ 
 
 Letter from Samuel Cunnrd^ Esq.^ to Lord Viscount Falkland. 
 
 Halifax, N. S. 22<£ December, 1842. 
 My Lord : I have, as Agent of the General Mining Associ- 
 ation, to bring under your Lords' ip's uotice.the great decrease 
 which has taken place in the shipments of the coal made 
 from the mines of the province this year, compared with those 
 of last year ; and I beg to call your Lordship's particular at- 
 tention to the causes which have pro>.iced this decrease, and 
 to state my conviction of the positive certainty which at pre- 
 sent exists, that our trade with the United States will be en- 
 tirely destroyed, and the coals of this province excluded from 
 that market, unless we can, by a reduction of th cost of the 
 coals, counteract the heavy duties which we have to contend 
 against. 
 
 Your Lordship is aware that the Government of the United 
 States have lately imposed a duty of one dollar and seventy- 
 five cents per ton, or two dollars and twenty cents per chal- 
 dron upon all coal imported into the United States. This 
 duty alone, (imposed for the purpose of protecting the mines 
 of Pennsylvania and Virginia,) would have been almost pro- 
 hibitory ; but, in addition to this, the mines in Pennsylvania 
 have been able to effect a very great reduction in the cost of 
 their coals, by the competition of the Reading Railroad, by 
 which means they can afford to sell their coals, this year, at 
 one dollar and fifty cents per ton less than last year ; and they 
 have now completed a railroad from Cumberland to Baltimore, 
 which will tend to reduce the price of coal still further. 
 
 The duty upon coals imported into the United States this 
 year, until the month of July, when the new tariff came into 
 operation, was a little more than one dollar per chaldron, but 
 by the new tariff, the duty levied is very nearly twc dollars 
 and one quarter per Winchester chaldron. 
 
 Your Lordship will at once see the effect which the addi- 
 tional duty had upon the importation of Pictou coal into the 
 United States, when I inform you that twenty-one thousand 
 and seventy-six chaldrons were shipped from the Pictou mines 
 
f 
 
 ' i i 
 
 50 
 
 in the months of May, June, and July, and only ci^Mit thou- 
 sand four hundred and four chaldrons since that period. 
 
 Mr. E. Cunard has just returned from a visit to the prijici- 
 pal cities and manufacturing districts of the United States, 
 and has in every instance been informed l)y the manufactur- 
 ing companies, who have been the principal consumers of our 
 coal, that they will be forced in consequence of the enormous 
 duty which they have to pay on the importation of coal from 
 Nova Scotia, and the low price at which anthracite coal is 
 now offered to them, to make use of the latter instead of Pic- 
 tou coal, unless we can afford to sell the coal at a much less 
 price than we have hitherto done. 
 
 It is necessary before changing from the consumption of 
 bituminous coal to anthracite coal, to make an alteration in 
 the construction of the furnaces, and I cannot conceal from 
 your Lordship the hopelessness of inducing manufacturers to 
 return to the consumption of bituminous coal, after they have 
 once adapted their furnaces for the use of the anthracite. 
 The establishments at the mines have been reduced to the 
 lowest possible point consistent with any degree of effective- 
 ness, and the strictest economy prevails in every branch of 
 the service. The price of the coals put on board of the vessel 
 at the mines, free of all charge to the purchaser, is at present 
 eighteen shillings currency per chaldron, equivalent to about 
 nine shillings and six pence sterling per ton. 
 
 This price has left no profit to the Association for the large 
 capital embarked in the working of the mines, on Avhich no 
 interest or return has ever yet been paid ; but as it is quite 
 evident that a great reduction must still be made in the price 
 of the coal, to enable the Association to compete in the United 
 States' market with the American coal, protected by a heavy 
 duty, by the freight from Nova Scotia, and by the strong feel- 
 ing which exists to encourage the productions of their own 
 country in preference to those of Great Britain or her colo- 
 nies. I have given my best attention to the only means of 
 effecting this reduction, and am now preparing a reduced 
 scale of wages which I will endeavor to arrange with the 
 colliers, although your Lordship is well awr^re of the difficulty 
 which attends a measure of this nature. 
 
 After effecting a reduction of the colliers' wages, it only 
 remains for me to bring again under your Lordship's consid- 
 eration, the absolute necessity of assistance from the Govern- 
 ment by a modification of the royalty. 
 
 I need not call your Lordship's attention to the great benefits 
 which the province has derived from the vast expenditure 
 
which f he General ^lininj? Association have incunvrl, or repeat 
 the nnany arguments which were made use of on (brmcr up- 
 plications to your Lordship, and to Lord John Russell and 
 Lord Stanle}'. 
 
 It is not at the present moment of any importance whether 
 the large expenditure incurred by the Association was inja- 
 mcious (as has been imputed) or not. Few undertakings of 
 similar magnitude, even in England, have been accomplished 
 within the estimated expense. The difficulties with which 
 the Association had to contend, and the expenses to which 
 they were subject in opening mines in a new country, with 
 the season for active operations limited to the short period of 
 six or seven months, are totally un cnown in England. Their 
 works are now, and have been for some time, carried on upon 
 the most economical scale ; and after having continued their 
 operations without the smallest return, for a period of sixteen 
 years, in the hope of obtaining an increased trade with the 
 United States, they now find themselves, after an enormous 
 outlay in the construction of railroads to increase the ficili- 
 ties of shipment, and with mines capable of supplying an al- 
 most unlimited quantity of coal, threatened with a total 
 destruction of their foreign trade, and with every prospect 
 of the consumption being narrowed to the trifling supply of 
 the province. I have, therefore, earnestly to entreat your 
 Lordship to take the subject into consideration ; and I beg to 
 request, that your Lordship will be pleased to report to the 
 Right Honorable the Secretary of State for the colonies, 
 the unfavorable position, and the still more discouraging pros- 
 pects which await the trade of the mines, with a request that 
 a very great modification may be made in the amount ''roy- 
 alty now paid. Without this aid the Association will be 
 compelled to close the Pictou mines, and to dismiss the colliers, 
 and others employed the.e, as the Sydney mines alone can 
 furnish twice the quantity which will be required by the 
 province for many years. The Association would resort to 
 this ultimate measure with great reluctance, as it would in- 
 voive the loss of all their expensive engines and machinery ; 
 but they will have no alternative left, if the Government re- 
 fuse to grant them the assistance prayed for. No one can be 
 better aware than your Lordship of the injury which would 
 result from such a step to the general trade and revenues of 
 the province. 
 
 The fixed annual rent of £3,000 sterling for the privilege of 
 raising twenty thousand New Castle chaldrons, equivalent to 
 a duty of three shillings sterling per New Castle chaldron, is a 
 
 f. 
 
ss 
 
 ■!■ 
 
 much larger duty than the Association, under existing cir- 
 cumstances, can continue to pay. As they are, however, 
 aware, that this amount has been appropriated by the Gov- 
 ernment for specific purposes, and it may be inconvenient to 
 Government to reduce it, or interfere with its regular payment, 
 the Association would be willing to pay this amount annually, 
 but would pray that your Lordship would be pleased to re- 
 commend, that the number of chaldrons which may be dis- 
 posed of on the payment of this sum, be extended from twenty 
 thousand to fifty thousand chaldrons. Upon any excess 
 shipped beyond that quantity, the present royalty of two shil- 
 lings currency per New Castle chaldron be continued. 
 
 Should the Government be pleased to accede to this propo- 
 sition, the Association may be enabled to oflTer coals to the 
 manufacturers and consumers in the United States at such a 
 price as to induce them to continue their use, and I hope to 
 introduce them also into new markets abroad. 
 
 If, however, the Government decline complying with this 
 petition, all foreign trade will be totally destroyed, the Asso- 
 ciation confined to the trifling supply of the province, and the 
 revenue limited to the fixed rent of £3,000 sterling. 
 
 I enclose for your Lordship's information, a statement ex- 
 tracted from the returns in the Miner's Journal, showing the 
 immense increase which has taken place in the production 
 and consumption of anthracite coal. In the year 1820, there 
 were only three hundred and sixty-five tons of anthracite coal 
 sent to market in the United States. In the year 1840, the 
 consumption was estimated at one million of tons ; and in the 
 present year the quantity is estimated at nearly one million 
 and a quarter. 
 
 The shipments from Nova Scotia in the year 1841, to the 
 United States, were 51,090 Winchester chaldrons. This year, 
 the shipments will be about thirty-three thousand Winchester 
 chaldrons, a decrease of eighteen thousand chaldrons, and 
 since the operation of the new tariff the shipments have nearly 
 ceased. 
 
 I think your Lordship will do me the justice to believe that 
 I have not made this application without a pressing necessity. 
 From the knowledge which your Lordship possesses of the 
 subject, and the interest which you have always evinced in 
 the welfare of the province, \ '^ich is so intimatel}- connected 
 with the prosperity of the mines, I am induced to hope that 
 your Lordship will be pleased to recommend to Her Majesty's 
 Government, to grant the assistance prayed for. As we must 
 now either enter into new agreements w'l^^h the colliers, or 
 
 ii i 
 
dismiss them, and also endeavor to make arrangements for 
 the supply of the manufacturers in the United States for the 
 next season, I take the liberty of begging that your Lordship 
 will be pleased to request an early reply to this communica- 
 tion. 
 
 I have the honor to be, my Lord, 
 
 Your Lordship's most obedient servant, 
 „ ^ (Signed) S. CUNARD. 
 
 His Excellency the Right Honorable Viscount Falkland, 
 Lieutenant Governor, &c. 
 
 r 
 

 If 
 
 54 
 
 • 
 • 
 
 r 
 
 
 f.s 
 
 i 
 
 3 
 
 
k 
 
 • ,4 
 
 I 
 
 COMPARISON OF EXPERIMENTS 
 
 TO TEST THE 
 
 COMPOSITION AND EVAPORATIVE EFFICIENCY 
 
 y 
 
 OP 
 
 AMERICAN AND FOREIGN COALS. 
 
if: 
 
 
 3 
 
 h 
 
 I 
 
 i ! 
 
AMERICAN AND FOREIGN COALS. 
 
 Companson of the Results of Experiments to determine the 
 
 Evaporative power of American Coals, with those of 
 
 similar erpcrimfiits since instituted by the 
 
 British Admiralty on British Coals, 
 
 In reference to the necessity o( investigating the various 
 properties of coals, in order rightly to estimate their relative 
 values, the following brief statements from page vi., prelimi- 
 nary report on American coals, express the views of the wri- 
 ter, and may serve to convey an idea of the need which ex- 
 isted in 1843, (and which still exists over a large portion of 
 our coal formations,) for direct trials to establish the worth 
 ot their several minerals : 
 
 "The question of the value of coats for the purpose of gene- 
 ratmg steam is, of course, mainly dependent on their heating 
 power ; that is, on the weight of water which a given weight 
 of coal, burned under a given evaporating vessel, can con- 
 Vert into steam, while undergoing combustion. But this is 
 not the only circumstance requiring investigation, in order to 
 decide their value, even for the purpose of sea-going steamers. 
 The weight of a given bulk of each coal, in its merchant- 
 able condition ; the manner in which it burns, whether with 
 much or little flame ; the amount and character of its com- 
 bustible ingredients ; its facility or difficulty of ignition ; the 
 perfection of the combustion, or the proportion of the whole 
 amount consumed to that of the combustible matter placed up- 
 on the grate ; the concentration or difl'usibility of its heat ; the 
 proportion of humidity, and that of the sulphur which it may 
 contain, with the consequent liability, under certain circum- 
 stances, to undergo spontaneous combustion-— are all points 
 requiring attentive consideration. In addition to these, we 
 have the question of the manner in which each coal behaves 
 when coming to the temperature of ignition ; its tendency to 
 retain its original form, the nature and extent of change when 
 any occurs, whether by simply cracking and disintegrating 
 into angular fragments, or by enlarging the bulk, rounding 
 away and obliterating the angles, and vet not agglutinating 
 mass to mass; or, finally, by wholly changing its form and 
 consistence, swelling to a great degree, and cohering so as to 
 form a nearly continuous roof, and thus impeding the passage 
 
II 
 
 "; 1 
 
 - 
 
 i 
 
 1 1 
 
 as 
 
 of air through the ignited coal. In some cases the question 
 of the amount of solid matter which accompanies the gaseous 
 products of combustion in the state of smoke, becoming soot 
 upon the flues of the nj^paratus in wliich the combustion is 
 conducted, is one of great practical importance. Of these 
 incidental questions, the amount and character of the incom- 
 bustible ingredients of different coals is a point eminently de- 
 serving of notice. It indicates the deduction which must, in 
 all cases, be made from the heating power of an equal weight 
 of the coal, considered as pure com!)U8tible matter ; it shows 
 the extent and kind of labor requisite in managing the fur- 
 nace ; it warns us what to expect in regard to the durability 
 of grate bars, and the adhesion of scoria; to those important 
 appendages of the furnace. All these subjects must neces- 
 sarily engage the attention of engineers and furnace mana- 
 gers, and no little portion of the good or bad character m coal 
 may be considered to depend on these circumstances. The 
 relation of the incombustible ingredients of coal to each other 
 is often such as to render the mixture fusible at the tempera- 
 ture of ordinary furnaces, or at least to be, in a certain pro- 
 portion, reduced to a pasty coherent mass upon the grate, im- 
 peding the passage of air, leaving another portion un vitrified, 
 and capable of passing through the interstices between the 
 bars. For ditferent coals this proportion is very diflerent, 
 even when the combustion is conducted as far as practicable 
 in the same manner, and with the same intensity of heat. 
 
 " In fact, there is scarcely an aspect in which this subject can 
 be viewed, which does not open points of inquiry and com- 
 parison of the greatest practical importance to the naval ser- 
 vice. It is not, however, solely with reference to their evapo- 
 rative power, or their use under steam boilers, that coals are 
 of importance to the navy of the United States, and of all 
 other maritime nations. The very introduction of steam ma- 
 chinery into the navy has largely augmented the amount of 
 workmanship in metals demanded for that branch of service ; 
 and the substitution of iron for wood in the vessels them- 
 selves, is destined vastly to increase the demand for such va- 
 rieties of fuel as are best adapted to the various metallurgic 
 arts. It was, therefore, evidently proper, in directing the in- 
 vestigation of the subject of the evaporative power of coals, 
 that the Department should require (as it did) the researches 
 to be extended to all their applications. By instituting in- 
 quiries intended primarily for its own use and benefit, the 
 Navy Department will have incidentally rendered an equal 
 service to many important branches of art in the country. By 
 
 
inviting, ns nbove stated, the proprirtors of mines to furniish 
 their respective coals for trial, it afforded to the mining inter- 
 est an opportunity of ascertaining the relative value of their 
 own products, as compared with those of many other districts 
 and of foreign countries, and especially of having the pecu- 
 liar adaptedness of each to its specific object clearly desig- 
 nated." 
 
 In the preceding account of the coals and coal trade of 
 Nova Scotia, we have had occasion to refer to the results 
 of experiments obtained from those and other varieties of 
 American coals. Those experiments have enabled the writer 
 to compare the market prices at different times with the 
 true calorific values of the anthracites and the Vova Scotia 
 coals respectively. The two samples of English and one of 
 Scotch coals, also tried at Washington in 1843, afforded to a 
 limited extent the menus of comi)anson between some of the 
 varieties more generall^j' imported into this country and the 
 coals of similar constitution found in the United States— such 
 for example as those in the neighborhood of Richmond, Va. 
 \yc were,^ however, until very recently, without relia- 
 ble information respecting the economical values of many 
 British coals which are found extensively in commerce, and 
 much celebrated for their use in steam navigation. Of these 
 the Welsh coals stand conspicuous— and to them reference 
 had been made at pages 213-213 of the report on American 
 coals. A comparison is there presented between about 130 
 different specimens of coals from seventeen different locali- 
 ties in the great coal field of South Wales, exhibiting their 
 proportions of volatile matter, fixed carbon, and earthy matter, 
 or ash, together with the ratios of their fixed to their volatile 
 combustible materials. The class of free burning bituminous 
 coals of Pennsylvania and Maryland had, upon analysis, 
 yielded ratios ofjixed to volatile combustible matter, varying 
 from 3.t>5 to 5.97, and these coals had produced some of the 
 highest evaporative elfects found during the whole series of 
 trials of American coals. 
 
 Among the seventeen varieties of Welsh coals cited from 
 the work of Mr. Mushct, it was found that the ratios varied 
 from 2.50 to 13.95; several of those approaching the latter 
 number being, in fact, true anthracites. The inference was 
 natural, that the Welsh semi-bituminous coals would, when 
 fully and carefully tested, prove, like their American conge- 
 ners, to be of the highest order of evaporative efficiency. The 
 results of experience on the largest scale had, in fact, justified 
 this inference, for the principal place of shipment (Newport) 
 
lU' ! ; 
 
 II 
 
 li 
 
 w 
 
 '! 
 
 is known to be generally crowded with shipping, engaged in 
 transjrorting fhe Welsh i^oals to every part of tlie globe where 
 steam navigation demands their consumption. 
 
 The following table from page 213 of the report on Ameri- 
 can coals, exhibirs the characters of Welsh coals above re- 
 ferred to. 
 
 Tabular view of the proximate composition of Wtlsh furnace Coals* 
 
 Locality at which each coal is 
 mined or used. 
 
 (1.) Blaeavoniron works 
 
 (2.) Clydach, or Llanelly works.. 
 
 (3.) Nantyglo..... 
 
 (4.) Ebbw vale 
 
 (5) Tredegar 
 
 (6.) Bute and Rhymney, Glamor- 
 
 gansliire 
 
 (7.) Plymouth and Duffryn, near 
 
 Merthyr Tidvil , 
 
 Sir Howy 
 
 Bute 
 
 Dowlaia 
 
 Penn-y darran , 
 
 Aberdare, Glamorganshire 
 
 Neath Abbey 
 
 (14.) Cyfartha and Ynnis 
 
 (15.) Hirwain, Glamorganshire. 
 
 (IG.) Crane's Yniscydwn 
 
 (17.) Yatal-y-Fera 
 
 (8.) 
 
 (9.) 
 (10.) 
 
 (11) 
 (12.) 
 (13.) 
 
 Average composition in 
 
 4 
 
 7 
 4 
 7 
 9 
 
 6 
 8 
 7 
 10 
 8 
 9 
 6 
 8 
 4 
 3 
 9 
 
 27.122 
 21.813 
 17.210 
 16.707 
 15.603 
 
 14.797 
 
 14.430 
 
 14.149 
 
 13.941 
 
 12.176 
 
 11.139 
 
 10.. 330 
 
 8.516 
 
 8.091 
 
 7.982 
 
 7.420 
 
 6.587 
 
 s 
 
 •3 
 it 
 H 
 
 a 
 
 1 
 >. 
 
 •s 
 
 a 
 
 69.597 
 
 3.281 
 
 75.598 
 
 2.589 
 
 79.803 
 
 2.687 
 
 79.847 
 
 3.446 
 
 80.056 
 
 4.341 
 
 82.037 
 
 3.166 
 
 82.411 
 
 3.159 
 
 80.845 
 
 5.006 
 
 81.937 
 
 4.122 
 
 85.. 321 
 
 2.503 
 
 86.111 
 
 2.750 
 
 85.990 
 
 3.680 
 
 87.470 
 
 4.014 
 
 89.7.')3 
 
 2.1i)6 
 
 89.081 
 
 2.937 
 
 89.002 
 
 3.. 578 
 
 91.913 
 
 1.500 
 
 0.56 
 .4G 
 
 4.64 
 4.78 
 5.13 
 
 5.54 
 
 5.71 
 5.71 
 
 5,88 
 
 7.01 
 
 7.73 
 
 8.33 
 
 10.27 
 
 11.09 
 
 11.17 
 
 12.00 
 
 13.96 
 
 General exterior and other eharaetera of the eo tla. 
 
 (1.) Fracture conchoidal ; of some of the varieties the structure is cubical, of 
 Others the texture is granular and friable. 
 
 (2.) Some of tht- specimens very bituminous in appearance, and all Buillciently 
 •o to produce in coking much intumescence and change of form. 
 
 (3 ) Structure in some cases lamellar, much intersected with planes, and resem- 
 bhng crystallization ; other varieties are reedy, and intersected by oblique cross 
 partings. 
 
 (4.) In some specimens the structure if cubical, granular, and the consistence 
 friable ; in others, the fracture is coarse, rough, and structure amorphous, showing 
 no definite directions of fracture. 
 
 (5.) Fractures oblique ; structure rhombic, compact, or granular, with sometime* 
 a tadiO'Striated surface ; occasionally rising into prisms. 
 
 
61 
 
 ■ - - •*• 
 
 St 
 
 0.56 
 
 S.46 
 4.64 
 4.78 
 5.13 
 
 5.54 
 
 5.71 
 5.71 
 
 5,88 
 
 7.01 
 
 7.73 
 
 8.33 
 
 10.27 
 
 11.09 
 
 11.17 
 
 12.00 
 
 l».i)G 
 
 (6.) Bright 8Mn!n<» pfinings obUque to the beil*. In some varieti«t. the ap- 
 pearance IS that of glance coal, "^ 
 (7.) !?trucmre cither mixed of rvrdy and uranolar, or wholly granutar; very 
 
 OriglU and shiiung ; concentric circlea sometimes are apparent at the fractures. 
 
 (».J forms general yrhomboi<ia:; structure granular . minemlized charcoal In- 
 lertnixetl with reedy laminae ; croas partings more or less irregular. 
 
 (9.) Structure variable ; reedy and granular intermixed ; sometimes crystalloid. 
 •pecular, glance, or anihracitous. 
 
 (10.) Either bright, reedy, iij regular laminae, or intersected at rj"ht anglei by 
 partmgs producing brittlenesa ; color sometimes dull black, hffving no^proper cleav- 
 age ; at others, the aspect is that of beautiful glance, having minute shitUng lami- 
 nsB oblique to the surfaces of deposition. 
 
 (1 1.) Structure sometimes compact, minutely laminated. Some varieties have 
 a reediness oblique to the bed ; some arc graphitic in appearance, and others uarily 
 bituminous and partly anthracitous. 
 
 (12.) Several of these varieties are entirely anthrneitous in character, and un- 
 ccrgo no change of form in coking; others have the usual characteristic of dry bi- 
 tuminous coals. ' 
 
 (13.) All these varieties are true anthracites ; structure slaty; color brilliant black. 
 
 (14.) Some of these arc decidedly nnthracitous, others contain bituminous ce- 
 ment between the plies, and others still are entirely bituminous. This is. indeed. 
 a transition coal. ' 
 
 (15.) Regularly crystalized, granular, or shining, without regular cleavaces t 
 •urtaces sometimes plumbaginous. 
 
 (16.) Bright, shining, pitchy ; grows more brilliant by pulverizing. 
 
 v*') All these are true anthracites, with the ordinary characters pertaining to 
 
 It appears that when the report on American coals reachetl 
 hnglancl in June, 1845, a copy was sent l)y Hon. Joseph Hume, 
 M. 1 ., to the Lord.s of the Admiralty, with a sug<,'estion that 
 a similar examiuafion .sliouid be made of the coals of Eng- 
 land, Scotland, and Ireland.* Their Lordships promptly res- 
 ponded to this wish, and called on Sir Henry de la Beche and 
 pr. Lyon Playfeir to undertake the investigation. After a 
 labor of two years and six months employed in testing and 
 analyzing the coals, the following report was rendered in 
 January, 1848: 
 
 •The following is an extract from the letter of the Right Honorable Joseph Hume. 
 M. r., to the Right Honorable the Lords of the Admiralty : 
 
 •• The late Mr. A. P. Upham." [Upshur,] " of the United States, was strongly 
 impressed with the importance of determining the nature and qualities of the sev«. 
 tal coals of the United States, with a view to their use in the steam navy of that 
 country, and in 1842-43 directed a course of experiments to be made on the dif- 
 Jerent kinds of coal of the United States, for the purpose of ascertaining their eva- 
 porative powers. I have only this day received from the United States the report 
 ©t that inquiry, and I have the satisfaction of sending a copy of that report to your 
 Lordships, that you may see the result of that inquiry. They have decided by di- 
 rect and practical tests the comparative usefulness of American and English coala, 
 as well as the relative value of the former in their numerous varieties; and I eub- 
 init to your Lordships that a similar inquiry should be instituted into the compara- 
 tive usefulness of the several kinds of English, Scotch, and Irish coals, with a view 
 ofaBcertammg the best for the naval •teameraof this country."— i?ri<. Sept ,p. 3. 
 
 •a. 
 
TO THE RIGHT HON. VISCOUNT MORPETH. 
 
 MUSGUM OF PRArriCAL GeOI.OGY, 
 
 January 5, 1818. 
 My Lord : 
 
 We have the honor to transmit a First Report on (he ex- 
 periments which, under the sanction of the Karl of Lincoln, 
 your Lordship's predecessor, wc were recjuesfed hy the Lords 
 Commissioners of the Admiralty to superintend, r('sj)ecting 
 the value of different varieties of liritish coals, for the purpo- 
 ses of our naval service ; and, according to your Lordship's 
 instructions, we have forwarded a copy of this Report to the 
 Admiralty, as the expenses of the investigation were incurred 
 by that establishment. 
 
 The utility of such investigations having been fully recog- 
 nized, both as regards questions of the greatest importance 
 connected with our steam navy and as bcrvring on various 
 branches of our national industry, in which the right use of 
 our fossil fuel is so requisite, it is unnecessary to dwell on the 
 practical application of the inquiry. 
 
 We would, however, observe, that experiments necessary to 
 ascertain the true practical value of coal involve a very large 
 series of observations, extended over a considerable period, 
 and directed to special objects of inquiry. The qualities for 
 which particular kinds ol' fuel are pre-eminent b(!ing so va- 
 ried, it is impossible to deduce general results from a limited 
 series of observations. Even in tlie one economical applica- 
 tion of coals, their evaporative value, or their power of form- 
 ing steam, one variety of coal which may be admirably adapt- 
 ed from its quick action for raising steam in a short period, 
 may be far exceeded by another variety, inferior in this res- 
 pect, but capable of converting a much larger quantity of 
 water into steam, and therefore more valuable in the produc- 
 tion of force. A coal uniting these two qualities in a high 
 degree might still be useless for naval purposes, on account of 
 its mechanical structure. If the cohesion of its particles be 
 small, the effect of transport or the attrition of one coal against 
 another by the motion of a vessel might so far pulverize it 
 as materially to reduce its value. Even supposing the three 
 qualities united rapidity and duration of action with consider- 
 able resistance to breakage, there are many other properties 
 
It 
 
 which should receive attention in the selection of a fuel with- 
 out the combination of which it might be valueless for our 
 steam navy. 
 
 There is an important diflerenec existing between varieties 
 of coals in the hulk or space occupietl by a certain weight. 
 For the purposes of stowufi^e room this cannot bo ascertained 
 by specific gravity alone, because the mechanical formation 
 of the fragments of coal may enable one of less density to 
 take up a smaller space than that occupied by another of a 
 higher gravity. This is far from an imaginary diflerence, 
 being sometimes as great as fiO per cent., and not unfrctjuently 
 40 per cent. The mere theoretical determination of the den- 
 sity of coals would, therefore, give results useless for practice. 
 The space occupied between two varieties of coals, often 
 equally good as regards their evaporative value, differs occa- 
 sionally 20 per cent., that is, where 80 tons of one coal could 
 be stowed, 100 tons of another of equal evaporative value 
 might be placed, by selecting it with attention to its mechani- 
 cal structure. These facts are mentioned merely to show that 
 a hasty generalization sliould not be made, and to account for 
 our drawing attention to these various points as a means of 
 preventing the selection of a fuel from any one quality. We 
 do not, in the present state of this inquiry, consider it proper 
 to offer any recommenda 'on -four own as to particular kinds 
 of fuel, leaving the experim.-,.: il facts to decide for themselves. 
 After preliminary experiments had proved that no practical 
 result could be attained by mere laboratory research, it was 
 determined to test each variety of coal on a scale of sufH- 
 cient magnitude to check the theoretical views by the practi- 
 cal results. As it was impossible for either of us to devote 
 our whole time to this inquiry, our services being required by 
 other official duties, we appointed assistants to superintend its 
 special parts, under our general direction. On the selection 
 of assistants we have reason to congratulate ourselves, their 
 duties having been conducted with great care and skill. To 
 Mr. Wilson, since appointed Principal of the Uoyal Agricul- 
 tural College of Cirencester, whose practical knowledge well 
 fitted him tor the task, the superintendence of the economical 
 part of the experiments was first confided. To him and Mr. 
 Phillips is due the erection of the boilers, and the experiments 
 to illustrate the practical evaporative power of the coals. 
 After Mr. Wilson had for some time proceeded with the inves- 
 tigation, he was joined by Mr. Kingsbury, who volunteered his 
 services to this department. The latter gentleman was for- 
 merly a distinguished student at the College for Civil Engi- 
 
 

 i 
 
 II 
 
 64 
 
 neers, Putney, and from his engineering skill has rendered an 
 especial service to this inijuiry. 
 
 On the translation of Mr. Wilson to Cirencester, llie prac- 
 tical su|)erinten(lence of the investigation was intrusted to 
 Mr. .T. Arthur Phillips, a pupil of the Ecoledes Mines of Paris. 
 The information obtained had pointed out improvements and 
 corrections in th<' processes used, to which Mr. Phillips ap- 
 plied himself with much skill and success. 
 
 The corrections and the results of his experiments will be 
 found in his appended Report. The excellent scientific edu- 
 cation of Mr. Phillips, and his practical resources, rendered 
 his services of great value. 
 
 The analyses of coals were intrusted to Mr. Wrightson (a 
 pupil of Liebig,) who had fitted himself by s[)ecial study for 
 an undertaking requiring so much delicacy of manipulation. 
 Mr. Galloway, an assistant at the Museum of Practical Ge- 
 ology, gave his occasional services in analyzing gases and 
 ashes from the furnaces, but he was not wholly retained for 
 this purpose. 
 
 Mr. How, a very careful experimentalist, and assistant at 
 the laboratory of the College for Civil Engineers, was appoint-* 
 ed analyst after the retirement of Messrs. Wrightson and 
 Galloway. 
 
 It is proper to mention, in terms of approbation, the servi- 
 ces of the intelligent working engineer, William Hutchinson, 
 whose assiduity soon enabled him to be of more important 
 service than was to have been expected from his position. 
 
 The results obtained by the assistants, with accounts of the 
 modes pursued, are appended, in order that the methods may 
 be examined, and that special attention may be devoted to any 
 particular department of the inquiry. 
 
 In the first section of the Appendix, a full description is 
 given of the processes adopted in conducting the practical part 
 of the experiments, as also plans and sections of the boiler, 
 furnace, and apparatus employed. 
 
 The second section contains details of the observations and 
 experiments made to ascertain the evaporative power of the 
 different varieties of coals. 
 
 The third section tlescribes the formulae used for calculating 
 the experiments, and for correcting and reducing them to one 
 standard. 
 
 The fourth section contains the chemical experiments, in- 
 cluding the ultimate and proximate analyses of the coals, and 
 the determination of their calorific values. 
 
05 
 
 It is unnecessary to repeat here the mode in wliich the ex- 
 periments were instituted, as these are detailed in the ilrst sec- 
 tion of th(! Appendix, so that it will sulTioe to draw attention 
 to the points observed in reducing and calculating^ the results. 
 It will be obvious that there arc several circumstances which 
 must receive attention before the true evaporative value of a 
 fuel can be o])tained. Thus, the water in the tanks has a 
 varying temperature during 'he day, dependent on atmos- 
 pheric changes, and is always dill'erent from that in the boil- 
 er. The temperature of water in the boiler also varies with 
 the external temperature, and the circumstances under which 
 the experiments are made. The shape of a Cornish boiler 
 favors an inequality in the temperature of the water in its 
 various parts, the colder and denser water sinking to the l)ot- 
 tom, and having a tenoency to remain there, so that the tem- 
 perature of water at the surface is I'ar from being the mean 
 temperature of water in the boiler, the dilFcrence between the 
 surface and bottom water being, on an average, 70°. Other 
 circumstances naturally affect the evaporative powers of the 
 coal, as for example the fact that all the water exposed to the 
 action of the fire in the ])oiler is not converted into steam, and 
 that wood is used to light the fire. Another circumstance of 
 considerable importance, is the expansion or contraction of 
 the boiler from an increase or diminution of the temperature. 
 In the early stage of the experiments, those conducted by 
 Messrs. Wilson and Kingsl)ury, it was thought unnecessary to 
 make a correction for this variation in conditions ; but on as- 
 certaining experimentally that the difference was as much as 
 09.025 lbs. of water in the contents of the boiler, between the 
 temperature 150° and 212°, it became ' sir le to make an 
 allowance for it, even when the difierenc" 1 "* vveen the initial 
 and final temperature was not greater than 10°. Other cir- 
 cumstances of less importance, but influencing the results, 
 have been neglected, because the application of such correc- 
 tions would have only complicated the results, and would have 
 had little practical value when the errors of observation in 
 such approximative experiments remain so large. Among 
 these may be mentioned the quantity of gases evolved during 
 combustion, the elevation in temperature of the air entering 
 the fire place, the barometrical and hygrometric conditions of 
 the atmosphere, the radiation from the boiler (very small in 
 amount, owing to its brick covering.) the hygrometric state of 
 the fuel, or the heat necessary for obtrining mechanical 
 draught in the chimney. In most of these cases the necessary 
 
*l 
 
 
 66 
 
 observations have been made, to enable the corrections to be 
 applied, should it afterwards appear desirable. 
 
 In making the calculation for the evaporative value of a 
 fuel, the quantity consumed was divided into two portions, 
 the first being that necessary to raise the whole mass of water, 
 exposed to the fn-e, from the 7?icnn temperature to 212°, the se- 
 cond portion being that required to evaporate the water taken 
 from the tanks from a temperature of 212°. To enable this 
 to be done, the mean temperature of the whole mass of the 
 water is ascertained, that is, the temperature of the water in 
 the boiler at its initial temperature after being mixed with the 
 tank water at its average temperature. The average of the 
 latter was the mean of several observations taken during the 
 day, and is designated by t'. 
 Let w be weight of water drawn from tanks at temperature t' 
 
 , W „ in boiler ,, f 
 
 this being obtained from surface temperature corrected by ex- 
 periment ; 
 
 t, temperature after mixture. 
 
 Then t = '^/,; + " r 
 
 The correction for the wood was mnde from data procured 
 experimentally by Messrs. Wilson and Kingsbury, but it can 
 only be employed for the particular wood used, as in subse- 
 quent experiments the evaporative value was found very dif- 
 ferent from anothe -.^uality obtained. The co-eiricient of the 
 evaporative power of the wood may be deduced from experi- 
 ment, in which a certain weight of water was raised from a 
 known temperature to the boiling point, and then a certain 
 po.Mon of it evaporated. The following formulre have been 
 used by Mr. Kingsbury tor the calculation. 
 
 N is the total weight of wood used in raising (W-f-?/;) (the 
 weight of water in the boih^r, and of that let down from the 
 tanks during the experiment) from the mean temperature t to 
 212°; then it is necessary to find the weight N' necessary to 
 evaporate w from 212°. 
 
 Then ^- = e, the evaporating power. 
 
 Let m be the weight of wood required to raise W + iv from 
 t to 212°, the number 1000 being assumed as the latent heat 
 of steam. 
 
 n to evaporate W -f iv from 212° 
 N' „ w „ 
 
 Then m + N' = n 
 
67 
 
 i 
 
 
 Now 
 
 I 
 
 212 — t 
 But| = 
 
 n 
 m 
 
 W + ?^ 
 w 
 
 '^' = n 
 
 w 
 
 W + w 
 Z(N — N') = (212 — Ow 
 
 = (212-0N'(^^) 
 NZ = N' I ^?ii" (212-0 + ^1 
 
 w 
 
 N' 
 
 :C. 
 
 (212—0 {W + w)+lw 
 
 or, introducing the value of t as given by the first formula, 
 (l + 212 — t) 10+ (212 — t") W 
 N/ 
 
 If </ be the quantity of wood used in lighting the fire, e q 
 will be the weight of water evaporated from 212° by the 
 wood, and must be deducted from the weight of water eva- 
 porated in calculating the work done by the coal. 
 
 The co-efficient of the evaporating power of the coals, or 
 the number of lbs. of water which one lb. of coal will evapo- 
 rate from 212°, may be calculated as follows : 
 
 Let P be the total quantity of coal consumed, then the work 
 done by P will be to Yhr-^e W 4- w? of water from t to 212°, and 
 to evaporate uj — e </ from 212°. 
 
 Let m be weight of coal required to raise W + 10 to 212° from t 
 p „ „ evaporate w — eq from 2 1 2° 
 
 n „ „ „ \V + ?o from 212° 
 
 — ^ = E, the evaporating power. 
 
 Then 
 
 10 
 
 P 
 
 Now V = m + p 
 2 12 — t 
 
 I 
 But^ = ^'^- 
 
 m 
 
 n 
 e q 
 
 n 
 
 W -f i« 
 / fw —eq \ _ 21 2 — 
 V W + uj^-'P P— /> 
 
 — t 
 
 (W + w) ( 212 — + {w — c q) I 
 
 to 
 
 eq 
 
 ==£ 
 
 !?1 
 i' 
 
68 
 
 was 
 
 Introducinsr 
 obtained 
 
 the values from which the mean temperature 
 
 (first formula.) we have eventually 
 
 (/ 4.212 — /) w+ (-212-- t") W — / 
 
 P/ 
 
 ^ = E 
 
 in which W is the weight of water in the boiler; 
 
 "^ . . " . drawn from the tanks dur- 
 
 mj? the experiment ; 
 
 t the mean temperature of water in tanks; 
 
 t the corrected initial temperature of water in boiler.* 
 
 takenl^t S'^'t">f ^'''"'t'' '^' '^''*^"^ ^^^* ^^ '''^^'^ ^^« been 
 taken at 1000° the number generally used in this country; 
 
 frnL M^"* ^^^ calculations had been made on this subject 
 from the experiments by Messrs. Wilson and Kingsbury, and 
 ^e results sent m to the Admiralty, Regnault's excellenl me- 
 moir on the latent heat of steam was published. It became 
 necessary, therefore, to use these new results in the future ex- 
 periment^. The^se, so far as they apply to the present inquiry. 
 are reduced m the following table : ^ 
 
 nf*Ar^" '=°"'*'1.'°" T'* ^^ °''° '"'*'^« *«' the combustible matter in the reuidma 
 of combustion, euch as the soot and carbonaceous matter in tZThe, ,„Tfw! 
 wuh great accuracy, a series of observations r .d an^fy e woud have been feoS^ 
 ed. the labor and expense of which would not have been warranted bv the amouS 
 of correction necessary. It was, therefore, considered sufficient to proceed 3. 
 ows-ahhough the result is nothing more than a very roug approximtTon ,o the 
 Trn/r '""f '" approximation it will be admit. .d that the evapSve value of 
 hat thi rXl?f" ;''' ""'^^ '^ "" '^"•"bustible to the incombustibirmatter and 
 that this ratio confers a similar evaporative value on the quantity of ashes cindenT 
 
 terortWtter if, iV^' combustion ; in other words, tha't if the^o^bus iwi S 
 feet would ha -e b-n 2 r " '^ ^^f"^ '" '^^ P^^J^'^'i"" «<" «team. a similar ef- 
 bumrd If LnO h.^.h ^? 'f a corresponding quantity of coal had been 
 
 ♦iKi ,. u ^ ^^ , ^^^^^'' ^^ c°a' containing the same quantity of eombu«. 
 
 tible matter as the reaidua after its combustion in the furnace *^'"'""'*' **' "'"^'^ 
 
 T u evaporating power. 
 
 Let then te , « weight of ashes after the experiment 
 
 M 
 M 
 
 M 
 
 ♦"t =» M cinders 
 
 Wa = » Boot „ „ 
 
 The weight of the cinders is taken ofter the clinliers arc separated. 
 
 J!j i be the percentage of combustible matter in the ttahes, cinders, and 
 y* I soot respectively ; ' 
 
 Q the weight of coal containing the same weight of combustible matter : 
 r the per centage of combustible matter as found in the coal by analysis }' 
 
 Then r Q, 
 
 Q 
 
 '•iW.+r, W,+r, 
 
 _ r, W, -fr, W. 
 
 tv. 
 
 + «'s ««.< 
 
c 
 e 
 
 I 
 
 e 
 
 Q 
 
 § 
 
 1 
 
 o 
 < 
 
 S 4> 
 
 hm 
 
 S 2 
 
 w St 
 
 So 
 
 e 
 b4 
 
 r r* I^f ."T 3 £ '-^ 5 ;5 ?^ j-5 f» 2 S *^ tr «•'"''*"'>*''» "» 
 
 2 
 .2? 
 
 s 
 
 V 
 
 U 
 
 
 \L P + J, o> 
 
 J. lUOJJ iOJB^Y 
 
 C5 O CO O ff( VS !?» 2^ 5V 35 « r- 
 C o — 1 CI c^ -r irt t- X ;:3 « irt t- 
 
 O S » S v5 S a S O 3 C O Ct 
 
 •T'NCJ-TOOI'-'O — "TIO 
 
 C CTJ ?! CJ 50 O t X ?» iO 
 
 pttB ^.se iiaa.wj 
 -Jq io ju-JO J, 
 
 O O O — — 1 C^J CO « -t ■•'5 lO W t- 00 C5 O ?ri rt T 'O 1^ QO d 
 — .^3-330303:^ — SSSwr^i-a^rXxa— ••-•CI 
 
 C>9S'=^OO3C>O;3SOSOC»0S0C>0SS9 
 
 'BM JO piinod 
 
 ( (11 pJUIOUO.I 
 Wm JO Bdl| 
 
 '\u^ JO i*quinu 
 
 
 S 3 S J5 = ' 
 
 I (?» ro lO '^ C5 »>• T 4^ ^ VS> ■-« « er) 52 t-. u^ -t ' 
 
 n irs « as o cj -r ir: i-* s:^ — r^ -f -^o oj o CM •f 'o 1^ ff) — w «-■% 
 
 -H«J 
 
 
 ■iijqu^iqBjiai 
 -duioiui<<qj|^ jjV 
 
 Sui|)Ua3lj.4p Ul 
 iaiBM JO "OlliJ 
 
 I Xq pauopuuq 
 •u )ti<<]] JO 8i»!} 
 
 apejdii 
 *U33 {Gun3Ja|){ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 • 
 
 
 
 
 e : 
 
 § i 
 
 
 
 e 
 si 
 
 
 
 (N O I; « -t r«J 3: -X V2 -^ !?J S OD 1^ «r ffj o cc to •>»• ?» « X «s 
 •J c^ lo •<i aa o CN ■T i-'s t^ w5 — ■ CO -)" w oD o J! « ifl 1- CI — (?» -r 
 
 OO—iyji'i.'JOCO— 'J.lOO»TOS^— iVSrfioOlJ'-O: 
 
 sr o o » © w — jj CI 00 in w 00 s^ cj -r t- o c^ «■» *i ' 
 
 > w » 
 
 
 l« 
 
 
 
 
 
 • 
 
 
 
 
 » 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 o 1 
 
 • • 
 
 » : 
 
 u? « 
 
 •4 : 
 
 
 
 e 
 
 • • 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 '>>puii!nuj3i.>i 
 -dutouii^qj, J{V 
 
 
\ 
 
 I <>' 
 
 i 
 
 TO 
 
 It also became desirable to introduce new corrections, which 
 the progress of the inquiry showed to be needlul. Thus, Mr. 
 lliillip,ss carelul experiments determined the alteration in the 
 capacity of the boiler at different temperatures, and correc- 
 lonwasm future made for this difference. The alteration 
 m the capacity of the measuring tanks was also estimated, 
 whenever the temperature differed 2° from that at which they 
 were guaged. Another cause of error, ior which allowance 
 should be made, is any difference which may exist between 
 the initial and hna^ temperature at the beginning and close of 
 the experiment. This difference being known by observation, 
 the correction may be applied from the Table of Expansion 
 oi the Water m the Boiler, given in the Appendix. Introduc- 
 mg these new corrections into the experiments for ascertain- 
 mg the co-cfficient of the heating power of the wood, the fol- 
 lowing are the formulae used by jMr, Phillips :— 
 (VV 4. to — „/) (l^t)^ wV 4. (»/ — w) t" 
 
 iU ~~ = E. 
 
 In which W is the water let down from the tanks durinff 
 the experiment. ® 
 
 w = The weight of water (as found by the Table of Ex- 
 pansion) found in the boilers at commencement of experiment. 
 
 f ^^^^''''r^^^f'^'^l^r in boiler at close of experiment. 
 
 I = Co-clhcient of the latent heat of steam. 
 
 t == Quantity of heat necessary to raise the water in tanks 
 from Its mean temperature to that at which it is evaporated. 
 
 t = Quantity of heat necessary to raise the water in the 
 boiler from the initial to the final temperature. 
 
 t" = Quantity of heat necessary to raise the water at the 
 Sr '""^"''^ "" ^"^ ^^^ ^"""^ temperature of water in the 
 
 P == Weight of combustibles consumed during experiment. 
 £. == 1 he co-efticient of the heating powers of wood. 
 
 But when the initial is lower than the final temperature, 
 me lormula becomes— 
 
 (W4.W. 
 
 ' FT 
 
 E. 
 
 A 1 the terms retaining their original value except the last, in 
 which /" ,s replaced by V" (or the heat necessary to raise the 
 final temperature to that at which the water was expanded ) 
 and must be regarded as having a negative value, while / 
 becomes positive. If now q h the weight of wood used in 
 
71 
 
 lighting the fire, the formula) for estimating the evaporative 
 power of the coal will be 
 
 (W — R 7 4. w ~ w') / 4. (W + w — v') t ^ trt' 4. JH-' ~ ic) t" ■ ^, 
 And 
 
 
 in 
 
 =E'. 
 
 As the experiments arc strictly comparative, and under like 
 conditions, the want of tlic other corrections, to wliich we 
 have alluded above, will not])e felt in examining the results; 
 while their execution would have introduced a refinement into 
 the experiments which never could be obtained in practice, 
 and which, in fact, would be useless and unwarrantable, 
 while, as previously remarked, the errors of observation in all 
 such approximate experiments remain so large. 
 
 The only omitted correction which in appearance might be 
 supposed necessary for practical purposes, is that for the hy- 
 groscopic condition of the fuel. Had wood been employed, 
 this must have been done ; but the hygroscopic nature of coal 
 is very much less than that of wood. The latter contains i 
 of its own weight of hygroscopic water; and the heatneces- 
 saryfor the evaporation of this (quantity might be shown by 
 a simple calculation to be nearly equal to 22 per cent, of the 
 total heat obtained by the combustion of the wood. The hy- 
 groscopic water in coal is, however, very small, as will be 
 seen by the following determinations of some of the Welsh 
 specimens experimented upon : — 
 
 Graigola Coal - 
 
 Anthracite 
 
 Old Castle 
 
 Ward's Fiery Vein 
 
 Myndd Newydd 
 
 Pentrepoth 
 
 Pentrefelin 
 
 Hygroscopic water. 
 1.00 per cent, 
 2.44 « 
 0.74 
 1.27 
 0.07 
 0.78 
 0.70 
 
 « 
 M 
 
 Had we introduced corrections for these small quantities, 
 practice would have been misled; because the coals will 
 rarely reach a vessel in the dry slate that they did in the pre- 
 sent case, when they were packed in hogsheads and kept under 
 cover. 
 
 It was found unnecessary to correct for any inflammable 
 gases flying up the chimnc^y, because repeated analysis of the 
 chimney gases proved them not to contain any combustible 
 
} 
 
 n 
 
 Table II. — Showing the 
 
 Names of Coats employed in the 
 Experiments. 
 
 
 Welsh 
 
 Coals. 
 
 I'Gniigola 
 
 Anthracite, Jones & Co 
 
 Old Castle Fiery Vein 
 
 Ward's Fiery Vein 
 
 Binea 
 
 Llangennech 
 
 Pentrepoth 
 
 Peiitrefelin 
 
 Duffryn..., 
 
 Mynydd Newydd 
 
 Three-quarter Rock Vein 
 
 Cwm Frood Rocit Vein 
 
 Cwin Nanty-gros 
 
 Reaolven 
 
 Pontypool , 
 
 Bed was 
 
 j Ebbw Vale 
 
 I Porth-niawr 
 
 IColeshill 
 
 sp"o it a» 
 
 •• V n 
 
 Scotch 
 Coals. 
 
 'Dalkeith Jewel Seam 
 
 " Coronation Seam 
 
 Wallsend Elgin 
 
 Fordel Splint 
 
 .Grangemouth , 
 
 English ( Broomhil! 
 
 Coaltf. I Lydney (Forest of Dean). 
 
 Slievardagh Irish Anthracite... 
 
 Patent 
 
 Coals. 
 
 Wylam'8 Patent Fuel. 
 Bells " 
 
 VVarlich's " 
 
 
 3r ^*" 
 
 :U 
 
 
 .** c « • 
 2 £ 
 
 (S 5 2£ 
 §.2.2.- 
 
 A. 
 
 935 
 9.46 
 8.94 
 9.40 
 9.94 
 8.86 
 8.72 
 6.36 
 
 10.14 
 9.52 
 8.84 
 8.70 
 8.49 
 9.53 
 7.47 
 9.79 
 
 10.21 
 7.53 
 8.0 
 
 7.08 
 7.71 
 8.46 
 7.56 
 7.40 
 
 7.3 
 
 8.52 
 
 9.65 
 
 8.92 
 
 8.53 
 
 10 36 
 
 Sow 
 
 .J' s » 
 
 Pounds. 
 
 B. 
 
 60 166 
 
 58.25 
 
 50.916 
 
 57.433 
 
 57.08 
 
 56.93 
 
 57.72 
 
 66.166 
 
 53.22 
 
 56.33 
 
 56.388 
 
 55.277 
 
 56.0 
 
 58.66 
 
 55.7 
 
 50.5 
 
 53.3 
 53.0 
 
 49.8 
 
 51.66 
 
 54.6 
 
 55.0 
 
 54.25 
 
 S?>.5 
 d4.444 
 
 62.8 
 
 65.08 
 
 65.3 
 
 69.05 
 
 - «-^ 
 
 ■S S " 
 
 .Sf- s 
 ego 
 
 Founds. 
 
 C. 
 
 81.10V 
 85.786 
 
 80.42 
 
 83.85 
 
 81.357 
 
 81.85 
 
 81.73 
 
 84.726 
 
 82.72 
 
 81.73 
 
 83.60 
 
 78.299 
 
 79.859 
 
 8^.354 
 
 82.35 
 
 82.6 
 
 78.81 
 
 86.722 
 
 80.483 
 
 79.672 
 78.611 
 78.611 
 78.611 
 60.48 
 
 77.988 
 80.046 
 
 99.57 
 
 68.629 
 71.124 
 72.248 
 
 constituent ; the only products ever found being carbonic acid, 
 sulphurous acid, oxygen, and nitrogen. The quantity of free 
 oxygen in the chimney varied from |^ to | of the oxygen, which 
 combined with the fuel; in otliir words, nearly twice the 
 quantity of air passes through iue fire than that which is 
 strictly necessary by theory. 
 
 ^1 
 
m 
 
 3 a 
 
 >. 
 
 
 -s 
 
 5 g 
 
 ^ 
 
 • « 
 
 
 if 
 
 5 
 
 o 
 
 ^ 
 
 te 
 
 >unds. 
 
 C. 
 
 
 i.iov 1 
 
 5.7 
 (1 .1 
 
 86 
 
 
 iilconomic Values of the Coals. 
 
 e ~* 
 
 ■a 5 2 
 
 1 Ion 
 
 cone- 
 
 in <~ i~ 
 
 g o 
 
 U t> u 
 
 g J bo 
 
 
 a 
 
 pora- 
 
 berof 
 
 eva- 
 
 tt 1 g 
 
 e ;j C/ 
 
 l"g3> 
 
 Iw (L. 1^ 
 
 m 
 
 ys V 
 
 JS --• 
 •tl — 
 
 S " « 
 
 S « o 
 §..5 5 
 
 CO 
 
 >< <u w . 
 
 > «i 3 n 
 
 O c •" 
 O. •-> B .. 
 
 c _^ S c 
 
 5 "« ~ '" 
 
 2 o I. »- 
 
 ^■s.s s 
 
 |52 
 III 
 
 S S £ .^ 
 
 > ^ a a 
 
 Q v. V 
 
 as -" *■ 
 
 
 Mean. 
 
 D. 
 
 F. 
 
 G. 
 
 H. 
 
 I. 
 
 
 ,742 
 
 .34.8 
 
 37.23 
 
 49.3 
 
 9,66 
 
 581.20 
 
 441.48 
 
 .679 
 
 47.26 
 
 38.45 
 
 68.5 
 
 9.7 
 
 565.02 
 
 409.37 
 
 .()3:i 
 
 57,946 
 
 46. 
 
 43.99 
 39. 
 
 57.7 
 46.5 
 
 
 455.18 
 
 608.78 
 
 .i(l4 30 
 
 .G85 
 
 Voie""" 
 
 529.90 
 
 .Wi 
 
 42.5.1 
 
 39.24 
 
 51.2 
 
 10.3 
 
 587.92 
 
 486,95 
 
 M)5> 
 
 4.') 76 
 
 39. .'14 
 
 53,5 
 
 9.2 
 
 523.75 
 
 373,22 
 
 .705 
 
 40.17 
 
 38.80 
 
 46.5 
 
 8.98 
 
 518.32 
 
 381.50 
 
 .781 
 
 28.051 
 
 33,85 
 
 52.7 
 
 74 
 
 489.62 
 
 247.24 
 
 .(.'13 
 
 55.43 
 
 42,09 
 
 562 
 
 11.80 
 
 540.12 
 
 409.32 
 
 .t)!i9 
 
 45.09 
 
 39.76 
 
 53.7 
 
 10.59 
 
 53G.26 
 
 470. ()9 
 
 .674 
 
 48.26 
 41.648 
 
 39.72 
 40.52 
 
 52.7 
 72.5 
 
 
 498.46 
 480.90 
 
 486.86 
 
 .7(16 
 
 9.35" 
 
 379^80 
 
 .701 
 
 42.60 
 
 40.0(1 
 
 55.7 
 
 8.82 
 
 471.52 
 
 404.16 
 
 .713 
 
 40 .'JS 
 
 38.19 
 
 35.0 
 
 10.44 
 
 559.02 
 
 390.25 
 
 .676 
 
 47.845 
 
 40.216 
 
 57.5 
 
 8.04 
 
 416.07 
 
 250,40 
 
 .611 
 
 6.3.565 
 
 44.32 
 
 54.0 
 
 9,99 
 
 494.39 
 
 476.96 
 
 .676 
 
 45.98 
 
 42.26 
 
 45.0 
 
 10.(i4 
 
 544.19 
 
 460.22 
 
 .614 
 
 62.7 
 
 42,02 
 
 62.0 
 
 7.75 
 
 401.34 
 
 347.44 
 
 .658 
 
 51.85 
 
 4226 
 
 62. 
 
 8.34 
 
 424.0 
 
 406 41 
 
 .625 
 
 59.984 
 
 4.' 98 
 
 85.7 
 
 7 10 
 
 352.58 
 
 355.18 
 
 .657 
 
 52 17 
 
 43,36 
 
 88.2 
 
 7.86 
 
 398.29 
 
 370.08 
 
 .6!»4 
 
 4;j.78 
 
 41.02 
 
 64. 
 
 8.67 
 
 460.82 
 
 435.77 
 
 .699 
 
 42.92 
 
 40.72 
 
 63. 
 
 7.69 
 
 415,80 
 
 464,98 
 
 .674 
 
 48.35 
 
 40.13 
 
 69.7 
 
 7.91 
 
 401.45 
 
 380.40 
 
 .673 
 
 48.55 
 
 42.67 
 
 65.7 
 
 7.66 
 
 383.25 
 
 397.78 
 
 ,68 
 
 47.02 
 
 41.14 
 
 55.0 
 
 8.98 
 
 463.86 
 
 487.19 
 
 .<»« 
 
 58.55 
 
 35.66 
 
 74. 
 
 10.49 
 
 618.58 
 
 473.18 
 
 .948 
 
 5.45 
 
 34.41 
 
 
 9.74 
 
 580.51 
 
 418.89 
 
 .918 
 
 8.91 
 
 34.30 
 
 
 8.65 
 
 557.0 
 
 549.11 
 
 .955 
 
 4.49 
 
 32 44 
 
 
 10 60 
 
 715.35 
 
 457.84 
 
 
 
 With regard to the selection of the coals for trial, we have 
 to refer to Mr. VVilson'.s letter inserted in the Appendix. This 
 letter gives the inlbrniatibn obtained in a tour made by Pro- 
 fe-ssor Wilson for the purpose of ascertaining the best coals 
 fitted for trial in the South Wales coal district, and the ports 
 from which they can < vcniently be shipped. This district 
 6 
 
 s 
 
li 
 
 ill! 
 
 ^4 
 
 was selected because the varying character of the coals, I'rom 
 
 the hit 
 
 th 
 
 jlFeii 
 
 tummous 
 most likely to comhine the <iualitieN desired for naval purpo- 
 ses. It was intended, as heinj,' most convenient for (he in- 
 quiry, to have adhered strictly to districts. In the experiments 
 this has hitherto been done, except in special cases, at the re- 
 quest of the Admiralty. 
 
 The preceding Table (Table II., pajjes 70-71) contains an 
 abstract of the results, so far as re<,^nrds the evaporative value 
 of the fuel; the special characters of « ach of the coals beint' 
 described in the experiments detailed in the Appendix. "^ 
 
 This Table relates only to the economical valueof the coals 
 exammed, and to the steam generated by a unit of the res- 
 pective coals, without however implying a unit of time;. The 
 detadswith reference to time, whicli Ibrms a most imj)orfanl 
 element m the value of the respective fuels, will be found in 
 feection II. 
 
 The economical results obtained by evaporation in thel)est 
 applied practice are ascertained to'be only a small j)art of 
 the theoretical result following iVom the actual quantity of 
 heat capable of being generated. Si ill, as a comparative 
 statement, it is necessary to contrast the economical heat 
 given out by a coal with the theoretical quantily. Thecause 
 of the difference between the appli-J and theoretical (juanti- 
 ties IS, at least in a great degree, obvious, and does no! by I he 
 apparent ditlerence prove the fallacy of calculation. Before 
 the comparison can be made, it is necessary to have a know- 
 ledge of the composition of the respect ive' coals, of this we 
 subjoin a Table reduced from 8eel ion IV. (8ee pages 72-78.) 
 Chemists differ as to the mode of calculating the I heoret icj'il 
 heating values of coals, but, as an approximalive rule, with- 
 out insisting on its absolute accuracy, (heir caloritic valu«>s 
 are found to stand in relation to (he \juantity of oxygen re- 
 quired for their complet e combustion. This may be esriinat e<J 
 experimentally by heating the coal wifh an excess of litharge, 
 or it may be determined by calculation from the known 
 equivalents of the combustible ingredients of the coal. From 
 the quantily of lead reduced by the coal, the oxygen employed 
 in its combustion may be estimated, and the calorific values 
 stand m direct relation to this quantity. The amount of oxy- 
 gen necessary to consume tbe combustible constituents may 
 more accurately be determined by elementary analysis; anJi 
 thus calculated, the results are generally found to "be about 
 i greater than those indicated by experiment with the litharge. 
 The calculation from the elementary analysis depends upon 
 
 IJLL 
 
n 
 
 the circumstance, that parts, or one equivalent, of carbon 
 requires 10 part«, or two ccjuivalents, of oxygen for combus- 
 tion, while 1 part of hydrogen re<juires ft parts of oxygen ; it 
 is only necessary, therrf(»re, to suhfract from the hydrogen a 
 quandty eonesponding to the oxygen contained in tlie coal 
 to enable the calculation to be made on these principles. 
 
 As the calorific values are only relative, it is useful to refer 
 them to the heating power of pure carbon, 1 part of which 
 recjuires ti.om parts of oxgen ibr combustion, and is capable, 
 according to Desp.efz, of heating 78.15 parts of water from 
 Its freezing to its boiling point. The calculation may be sim- 
 plified hy multiplying each part of lead obtained bv ii.iJfla, 
 whicli gives at once the weight of water capable o*f being 
 heated between these temperatures by a unit of the coal used 
 in reducing the litharge. On these principles the following 
 Tabic is eons' ructed.—(.SVr Table IV., pages 7(J-77.) 
 
 With regard to the practical applieation of fuel, such a 
 Table could not supersede experiment, as the economical 
 values of ihe coal depend also on adventitious circumstance.* 
 cotinected with their physical as well as their cliemieal con- 
 dition. This Table, while on the whole it agrees with and 
 confirms the practical results of experiments, still differs in a 
 marked degree in one or two instances: this difference arising 
 as much from the chemical as from the phvsical differences 
 of the coals. Thus, if by destructive distillation, which oc- 
 curs in furnaces before combustion, a large quantity of the 
 constituents of the coal are rendered gaseous, so much heat 
 is expended in this act that the heat developed by their after 
 combustion is frequently not greater than that abstracted 
 during their formation, in which ease a thermo-neutrality oc- 
 curs. To ascertain th«i proportion of fixed and volatile pro- 
 due's in the various coals, the very difficult and elaborate 
 process drscribed in Section IV., page 55, was adopted; but 
 the tediousness and chances of failure in this kind of analysis 
 have only induced us to include a limited number of coals 
 (those given in Table V.,) especially as for s'eam purposes it 
 was sufficient to determine the per centage of coke, as stated 
 in Table 11. 
 
 It has been for some time asserted, that the evaporative 
 value of a bituminous coal is expressed by the evaporative 
 value of its coke, the heat of combustion of its volatile pro- 
 ducts proving in practice little more than that necessary to 
 \-olatilise them. If this supposition were even near the truth, 
 the most useful practical results might follow from i*. By a 
 larger and better applied system of gas manufacture, the vola- 
 tile products of distillation might be made useful not only ft-r 
 
 nt" 
 
w 
 
 T^nr-E III. — Showing the Mean Compo 
 
 Loealitf ot nnnc ti Coal 
 
 :t 
 
 Wel«h 
 Cuala. 
 
 Forei 
 Coals, 
 
 Patent 
 Fueh 
 
 Scotch 
 Coala. 
 
 English 
 Coals. 
 
 'gn J 
 
 ' 1 
 
 'Oraigola 
 Anthracite 
 Oltlcastle Fiery Vein 
 Ward's Fiery V«in 
 
 Binea Coa] 
 
 Llnngenneck 
 
 Pentrepoth 
 
 Ferrtrefeiin 
 
 Dull'ryn 
 
 Mynydd Newydd 
 
 Three- (],uarter Rock Vein 
 
 Cwm Frood Rock Vein 
 
 Cwm Nanty-gros 
 
 Reaolveii 
 
 PontyPool 
 
 Bedwas 
 Ebbw Vale 
 
 Porthinawr Rock Vein 
 LCoIeshili 
 
 'Dalkeith Jewel Seam.. 
 
 Dalkeith Coronation Seam, 
 
 Walsend Elgin 
 
 FoTdel Splint. 
 .Grangemouth. 
 
 BroomhiU 
 
 Park End, Lydney 
 
 Slievardagh (Irish) 
 
 Formosa Island 
 
 Borneo (Labuan kind), 
 " 3 feet seam 
 " 11 feet seam 
 
 Wylam'a Patent Fuel 
 
 Bell's 
 
 Warlich 
 
 the purposes of illuminalion, hut also for domestic heat, and 
 the residual coke might be used with an equal economy in our 
 manufactures*; thus prevcnling the emission of that smoke, 
 
 •In this case it would be necessary not to carry on the process of distillation ^fiir 
 as at present, as the residual coke would be mor* combusliWe and !he gases p«?«r. 
 
n 
 
 %mpo 
 
 aition of average samples of the Coals. 
 
 and 
 tiour 
 
 loke, 
 
 I so fur 
 
 pure?- 
 
 t 
 
 B 
 
 Z, 
 
 * 
 
 1 
 
 i 
 
 1*- 
 
 3.84 
 
 0.41 
 
 0.45 
 
 7.19 
 
 324 
 
 855 
 
 3.46 
 
 0.21 
 
 0.79 
 
 2.58 
 
 l..'>3 
 
 929 
 
 4.8!) 
 
 1.31 
 
 0.09 
 
 33i» 
 
 3 64 
 
 79.8 
 
 3.93 
 
 2.03 
 
 0.63 
 
 Included in 
 ash. 
 
 7.M 
 
 
 
 
 4.63 
 
 1.43 
 
 033 
 
 1.03 
 
 396 
 
 88.10 
 
 4.2U 
 
 1.07 
 
 0.29 
 
 3.43 
 
 6.54 
 
 83.69 
 
 450 
 
 0.18 
 
 
 3.24 
 
 3.36 
 
 82.5 
 
 3.73 
 
 Trace. 
 
 'o.Vs 
 
 4.55 
 
 609 
 
 85.0 
 
 4.C6 
 
 1.15 
 
 1.77 
 
 0.60 
 
 3.26 
 
 84.3 
 
 5.76 
 
 1.56 
 
 1.21 
 
 353 
 
 324 
 
 74.8 
 
 4t»3 
 
 1.07 
 
 2.83 
 
 5.04 
 
 10.96 
 
 62.5 
 
 fi.84 
 
 1.11 
 
 1.23 
 
 3.58 
 
 6.00 
 
 68.8 
 
 A.59 
 
 1.86 
 
 3.01 
 
 3.5H 
 
 5.60 
 
 65.6 
 
 4.75 
 
 1.38 
 
 5.07 
 
 Included in 
 ash. 
 
 9.41 
 
 83.9 
 
 5M 
 
 1.35 
 
 2.39 
 
 4.38 
 
 5.59 
 
 64.8 
 
 6.01 
 
 1.44 
 
 3.50 
 
 1.50 
 
 C.94 
 
 71.7 
 
 5. IS 
 
 2.16 
 
 1.03 
 
 039 
 
 1.50 
 
 77.5 
 
 4.79 
 
 1.28 
 
 91 
 
 3.m 
 
 14.72 
 
 63.1 
 
 S.14 
 
 1.47 
 
 8.34 
 
 8.29 
 
 8.93 
 
 56.0 
 
 5.14 
 
 0.10 
 
 0.33 
 
 1551 
 
 4 37 
 
 49.8 
 
 520 
 
 Trace. 
 
 o.;j8 
 
 14.37 
 
 3.10 
 
 53.5 
 
 5.23 
 
 1.41 
 
 1.53 
 
 5.05 
 
 10.70 
 
 58.45 
 
 5i>0 
 
 1.13 
 
 1.46 
 
 8..13 
 
 4.00 
 
 52.03 
 
 5.Sd 
 
 1.35 
 
 1.43 
 
 8.58 
 
 3.53 
 
 56.6 
 
 6.17 
 
 1.84 
 
 2.85 
 
 4.37 
 
 3.07 
 
 59.2 
 
 S.C9 
 
 3.04 
 
 2.37 
 
 6.43 
 
 10.00 
 
 57.8 
 
 S.30 
 
 0.33 
 
 6.76 
 
 Included in 
 ash. 
 
 10.80 
 
 90.1 
 
 5.70 
 
 0.01 
 0.80 
 
 0.»8 
 0.67 
 
 0.49 
 1.45 
 1.14 
 1.17 
 
 10.95 
 20.75 
 24.23 
 19.19 
 
 3.96 
 
 7.74 
 
 14.32 
 
 3.23 
 
 
 474 
 
 
 5.03 
 
 
 5.41 
 
 
 5.69 
 
 1.68 
 
 1.95 
 
 6.63 
 
 4.84 
 
 65.8 
 
 5.22 
 
 81 
 
 0.71 
 
 042 
 
 4.96 
 
 71.8 
 
 556 
 
 Trace. 
 
 1.63 
 
 Included in 
 ash. 
 
 2.91 
 
 85.1 
 
 which, at present, is so destructive to the comfort of our large 
 citie.s. It is easy I'ronni analysis to examine whether the duty 
 performed by the coal is to be attributed to its fixed ingredi- 
 ents or coke, by estimating the work which the latter is capa- 
 
 ■I ■ 
 
 m 
 
78 
 
 T 
 
 MtLn 
 
 IV. — Showing 
 
 the 
 
 I 
 
 
 Name of Coal. 
 
 Welsh 
 
 Conls. 
 
 'Grnigola 
 
 Anthrncite (Jonea and Aubrey). 
 
 Oldcnstle Fiery Vein 
 
 Ward's Fitry Vein !"..'.'." 
 
 Hinca Coal ".....!.!. 
 
 Llangenneck 
 
 IVntrepoth ,* 
 
 I'entrefelin '^^ 
 
 Powel's DufTryn !.!!!!!!!!. 
 
 Mynydd Newydd ."...*.'," 
 
 Tliree-quarter Rock Vein .!! 
 
 Cwin Freed Rock Vein '. 
 
 Cwm Nanty-Groa 
 
 Resolven 
 
 Pontypool " 
 
 Hedwaa 
 
 El)l)w Vale .....'.'...".".*.'...'.'.",*.!, 
 
 rorthniawr Rock Vein....'!.....'." 
 Coleshill 
 
 Scotch 
 
 "Dalkeith .Tewel Seam 
 
 " Coronation Seam. 
 
 Coals. J Elgin Wnllsend 
 
 rordel Splint 
 
 .Giangemouth 
 
 Broomhill (English).,. 
 Slievardagh (Irish) 
 
 Patent ( Wylam's Patent Fuel. 
 
 Fuels. iS^"t-,. " • 
 
 ( Warlich's " 
 
 ~3 t) 
 
 n s 
 
 .i * — 
 
 •5 S • 
 
 a a ^ 
 
 C9 -3 »- 
 
 a D 2 
 
 A. 
 
 3t\08 
 33,48 
 31.49 
 3l.4(j 
 3l.()4 
 32.66 
 31.16 
 30.52 
 3().(J0 
 
 3().:u 
 
 26.152 
 28.30 
 yii.64 
 32.16 
 27.46 
 28.20 
 32.00 
 24.78 
 26.14 
 
 26.42 
 2456 
 29.06 
 29.00 
 
 28.48 
 
 9A 
 
 ,32 
 
 30.10 
 
 28.82 
 28.52 
 31.50 
 
 2 - o 
 g.S o 
 
 H. 
 
 2.4i) 
 2.60 
 2.44 
 2.44 
 2.46 
 2..'-)3 
 2.:t9 
 237 
 2.33 
 2.35 
 2.06 
 2.19 
 2.28 
 2.50 
 2.13 
 2.19 
 2.48 
 1.92 
 2.03 
 
 2.05 
 1.96 
 2.25 
 2.25 
 2.20 
 
 1.96 
 
 2.33 
 
 2.23 
 2.21 
 2.44 
 
 blc of performing. This mny be done by sul)tractin<r the 
 amount oi ashes in tlie cool from its amount of coke (Table 
 m.) and e.stimating the remainder as carbon. Tliis carbon 
 muitip bed by Its heating power, 13208, and divided by 9(55.7 
 or the latent heat of steam, indicates the number of 'pound-s 
 ol water which the coke ])y itself could evaporate, without 
 nie aid ol the combuslible volatile ingredients of the coal. 
 Ihese results are placed in column 13. of Table VI., in juxta- 
 position with the actual work done bv the coal, and it will be 
 
 it 
 
n 
 
 V.ahi, ,,("(' Values of 'he Coals. 
 
 Quantityof Ox 
 gen iheorel 
 cally required 
 by Carbon and 
 Hydrogen. 
 
 Quantityof Oxy- 
 gen required by 
 Carbon alone. 
 
 G. 
 
 U. 
 
 2.4!) 
 
 2.26 
 
 y.(iy 
 
 243 
 
 a. 71 
 
 2.34 
 
 a.(;5 
 
 2.34 
 
 iJ.72 
 
 2.36 
 
 a.5!> 
 
 2,28 
 
 a.G!) 
 
 2.36 
 
 y.5;j 
 
 2.28 
 
 2.71 
 
 2.35 
 
 2.fi7 
 
 2.2 
 
 2.34 
 
 2.(10 
 
 2.(12 
 
 2.1!» 
 
 2.47 
 
 9.(18 
 
 2.4!» 
 
 2.1) 
 
 a..-)-) 
 
 2.15 
 
 2.(;() 
 
 2.15 
 
 9.1^0 
 
 2.39 
 
 2 33 
 
 i.oa 
 
 2.28 
 
 1.96 
 
 2.24 
 
 1.98 
 
 2.32 
 
 2(15 
 
 2 38 
 
 2.02 
 
 247 
 
 2.12 
 
 2.4C 
 
 2!l3 
 
 2.G3 
 
 2.18 
 
 2 31 
 
 2.13 
 
 2r)2 
 
 2.13 
 
 2.7.-) 
 
 2.34 
 
 2.84 
 
 2.40 
 
 « - c -= s 
 
 Ji «a i — ^i: 
 
 93.4 
 97.5 
 91.5 
 91.5 
 92.2 
 94.9 
 89.6 
 89.2 
 87.7 
 88.5 
 77.2 
 82.5 
 85.5 
 93.7 
 80.2 
 82.1 
 93.0 
 72.0 
 7G.1 
 
 76.8 
 73.5 
 
 84.7 
 
 84.7 
 82.8 
 
 73.5 
 
 87.7 
 
 84.0 
 83.2 
 91.5 
 
 i: 
 
 * '^ %! -« ..C li 
 3 u, (0 C" 
 
 SS 
 
 CO (71 .S 
 S) CJ — 3 
 
 F. 
 
 72.66 
 75.73 
 71.16 
 71.25 
 71.66 
 73.97 
 70.57 
 69.13 
 67 95 
 68.72 
 60.29 
 64.10 
 67.13 
 72.84 
 62.19 
 63.87 
 72.48 
 56.12 
 59.21 
 
 59.84 
 55.63 
 65.82 
 65.68 
 64.51 
 
 57.35 
 
 70.44 
 
 C5.27 
 64.59 
 71.35 
 
 ^'i 
 
 ■m 
 
 seen, that notwithstandinfr several striking: exceptions, which 
 might liav(; ])een expected, tliey on the whoU' show tliat the 
 work ca])ahle of beinji; peribrmed by the coke alone, is ac- 
 tually greater than that obtained by experiments with the 
 original coal. 
 
 The whole system of mnniifacturing coke is at present 
 very imperi'ect. Besides losing the volatile combustible 
 substances, which under new adjustments might be made of 
 much value, an immense (quantity of ammonia is lost b}- being 
 
ill 
 
 I 
 
 80 
 
 
 
 Table Y. — Showing the Amount of Vnrimts Substances 
 
 Name. 
 
 4 
 
 Welsh 
 Coals. 
 
 < 
 
 ' Grnigoln 
 
 Anthracite, from Jones, Aubrey & Co. 
 
 Old Castle Fiery Vein 
 
 Ward's Fiery Vein 
 
 Binea 
 
 Uangenneck 
 
 93.9 
 
 79.8 
 
 88,10 
 &.3.G9 
 
 Eh 
 
 12 
 
 None. 
 5.8G 
 1.80 
 2 08 
 1.22 
 
 thrown into the atmosphere. Ammonia and it.s sahs are daily 
 becon^ing more valuable to njrncultnre, and it is their com- 
 parative high price alone, which j)revent.-< their nniver.snl nse 
 to all kind.s of cereal cultivation. By a construction of" the 
 most simple kind, the coke ovens now in use might be made 
 to economise much of the nitrogen which invai-iably escapes 
 in the form of ammonia. As an inducement to this economy 
 \ve have appended to Table VI. two eolimms (H. and I.',) 
 showmg the quantity of ammonia (N 11.^,) and its corresiiond- 
 ing quantity of commercial sulphate (\ IT, O, S 0„) which 
 each 100 Ib.s. of the respective coals may be made toproduce. 
 *. aen It is remembered, that the price of sulphate of ammo- 
 nia Ls abou^ £\S per ton, or that 100 tons in coking is capa- 
 ble of producing, on an average, about tons of this salt, its 
 neglect is highly ^-eprehensible. 
 
 By the preceding data, the actual value of the coals will 
 be contrasted with that which is theoretically i)ossible. sup- 
 posing their combustion proceed(>d inider circumstances which 
 prevented any loss of heat. The actual duty obtained by a 
 pound of coal from the boiler enrploved may be easily 'ex- 
 pressed by the number of pounds raised to the height o) one 
 foot. This result may readily be olitained by the simple for- 
 mula — * 
 
 W ^ X 005.7 X 7H2 = X, 
 W repre.senting water, of which '/ pounds are evaporated bv 
 a pouaJ of coal. This formula is deduced from the fact that 
 V pounds of water multiplied by 905.7,^ or the co-ellicient jbr 
 
 •The co-efficient for the Intent heat of steam at 212° is g-^nerally taken at 1000* 
 but the above numler is from the recent exiieriments of Reanauk on this subiect* 
 «s giveu in Table '. ■' * 
 
81 
 prodnc d by the destructive Distillation of certain Coals. 
 
 
 
 -6 
 
 1 
 
 a 1 
 
 g: o 
 
 St — 
 
 
 « 
 
 u 
 
 rs 
 
 U^ 
 
 «•§ 
 
 c 
 
 .2 
 
 e 
 o 
 
 'a 
 
 
 -trj c 
 
 S 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 Sulph 
 gen 
 
 Olefia 
 and 
 Carb 
 
 Other 
 infla 
 
 3.1 
 
 0.17 
 
 2.79 
 
 Traces. 
 
 0.2.3 
 
 7.01 
 
 9,87 
 
 020 
 
 0.06 
 
 04 
 
 ? 
 
 3.93 
 
 3.39 
 
 0.35 
 
 0.44 
 
 0.12 
 
 0.27 
 
 9.77 
 
 3.01 
 
 0.24 
 
 1.80 
 
 0.21 
 
 0.21 
 
 
 3.58 
 
 0.08 
 
 1.68 
 
 0.09 
 
 0.31 
 
 4.08 
 
 4.07 
 
 0.08 
 
 3.21 
 
 0.02 
 
 0.43 
 
 7.28 
 
 the latent heat of steam at 212^, indicates the number of 
 pounds of water which would be raised 1° Fah.; and the 
 number 7H2 arises from experiment on the mechanical force 
 denoted by the elevation of a pound of water 1^ Fah.; that 
 force bein<? equal to 782 lbs., raised to the height of one foot, 
 according to the careful experiments of Mr. Joule, on the 
 friction of oil, water, and mercury. 
 
 The theoretical value of the coals, with reference to the 
 number of pounds of water which one pound of fuel will 
 convert into steam, is obtained by the formula — 
 
 /C X l.S208\ / H— A X ()2470 \ _ 
 V 005.7 y ■*" \ 9(55.7 J ~^ 
 
 in which C is the quantity of carbon, II the quantity of hy- 
 drogen in a unit ot' fuel, and h the quantity of hydrogen cor- 
 responding to the oxygen contained in the coal. These mul- 
 tiplied by their heating powers, according to the results of 
 Dulong, and divided by the latent heat of .steam, indicate the 
 number of pounds of water that can be converted into the 
 latter by a pound of coal. The numbers thus obtained can 
 be changed into the expression of mechanical force, by the 
 previous formula". 
 
 The results of these calculations are thrown into Table 
 VI.-_(5:re i)ages 80-81.) 
 
 The best Corni.sh engines are .stated to raise 1,000,000 lbs, 
 to the height of one foot, by every pound of coal consumed ; 
 so that only about | of the actual force generated becomes 
 available, or only ^y or tV of the force theoretically possible, 
 is api)lied in practice. The various experiments made on 
 boiler.s, wath regard to the evaporative power of coal, have 
 not given very uniform results. Smeaton, in 1772, with one 
 
 4 
 
83 
 
 Hi 
 
 Tadle Yl—Shoidn^ the Actual Duty, and thut 
 
 Nome or Locality of coal. 
 
 Graigoln 
 
 Anthracite, (Jonef, Aubrey, & Co'} 
 
 Oldcastle Fiery Vein 
 
 Ward's Fiery Vein 
 
 Binea 
 
 Llangenneck 
 
 Pentrepotli 
 
 Pentrefeiin *** 
 
 Powell's DufTryn .'.." 
 
 Mynydd Newydd 
 
 Tliree-quarter Rock Vein 
 
 Cwm Frood Rock Vein 
 
 Cwm Nanty Gros ',. 
 
 Resolven 
 
 Pontypool ]' 
 
 Bed was 
 
 Ebbw Vale .*, 
 
 Porthmnwr Rock Vein " 
 
 Coleshill 
 
 Dalkeith Jewel Seam 
 
 Dalkeith Coronation 
 
 Wallsend Elgin ..\ 
 
 Fordel Splint [[[', 
 
 Grangemouth 
 
 Broomhill 
 
 Park End, Lydney 
 
 Slievardagh (Irish) 
 
 ForBJosn Island 
 
 Borneo (Labuan kind) .',.'. 
 
 " 3 feet seam 
 
 " U « 
 
 Wylam's Patent Fuel ^,., 
 
 Warlich's " 
 
 Bell's 
 
 Practical. 
 
 9.52 
 
 8,!»2 
 
 io.;i() 
 
 S.5J 
 
 o a 
 
 o a 
 
 ■ ^ o 
 
 11.500 
 
 1(1591) 
 
 10.873 
 
 10.841 
 
 11.134 
 
 y.831 
 
 7.081 
 
 8.fi28 
 
 8.2J3 
 
 10.234 
 
 8.144 
 
 8897 
 
 10.441 
 
 () G47 
 
 C.4(i8 
 
 «.23!) 
 
 6.924 
 
 6.5G0 
 
 C.5(iO 
 
 7.292 
 
 7.711 
 
 G.507 
 
 10.895 
 
 8.378 
 
 11.292 
 
 9.1G8 
 
 II- - 
 
 Theoreti- 
 cal. 
 
 C, 
 
 ii.(i(;o 
 
 12 5fi3 
 12.04(1 
 12.072 
 12.181 
 11.741 
 12.189 
 11.749 
 12.12(5 
 11.4G3 
 10.325 
 11.300 
 10.707 
 10,899 
 11.088 
 11.075 
 12.335 
 10.263 
 10.1.45 
 10.242 
 10.570 
 10.454 
 10.933 
 10.970 
 11.225 
 10.101 
 10.995 
 10.752 
 8.864 
 7.461 
 9.652 
 11.186 
 12.368 
 12.074 
 
 h* m ti 
 
 t; Id — 
 
 O 2 4* 
 K .S 9 
 
 £ c ** *'" 
 
 Theoreti- 
 cal, 
 
 D. 
 
 1.903 
 
 2.(J3(» 
 
 2.890 
 
 2.543 
 
 2.912 
 
 2.519 
 
 2.649 
 
 2.038 
 
 2.966 
 
 3.441 
 
 2.781 
 
 3.488 
 
 3.165 
 
 3.072 
 
 3.207 
 
 3.766 
 
 3. ,300 
 
 2 548 
 
 2.654 
 
 2.071 
 
 2.202 
 
 2.968 
 
 2^884 
 
 2.722 
 
 3.638 
 
 3.156 
 
 1.487 
 
 2.801 
 
 1.388 
 
 1.295 
 
 1.948 
 
 3.145 
 
 3..')96 
 
 3.343 
 
 pound of Newcasllo coal, evaporated 7.88 ll)s. of water fi-om 
 212^; Watt, in 1788, came to the conclu.sion that 1,G2 ll).><. of 
 water nii<>:ht be evaporated by the .^nme (jiiaiititvof coal ; and 
 later (m 1840,) Wicksteed found ihrit 1 lb. of M.Tthvr coal 
 
83 
 
 which is thcoreticttlly possiblCfOf the Coals examined. 
 
 iTota! number of lbs. of 
 Water convertible into 
 Steam by 1 lb. of Coal. 
 
 Actua! force generated, 
 or the number of lbs. 
 which 1 lb. of the Coat 
 could raise to the 
 heiglit of I foot. 
 
 Force capable of being 
 generated, or number 
 of lbs. which could be 
 raised to the height of 
 1 foot by! lb. of Coal. 
 
 Amount of AinmonJa corres- 
 ponding to the .Nitrogen con- 
 tained in Coal. 
 
 t of Sulphate of Am- 
 correBponding to the 
 en contained in Coa). 
 
 Theoretical. 
 
 Colcutated front 
 heat obtained. 
 
 Theoretical. 
 
 
 K. 
 
 F. 
 
 U. 
 
 Ih 
 
 1. 
 
 i3.r)(].i 
 
 7.000.908 
 
 10.242.471 
 
 0.497 
 
 J 332 
 
 14.593 
 
 7.143.978 
 
 11.020.303 
 
 0.225 
 
 0.990 
 
 14.y3<5 
 
 6.751.285 
 
 11.279.329 
 
 1.590 
 
 6.175 
 
 14.(114 
 
 7.098.007 
 
 11.036.102 
 
 1.238 
 
 4.808 
 
 1. '5.093 
 
 7.500.4(;3 
 
 11.397.893 
 
 1.586 
 
 6.741 
 
 14.2(i(» 
 
 «;.0!)0871 
 
 10.768.829 
 
 1.299 
 
 5.044 
 
 14.b38 
 
 «.585.14« 
 
 11.205.322 
 
 0.218 
 
 0.848 
 
 13.787 
 
 4.802.928 
 7.<!04.295- 
 
 10.411.630 
 11.397.137 
 
 Trace. 
 1.76 
 
 
 15.093 
 
 6 835 
 
 14.904 
 
 7.189.288 
 
 11.255.103 
 
 J. 808 
 
 7.340 
 
 13.100 
 
 6.075.708 
 
 9.897.355 
 
 1.299 
 
 5.044 
 
 14.788 
 
 (5.570.043 
 
 11.1G7.563 
 
 1.347 
 
 S.232 
 
 13.932 
 
 6.358.593 
 
 10.521.13! 
 
 1.919 
 
 7.448 
 
 13.971 
 
 7.190 840 
 
 10.550,5^3 
 
 1.G7S 
 
 €.505 
 
 14.29'» 
 
 5.041.175 
 
 10.795.200 
 
 1.639 
 
 6.364 
 
 14.841 
 
 7.393. 18G 
 
 11.207.587 
 
 1.748 
 
 6.788 
 
 ir).fi:j5 
 
 7.710.301 
 
 11.025.198 
 
 2.022 
 
 10.182 
 
 12.811 
 
 5.080.485 
 
 9.074.577 
 
 1.554 
 
 6.033 
 
 12.799 
 
 6.041.419 
 
 9.005. 515 
 
 1.785 
 
 6.930 
 
 12.313 
 
 5.34G.G55 
 
 9.298.499 
 
 1.214 
 
 0.471 
 
 12.772 
 
 5.822.417 
 
 9.045.125 
 
 Trace. 
 
 
 13.422 
 
 6.388.800 
 
 10.135.99) 
 
 1.712 
 
 6.647 
 
 13817 
 
 5.709.141 
 
 10.434.286 
 
 1.372 
 
 5.327 
 
 il3.fi92 
 
 5.588.312 
 
 10.339.888 
 
 1.639 
 
 6.364 
 
 14.803 
 
 5.512.795 
 
 11.224.201 
 
 9 234 
 
 8.674 
 
 13.257 
 
 6.434.111 
 
 10.011.386 
 
 1.4T7 
 
 0.617 
 
 12.482 
 
 7.438.497 
 
 9.426.124 
 
 0.2'.:; 
 
 1.084 
 
 13.553 
 
 
 10.234.919 
 
 7.742.078 
 
 0.777 
 
 0.9 V 7 
 
 3 017 
 
 10.252 
 
 
 3.771 
 
 8.750 
 
 
 6.612.333 
 
 1.13ii 
 
 4.620 
 
 11.000 
 
 • * •*. . 
 
 8.7^0.057 
 
 0.813 
 
 3.158 
 
 .4.331 
 
 6.730.182 
 
 10.822.4! 7 
 
 2 040 
 
 7.920 
 
 15.904 
 
 7.823.037 
 6.44 1. 6G3 
 
 12.055.652 
 11.642.569 
 
 Trace. 
 0.983 
 
 
 15.417 
 
 3.818 
 
 could be mado to tnaporafe '>.40'l lb of water from 80=*, 
 which is ('(ina! to 10.710 lbs. from Sia^, In .s.' me experi- 
 menis madi; on the boiler of tlic Loam'^ • i;,nne, at thr United 
 Mipps in Cornwu'.l, each pound of coal vvcm found, by a trial 
 
 WM 
 
84 
 
 of six months, to evaporate U).19 lbs. of wafer from 212% 
 this being the reduction of the result given, viz., that 231,210 
 cubic feet of water at 102° were evaporated bv 700 tons of 
 coal. Statements have indeed been made that 14 lbs. of wa- 
 ter have been evaporated by 1 lb. of coal burn, d in Cornish 
 boilers ; but as this is the utmost quantity thporctically pos. 
 sible, it is dilRcult to conceive that it has been realized in 
 practice, even in the best-constructed steam-engines. 
 
 To ascertain how far our boiler was inferior to Cornish 
 boilers, as principally from its small size and less efficient 
 coatmg it was likely to prove, we requested Mr. Phillips to 
 make some experiments on one of the best engines in Corn- 
 wall, the results of which are given in the Appendix, Section 
 II. It was found by these experiments, thnt 11.42 lbs. of wa- 
 ter were evaporated by every pound of Welsh coal corres- 
 ponding in composition to that of xAIynydd Newydd; or, in other 
 words, that improved Cornish boilers on a large scale may be 
 assumed to have a superiority of nearlv 20 per cent, over that 
 used in these experiments. As the results stated in this Re- 
 port are only relative, the comparison is not aftected by this 
 dinerenee. 
 
 We have anxiously looked to the application of these ex- 
 periments to the dili'erent varieties of patent fuel, but we have 
 not been able to carry out our observations in this direction 
 to the extent we could have desired, from our inability to 
 procure patent fuels in sufficient numl)er, although our appH- 
 cations to the patentees have been immerous. Three varie- 
 ties have been already examined, viz., those manufactured 
 under the patents of Messrs. Wylam, Warlich, and Bell, and 
 the results are given in the Tables. The varieties of patent 
 fuel are generally made up in the shape of bricks, and are 
 therefore well adapted for stowage; so that, though the 
 specific gravity of patent fuels is lower than that of ordinary 
 coals, from their shape and mechanical structure, there are 
 very few coals which could be stowed in a smaller space per 
 ton. While we look to the diffi^rent varieties of paient fuel 
 as of the highest importance, and, from their facility of stow- 
 age, as being peculiarly adapted for naval purposes, and per- 
 haps even destined to supersede ordinary coal, at the .same 
 time, the greater part do not appear to be manuiactured with 
 a proper regard to the conditions required for war steamers. 
 It is usual to mix bituminous or tarry matter with bituminou.s 
 coal, and from this compound to make the fuel. An assimi- 
 lation to the best steam coals would indicate, hov/ever, the 
 very reverse process,, and point to the mixture of a more an- 
 
 
B5 
 
 thracitic coal with the bituminous cement. As the greater 
 part Is at present made, il is almost impi.ssihle to prevent the 
 emission of dense opa(|ue smoke, a circumstance extremely 
 inconvenient to ships of war, as hetrayinj;; their position at a 
 distance at times when it is desirable to conceal it. Hesides 
 this and other inconveniencies, the verv bituminous varieties 
 are not well suited to hot climates, and are as liable to spo» 
 taneous eombustion as certain kinds of coal. To avoid th. c 
 inconveniences, some kinds of palent fuels have been sl ' • 
 jectcd to a sort of eokinjr, and thus, in a great measure, oi, 
 tain the desired conditions. There is little doubt, however, 
 that notwithstanding the large number of patents in opera- 
 lion for the manufacture of fuel, its value for the purposes of 
 war steamers might be much enhanced by its preparation 
 being specially directed to this object. It will be seen, by re- 
 ference to Table II., that ihe three patent fu(>ls examined rank 
 among the highest results obtained. Should it be desirable to 
 cotitinue this in([uirj-, we conceive that it would be advanta- 
 geous to pay especial attention to this subject, by experiment- 
 ing upon proper mistures of dill'erent coals. Kven anthracite 
 may l)e introduced into such mixtures with advantage. 
 
 It is of much importance in an economical impiiry on coals, 
 to obtain exact information as to the ellects likely to be 
 
 {)roduccd U|)on them by stowage, and continued exposure to 
 jigh temperature, not only as rej2:ards their deterioration, but 
 also as to the emission of dangerous gases by their progres- 
 sive ehansjes. 
 
 The retention of coal in lion bunkei*s, if these are likely tr 
 he Intliuneed by moisture, and •■specially when by any acci- 
 dent wetted with sea Water, will cause a speedy corrosion of 
 the iron, with a rapidity proportionate to its more or lesseifi- 
 eient protei.'tion from corroilinj; inlluenees. This corrosion 
 weems due to the action of carbon or coal forming with he 
 iron a voltaic eoujde, and thus promotinjr oxidation. ThcJ c- 
 I'lon is similar to that of the tubercular concretions which ap- 
 
 fjear on the inside of iron water-pipes, when a piece of ear- 
 )on, nor chemically combined with the metal, and in contact 
 with saline waters, produces a speedy corrosion. Where the 
 *• make" of iron shows it to be liabU? to be thus corroded, a 
 mechanical protection is generally found sullicient. This is 
 Kometimes given by Koman cement, by a lining of wood, or 
 by .a dryiiig oil driven 'inUt the pores of the iron utuler great 
 pressure. 
 
 Ileecnt researches on tlie jrases evolved from coal, prove that 
 carbotilo aeitl and nitrogen are constantly mixed with the in- 
 
 In 
 
I 
 
 66 
 
 flammable portion, shoAvinj? that the coal must Ktiil he uniting 
 with the oxygen ol" the atmo.sj)here, and entering into further 
 deeay. 
 
 Decay is merely a combustion proceeding without flame, 
 and is ahvaysi attended with the production of heat. The gas 
 evolved durinj; the progress of decay, in free air, consists prin- 
 cipally of carbonic acid, a gas very injurious to animal life. 
 It is well known thnt this chnnge in coal proceeds more 
 rapidly at an elevatr'd temperature, and therefore is liable to 
 take place in hot climates. Dryness is unfavorable to the 
 change, while moisture causes it to proceed with rapidity. 
 
 When sulj)hur or iron pyrites (a compound of sulphur and 
 iron) is present in considerable (p^autity in a coal still chang- 
 ing under the action of the atmosphere, a second powerful 
 heating cnuse is introduced, and both acting togetla^r, may 
 produce wliat is termed s/)oiif(/nf'oiis vonihustum, ']'he latter 
 cause is itself sufificient, if there be an unusual proportion of 
 sulphur or iron pyrites present. 
 
 The best method of ])revention, in all such cases, is to en- 
 BUre perfect dryness in the coals when they are stowed away, 
 and to select a variety of fuel not liable to the progressive de- 
 composition to which allusion has been made. This is, h(»w- 
 ever, ;i subject of so much import.'ince to the steam navy, that 
 it continues to receive our careful attention ; .and, beyond 
 these general recommendations, it would be premature to of- 
 fer any decided course for adoj)tion, from the present limited 
 series of observations. 
 
 Several varieties of coal were transmitted from Formosa 
 and from Borneo, tor analysis, the resnlis of which are con- 
 tained in the nceompnnying table. The quantity of each 
 kind was so small, that no experiments could be made on their 
 evaporative value. Wo extract from the preceding table the 
 following results : — 
 
 Nome. 
 
 I i 
 
 a 
 O 
 
 e 
 o 
 
 "9 
 
 I c 
 
 
 4« 
 
 hm 
 
 6fl 
 
 9 
 
 C 
 
 JS 
 
 
 a. 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 r% 
 
 Formosa rsland 76.20. 5.70 
 
 Borneo, Labuan kind 64 ."52 ' 4.74 
 
 " Sfeeteeam 54.31 | 5.03 
 
 " 11 feet seam 70.33 5.41 
 
 , 0.64 
 
 1 
 0.49 
 
 0.80 
 
 1.45 
 
 0.98 
 
 1.14 
 
 0.«7 
 
 1.17 
 
 e 
 
 X 
 
 O 
 
 10.95 
 20.75 
 24.22 
 11>.1S) 
 
 396 
 
 7.74 
 
 14.32 
 
 3.23 
 
 ^5- 
 
 1.94 
 
 las 
 
 137 
 1.31 
 
 It may he desinahle to sum up, in a few wonis, some of the 
 principal points alluded to in the previous parts of this Uepurt. 
 
'% 
 
 cTcs 
 
 6 
 
 1.94 
 
 4 
 
 1.28 
 
 9 
 
 137 
 
 3 
 
 1.31 
 
 87 
 
 It has been sho a that the true practical value of coals (or 
 steam purposes (Spends upon a coiubination of ipialitit'S which 
 could only h« clicite<l hv carefully and properly continued ex- 
 periments. Their qualities, so far as regards steam-ships of 
 war, mav be stated as follows : 
 
 1. The fuel should hum so that steam may he raised in a 
 short [)eriod, if this he desired : iti other words, it should 
 be able to produce a cjuick action. 
 
 8. It should possess high cvaj)orative power, that is, he ca- 
 pable of converting much water into steam, with a 
 small consumption of coal. 
 
 3. It should not be bituminous, lest so mUch smoke be 
 
 generated ns to betray the position of ships of war 
 when it is desirable that this should be concealed. 
 
 4. It should possess considerable cohesion of its particles, 
 
 so that it may not be broken into too small fragments 
 by the constant attrition which it may experience in 
 the vessel. 
 
 5. It should combine a considerable density with such me- 
 
 chanical structure that it may easily be stowed away 
 in small space ; a condition which, in coals of equal 
 evaporative values, often involves a dillerenceof more 
 than W per cent. 
 0. It should be free frtjm any considerable jjuantity of sul- 
 phur, and should not progressively <lecay, both of which 
 circumstances render it liable to spontaneous combus- 
 tion. 
 
 It never happens that all these conditions are united in one 
 coal. To take an instance, anthracite has very high evapo- 
 rative power, but not being trasily ignited, is not suited for 
 quick action; it has great cohesion in its particles, and is not 
 easily broken up by attrition, but it is not a caking coal, and 
 therefore would not cohere in the furnace when the ship rolled 
 in a gale of wind ; it emits no smoke, but from the intensity 
 of its ctMnbustion causes the iron of the bars and boilers to 
 oxidate or waste away rapidly. Thus, then, with some pre- 
 eminent advantages, it has disadvantages which, under ordi- 
 nary circumstances, preclude its use. The conditions above 
 alluded to may, however, often be united in fuels artificially 
 prepared from coals possessing these various qualities, some- 
 wh;tt in the manner of what are usually termed "patent 
 fuel!*," and we Have recommended that experiments should be 
 made with this object, especially directed to the wants of the 
 >»:eani navy. Whilst we look with this view to artificial fuel 
 
88 
 
 as Iteing of special Importance, it was cpiitc liccessJiry to ob- 
 tain a knowledge of coals in diflVrcnt ilistricts, and, 'for this 
 purpose, AVales was first selected for cxaminnfion, as produc* 
 in^' coals of all kind.s, varying from bituminous to nniliraritc. 
 
 While the experiments devised toobtain luiormiition on the 
 various points alluded to have been conducted with all pr«»- 
 pcr precaution, in order that constant tymi/ntrative results 
 mi^dit be proeured, they have not been overburdened with 
 Kcientiilc corrections, which might have been necessary tool), 
 tain absolute truth, but would have introduced an alleciation 
 of aeeuraey where pructieal results only were required ; to 
 the latter, thorelbre, this Report has !)een prinei])ally conlined. 
 The K*>port has been so divid«'d as to bring the results log«"fher 
 without complicating them with the details of the properties 
 peculiar to each coal, information on whieh is of the highest 
 value. Hence, in Table IJ., the practical r»'sults of the expe- 
 riments are brought tog«'ther, while th<^ e«|ually praelieal in- 
 formation regarding each eoal, its h)eal po.-.itioti', the p«Mt from 
 whence it is shipped, its price, its peculiar charaef eristics in 
 burning, the greater or less ipiajitity of smoke and of ashes 
 which it produ<-es, the description of the coal, its geologieal 
 position, and other similar points of imporlanee in practice, 
 are detailed for eaeh eonl in Section II. of the Appendix. 
 
 'I he composition and speciiie gravities of the eoals. and the 
 quantity of coke whieh lliey produce, are given \n Table III., 
 not only as a means Cor their future identilieation, hut also as 
 a standard of quality, with rel.-ition to whieh i)arti«'ular kinds 
 may be purchased. The amount of sulphur, as given in this 
 table, is of considerable importance in d«'te?mining the value 
 of the coal ff>r naval purjjoses, as a means of avoiding the 
 risk of spontaneous combusti<m. 
 
 The heating values of the eoal are given in Table IV., as 
 a simpler and more ready method of idtmtitieation, enabling 
 tbe purchaser to insure the sample of the coal of a certain 
 heating value. 
 
 Table V. shows how the inquiry might easily be extended 
 to other branches of national industry, especially to gas manu- 
 factures, but is only adduced as an example of its applica- 
 bility for such purposes. 
 
 Tahle VI. is principally for the purpose of showing that the 
 actual duty obtained hy the condnistion of coal in the best aj»- 
 plied practice is only a smnll part of that which the fuel is 
 capable of pr<idueing, and is brought forward as an induce- 
 ment to improvement in the construction of the furnaces and 
 boilers en)ployed for tbe production of steam. Attention in 
 
 .i^._- 
 
69 
 
 nl?i-» drawn in fliis tnl)lc to tlic great loss vlucli ngrlculdirc 
 sndrrs l)y tlio waste ol' amuuMiia always producod in the 
 coldiii; of coal, .'tnd whicli miglit Ui ix prcat extent be ocono- 
 mi.H'd hy very .sinij)Iu ndjusinicufs to tlic ovens used in cok- 
 ing. TJic tM.ronoiny and c()nsc(jucnt. reduction of price in llio 
 annnoiiiacnl sails, by i)n'vcnfing this great loss in a material 
 so well fitted to aid incnvnsed produetiuu in land, would be a 
 jjrent boon to a<;rieul(ure. Nu^geslions Ijmvo also been 
 thrown out ris to the more ccononiieal application of fuel for 
 domestic and for mniuifaotin-ini,' purj)o.sc.s. 
 
 in cone.iudinf^ tliis First Report, wc cnnnot refrain from 
 drawinj^ attention to tlie kind manner in whiehwc have been 
 assisted by various public find private institutions and com- 
 panies, without whose aid the expenses of the inipiiry woidd 
 have been materially increasefl. 
 
 The College, for Civil Etigiueers, at Putney, afforded us, 
 gratuitously, ground upon whirdi to ereet tho'boilers, and a 
 house and yard for the stowage of the coals. The, laboratory 
 and workshops of the eollege were also plaecd at the dispo- 
 sal of the investigation, and have constantly be«>n used. The 
 I'rinoipal of the College, the jlt.'v. Mr. Cowie, on all oeca- 
 jsions, allbrdcd h\n valual)le aid in the pruseculion of the ex- 
 periments. 
 
 The owners of the collieries, from which the coals were ob- 
 tained, furnished them free of expense; and the Great Wes- 
 tern IJailway Company, with an enlightened liberality, car- 
 ried those sent to liristol on their railway to London without 
 charge. To JNIr. George Uennie, the eminent engineer, the 
 inquiry is especially indebted. This gentleman not only lent 
 a tubular boiler, gratuitously, to enable the experiments to 
 be repeated on this kind of boiler, but he alsoollered his pre- 
 mises for the prosecution of the exi)eriments, which oiler was 
 nccept(Ml, until the larger space at the College for Civil Engi- 
 neers was placed at the disposal of the investigation. 
 
 Such ready and liberal co-operation of the public shows 
 their appreciation of the important practical results which 
 may be expected from these experiments. Seeing the present 
 ellective state of the boilers and other apparatus erected at 
 Putney, consctiuently, that the expenditure on this account 
 has been incurred, and that any further charges for continu- 
 ing these investigations would chieily consist of payments of 
 salaries to the persons employed as assistants, we would sug- 
 gest for consideration, that these experiments may])e extend- 
 ed to the coals of other districts than those the coals from 
 which have been examined, and that the needful expenditure 
 
 !!:ii 
 
 A 
 
00 
 
 may be sanctioned for one or two years more. Should this 
 be deemed advisable, we should anticipate that a most im- 
 portant body of information would be accuuiulafed, alike 
 in»|)Oitant to the naval .service and the public at Ihv^q. 
 We have the honor to be, &(\, 
 
 II. T. Dr La IkcHE, 
 LvoN Plavkair, 
 
 REMARKS ON THE FOREGOING REPORT. 
 
 By moans of tlie above report on British coals, and his own 
 trials on American coals.the writer has been enabled to insti- 
 tute a series of comparisons, not only between the several 
 classes, but in some cases directly between individual .samples 
 having a similar constitution an*d ai)par(>ntly the same physi- 
 cal characters. The extent and other circumstances of the re- 
 searches may also be compared. The number of .samples of 
 fuel tested at Washington in 184.'J, was Jorti/fice; and the 
 time devoted to the whole investigation, one y<'ar and eight 
 months ; the number tj-ied at London was thir)ij-om\ and the 
 time employed two year.s and six months. Of tlie American, 
 eight were anthracites, ten were free burning, semi-bituminous 
 coals of Pennsylvania and Maryland; ten highly bituminous 
 coals of eastern Virginia; six similar bituminous coals of 
 England, Scotland, and Nova Scotia; tuQwv^xwn bituminous 
 coals; one, "natural coke'* of Virginia; two, artificial cokes; 
 two^ mixtures of anthracite and bituminou.s coal, and one- nine 
 wood. 
 
 Of the British series, two were anthracites, ten* were free 
 burning coals of Wales, eight highly bituminous coals of 
 Wales, (resembling those of eastern Virginia,) /mo, English, 
 and jive, Scotch coals of high bituminousness ; three were 
 patent fuels, and one wa.s wood, species not stated. 
 
 MANNER OP OBTAINING THE SAMPI.KS FOR TRIAL, 
 
 The coals for the British experiments were generally se- 
 lected by one of the assistants visiting the several mining dis- 
 tricts, and detei-mining which coals should be allowed to 
 enter into the competition. The American Samples were 
 mostly sent by the proprietors of mines under a general invi- 
 tation from the Navy Department. 
 
 • The Welsh free burning coals are the Graigola, Old Castle fiery vein. 
 Ward's fiery vein, Binea,Llangenneck, Duffryn, Mynydd-Newvdd, Reeotven, Bed- 
 was, and Ebbw-Vale. 
 
 I » '■:■. - 
 
91 
 
 EVAPORATING APPARATUS. 
 
 
 I 
 
 The evaporating vossols used in tlic Amnrican and in the 
 British rosearchos were diliVreut in construction. In the former 
 case, the vessel was a cylindrioal boiler thirty feet in h'ii<;lh, 
 (the furnace being beneath the boih-r,) tinre and a-half feet 
 in diameter, having two interior return flues, each one foot in 
 diameter, and side Ihies exterior to the boiler, by means of 
 Wliieh the gases went completely roinid tiic boiler, after re- 
 turnit^g through tliC interior iiues, making tlie entire lengtli of 
 circuit for the products of combustion from the centre of the 
 prat«j under the boiler to their entrance into the eiiimney, 121 
 feet. The grate surface was Kij square feet, and the area of 
 heat-absorbing surface, 377^ S(piar(j f(>et, so that the ratio of 
 grate-surface to absoibing surface was as 1 to 23|. The 
 chimney was 03 feet high, witli a cross section of 32 4 square 
 inches. 
 
 Tiie British Commissioners used a boiler of the Cornish form, 
 twelve feet long and four feet in external diamet(>r, having 
 an interior tlue two feet in diameter, within which the fire 
 was built. Tlic products of combustion, having traversed this 
 fl«i% returned in a divided current through side flues exterior 
 to the boiler, and linally in a united current passed under the 
 boiler to the chinniey, making a circuit of .30 feet in length. 
 The Injat-absorbing surface was 197.0 S(iuare fce^t ; the area 
 of grate, .'i sjpiare feet, and tlio ratio of grate surface to ab- 
 sorbing surface, 1 to 39i^. The chimney was SCt^ feet high, 
 and had a cross section of 182|- square inches. The amount 
 of coal burned during the whole series of 144 trials at Wash- 
 ington was 62^ tons; that consumed in the 82 trials at Lon- 
 don, \vas 14^ tons; the average W(;ight of coal burnt at one 
 trial, in the former case being 978 pounds, and in the lat- 
 ter 391^ pounds. 
 
 The boiler of the London experiments was liable to one 
 serious inconvenience as an experimental apparatus: it con- 
 tained constantly water of very diflerent temperatures; that 
 lying beneath the level of the interior flue being bv several de- 
 grees lower than that above it, and at its sides, ^he average 
 difference between the bottom and surface temperature was 
 no less than 70 degrees. The bottom water remains at rest, 
 and realizes, in part, the old familiar class-experiment of boil- 
 ing water in the upper part of a glass tube by applying a 
 lamp near the top, while a lump of ice is kept confined at the 
 bottom. This character of their boiler complicated the calcu- 
 lations, and at length led to the application of an apparatus 
 
 'flf I 
 
IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET {MT-3) 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 1.25 
 
 MM ^^" ■■ll 
 
 ^ li& 12.2 
 
 u EM 
 
 i.4 
 
 6" 
 
 1.6 
 
 Photograpliic 
 
 Scmces 
 Corporation 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 
 
 (716) 872-4S03 
 
 iV 
 
 •1? 
 
 \\ 
 
 ^^■*\, ^>^ WiriS 
 
 ^^:vQ 
 
 S*'^.*".^'^ 
 
 
mm 
 
 i i 
 
 for pumping from the bottom a quantity of water, and sending 
 it in spray, through several tubes, into the upper part of the 
 boiler, and also of niiing up tlie boiler through these multiple 
 jets passing into its upper part. 
 
 ECONOMIC WEIGHT OF COALS. 
 
 In both the ^Vmerican and the British trials the econo- 
 mic weight of all the samples tested was determined by 
 measuring, not in bnsliels, hut in cubic feet; and the relation 
 of the economic weight to the hpiM-ilit- gravity of the coal, as 
 found in the mine, was ascerlnined for eacli sample. This 
 determination enabled the experimenters to calculate the cu- 
 bic space required for the stowage of a gross ton of eaeh kind 
 of coal. In the American experiments this was ascertained 
 for the coals as received, and in the ordinary markeiable 
 eondilion as to the size of the himps. The British Coumiis- 
 sioners on the contrary produced an artltieial economie value 
 by breaking e^erv kind of coal up, before weighing, into 
 fragments so small that no piece weiglied njore than one 
 pound. This treatment caused nearly every sample !» exhibit 
 a higher" economic weight ihaii it would have done bad it 
 been weighed in the marketable state — that state in which it 
 is usually put on board of steam vessels. 
 
 In the American report (p. 183) it is .stated with respect to 
 New York and Maryland Mining Company*s coal, that "the 
 variation in llie weight of two cubic feet' was, according to 
 size of lumps, from 95,75 to 118/25 poumls. It will <'f)njmon!y 
 be observed that the greater weights are given when a eoa- 
 siderable porticm of fine coal is mixed wilh the lumps. 8ueh 
 will, in general, be found to be the eliect of giving the average 
 sizes to coal, instead of measuring and weighing it «'nrive!v 
 ill lumps." Numerous remarks to the fenme general ellee't 
 ofcu r in the tables o( daily observations. A single Jai-ge Uunp 
 in tli(! charge-box, covered on eveiy side by line coal, was 
 usually fovmd to give the greatest weight to'a charge. 
 
 ILu ing determined the weight of a cubic foot of coal by di- 
 rect experiment and also tlic weight of water whieii a pound 
 of each coal would convert into steam at 1^1 ij°, the writer had 
 computed and given in the report t(» the Navy Department, 
 (Senate document, 38(5, 28fh Congress, 1st session,) the weight 
 of water which one cubic foot of each coal would convert 
 into steam from 2 12", and had made this the basis of his lifth 
 table of ranks. (Report, p. 5U4.) 
 
!).'} 
 
 By breaking up thoir coals to tiie degree of fineness above- 
 mentioned, and thereby giving them an artificial economic 
 weig!it,the Britisii Commissioners have obtained in nearly every 
 case, greater qtiantities of steam per cubic foot of eoa!, than 
 were given by aiialagous coals in the American trials. Thus 
 the free burning coals of Waler;, wliieh are analaguus to those 
 of Marylaml and Penasylvania, liave an average specific 
 gravity of 1,31, while their American congeners have 1.357, 
 or the latter arc 3.V per cent, heavier, in the mine, than the for- 
 mer; yet the twelve American free-buriiing coals, weighed in 
 the marketable state, exhibited 52.81 pounds per cubic foot, 
 a»ul the ten Welsh tVec-bui'tiinL; coals, treated as above, 51.45 
 pounds. Additi^' to this latter wriji^lit Sh per cent, for the 
 greater .specitic gravity of tlie Afucrican coals, we have 50.35 
 pounds as tlic weight of one cubic foot of them, if prepared 
 by breakirj<; up in the way above described. Tiie above 
 Weijiht oi 51.15 poutuls of British coals, |y;ive an avenige of 
 513 poutuls of steam, and the .5:;i.Sl pounds of Ameritan coal 
 gave 51(J.35 pouiuls of sle;im. At this rate 50.35 ptJiuids of 
 the same coal ^ave 5 1 t.*i pouTuis «)f steam, showing the econo- 
 mic values, bulk for bulk, of the two coals in that state to be 
 in fact i<lctitical. 
 
 }!y eoniparini; about twenty diflcrent samples <)f American 
 with the same nmnbcr of I'ritish coals haviiig correspomlhig 
 specific ^rnvitks, it is rendered apparent that by the treat- 
 ment to which the coals were subjected !>y the liritish Com- 
 missiorjcrs, (that is, by breaking ihem up so small tha^ no 
 piece should wei?j:h more than a pomid.) any given spa .; is 
 made to receive, on an average, 10^% per cent, more weight, 
 than when the same coals are measui'e<l iti their marketaldc 
 state ;ind without this nrtilieial pr(>paration. 
 
 The following tabular view is <lerivcd from data furnished 
 in part !>Y the report on American coals, page 55)1, and in 
 pafJ by tljat on jb-itish eoais. \\\\)ir. \'i — those nuuihers only 
 repn'sentitig irelght pet' cubic J'oof.^ being selected from the 
 tai)le of each report, wldeh brlonj^cd fo coals, to the specille 
 gravitii'S of wlii<'h corresponding speeilie sivivitics e«>uld be 
 found in the other table. Tljey embrace, however, nearly the 
 whole range of the specific gravities of coal : 
 
04 
 
 _nsi 
 
 i: 
 
 ^i 
 
 III 
 
 AXBBICAN COAU. 
 
 BamsB CoAU. 
 
 Number of samples 
 compared to give 
 the average weight 
 per cubic foot. 
 
 Average weig't, per 
 cubic foot, i'i the 
 marketable ttate. 
 
 Noinber of sample* 
 compared to give 
 the average weight 
 per cubic foot. 
 
 
 1.25 
 1.27 
 1.28 
 1.30 
 1.31 
 1.33 
 :.34 
 1.39 
 1.59 
 
 3 
 1 
 4 
 1 
 
 3 
 4 
 1 
 3 
 1 
 
 48.81 
 47. G5 
 47. .13 
 53 47 
 50,39 
 4D.2I 
 45.10 
 51.51 
 55.32 
 
 3 
 3 
 1 
 3 
 4 
 4 
 3 
 1 
 1 
 
 54.56 
 51.55 
 56. <H) 
 55.62 
 55.66 
 52.0.1 
 
 53 .10 
 62.e0 
 
 General averages 
 
 
 
 43. y3 
 
 
 55.38 
 
 
 
 
 These general averages are in the ratio of 100 to 110.9, as 
 above mentioned. 
 
 If, therefore, ibc weight of steam which was produced by 
 a cubic foot of each American coal, he increased by lO/^ per 
 cent., the weight tlms increased will correspond to what 
 would have been the weight of steam per cubic foot of the 
 coal had it received this factitious economic weight. 
 
 Unless the practice of steams<hips could be made to con- 
 form to the experimental operations of the British Com- 
 missioners, (which however they do not recommend «r even 
 propose,) it is difficult to perceive the practical utility of 
 reducing the coals in their experiments to the sizes indica- 
 ted above. The results given, would, in fact, mislead prac- 
 tice and deceive the shipper as to the evaporative power of 
 the coal which his bunkers would contain, unless he should 
 in every instance take the precaution to contract for the de- 
 livery of his coal in the state of subdivision prescribed to 
 themselves by Messrs. De la Beche and Playfair. 
 
 MOISTURE IN COALS. 
 
 It may be remarked that, though the British Commis.sionprs 
 determined the quantity of moisture in the coals upon Mhich 
 they experimented, they made no account of their results in 
 any of their computations of heating power. This we re- 
 gard as objectionable, where the moisture amounts to so great 
 
95 
 
 a quantity as that given in some of the analyses. Thus* of the 
 two Dalkeith Scotch coals, that which came from the "Jewel 
 seam," contained 0.30 pep cent, of moisture, and evaporated only 
 7.08 pounds of water iroui the boiler per pound of coal ; while 
 the coal from the "Coronation seam," gave but 5.88 per cent, 
 of moisture and evaporated 7.71 pounds of water from the 
 boiler. In both cases this hygrometrie water replaced so much 
 coal when weighed out to the fireman, and for </i«f reason was 
 to be deducted from the weight, in order to get the actual 
 weight of coal burned. Be.sides this, as so much water was 
 thrown upon tlie grate to be evaporated, instead of being put 
 into the boiler for that purpose, for fhis reason also, it must be 
 regarded as having been deducted from the useful effect of 
 the fuel. Consequently, the weight of coal must, in each 
 case, be reduced by the per ccntage of its moisture, and the 
 weight of water delivered to the boiler, must be increased 
 by a like per centrige of the weight of coal burned, to get the 
 relative valuess of the two fuels m like states of dryness. If 
 we deduct the weight of ash in each of these two coals from 
 100, we g»>t the amhustihle mattf't\ incUulhg moisture/J5.G3 and 
 9t>.n0 ; and computing the steam for one pound of this combus- 
 tible matter, we get 7.40 and 7,9.'>, of which the difference is 
 0.55 pound or 7,1 per cent, of the smaller number. If, again, we 
 deduct the p«'r centage of moisture in each coal, from that of 
 the combustible^ we obtain 80.27 and 91.02 as the true rela- 
 tive quantities of dry combustible, in each variety, and add- 
 ing to the weight of water evaporated from the boiler by each 
 poun<l of the moist combustible, the weight of water which it 
 evaporated from the body of the coal itself, we obtain 7.17 and 
 7.7(i as the respective amounts evaporated per pound of moist 
 coal; .and as these quantities were evaporated by .80 and .91 
 of a pound of ifri/ combustible 7nattcr,v/c obtain as the evapora- 
 tive efHciency of one pound of such combustible 8.37 and 8.53, 
 OP the diflerence is reduced to sixteen lOOths of a pound of water 
 to each pound of combustible, which is two per cent, only, of the 
 smaller number. This diftenmce may probably be accounted 
 for by the diflerence in the composition of the dry combustible 
 matter of the two varieties of coal. In the Jewel seam the 
 fixed carbon was to the volatile combustible as 1.11 to 1 ; 
 while in the Coronation seam it was as 1.24 to 1. This great- 
 er evaporative elliciency among l)ituminious coals, in propor- 
 tion as the ratio of their fixed to their volatile combustible 
 material, is higher, is a general truth, established as well by 
 the British as by the American experiments. It was fully 
 brought out in the report of the latter. (See next page.) 
 
 I' 
 
 
 '!;•! 
 
■:; 1 
 
 TABhE'^howing the relation of evaporative power to the ratio 
 AMERICAN EXPERIMENTS. 
 
 Nauei of Coal from Report on American 
 Coal*. 
 
 Scotch 
 
 Liverpool 
 
 Midlothian, (screened) 
 
 Tippecnnoe 
 
 Newcastle,,,, 
 
 Miillothiaij, (new shaft,}...!! 
 
 Cnnuel ton .„.,„,,,..„ 
 
 Midlothian, (average) 
 
 Clover Hill 
 
 Chesterfield Company.., 
 
 Pittsburg 
 
 Creek Company..... , 
 
 Pictou, (New Y(.rk) 
 
 Midlothian, (900 feet shaft) 
 
 Crouch & Snend........ , 
 
 Pictou, (Canard's) 
 
 Sidney ' , ,,^^ 
 
 Barr's Deep Run, (Va.) , 
 
 Cambria County, (Va.)., 
 
 Quill's Uua ,,,^_ 
 
 Karthnus 
 
 Gasby «& Smith's '. 
 
 Atkinson &. Templeman's..., 
 
 Blossbuig. 
 
 Eashy's " Coal-in-Storc ,"..'.!! 
 
 liycornini); Creek ..,„ 
 
 Dauphin and Susiiuehanna.,, 
 Neft'9 
 
 New York and Maryland Mining Company's. 
 
 Natural coke of Virginia. ..,.,... , 
 
 Lyken's Valley. , !,!! 
 
 Lehigh ....,.,.. , 
 
 Lackawanna...... 
 
 Beaver Meadow, slope No. 5. 
 
 Forest Improvement .,..,, , 
 
 Peach Mountain 
 
 Beaver Meadow, elope No. 3 !..., 
 
 I 
 
n' 
 
 between fixed and volatile combustible ingredients in Coals, 
 
 BRITISH EXPERIMENTS. 
 
 Name* of Coal from Report of the Britiah 
 Commisaionera. 
 
 Ratio of fixed 
 to volatile 
 combustible. 
 
 
 Dalktith Coronation 
 
 1.14 
 1.20 
 1.21 
 121 
 124 
 1.37 
 1.4t 
 1.43 
 1.4d 
 1.73 
 1.78 
 L79 
 1.85 
 9.08 
 2.39 
 2.43 
 2.91 
 359 
 473 
 512 
 5.52 
 
 5.89 
 G.02 
 fi.l2 
 630 
 7.«5 
 ir>.95 
 19.60 
 
 7.71 
 
 Coleshill 
 
 8.00 
 
 Fordel Splint , 
 
 7.56 
 
 Lvdiipv. ("forest of Deaiil 
 
 8.52 
 
 Dalkeith Jewel Senm........ 
 
 7.08 
 
 Porthiuawr iJock Win.,. 
 
 7.53 
 
 Three'ciuarler Uock Vein 
 
 6.64 
 
 Grani'diiouth.- .—.... 
 
 7,40 
 
 WalLsenil El<'in , 
 
 8.46 
 
 Pontypdol., , 
 
 7.47 
 
 BrootiiliiU ...,...,, 
 
 8.75 
 
 Cwm Nanty Utos , 
 
 8.42 
 
 Wylam's rateiit Fuel 
 
 893 
 
 Cwin l''r«o<i Jlock V'in , 
 
 8.70 
 
 Bedwaa ....a............ .•....•. 
 
 9.79 
 
 Bell's Patent Fuel , 
 
 8.53 
 
 Mynydd NewydJ 
 
 9.52 
 
 Ebbw Vale 
 
 lft.31 
 
 Pentrepoth , 
 
 8.72 
 
 Resolveii ....•••....,,•..... 
 
 953 
 
 Petitrefelin ................................s.. 
 
 •6.36 
 
 Dufl'ryn..,.. 
 
 10.14 
 
 Warlich's Patent Fuel 
 
 10.36 
 
 Oldcastle Fiery Vein 
 
 8.94 
 
 
 9..35 
 
 Llanifeniieck...... 
 
 8.86 
 
 Binea .•....■• •....••..• 
 
 9.94 
 
 Slievarda^h. ,,,,.,, ,.,,,, .,,.., •.....•■...•••..••> 
 
 9.65 
 
 Welsh Anthracite 
 
 9.46 
 
 
 
 • In respect to tlie sample called PentrefelirJ coal, the report SJates, lli.it " ow- 
 ing to the extreme smalhiess of the coal, there was great difficulty both in light- 
 ing the fin; and in getting the Steam up: the same cause no doubt affected the 
 trials throughout, as the work done was very small in comparison with that of 
 other coals. As the fire burnt up, a distinct hissinsj noise was heard, and on open- 
 in<]' the fire door, large (piantities of ignited particles, presenting a bright scintil- 
 lating appearance, were carried over the fire bridge, and passed ''ito the hues. Oil 
 etokiiig ilie fire, a considerable quantity of unburiit coal ^liI)ped through the bars, 
 which on being again thrown up, increased the difficulty of getting a good fire— 
 the quantity of cinders and ashes left was consequently very large." 
 
 The total waste matter, owing to the cause above stated, ivas 27.4 per cent. 
 Analysis proved that nearly one half of it was still combustible, but it appears to 
 have been so enveloped in the earthy constituents as to be incapable of any pro- 
 fitable combustion tinder the steam boiler. Deducting the ivaete and tnoisture 
 from the weight of coal consumed, and allowing for the effect of the matter really 
 butut, a pound of Pentrefelliu eombustibU ptoduccd 6.^4, puuaJa of steam. Thia 
 
! 
 
 , t 
 
 ij' 
 
 'II 
 
 OS 
 
 The two series of experiments, Amcricnrt ar\(\ BritfsTi, are 
 represented in the two preceding- ])ii^-.3r^, sidf. by side, sLowing 
 m one column the ratio of the lix. i lo the volatile combusti- 
 blr mntf,.r i), each coal, and in tin • oilmrthe quantity of steam 
 v/]uc]\ 1 [MIL of coal produced, it will not fail to be re- 
 inarkrd, iliat adecided general increase of evaporative power 
 tak« s place with the increasing ratio of fixed combustible up 
 to about 5 or n to 1. After passing this limit, and approach- 
 ing the anthracite class, the quantity of carbon which is vola- 
 tilized in coking, as compared with the whole quantity of vo- 
 latile matter, is diminished, as shown by the British series of 
 per centages of carbon compared with the amount of fixed 
 carbon in each coal. 
 
 The following results, selected from the foregoing table, 
 exhibit the ratios of fixed to volatile combustible matter iki 
 four samples varying considerably from each other, and the 
 evaporating power of the combustible matter of each kind of 
 coal, excluding the mohture mid ashes. The first is from the 
 American, and the second from the British report : 
 
 AmERJC** £xrER!MEKTS. 
 
 Coals. 
 
 I. 
 
 2. 
 3. 
 
 4. 
 
 1. 
 
 2. 
 3. 
 
 4. 
 
 Scotch coal 
 
 New Castle coal,.,., ,,.„. 
 
 Virginia Midlothian, new shaft 
 
 CumberJand, Atkinson & Templeman 
 
 Ratio of fixed to 
 volatile matter. 
 
 Evapofalive power 
 
 of the eotnhufti* 
 
 bit tnatter. 
 
 Scotch, Dalkeith Jewel seam... 
 Broomhill, not far from Newcastle. 
 Cwin Frood, rock vein 
 
 Ebbw Vale, (Welch,) 
 
 COHESIVE POWER OF COALS. 
 
 The British Commissioners have given an interesting series 
 of experiments (column G, table II., p. 7.3) on the relative co- 
 hesive powers of the sever.al coals, or their power to bear hand- 
 ling, transportation, and rolling upon each other. Having 
 broken them up as already mentioned to such a size that no 
 lump weighed over one pound, they sifted them upon a seive of 
 one inch meshes, took one hundred pounds of what was left on 
 
 brings it much nearer to » conformity with others of its class. The defect of 
 foiling into small fragments anj passing through the grate was oLacrred in certsio 
 American coab. (See report on Aaierican coali, p. 3<>7.) 
 
the seive, plnt^rrl them in a barrel, much like an old fasHioneil 
 barrel churn, wiili flanges projecting from its periphery In- 
 wards towards the centre, and giving this cylinder fifty turns, 
 took oat its contents and again sifted and weighed what was 
 left on the seivc. The per centage by weight retained, was 
 taken as representing tiic cohesive power of the coals. 
 
 NITROGEN AND AMMONIA IN COALS. 
 
 Having, after the manner of Will & Varentrap, ascertained 
 
 the quantity of nitrogen in the coals, the British Commis- 
 sioners empk>yed the results in computing the quantity of 
 ammonia and of sulphate of ammonia which might be ob- 
 tained during the destructive distillation of each kind of coal. 
 
 The highest proportion of sulphate of ammonia which was 
 obtained from the coals trieil, was 10.18 pounds, from 100 
 pounds of coal. 
 
 This subject commends itself to gas manufacturers and 
 agriculturists, rather than to engineers and furnace men. 
 
 The large amount of ammoniaeal liquors obtained in the 
 manufacture of illuminating gas, is, in this country, allowed 
 to run chiefly to waste; whereas, by ..Jopting the sulphuric 
 acid purifier, very large quantities of the sulphate of ammo- 
 nia, a salt in high request among enlightened farmers, would 
 be obtained. (See Knapp's Cliem. Technology, American 
 edition, vol. 1, p. 476.) 
 
 I 
 
 
 no 
 
 EXPANSION OF WATEB AT HIGH TEMPERATURES. 
 
 The temperature compared with the observed bulk and 
 weight of water in a boiler, has been re-examined by Messrs. 
 De la Beche and Playfair ; and, as far as they go, their re- 
 sults confirm essentially those in the American report. Tliese 
 analagous results are found at page 13 of the American report, 
 and page 53 of the British report. The British Commissioners 
 extended their experiments from 70° to 21^", while the Ameri- 
 can reached from iii)° to 230°. The American boiler held, 
 when filled to its normal level with water at f)(>° temperature, 
 12,795 pounds } and when heated to 230°, without losing any 
 steam, 403 pounds had to be withdrawn to bring the level 
 once more down to the normal point. 
 
 **The observations made on the gradual rise of temperature, 
 and the corresponding weights of water which it had taken 
 to fill the boiler, as nmch as the expansion by heat now did, 
 gave the tbllowing table : 
 
 ft 
 

 1 
 
 From 
 €C0 to II4J, vl« 4S0.5, inoieaie equlv't to bulk of 69 lb*. at 580,or 1.42 Ibi. to 1© 
 
 114^ to 149 
 
 « 
 
 34 .5, 
 
 <• 
 
 M 
 
 81 
 
 M 
 
 "935 
 
 <• 
 
 
 149 to 180 
 
 « 
 
 31 
 
 M 
 
 «l 
 
 97 
 
 « 
 
 " 3.13 
 
 M 
 
 
 180 toSB7 
 
 M 
 
 27 
 
 « 
 
 « 
 
 66 
 
 M 
 
 « 3.18 
 
 M 
 
 
 807 to 233 
 
 « 
 
 16 
 
 M 
 
 W 
 
 S9 
 
 M 
 
 " 5.S8 
 
 M 
 
 
 S23 to 930 
 
 (« 
 
 7 
 
 « 
 
 « 
 
 71 
 
 M 
 
 "10.14 
 
 ff 
 
 
 "This great increars in the rale of expansion of water above 
 the boiling point, being nearly 7 J times as great in the range 
 of the last l"" as in the first .stage of 10% may probably pos- 
 sess some intf rest lieyond tliat which attaches to it as a means 
 of correcting certain observations tuU<'n <hn-ing tliis research." 
 It will be remarked, that tliis r:ipid augmentation of liie rate 
 of dilation of water in iron, h not preventi'd by tlie eon- 
 ycision, at tlje same time, of a considerable quantity of water 
 into steam of a high donsity. 
 
 The British Commission rrs operating with a smaller boiler 
 obtained of course smaller numbers of poimds of water to 
 represcjit the expansion of the wuh-r. Tlu; ibllowitig is their ta- 
 ble, to which we have added a tifth column showing the aver- 
 age rate of expansion for one degree, between the suceessivo 
 temperatures nuti\.i;d in the first column. 
 
 Table shomng the expansion of watrr in the boihr at diferent 
 
 temperatures. 
 
 
 70" 
 80 
 90 
 100 
 
 no 
 
 ISO 
 139 
 140 
 ISO 
 160 
 170 
 180 
 1»0 
 200 
 f209 
 $04 
 
 tm 
 
 910 
 813 
 
 ♦' i je 
 
 l.<J0tJO 
 
 0.f)l)9G 
 
 0.9993 
 
 0.9987 
 
 0.9983 
 
 0.9979 
 
 0.99:4 
 
 0.9971 
 
 0.9967 
 
 0.9954 
 
 0.9940 
 
 0.9923 
 
 9901 
 
 0.9873 
 
 0.98fi9 
 
 0.9859 
 
 0.9849 
 
 0.9839 
 
 0.9S39 
 
 0.a819 
 
 * -£ — 
 
 C - « 
 
 ** ^ »c a 
 
 Jit Q i, ^ 
 
 47.10.000 
 47x^8. 1»)8 
 4720.216 
 472;).9.-)0 
 4721.900 
 4719.097 
 4717.795 
 4715.28.1 
 4714.012 
 4708.242 
 4701.«20 
 409.3.579 
 4fi8.'J.|73 
 4072.767 
 4608.0.17 
 4063.307 
 46.58.577 
 4653.847 
 4649.117 
 4644.387 
 
 P. 9> 
 
 .&§ 
 
 1 « 
 
 JJ S 
 
 Ci " " * 
 
 0.000 
 
 1.899 
 
 3784 
 
 €.050 
 
 e.o-io 
 
 10.903 
 12.20."> 
 14717 
 15.988 
 Sl.75d 
 S8..'J8<I 
 36.421 
 46.827 
 57.233 
 61.963 
 66.693 
 71.493 
 76.153 
 eo.683 
 65,613 
 
im 
 
 ■p\ 
 
 u 
 
 M 
 W 
 
 1 
 1 
 1 
 1 
 1 
 
 The second column, as "wcU as the one which wo have 
 added, renders it evident that all the numbers in the third 
 column wtTC not ohtaini'd by actual observation. The se- 
 cond and third, and the last six or seven numbers, are evi- 
 dently the results of interpolation. The law of expansion 
 nnderjjocs no jiucli change per salttim as would be im- 
 plied in the supposition, that from 180° to 200=' it .should be 
 constantly 1.010, und, all at once, more than doubling it- 
 self, should from 200" to 21 'i*, continue to be exactly 2.305 
 lbs. to one dcsrce of increase in temperature. As the Ameri- 
 can boiler had about three tiniex the ciprieity of tl»c llritish, 
 and as tlic water in tlie I'ornier was heated uniformly through- 
 out by building tlie fire underneath, while the latter, in con- 
 scfiue'ucc of buildin<; the tire in the interior, had a part of its 
 ■water constantly eooler thrtn the rest, so we ought to expect 
 that the amount of expansion for one degree should be dif- 
 ferent in the two boilers. The I'ritish expenments confirm, 
 as Car as they go, those previ<)usly made here, in proving the 
 rapid increase in the rate of expansion of water in iron. It 
 WUA more important to the liritistt than to the American ex- 
 perhneuters to know accuratelv the contents of their boiler 
 at every tenip<?rafure, iuasmtieh as the former employed a 
 part of'their coal aUnig with a small quantity of wood for 
 heating up their boiler an<l its contents. This expansion of 
 water in iron it is highly important, also, for the steam engi- 
 neer to be acfjuainted with. 
 
 From the following table a comparison maybe made be- 
 tween the amount of expansion of water in iron, as deter- 
 mined by the iJriti-sb Commissioners, and that aj^eertained at 
 AVashingfon a« given on the preceding page. It appears that 
 the rate of expansion, expressc<l in pounds, to V of tempera- 
 ture, was six times as great at UKil" as at Otf[% being 1.3 at 
 the former, and but .2 at the latter temperature. 
 
 ^1 
 
 I 
 
 in 
 fit / 
 
Ttnpentarei ob> 
 ■enred. 
 
 At 660 
 1141 
 
 m 
 
 103 
 
 Contento of the boiler in 
 
 |MHM»da far diflprent 
 
 tcmperatorei. 
 
 4730.756 
 4790.871 
 4714.139 
 4693.579 
 4660.943 
 
 diff. 48i« 
 " 344« 
 « 810 
 
 « 97» 
 
 Differ'e in weight 
 
 at th« gaccritive 
 
 tenpcnturetf. 
 
 DiflerenN In 
 weight for 1® 
 Fabrenfacit. 
 
 I 
 
 ».865 
 16.639 
 90.560 
 39.637 
 
 .903 
 
 .469 
 
 .663 
 
 1.908 
 
 I8T1MATI0N OP THE WATER PUPPLIED TO THE BOILER, ACCORDINO 
 
 TO ITS TEMPERATURE. 
 
 The expansion of water in the supply tank was examined 
 
 m our experiments, between 58 and JJO degrees; by the Brit- 
 ifiii Commissioners^ between 40 and 80 degrees. 
 
 Table of eo-eflicicnts, from the American Report, for correct- 
 ing the weight of water delivered from the tank to the 
 boiler at different temperatures. 
 
 Temperature. 
 
 68« 
 
 65 
 70 
 76 
 80 
 •6 
 90 
 
 Ratio of bHubI to apparent 
 weight of water. 
 
 1.0000 
 0.9965 
 0.9977 
 0.9969 
 0.9963 
 0.9957 
 0.9953 
 
 Small as is the correction required by the cause now under 
 consideration, it hhf, not been dtt^ned expedient to omit the 
 estimation of its efficiency in modifying the results." 
 
 The American water tank was made of wood, the British 
 of plate iron, and, of course, a different co-efiicient of expan- 
 sion would be found applicable. 
 
 The following are the results of the British experiments to 
 detcrmme the expansion and contraction of water in the iron 
 tanks, taking 70° as the normal temperature. 
 
 i '\i 
 
 
loa 
 
 Tempcraiare 
 
 Actual weight of tn 
 
 Tempera tore 
 
 Actnal weight of aa 
 
 Fthrcnheit. 
 
 anitjr of water. 
 
 Fahrenheit. 
 
 anity of water. 
 
 40O 
 
 1.001464 
 
 6S* 
 
 1.000/ 19 
 
 49 
 
 1.001451 
 
 64 
 
 1.000534 
 
 44 
 
 1.001439 
 
 66 
 
 1.0()0.')56 
 
 46 
 
 1.001436 
 
 68 
 
 1.000178 
 
 48 
 
 1.001414 
 
 70 
 
 l.OOOOOO 
 
 SO 
 
 1.001401 
 
 79 
 
 .999763 
 
 S9 
 
 1.001S94 
 
 74 
 
 .099597 
 
 54 
 
 1.001196 
 
 76 
 
 .999290 
 
 56 
 
 1.0UIU94 
 
 78 
 
 .999US4 
 
 58 
 
 1.00U993 
 
 80 
 
 .996818 
 
 60 
 
 1.000S90 
 
 
 
 HEATING POWER OF COALS, ACCORDING TO THEIR CLASSES. 
 
 The average heating powers computed fVom their experi- 
 ments by the British Commissioners, agree very closely indeed 
 with the averages for corresponding classes of coals given at 
 Washington. Thus, by the 
 
 T«n anlhrscitea gave steam to one of coal .............................9.S8 
 
 Eleven Pennsylvania and Maryland free •burning coala. 9.68 
 
 One Newcastle coal............ ..........8.65 
 
 Ten Virginia bituminous coats 8.48 
 
 Four Liverpool and Nova Scotia..... ............8.18 
 
 Three Scotch and Wcstero .7.49 
 
 And the mean of sis sferages. ........8.68 
 
 Bsmsa Exmmunr, 
 
 Two anthracites gwt steam to one of coal 3.C$ 
 
 Ten Welch free*burning coals 9.58 
 
 One BrooinhilL ,.,,, .8 .75 
 
 Eight Welch bituminoua .8.00 
 
 One Forest of Dean .8.59 
 
 Five Scotch .7.64 
 
 Mean of dz averages. M........6.69 
 
 The pine wood used at Washington gave 4.60 ; the wood 
 of inferior quality used at London, gave 3.10, as its evaporaf- 
 tive power. 
 
Bi 
 
 
 I 
 
 ill 
 
 ! 
 
 104 
 PATENT FUEL FOR STEAM SHIPS. 
 
 nij2:lily intrrestino: to steam navi<;ation are tlie trials which 
 the liritisliCommissioiKM-s made of several patent fuels, prov- 
 ing that some of those fuels eontain a mueh j2:real(r evapova- 
 tive power under o giren bulk than any of ihe coals, in their 
 ordinary merchantable state. This may he illustrated by a 
 comparison between Wariiek's patent fuel— of which 
 
 _ , . ,. Lbs. of steoni per 1 lb. of fuel. 
 One cubic foot gnve 715.3') 
 
 Wnursfieryvein coal, which gave W)h! 78 (a maximum 
 
 among cuts. 
 
 Dalkeith jewi-l sea ':, 35^.r>d (a iiiinimum ^ 
 
 Thus it ap^icars Wariiek's patent fuel is 17.4 j)er cent, su- 
 perior m evaporative power, per cubic loot, to the best, and 
 10.'3 per cent, superior to iho lenst efficient of iho coals, in 
 their natural state. (See column I, p. 73.) 
 
 LATENT IJEAT AM) HEAT OF CAr.\CITV OP W \Tf:R. 
 
 The calorific co-efficients of M. Reo-nault were adopted 
 by the British Commissioners for computing: the ialent heat 
 of the vapor of water, and the tendency of these co-efficients 
 IS to l)rin<>- out a higher calculated calorific efficiency than 
 that which would b(^ given bv llie high;>r co-elli ient direclly 
 determined by our own researches. This latter co-efficient 
 gave 1030° for the latent heat of the vapor of water. 
 
 To illustrate the effect of adopting the co-efficient of M, 
 Regnault, for computing the calorific elliciency of the coals, 
 we may present an example afibrded bv the above average 
 evaporative power of American coals, viz:--8.(;o lbs. of steam 
 from water at 212°. It' the water be supposed to Jiave been 
 delivered to the boiler at 00°, then the weight of water at 
 that temperature would be 7..51 lbs. to 1 pound of coal. 
 
 Taking the latent heat of the vapour of water, when gener- 
 ated at 212°, to be 1030°, the sensible heat imparted to the 
 water before it is evaporated, is 212°— 00° ==152°; and the 
 wdiole quantity of heat, taken up in healing and evaporatino: 
 IS 152+1030=1182°. Hence, the evaporative power from 
 water, at 212° is, 
 
 By using Regnault's co-efficient, these numbers vary as fol- 
 
 lows: ^r.^lH'5'.'7 
 
 7.54X =8.72 
 
 m).').7 
 
 hence the difTerence by the two methods, is. .0(5 Ibs.-^o.on per 
 
 cent., or say seven-tenths of one per cent., of the smaller num- 
 
 iU ^i 
 
# 
 
 105 
 
 ber. This diflercnce will bo slightly enhanced by using also 
 Regnault's numbers for the quantity of heat in water at dif- 
 ferent temperatures. These numbers show, that in healing 
 water from (50^ to 212% there is ex])ende(l a (iuantity of hca^t 
 equal to ir)2°.8n, and the calculation would give 
 
 7-S4X-^-._y-=8.73 lbs. of steam from 212°, or about eiglit- 
 
 tenths of one per cent, above wliat is given by the American 
 calculations. This dilferencc practice will seldom or never 
 appreciate. 
 
 USE MADE OF THE HEATING POWHR OP COALS. 
 
 The British Conmiissi oners employed a part of llie coal 
 burned in giving temperature to the boiler, its contents, and 
 I he !)riek work of its setting, and a part in generating steam, 
 insiciid of h(Mling up the boiler and furnace with wood, (as 
 in the American experiments,) and tlicu using the wliole 
 heating pov/er of the coal solely to generate steam. They 
 tims complicated considerably the calculations.* In considering 
 the effect of that part of 1 lie fuel which is usnd in heatin.^ up 
 the water in the boiler, they have not included that expended 
 on ihe boili-r itself, which, from its considerable weight and 
 higli speciiic heat, might reasonably require a computation. 
 As the experiments on American coals were commenced 
 M-ilh llie iiuiiace. l)oil("r, and contents, all at normal tempera- 
 ture, such an nllowmce was not required. 
 
 COMPOSITION AND IIEAT-ABSORRINO POWER OF THE GASES OF THE 
 
 CHIMNEY. 
 
 Though the British Commissioners have made experiments 
 on the gases of the chimney, they have not used them to as- 
 certain how much of the whole heating power was expended 
 on those gases. They came to a conclusion in regard to the 
 oxygen remaining unconsumed in the gases, identical with that 
 previously reached bythf (\merican researches, viz: that in or- 
 dinary steam-boiler furnaces of good construction, the oxygen 
 which has not b(M'n consumed, is from one-fourth to one-half 
 of the whole (juantity originally in th(^ air.f 
 
 From the columns under " ratio to total bulk of dry gases, 
 of carbonic acid and oxygen, in table 191," it is fouiid that 
 the average per centage of those two materials rmd their 
 sum, for the several classes of coals, was as follows, viz : 
 
 • See their formula, pages 6G-68. 
 ^ See American report, page 582. 
 
 
 is? 
 
ill 
 
 \ 
 
 ! I if 
 
 IOC 
 
 {I.) Of the ontlirncite cinss, by 22 analyse*, the carbonic ndd was 9.443. oxv* 
 
 gen J2. 094— sum 51 .537. ' 
 
 (2 ) Mnryland free-burning, by 10 analyses, the carbonic acid was 10.819. «ixy 
 geii 10.;>d4— sumSl.lU.'J. 
 
 (.1.) IViinsylv;inia freeburniug,by 9 nnalyses.ihe carbonic acid wa« 9.951. oxv- 
 gen l(>.r>72-suin20..W3. ' 
 
 (4.) Vireinin bituminous, by 16 analyses, the carbonic acid tta» 9.564. oxynen 
 11.598— sum 20. 8G2. 
 
 (5.) Foreign bituminous, by II analyse*, the carbonic acid was 10.927. o.-cytren 
 9.88fi— sum 20.81.3. 
 
 (G.) Cnnnclton bituminous, by 2 analyses, the carbonic acid was 13.207. oxvffen 
 5.5j0-sum 18.717. ^ 
 
 (7.) Pine wood, by 2 analyses, the carbonic acid was 9.214, oxygen 10.210 — 
 
 smn 19.427, 
 
 In several of these cases, the sum of the oxygen and car- 
 bonic acid in almo.st identical with the proportion in which 
 oxygen is found in the atmosphere. Thus— \'o.s. 2. .'i. 4, and 
 5, give a mean of 10.315 of carbonic acid, l()..'»in of oxygen. 
 An excess may probably be referred, in some instances, to 
 the existence of carbonic acid in the coal, in the state of car- 
 bonates ; and a deficiency to the production of much water 
 of combustion, as in cases of the highly bituminous coals and 
 of pine wood. 
 
 FIXED CARBON A9 A MEAf»URt: OF ilEATIKC. POWER. 
 
 Keference is made in the report on American coals to an 
 opinion which had gained .some currency, to the efiect, that 
 the heating power of coals is always proportionate to th« 
 quantity of fixed carbon which they severally contain; that 
 is, to the nmount of coke obtained by destructive <listillation, 
 dimini.-ihed by the amount of ashes left after complete incine- 
 ration. Tliis point is also referred to by the British commis- 
 sioners at page 13 of their report. 
 
 The commissioners then proceeded to examine the question 
 by calculating the heating power of the carbon of the coke, 
 theoretically, and comparing the results with (he evaporative 
 efl^cts. Instead of this, we prefer to arrange the coals ac- 
 cording the per centage of fixed carbon, and set opposite to 
 each, the weight of steam generated by one pound of the 
 coal, as in the subjoired table : 
 
107 
 
 Table eihlh'tin^ thr clo.ss-ifictftfon of the Bntlsh cauls in the 
 onhr of then- per rftitc^e of fired C(/rhon dvtenniued hfj 
 coliiiii^ and iucuwrafion, (tad a comparison of this ivifh their 
 evd/iorativc potrcrs, dtwiiitl from the data furnished in the 
 tablts at jiif^is 11 and i\i of the British report* 
 
 Name of Coul. 
 
 A a 
 
 1^ 
 
 Average 
 Carbon. 
 
 > 
 1 ^ 
 
 O V 
 
 &•* 
 
 7.08 
 8.00 
 8.46 
 8.52 
 
 7 . 56 
 
 7.53 
 7.7J 
 
 8.84 
 
 •2 1 
 
 •la. 
 
 Ji s 
 
 1. Dalkeith Jewel Scam 
 
 8. Coleshill 
 
 3. Wallstiid Kl'»in 
 
 45.43 
 47.08 
 47.75 
 47.80 
 
 47,01 
 49.58 
 57.12 
 63.61 
 74.60 
 79.16 
 64.99 
 
 8.01 
 7.91 
 8.01 
 8.98 
 9.65 
 9.99 
 9.84 
 
 
 ♦. Parliend, Lydney 
 
 
 
 S.44 
 
 6. Forde! Sphrit 
 
 48.03 
 18.38 
 50 . 40 
 51.54 
 
 6. Fortliiiiaur Ilock Vein 
 
 7. Dalkeitlj Coronation. 
 
 8. Thrce-tjuartcr Rock Vein. , . 
 
 5.73 
 
 9, Gtangomouth 
 
 10. Broomhill 
 
 1 1. Pontypool 
 
 13. Cwiu Nauty Gros 
 
 53.08 
 56.13 
 59.28 
 60.00 
 
 — — 
 
 60 96 
 62.80 
 61,76 
 66.74 
 
 7.40 
 8.75 
 7.47 
 
 8.42 
 
 
 6.60 
 
 1.1. Wylam's- Patent Fuel 
 
 14. Cwin t'rood Kock Vein. , . . 
 
 15. Bcdwas 
 
 8.92 
 8.70 
 9.79 
 8.53 
 
 16. Bell's Patent Fuel 
 
 7.38 
 
 17. Mynydd ^lewyddi 
 
 71.56 
 71.69 
 76.00 
 76.16 
 
 77.15 
 
 79.14 
 79.30 
 81 .04 
 
 9.52 
 
 9.53 
 
 10.21 
 
 8.94 
 
 8.K6 
 8.72 
 
 y.85 
 
 10.14 
 
 18. Kesolven ••... 
 
 
 19. Ebbw Vale 
 
 
 30. Old Castle Fiery Vein 
 
 Si. litaiigenucck. t«... 
 
 8.68 
 
 22. Peutrepotlj 
 
 
 23. Slicvcrdaeh, (anthracite,) 
 
 24. DuUVvn . , 
 
 
 
 8.95 
 
 as. Warlich's Patent Fuel 
 
 26. Crai.oU 
 
 82.19 
 82.26 
 84.14 
 91.38 
 
 10.60 
 9.35 
 9.94 
 9.46 
 
 27, Binea 
 
 , 
 
 38. Welsh .\nthracite. 
 
 
 
 9.84 
 
 
 
 
 An inspection of thr .nhove table will render it abundantly 
 evident, tijut tliough the, amount of tixed carbon in coal may 
 s« rve a.s a general index, it can by no mean.s be regarded us 
 the measure of the heatiu^; power of coals. 
 
 
 tl 
 
 h\ 
 
 h 
 
 I 
 
II 
 
 t 
 
 it 
 ■ 
 
 '■i ' 
 
 108 
 
 Ih the first place, the right-humi cohimn shows that the 
 ste.'un.-eneratln- power of corils havhii,' A7 per cent, of fixed 
 carbon, is no greater than that of coal* possessiiii; only 47 
 per cent. " •' 
 
 It also shows that t!ie four coals which had 7ti«, per cent. 
 
 of carbon had a hi-ber heatins^ power than the four M'hirh 
 contained 70^^ per cent. In the next place, the proportion 
 ot the fi.vod eart)on varies in tlie several sets of four samples 
 from t7.01 to St.OO, or the latter is 80 per cent, more thati 
 the lornicr proportion of fixed earl)on; wliile the stenm pro- 
 duced by them respectively, varied only from S.OI to 9.HI the 
 latter beinj? but 2-i.H per cent, more than the former. This 
 want of all true [)roporlion between the fired carbon and the 
 heatfn<r power will of necessity preclude the use of the one 
 as a nmts'ure of the other. 
 
 In the pros:rcss of the researches on American coals it was 
 repeatedly proved that the quantity of carbon which remains 
 hxed after the coal has been subjeef(>d to a re(t heat, varies 
 for the same specimen of coal accordin<? to the greater or less 
 rapidity with which the heat is applied. 
 
 COMPARWOX OF CARBON AND HVI>Ror;r,N WITH TUB PRACTICAL HEAT- 
 
 ist; row i;r. 
 
 The following table shows that while of the seven sets of 
 
 calculated , .aeiencies,the averages (column .3) increase from 
 12.51)1 to 15.55ft, or by 2^ per cent, of the former number 
 the experimental averages iirst diminish from 8.(Hf to 8 18 
 and then increase to f).S8 the ditference between the tirst and 
 the last of these numbers being It per cent, of the first. It 
 will also be observed that this principle of classifieafion 
 bnngs together at the very head of the list, the Scotch coal 
 ot (tie IJalkeilh Jewel Seam and the Slieverdaeh (Irish) an- 
 thracite—two species of fuel which are, in all their characters 
 as well as in their evaporative powers, the very antipodes of 
 each other. A principle of computation which classes to- 
 gether materials so utterly unlike, can have no foundation in 
 nature, and should have no place in science. The very hi'di- 
 est of the theoretical cmciencies (l.'>.JM! t) is mx% per cent 
 greater than the lowest, {\i 313) ; and the verv highest prac- 
 tical efhciency by experiment (lt).<5()) is 1!>.7 per cent, greater 
 than the lowest, 7.08. It is therefore evident that the practi- 
 cal heatmj? powers of these coals did not correspond even to 
 the order of the calculated results, when classed by fours or 
 fives together, and that consequent I v no direct relatmn can be 
 found between the powers of the practical series and those 
 
 y 
 
109 
 
 of the thporetictU on<% fount^ed on the con^hination of the cal- 
 culated carbon, with tliat of the hydrogen, elUcien<*y. 
 
 Arrftn^rmertt nrcordini! to the rrder of nnmhcrs ohfrihird hjf 
 inulliphfh}g the vefuiht of carbon in each coal, htj 1JV-*()H, and 
 the wcitrht t>f hi/(iro<r€n hij iVl HO, and dimding the strm of 
 thr proditcts hij iXi,").?, {the hitent heat of steam htj J\(<inaidt) 
 the nnmhera hcina^ derived from column Vt^and compared with 
 those in column 4, ijifi^f" 72 and 73.) 
 
 The experimental effi- 
 ckncie*. 
 
 Number.* from column; 
 E, theoretical effi-; 
 ciency from carbon 
 and hydrogen. i 
 
 Average calculated 
 
 efficiency. 
 
 Actual efficiency by 
 experiments fromco- 
 Iumn A. 
 
 k i 
 1 1 
 
 "£ ! 
 
 Hydrogen in excew; 
 beyond the €quiv.i-! 
 lent of the oxygen. 
 
 Average of hydrogen 
 in excess. 
 
 Dalkeith .tewel rioatn 
 
 Slieverdach Anthracite.. 
 
 Dalkeith Corouatiuti 
 
 CoWshill..... 
 
 12.313 
 12.482 
 12.772 
 
 I2.71)!> 
 
 12.591 
 13.149 
 13.751 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 i 
 
 ; 14.314 
 
 14.708 
 
 1 
 
 i 
 
 14.886 
 
 i 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 .' 15.550 
 
 1 
 
 7.08 ! 
 9.85 i 
 7.71 
 
 8.00 
 
 3.20 
 3.30 
 3.41 
 4.11 
 
 
 
 j 
 
 8. 66 
 
 3.S5 
 
 Poffhmawr Rock Vein.,. 
 Three-quarter Rock Vf-in 
 park Knd, Lyduey „..,... 
 Wallsend Kh'in....... 
 
 12.8!1 
 
 iJ.Kjt; 
 i;),2.-)7 
 
 13.422 
 
 7..'»3 
 
 8.84 j 
 8.52 1 
 
 e.4« 
 
 4.34 
 4.30 
 
 4.88 
 4.5!) 
 
 
 1 8.34 
 
 y.35 i 
 
 7.40 
 
 7..'>r. 
 
 8.42 ' 
 
 4.53 
 
 flfaiffota... . 
 
 13.5(i3 
 13.(li»2 
 13.817 
 
 i:i.tt32 
 
 2.i>4 
 4.21 
 4.4« 
 
 4.!)0 
 
 4.75 
 
 3.!>a 
 
 5.11 
 
 4.86 
 
 Graiigemoutb,... 
 
 Kordel Splint....,, 
 
 
 Cwm Nanty Oroa 
 
 4.13 
 
 Resolven 
 
 Llangeiineck 
 
 I'ontypool 
 
 13.;>71 
 
 14.2(i(> 
 14.2!t5 
 14.331 
 
 W.86 
 7.47 
 
 
 Wylani'8 Patent Fuel 
 
 8,<>2 
 
 8.69 
 9.09 
 9.23 
 
 9.88 
 
 4.65 
 
 WelsH Anthracite. 
 
 Ward's Fiery Vein.. ..... 
 
 Cwm Frooil Rock Vein.. 
 Penttt'iiotti .................. 
 
 14.593 
 J4.<il4 
 
 14.7H^^ 
 14.838 
 
 14.841 
 
 14.8(13 
 14.!)04 
 
 I4.y3fi 
 
 1 !>.4(i 
 
 9.4(1 
 
 1 8.70 
 
 ! 8.72 
 
 3.14 
 3.93 
 5.39 
 4.1U 
 
 
 4.14 
 
 BedwtXS.*. •«•••••••••«• 
 
 9.71 
 
 1 8.75 
 1 9..VJ 
 ! 8.94 
 
 5.82 
 5.79 
 5. art 
 4.47 
 
 Drooiuliil) 
 
 
 Mvnvdd Newvdd 
 
 
 Olilcastic Fiery Vein 
 
 5.36 
 
 Powel'a Dufijvn 
 
 15.0!»2 
 15 09;i 
 15.417 
 15.<)35 
 
 15,%4 
 
 1 10.14 
 
 1 9.94 
 
 8.5:1 
 
 10.21 
 
 lU. GO 
 
 4..'>!> 
 4.51 
 5.17 
 5.1U 
 5.56 
 
 Bineii . ,..>.. . ...•••.... 
 
 
 Bell's Patent Fttel 
 
 
 Ebbw Vitle 
 
 
 Wariiub's Patent Fuel 
 
 4,97 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 ^- 
 
 m 
 
li 
 
 110 
 
 IlEVTIKU I'O^VER MKASUHED BY THE BEDUCTIOX OF MTHAUC.B. 
 
 The nicthoc! of nprfhior, npplirc! to {foformhif hpatin«T 
 powers, on the sup])osilion tliat the latter arc proportionate to 
 the (luantity of oxygen required for the consumption of the 
 coal, was employed t)olh in the Ameriean and British re- 
 searches. The results of the former are found in the freneral 
 synoptical table of American coals hereafter given, The fol- 
 lowing ' ' 
 
 sioners. 
 
 '■c tlie numbers obtained by the British Commis- 
 
 Names of coals in the order of rcdiiciive 
 powers. 
 
 •a o 
 
 1, Dalkeith Coronation Seam.... .„.,| 24. 5G 
 
 3. Portiiinawr Rock Vein , 24.78 
 
 3. Brooniiiill ., ,.,.,.' 2.'). ,32 
 
 4. Coiesiiill ..,., , i 26.14 
 
 5, Dalkeith Jewel Seam 
 
 6. Three-quarter Rock Vein. 
 
 7, Pontypool,. 
 
 8. Uedwas... .,...,.,. 
 
 9. Cwm Frood Rock Vein. 
 
 10. Granffpinouth ,. 
 
 11. Bell'a Patent Fuel... 
 
 12. Wylam's Patent Fuel.... 
 
 13. Forde! Splint 
 
 14. Wailsend Elgin... 
 
 15. Cwnj Nanty Gros. 
 
 16. Duffryn , 
 
 2(;.42 
 
 2(;.(;2 
 
 27.40 
 28.20 
 
 28.,')(> 
 
 28.48 
 28. 5> 
 
 28.82 
 
 21). 00 
 2!».0G 
 2i» . fi4 
 30.00 
 
 17. Slievcrdach Anthracite...,, 
 
 IS. Mynydd Newydd 
 
 19. Pentrepoth 
 
 2<«. Old Castle Fiery Vein 
 
 '•••••••■••«*»•••« 
 
 81. Ward's Fiery Vein 
 
 23. Warlich'8 Patent Fuel 
 
 23, BinenCoal 
 
 24. fcbUw Vale '*' 
 
 .30.10 
 30.34 
 
 31. k; 
 
 31.42 
 
 31,4G 
 3J,,'-.0 
 31, €4 
 32,00 
 
 9!i. Graigota 
 
 26. Resolven 
 
 27. I.iangenreck 
 
 28. Sitev«rdach Anibraciie., 
 
 32.08 
 Hi. Hi 
 
 .12. (jr. 
 
 .33.48 
 
 2i.20 
 
 37.17 
 
 28.53 
 
 29.42 
 
 ,iii 
 
 31.76 
 
 33.53 
 
 "- r" 
 
 ! — ! i. 
 
 5 = ° 
 
 5 "~ '-- 
 
 fc- k. ^ 
 
 o i> - 
 
 Z ^ ~ 
 
 ^ a, «j 
 
 i *< 
 
 o 
 a.' 
 
 r, CI 
 
 7.71 
 
 7.,'-.3 
 8,75 
 
 8.00 
 
 7.08 
 8.84 
 7.47 
 
 a. 71^ 
 
 8.70 
 7.40 
 8.53 
 8.92 
 
 7.. 'it! 
 
 8.40 
 
 H..35 
 
 10.14 
 
 9.85 
 9.52 
 8.72 
 
 8.94 
 
 9.40 I 
 10. Of) j 
 
 9.94 ; 
 
 10.21 
 
 T.fli 
 
 8.33 
 
 8.38 
 
 8.63 
 
 9.26 
 
 10.04 
 
 9.35 
 9..-K1 
 
 8.8fi 
 9.85 
 
 9.39 
 
 
 if. 
 
Ill 
 
 7,9& 
 
 The last of the above average pi'opoitions of lead is 20 
 per cent, greater than the first, while the corresponding avc- 
 rages of steam generated, show a dilference of 17^ per cent.; 
 or excluding tlie hist set of four samples, 31.7« is 20 per ei^nt. 
 more than -^'i.'iO, and 10.01 is 25.3 per cent, more than 7.99 ; 
 so that the method of Berthier up to this point proves to he a 
 much nearer approximalion to a true measure of economical 
 value than either of the preceding methods. 
 
 On pages 58 1-5;S5 of the report on American coals will be 
 found a similar comparison between the evaporative and the 
 reductive powers of Anieriean coals. 
 
 PER CENTA<;i: OF C.\Rr.ON% AS A MEASURE OF HEATING POWER. 
 
 At page 517 of the Report on American coals, after a discus- 
 sion of ultimate analyses of New Castle Coal, and showing 
 the intimate relation which those analyses had with the ques- 
 tion of heating power, the following remark was added: 
 
 "The discussion of the measure of heating power, con- 
 tained in the present description, may serve to showthebear- 
 ing upon each other of the several modes of testing coals. 
 It is to be regretted that an opportunity has not yet occurred 
 of subjecting all the samples of coal to the same species of 
 analyses on the organic method, and with mixtures from frag- 
 meats of many s})eeimens, in order that tha average ultimate, 
 as well as proximate constituents of each may become known. 
 The earnest desire repeatedly expressed by the Department 
 to be in possession of the results of these experiments, and 
 the want of further ni)propriations to prosecute this impor- 
 tant research to its proper termination, has hitherto precluded 
 the possibility of accomplishing this purpose in the manner 
 originally designed.** 
 
 On the nth of February, 1RJ.5, the writer made to the 
 
 Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelpliia a communi- 
 cation relative to the ditlercnt methods of testing the heat« 
 ing power of fuel, the following account of which will be 
 found in the proceedings of that institution. Vol. 11, page 202. 
 It will be hereafter seen bow completely the British experi- 
 ments confinn the deduction made from the six trials then 
 compared ; 
 
 "Some of the methods which have been hitherto employed 
 by chcmist.s and others, to ascertain the relative heating 
 powers of fuel, are — 
 
 tt 
 
I 
 
 I 
 
 IMI 
 
 flf! 
 
 ,0" 
 
 113 
 
 " 1. The heating of water, without convertiiir. it into va- 
 pour, as practised first hy Rum ford, and morc^r ece Uy hJ 
 o u.r exponmcnters, particularly f>/ D.spn^t. aud d2„I 
 Tlie French chemists ass.uue as the unit of calorific power I 
 gram ol water heated 1= eentiorade. {V,H Fahr.)'' T e rami. 
 
 IS teimed its colorific efftcicnci/. 
 
 J'rA' '^(''^'"^^^'■"A'- «/'«>•'?. asin the calorimeter of Lavoisier 
 
 .?' ^l^^ f ''^'.•■'> '•' *^«''c the measure of elFeet. 
 .i. I he hm',ng of wr, or maintaining a etu-tain difference 
 between an mterior room in which comhustioa is conducted 
 oT/w^urnr"'' ^-ll^-«'^Vthe open air. Tlie ;;^^ 
 of tnne such ditrerencc ,s maintained by a -iven wei<'ht of 
 
 sup,,os,l,o„ < ,at Ihe lalt.ris propo.lionule ., ,1,„ vvoi™t „^' 
 
 " ^; p% reducfion of the nhrntc or the chlorate of potash to 
 
 ally adchng the combustible, till complete saturation has taken 
 
 " 0, The practice of the Cornish en.^nncers, of measuring t!ic 
 
 boiler .^^ '^''' ''""' ^"°' ^"-^^' ^^■^*'''" '>""»^*J «»^J«r a 
 
 boiler drivmj,' a pumpmg engine, 
 
 "7. 7%e (listillation of coals to ascertain the weiirht of fired 
 carbon Mtlu^, cmtain, suggested by the experiments^/.M^ 
 F>fe, of Edinburgh; the weight of tiiut ciastituent beiuS 
 supposed to measure the heating power. ^ 
 
 hp'nf:? ^^^f""^' ^^nalt/sisf which assumes that the quantity of 
 hca developed by an organic combustible, depc^ids on the 
 hea ing power of the carbon which it contains, added to thai 
 wifl if. Tf ^^■'''•«^^'^ ^'^'^^'^ ^vJ^-^^ i« rerjuircJ to combine 
 ^ ed w^?'^''" '"forming water. This method has been ap. 
 plied b> Messrs. Pf^terson and Schoedler to wood, and by 
 Hichardson,Ilegnault, and others, to coaK ^ 
 
 9. i/^e r/»,Tc-< or practical trial bt/ eraporation, as practised 
 
 hf G e'^t' R *;^^.^^^ V^i^'^^^^-^ Fyfe/Scha'uf hauM and^M^ by. 
 m Great Bn am; hy Messrs. S. L. Dana, A. A, Haves J A 
 
 fThrre^nTr^ nwe reeeufly by the wri'ter i„ thircountrv; 
 (The results of the tnab la^t referred to are contained in tl'w 
 
113 
 
 Report to the Xavy Dcpnrtincnt on American coals recently 
 
 publisliwl hy Congress.) 
 
 ** 1(K The rndting of von rither In a rpvirTipratory or a 
 cnpola I'lirtiJU'e, the weight of iiK'fal fused by one part of 
 CoinhuslihUi being the standitrd of cotuparison. 
 
 'Ml. The pcrformaitce of smltJi's vork of n unifo-in rharocter, 
 such as the nianufactiirlng of eliains by means of the several 
 varieties of fuel. The nuni))er of links of chain formed by 
 a given weight of each coal, is here the measure of useful 
 ctt'ect. 
 
 "The of»jcct of the present commnnication is mainly io ex- 
 hibit the relation between the results obtained by the eighth, 
 and those by the ninth method of trial above mentioned. ^ 
 
 "The existence, in bitiuninous coals, of variable proportions 
 of nearly pure charcoal, is referred to as furnishing evidence 
 of a want of homogeneousness in this class of l)odies. A 
 diversity of results may consequently be expected when ulti- 
 mate analysis is resorted to for the purpose of establishing a 
 theory of tran?^ mutations, or of demonstrating what changes 
 have occurred in bringing vegetalde sul)stanccs into the state 
 of bituminous coal. Those who assume ivoodij fibre as the sole 
 hasis from which it has been <lerived, do not pretend to prove 
 that the other proximate constituents of vegetables, the resi- 
 nous matter, for example, and the oily components of seeds, 
 have been wholly removed. Hence analyses of coal applied 
 to this purpose may not always lead to unobjectionable in- 
 ferences. But as means of determining the calorific power of 
 combustible bodies, they may, especially when performed on 
 average samples, or multiple specimens, nllbrd information 
 hoth ititcresting to science and valuable to the arts. 
 
 **The relation between the calorific Xiower calculated from 
 analysis, and the practical heating power decided by evapo- 
 rating water, is determined for six ditlercnt varieties of bitu- 
 minous coals, varying considerably in their composition. 
 
 "In applying calculations to the ultimate analysis of coals 
 as well as to the products of combustion, the atomic weight 
 of carbon is assumed to he six, of oxygen eight, and of nitro- 
 gen fourteen times that of hydrogen, in accordance with the 
 recent determinations of Dun»as. In calculating evaporative 
 powers, the latent heat of im is taken at 1030°. 
 
 *'In .ascertaining the relative efliciencies and values of com- 
 bustible bodies, with a view to economical applications, it is 
 ncessary to take them either as found in nature, or as sup- 
 plied to commerce, including, of course, whatever impurities 
 they may chance to contain. But in order to deduce general 
 
 I' 
 
 
M 
 
 n 
 
 ill V 
 
 114 
 
 rplatjons brtwo«'n bodies «l;fr,'rently coiiMfituted. in rrjxard par- 
 ticularly to their comhustihU; roust iliii'uff*, the ronipnrison 
 
 nuisr be nui(U- !»[>erde(hicliri;; the wjistc mu\ ineojolHisfihle 
 matter fmiiul in the onulc slutt; c.f t\w fuel. This j»rineij>lc is 
 ap])Iie(! holh to the ullinutte anaJvse.s and to the evjiiionitive 
 cx])erinierils; niidheiieciii the lulfowinj; tahle h(Hh fftt^ vofrw 
 lutt'd rraporotirr. poivn' of the citihon const ifnrnt, (rohiuui ITi,) 
 and the tofal ciytport/fifr fficicnrifhij r.rpcriincHt, (eohiiun IS,) 
 are referred to, uud culcul.-ifecl lor, one purl by wei;-!*! of cw/i- 
 hiisfihfe mafter. 
 
 •* Ti)e relation between the frcf and the tolotHc comluD^ti- 
 ble matters of coals, is iiahle to eonsiderable variation, ac- 
 cordiuj? to the rate ofdistillatiou to ^vhich they are sul))eete<|. 
 The more slowly this process iseorulucfed, the higher (within 
 certain liinils) will be tho proportion of i'lwd curhon.* The 
 estimation of heating powers. Ilierefore, from the ipianti- 
 ty of lixcd carbon whieh coals contain, if not wholly crrone- 
 oJis in principle, must be liable to considerable unceriainty in 
 practice, "^ 
 
 "Many bisfhiy !»ituminoMM coa?s contain more tijan 5 per 
 cent, of materials converted into amm(»niaeal litpior bvsimjde 
 distillation without contact of air. This U proved' on the 
 largest scale in the manufacture of illnnilnaf ing pas. That 
 proportion, therefore, is not only unavailable for beatin'^' pur- 
 poses, but it also al)stracts from the really combustible mate- 
 rials of the fuel, all the beat, t^ensiblc atid latent, wliich the 
 vaporized ammoniacal prmlucts receive during combustion. 
 
 "The proper water of comhusfion, namely, that derived from 
 the hydrogen in cxrrsit, an«l oxygen of the atniosj)herc, must 
 111 every mstance where heat is applied to cvajiorate water 
 above the boiling point, as in all oniinary steam boMcrs, be 
 likewise incapable of giving up its latent/ as well us much of 
 Its sensible heat. 
 
 "The average specific gravicy of the six varieties of bitumi- 
 nous coals assayed is l.ai— that of water at «(P being unity. 
 Admitting the hydrogen in its solid state lo have a density of 
 only 1.25, it must, in passing into ihe stxitc. first of gaseous 
 hydrogen, and then into that of watery vapour, (still having 
 the same bulk as the hydrogen,) undergo an enlargement to 
 21 17 times its original bulk. This volume is further increased 
 accordmg to the usual law of gaseous expansion, by whatever 
 heat above boiling point is left in the vapour, when it passes 
 away from the surface to be healed. In o well constructed 
 
 •See Proceedinga of the Acad, of Nat. Sciences, Vol. 2, pages 9-10. 
 
 i 
 
 
 jj 
 
 i 
 
 s - 
 
 I.J,.:i:«:,;.7rtflSSS!r. 
 
115 
 
 evaporative npparntus pmhicjn;? ^tram of pounds pr« stirc, 
 in which the rirnuit trnvers.d hv the ^JiNts .ill rr passing; the 
 Brutf%:m<I Wfore r<;.'uh»nj; tho diimiHy, \vi»s I'Jl l.ct tho t«in- 
 i>cratur«ortl.c ^^ast-s %vus gmerally iil.out 100' i.l.ovc the 
 Lnlitisf point ; and the watrry vapour, hcin« of coursr sur- 
 chrtr-f.l wilhheiit, possoss,-,! -JirJl timrslhr hidU ^vl^u;h it Imd 
 in thi- M)Iid st.'it*' and ut ♦".() dc-rt'cs of tcinpi'mTim:. 
 
 "lU-lhc rxpt'nnu'nl.sot'lnilon^-,(Con)ptrs Itciidiis, torn. 7, ) 
 one "VMU of pun- carhon d»'v«'loiH's, in l.iirniri<r, heat ««noug)» 
 to rJIiso t!u« trniporalttrr of 7170 ;;vams .)f WiitiT, T crnti. 
 crndf. OP l*Ji)0<i «rarns T Fahrrn!irit. This !atti«r ntmiheris, 
 thcr4'r«rr, used us a .-iM-nicient, »)y which to niultii)ly th(> niim- 
 Wrs in th«> I'Jlh coUiinn ofthr toHovviiij,' tiihlc- to obTam those 
 of tl»e 1 "»t!j. Hv the san»e atitliority, 1 Kfam of ^'^/.vfo//* hy. 
 aro;;tn gives heat hvifficient to rui.sc C„V»'^^ grams ot water I 
 
 "Th«' avt'ra5?e excess of hi/(ho;::cn for tlic six varieties of coal 
 bv evaporation, as deduerd from eohnnns VA and Mot tlio^ 
 tah!«\ is UVM\ per cent, whicli, calcula«>d after th«- manner ot 
 the lunropean ciieinists, onj^ht to possess an evaporat i ve power 
 of '*.SIU Tliis would raise t)ie avt-ra^c of the ir.lh roUimn 
 from HK700 to 13."»1 1, as t!»e catetihited evaporative power of 
 the unit of eomhustiide matter, j^howinir tl»e ealeulated to be 
 26.3 per cent. hii;Uvf than the experimental etlect. 
 
 •See also Peolct, Trait6 de la Chaleur, Tom. I, p. 50. 
 
 I 
 
 
116 
 
 Table exhibiting the anahjscn of nfverol vnrictiesqf Bituminous 
 
 with the cufcuitttftl Olid the nprrimrntal 
 
 1 I 
 
 Detignaiion of the 
 
 coal*. 
 
 s 
 
 V 
 
 I 
 
 
 Prokioiate Aiiulynii. 
 
 Uttimnte 
 
 aniilysis. 
 
 Cotnjiosition of th«» raw 
 100 {inrtii. 
 
 COD I in 
 
 h 
 •3 .: 
 
 o 
 
 e4 
 
 Groin* of 
 
 
 9 
 
 1 
 
 c 
 
 9 
 3 
 
 ••• 
 
 § 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 8 
 
 JS 
 
 « 
 
 • 
 
 § 
 
 a, 
 
 
 .1 
 
 1'.; 
 
 " : s 
 
 .1! -S 
 
 • 
 
 I 
 u 
 
 u 
 
 Summit Portngr i 
 rnilroaJ, Cam* [- 
 bria Co., P». ) 
 
 1.3G17 
 
 0.700 
 
 t.500 
 
 18.195 
 
 64.245 
 
 15.360 
 
 3.535 
 
 7.2620.62 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 3.93; 
 
 Midlotliinn '• new ) 
 cbatt," Virginia. ^ 
 
 1.3000 
 
 0.9M 
 
 2.282 
 
 2!).27l 
 
 (12.050 
 
 5.48ni,!)6fl 
 
 1 
 
 2.23 
 
 New Cttstle, KnglM. 
 
 l.2:.6T 
 
 lAGl 
 
 
 28.312 
 
 63.377 
 
 1.650 2.415 
 
 6.4619.56 3.21 
 
 Clover Ilill.Virginia. 
 
 1.2887 
 
 1.277 
 
 0.5M 
 
 28.-10!) 
 
 n5.425 
 
 4.375 2.2fi8'6.05'l7.<5R'2.58' 
 1 1 . t 1 
 
 Scotch. 
 
 I.275i» 
 
 J.3C:. 
 
 
 35.5ft(i 
 
 (-.0.342 
 
 •2.707 
 
 1.6U6 
 
 7.64,2-" ('0:< 75 
 
 Cnseyvilte, Ksn- ^ 
 
 tucky.nnd Cnn* v 
 neltoii, Iiidiiins. } 
 
 1.3920 
 
 1.150 
 
 
 nO.GC!) 
 
 14.49:* 
 
 23.687 
 
 1.450 
 
 4 21 
 
 8.96 
 
 I 
 192 
 
 Averages, 
 
 
 
 
 
 '"* * ■*' 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 j 
 
 Osage River, Miv. , 
 
 ;;J000 
 
 1.670 
 
 0.462 
 
 U.34e 
 
 51.16<i 
 
 5.340 
 
 1.237 6.04 
 
 1995 
 
 3.69 
 
 Pure bitumen. I.U5S 
 
 .000 
 
 
 72..J3e 
 
 24. 7&!) 
 
 2.7G1 0.312 8.16 22.60 
 1 t 1 
 
 "i 
 
 Remarks.-~T1ip evaporative trials were performed tiy burning atiout two tons of 
 each tiind of coal, under a boiler capable of evaporating 15 cubic feci of water per 
 hour. 
 
 If appeirs that, on an overage, these coats expended in evaporating water from 
 the boiler 85.35, and on the products of their coiiibustiou 14.65 per ceat. of their 
 

 9 
 
 in 
 
 Coal, both into their proximate and their ultimate constitmr't, 
 determination of their emporativc powers. - 
 
 Bjr calculAtioA 109 part* of 
 the romhuMUkti matter 
 are found to be constiiu 
 ted of 
 
 I 
 
 91.955 
 
 93.630 
 
 84.157 
 83 393 
 8u>.I>52 
 
 7C.335 
 
 8l.(?55 
 77.679 
 
 6 
 
 5.876 
 
 5.739 
 
 5026 
 4.958 
 
 c« 
 
 B 
 
 M 
 O 
 
 2.178 
 
 0.641 
 
 10.218 
 11.649 
 11.441 
 
 6.G63 17.002 
 
 I It; 
 
 i- £ n 
 
 Si s ■* 
 
 •* a H 
 I," - 
 
 V 
 e e 
 - u 
 
 6.168 1 11.977 
 
 i 
 8.023 I 14.298 
 
 •a 
 
 "si 
 — 
 "3 
 
 Practical evapurntlve power. 
 
 Ponnild of water 
 from 212'^ to one of 
 combustible matter. 
 
 11.522 
 
 11.731 
 
 10.545 
 10.445 
 10.393 
 
 9.565 
 
 10.7U0 
 
 10.256 
 
 9.464 
 
 s 
 
 c 
 
 > 
 
 10.2.'»8 
 10.191 
 
 9.178 
 
 8.568 
 8,868 
 
 7.734 
 
 9.133 
 
 a o 
 
 it t. 
 
 *-! 
 
 1 = 
 
 D « 
 J= 3 
 
 2 o o 
 t a- <«. 
 
 s.-§ » 
 
 o £ m 
 
 p>» a. u 
 
 >1 3 
 
 e V 
 
 41 
 
 4< ■ 
 O 
 
 1.319 
 
 1.269 
 
 1.720 
 1.949 
 1.338 
 
 1.823 
 
 B 
 S 
 V 
 
 a <M 
 
 ^r 
 
 e 
 
 11.550 
 
 11.460 
 
 10.898 
 10..W 
 10.206 
 
 9.557 
 
 II 
 
 ■5 a 
 
 : S 
 
 u e 
 
 >. ^ 
 
 -•I 
 
 u 3 
 
 a a 
 
 2 *j 
 
 —.028 
 + .271 
 
 — 353 
 
 —.082 
 + .187 
 
 +.008 
 
 1.5685 10.701 
 
 whn!e hpntin? powtn. Both th^ sv7n and the vtimher of ilifll'rences between the 
 practicnl and cnlciilatrd evaporative powers, nfleeted by the positive .sigii, are seen 
 in tiie last coiumii to be the same as those atlecled by the negative 8i[;n. 
 No evap3rative trials of Osage coal, or of bitumen, have been made. 
 
 I 
 
 

 118 
 
 " The data furnished l)y the preceding table aflbrd the 
 means of ascertaining the ])roj)or1ion of its carbon voLatilizcd 
 in the distiUalion of the combustible matter in each kind of 
 coal. 
 
 "The calcalations prove that of its whole caibon constitu- 
 ent, the per centage volatilized, was as follows : 
 
 Cambria county coiil 1(),7(>7 
 
 Midlothian, new shaft ... - 20. 15)5 
 
 Newcastle l^VJUV 
 
 Clover Hill Hi-^l^ 
 
 Scotch Cannel 21.100 
 
 Caseyville, Ky., Cannel - - - - 22.152 
 
 A'ld ihat the average was - - - 20.H8,'{ 
 " Tht) Urntitt/ of results obtained in the averages of the 
 15th and IHlh columns should seem to dcmonslnite that the 
 heating power of bituminous coals is proportionate to the 
 carbon which they severally contain." 
 
 The Hritish experimenter.s continued their analyses of the 
 coals till every sample had been submitted to both proximate 
 and ultimate determination. In the American exi)eriments 
 time was not allowed before the report was dem;uuled, for 
 extending the ultimate analyses to more than one-eighth part 
 of the samples. From such trials as were made, the deduc- 
 tion which a])pearcd to be authorized by a careful compari- 
 son between the constituents of the coals and their evapora- 
 tive efficiency, was, that the latter depended upon the total 
 amount of carbon in the coal If the hydrogen had been, as 
 most European chemists had contended, the more edicient 
 element, weight for weight, then all highly ])ilunnnous coals 
 ought to have presented a greater heating power than those 
 of lower bitinuinousness. Holh the British and American ex- 
 periments concur in ])i-oving the reverse of this to be the fact. 
 Indeed, the observed deficiency in heating power of the highly 
 bituminous class where, for example, the ratio of fixed to 
 volatile eomhusiible is nearly one of e(puility, or, as 1 to 1 ; 
 and the increasing evaporative power as we approach the 
 free burning bituminous and the anthracite class, might na- 
 turally conduct us to this conclusion.* 
 
 *To verify completely this principle, a full series of ultimatr analyses was re- 
 quired, anJ ihronirli the tardiness of the American, we have now to thank the 
 British Government for supplying the data necessary for at leant a partial verifica- 
 tion of this important principle. The writer can take to himself no share ot the 
 blame for thus allowing; foreigners to anticipate us in an important investigation. — 
 He has, since the Report on American coals was rendered, repeatedly brought to 
 
no 
 
 To show the value of llie researches hy the method of ulti- 
 mate analysis, and the important hearing which the results 
 now ohtailied on the other side of the water h:ive upon the 
 practical cojiipulation of heating powers, as founded on the 
 proportions of carhon, the lollowing table is presented: 
 
 the attention of the Navy IX'partment, the necessity, both for practical and gene- 
 ral usefulness, of a conlinuanee of those researches. In that Report itself, the very 
 points vvhicli die British e.\[)erinieniers have evidently labored with the greatest 
 care, were signali/ed as tiie parts which for want of time and of appropriations, 
 were, aniong the American researches, left in an unfinished condition ; and it waa 
 expressly stated that they were so left on account of the pressing urgency of the 
 Department to be in possession of the practical results of the investigation. To ag- 
 gravate the disappointment, and seemingly in disregard of the desire which had been 
 expressed in many quarters for the continuation of the American experiments, the 
 authorities having contiol of the Washington Navy Yard, allowed the valuable 
 apparatus, constructed with so much care and expense, to be dismantled and vir- 
 tually destroyed, the boiler cut up and applied toother puipoaes, the appendages 
 Bcattered and rendered useless, and even the collections of numerous specimens of 
 coal, preserved from all the samples for future analysis, distribution and compari- 
 son, to be turned into the common stock of fuel, and burned up by the workmen! 
 
 It is within the knosvledge of the writer that numbers of applications have been 
 ma'Je to the (Government from different parts of the country, desiring ihal his ex- 
 periments on coal should be continued. Before tlii« can be done, it will be neces- 
 sary to reconstruct the apparatus thus allowed to be destroyed. Some part of 
 the means which would have been necessary for the prosecution of the researches 
 must now be employed in reproducing the apparatus. By an estimate of the En- 
 gineer of the Navy Yard, this will cost about .n,'{,(I(10. But no pecuniary appro- 
 priations can ever restore the valuable collection of specimens thus allowed to be 
 hopelessly destroyed. 
 
. 
 
 120 
 
 TcfhJe exhihiting the coals arranged in the order of the per 
 hij the (tmihjsis of average specimens, and the evaporative 
 the data being found in the respective tables at page 1 1 and 
 
 ! , 
 
 
 1 m 
 
 ■ill I 
 
 Name of Coal. 
 
 Per centnge of Average per 
 
 Carbon by 
 analysis. 
 
 cent, of Car- 
 bon. 
 
 «. 
 7. 
 9. 
 
 9. 
 10. 
 11. 
 12. 
 
 IS. 
 
 14. 
 If;. 
 
 k;. 
 
 17. 
 
 18. 
 19. 
 2U. 
 21. 
 
 23. 
 
 21. 
 25. 
 
 20. 
 27. 
 
 28. 
 21). 
 
 Park Eiid.Lydney (l'orebtofPean)i 
 Coleshill , ' 
 
 Dalkeiili Jewel Seam... 
 Portlunawr Rork Vein. 
 
 t r •■•# • * 
 
 Three-quarter Rock Vein., 
 
 Wail.senil Elgin 
 
 Dalkciili Coronation Serm. 
 Cwni lNianty-gro8...... 
 
 Resolven , , 
 
 f'onlet Splint , 
 
 Grangemouth 
 
 Wylanj's Patent FueJ. 
 
 Slieverdach Anthracite. 
 
 Bedwas „.., ,, 
 
 Poniypool ..,..„.,♦»,...„. 
 
 Brooinliill 
 
 Cwm Frood Rock Vcirj. 
 
 Mynydd Newydd...,.,., 
 
 Graigola ,..,, 
 
 Llnngenneck , 
 
 Old Castle Fiery V*'iH. 
 
 Wnrd's Fiery Vein. 
 BellV Patent Fuel., 
 
 Dufliyu 
 
 Binea , 
 
 Pcntrepoth ,„., 
 
 Kbbw V;ile. .....,., 
 
 \V'arlicl)'.s Patent Fut'l. 
 Aiilliriicitc, (Wf l.«li}.... 
 
 7:J.52 
 
 74.r)5 
 74,70 
 
 75.15 
 
 7<i..')3 
 "6.!M 
 78. 3G 
 
 79. .'W 
 
 7!>..'J8 
 79.85 
 79.91 
 
 HO.U.'l 
 60. (il 
 80.70 
 «i.70 
 82.25 
 
 84.71 
 
 f4.i^7 
 !!<5.46 
 b7,G8 
 
 87,87 
 fe7.88 
 
 bH.2(; 
 
 {^8.72 
 M.78 
 1)0,03 
 
 yi,4t 
 
 74.15 
 
 ?6,63 
 
 79.67 
 
 81.06 
 
 85.68 
 
 88.19 
 
 PO.M 
 
 Steam ttt 1 of 
 
 Coal by e.t- 
 
 periment. 
 
 8.53 
 8,00 
 7.08 
 7.53 
 
 8.84 
 8,'Ui 
 7.7t 
 
 e.42 
 
 9..'..*J 
 
 7.5fi 
 7,40 
 
 8.92 
 
 t>.b5 
 9.71 
 7.47 
 8.75 
 8.7U 
 
 9.r)2 
 9.:j5 
 
 8.86 
 8.94 
 
 1».40 
 
 8..'')3 
 
 10.14 
 
 !>.y4 
 
 (<.72 
 10.21 
 
 J0.<10 
 
 y.4(j 
 
m 
 
 
 tcntagc of cnrhon which thcrj severally contain^ as determined 
 potvcr given by the same coal irhcn tested under the steam boiler, 
 12, of the Report of the British Commissioners, 
 
 
 
 
 Steam to 1 of 
 
 
 
 Average 
 
 Hydrogen in 
 
 Avera£»e 
 
 of coal after 
 
 Average 
 
 Steam by 
 
 fteam 
 
 excess m 
 
 eX' ess of Hy- 
 
 <le(iuctiiig 
 
 after deduct- 
 
 calculation. 
 
 power. 
 
 each coal. 
 
 drogen. 
 
 cinder. 
 
 ini» cinder. 
 
 
 
 4.88 
 
 
 8.98 
 
 
 
 
 4. It 
 
 
 8.34 
 
 
 
 
 3.20 
 
 
 7.10 
 
 
 
 
 4.3 J 
 
 
 7.75 
 
 
 
 7 78 
 
 
 4.13 
 
 
 8.04 
 
 8.24 
 
 
 4.,'i() 
 
 8.C7 
 
 
 4.5!) 
 
 
 7.8fi 
 
 
 
 
 3.4t 
 
 
 8.83 
 
 
 
 
 4.yo 
 
 
 
 
 
 8 35 
 
 
 4.30 
 
 
 8.45 
 
 6.51 
 
 
 4.7;> 
 
 10.44 
 
 
 4.4i> 
 
 
 7.<ill 
 
 
 
 
 4.2t 
 
 
 7.91 
 
 
 
 
 4.8G 
 
 
 9.74 
 
 
 
 8»C*# 
 
 
 4.57 
 
 
 8.94 
 
 8.85 
 
 
 3.30 
 
 10.40 
 
 
 S.biJ 
 
 
 y.99 
 
 
 
 
 6.11 
 
 
 8.04 
 
 
 
 
 5.-I» 
 
 
 9.18 
 
 
 
 
 r..:w 
 
 
 935 
 
 
 
 8.69 
 
 
 4.^8 
 
 
 9.41 
 
 9.01 
 
 
 5.36 
 
 10,5<> 
 
 
 2.!)4 
 
 
 9.fi« 
 
 
 
 
 3.1)0 
 
 
 8.2U 
 
 
 
 
 4.47 
 
 
 
 
 
 9.17 
 
 
 4.17 
 
 
 981 
 
 9.52 
 
 
 3.93 
 
 10. GO 
 
 
 5.17 
 
 
 e.(;5 
 
 
 
 
 4.59 
 
 
 10.73 
 
 
 
 
 4.51 
 
 
 )0.30 
 
 
 
 9.50 
 
 
 4.55 
 
 
 10.06 
 
 9.80 
 
 
 4.10 
 
 8.98 
 
 
 5.10 
 
 
 lO.W 
 
 
 
 
 5.5S 
 
 
 lO.GO 
 
 
 
 
 3.J4 
 
 
 9.70 
 
 
 
 9 7'» 
 
 
 4.17 
 
 
 9.98 
 
 1000 
 
 
 
 From the above table we may, without deducting for the 
 residual cinder, derive the relation of the steam-generating 
 power of the coals to the amount of their carbon constituent. 
 Thus the— 
 
 ^fi. 
 
 i\ 
 
 >n 
 
ii 
 
 li 
 
 III 
 
 122 
 
 SteatR, I»y Strom bjr Diff'-renc*' of 
 Cnrbon. exp^rinifnt, catcniaiion exj»'i&.calcu'n. 
 
 Ist cloM four coaU 74 15 per cent., 7.«i^ pounds, »s 03 pounJs, •— .'J.'i 
 ad " fiiuf " "«i*i3 " 8:i.> " «'»7 " -(-y<* 
 
 3d " /fl«r " ?l».«7 " H»;.i " 8t;0 " +.»5 
 
 4th " /Ire " 81(16 « 8H9 " 875 " +14 
 
 6th " four " f'»>ii* " 9 17 •• l»r>5 " —M 
 fith " four " t*«»3 " iliM " U:*! " —01 
 
 7«h " futir " w»9i» " y.:5 " y.75 " +.(M» 
 
 Thp 4 positiv*- (liiffrences ainotint to H--27 
 
 Tfae3 negative " " —•"*■* 
 
 Total average difllrcnce — -U^ 
 
 The accordance between these results is rcmarUahIc, wljcn 
 we consider that no nocount is taUen in flio calculations 
 of the Hritish experimenters of the moisture iii the corjl; ami 
 Avhcn it is recoUectctl that two coals of the .series aj-e true 
 anthracites, the hurnin;? of which ahvay.s involves the exi^'ll- 
 diture of more of its heatin«^ power on the products of com- 
 bustion than is demanded by citlicr tlje frcehurriinj; or the 
 highly bituminous coals, 
 
 Tliough the table presents some deviations amo!i<;f the in- 
 dividual coals from the law, tlutt an increase of the carbon 
 constituent of coa! is attended by a proiwrtional increase 
 in its evaporative ctiiciency» yet by grouping a lew together, 
 the deviations essentially neutralize each others ctlccts, and 
 the hnv which the writer had demonstrated willi respect to 
 a few coals of high bituminousness, can now be extcji<lcd to 
 all classes of bituminous coals and to anthracites. 
 
 One consideration may serve, in part, to explain any dis- 
 crepancies among the individual sam])l('S of coa! wiui.di may 
 present themselves in com])aring the members of the !?'eries. 
 now midcr review. Besides carbon, considered as a solid 
 fuel, the sulphur in coal, by combining with oxygen to 
 form sulphurous acid, gives out, a notable quantity of heat, 
 sunicient in some cases to cause spontaneous combustion. 
 The proportion of sul]»hur to oxygen in that compound 
 is 1(5 to 1(5, (SOg,) and tlie vapor of sul|)ln)rous rieid beiufj 
 very heavy, (only i of the volume of hydrogen.) this mate- 
 riafdoes not, like hydrogen, (see Report on Auieriean <'oals, 
 page 5!>(),) consume, in assuming the gaseous form, all the heat 
 given out in burning into sulphurous acid. 
 
 It may further be remarked, that thediscrepanciesobserva- 
 ble among the averages arc (|iu!e within the errors of obser- 
 vation ; and though it might be expected, that in associating 
 them into groups, the etleet would i)e to neutrali/e tliese errors, 
 yet it is possible, that in regard to a whole group, the frrors 
 niav all be in one direction. 
 
128 
 
 
 Thh devclopemcnt finally sets asulc the old calculations 
 about the r«'l:iTivc heating powers of the carbon and of the 
 hy(Ii'ojj:on in coats. Hy \\u^ prituiiple of that calculation, any 
 coal hu\ ini^ a high ilogrec of hituniinoti.sness, ought, in con- 
 Setjucrico of the largo projjortion of hydrogen in its bitumen, 
 to possf'sjj a much higtior heating power than any coal of 
 lower hituminousness. An inspection of the table wiUxhow 
 the reverse rf this to be true. Tlie higher the bituminousiics!«, 
 or in Older vvords, the greater the proportion of volatile mat- 
 ter a coal contains, the less is its available heating power. 
 The fact has been pointe<l >ut in former publications of the 
 writer, that when solid hydrogcm (that being its state ineoa!) 
 is converted by the ellcct of heat into gas(>ous hydrogen, It 
 requires I'or this change a large amount of heat, as experi- 
 menlijlly proved in the manufacture of illuminating gas. 
 The hydrogen thus brouglit to (he gaseous state, assumes the 
 same bulk at a given teM»i)erature, say ailiJ^*, as it will retain 
 at the same temper.-iture when converted into the vapor of 
 water under atmos})heric pressure ; and, conseciuentJy, unless 
 we can suppose the capacity for heat of gaseous liydrogen, 
 bulk for l>ulk, ^o be greater than (hat of the vapor of water. 
 We can conceive no reason why it should give out more heat 
 in combining with oxygen, than it had taken up in being con- 
 vened inio gas. The iiril ish Commissioners rel'er to this view 
 of (lie subject,* but do not clearly express an opinion of its 
 validity. 
 
 For'unately, their silence is of the less importance, as 
 their own experimetits furnish abundant proofs of the cor- 
 rectness of the principle. In order more clearly to exhibit 
 the independence of hydro^fn efficierict/ in computing heating 
 powers from analysis, we liave placed in the above table the 
 per centage of hydrogen found in each sample of coals From 
 this eolumu the averages are deduced, and a glance will show 
 that .so far as any law or relation is perceptible, the coals of 
 
 • At piige 19 of the Hritish Report, tile $)rinciple that gaseous Jevel )petnenl is a 
 cause of c'ooliiitr, !)inl that tt»e heal expended on roiivertiiig a material info gas, 
 may be just eijual to wiiat it will ufteivvaids j,'ive out in burning, is recogniied in 
 the foliowiiif^ tcriiis: 
 
 "If, hy (Jcstiuctive di9til!ation,whicf» orcorsiii ftirnaces before coiiibuBtion, n farge 
 quantity of the constituents of the coal are rendered gaseous, so much heat is rs- 
 pended in this act that the heat developed hy their alter combustion i» frequejuly 
 not greater ihaij that abstiactei durin<,' their formation, in which case a ihcriijo- 
 Ceutrality occuts." 
 
 Thisshouhi have rendered the coniiiussioners cautiotts in admitting the hydrocen 
 constituent into so large, or, ind.vd, into any participation in the h«ating fiower. 
 They say, that "lor steam purposes, it waa siiffictent to de termint; the percentage of 
 coke, as stated »ii table 11." S?te above p. 75. 
 
 f 
 I 
 
 I? I 
 
 11 
 
124 
 
 hi«?!iest hcntin? powers nrc t!iosp which hav« the lowf^st per* 
 centnpc of hydrogen. Thus the four eorils which have a heat- 
 ini;? power of 7.78, have excess of hydrogen, 4.1 »; the four hav- 
 ing a heating power of 0.17, have of hydrogen in excess, i.l7. 
 It will also he noted that an inlermediatc ch-iss of coals having 
 a heating power of 8.()5 has a higher per cent age of hydrogen 
 than either of tlje ahove, viz, 4.57. This is as we might ex- 
 pect to find it, if the hydrogen he truly without edicieney in 
 tlic practical use of coal. Indeed, the hydrogen appears Ironi 
 the practical tests thus far adduced, no more to merit conside- 
 cration as an element of evaporative etrieiency in a coal, than 
 an equal weight of silica, alumina, oxide of iron, or other inert 
 substance found in its eartliy residium or ash, 
 
 E.^RTHY RESIDUES OF THE COALS. 
 
 In computing t!ie quantity of coml)ustihle matter in the 
 coal burned, it is safer to adopt the result of analysis by the 
 furnace than of that by the crucible. In several instances, 
 both in the American and British researches, it appears that 
 wide discrepancies existed between the per centages of abso- 
 lutely incombustible matter, as proved by these two methods 
 of analysis. Thus the British Commissioners found by their 
 laboratory analyses, and by the weighing and analyzing of 
 the residues from the furnace, the following proportions of 
 waste or absolutely incombustible matter. ^ 
 
 Name of Coal. 
 
 a 
 
 *• •• •♦••••ta*» I 
 
 putlVyn . 
 
 Oldciifitle fiery Vein... 
 
 Ward's Fiery V«jh 
 
 Bin^a 
 
 Llaf)ceiinefk 
 
 MyiiydU Newydd 
 
 Tlnee-qusrier Ruck Vein.. 
 Pentrefi'iin... 
 
 Park Ki»il 
 
 PeJitrf{)oth 
 
 Cwm t'rood Rock Vein,.. 
 
 Welch Authrac.te.... 
 
 Cwiu Naniy-gros 
 
 Wylam's Patent Fuel 
 
 • * • ••••••••■•>*' 
 
 3. 
 
 3. 
 
 o 
 
 ~7. 
 .*) 
 
 «; 
 
 3 
 
 10 
 I 6 
 UO 
 
 !3 
 G 
 
 I 
 
 t>4 
 
 2(i 
 M 
 ,04 
 
 .!»«; 
 
 .54 
 
 .•2i 
 
 .<k; 
 
 .OR 
 
 .m 
 
 .3(i 
 
 .m 
 
 *' At 
 
 
 
 :i.78 
 
 •2M 
 <i.2.') 
 4.77 
 1.2i\ 
 G.13 
 4.4fi 
 14.22 
 3.20 
 7,44 
 5.b2 
 (5,10 
 4.2.'» 
 a. 43 
 
 I .it 
 
 Nome of Coal. 
 
 C3 
 
 c 
 5^^ 
 
 
 (Iraiigeinouth ■ 3. 
 
 Brooiiiliiil >j 3. 
 
 Rrsolven ' 9. 
 
 Foi ty Pool j .'">. 
 
 Hedwns ...' (J. 
 
 Forih Mawr ,14. 
 
 Wnrhcli's Patent Fuel...; 2. 
 
 Ebbw Vale ..| I . 
 
 Fordel Splint I 4. 
 
 Coleshill ' 8 
 
 Klievardngh Anthracite,., 10 
 
 Wnllsend Elgin 10 
 
 Dalkeith Coronation 3 
 
 ^i2 
 
 (17 
 41 
 .'■)2 
 
 Dalkeith Jewel Seam. 
 Bell's PatetU Fuel 
 
 .91 
 .50 
 .00 
 .i)2 
 .SO 
 .70 
 .10 
 .37 
 
 
 £ s 
 •2 S 
 
 3.37 
 lAl'J 
 l.HO 
 «.!)! 
 3.22 
 «,75 
 4.17 
 2.51 
 I.Ofi 
 4.88 
 1.74 
 2.31 
 3.99 
 3.10 
 4.73 
 

 tJ« 
 
 
 
 
 '« - 
 
 
 t V 
 
 
 _ « 
 
 • 
 
 s s 
 
 ^ 
 
 kl »* 
 
 o 
 
 ^ 3 
 
 ^ 
 
 t.>~ 
 
 a 
 
 - » 
 
 
 •« J3 
 
 c 
 
 R -^ 
 
 
 S<- 
 
 C 
 
 ^ n 
 
 
 — a» 
 
 2 
 
 •- 3 
 
 S 
 
 ^-« 
 
 
 
 -ia 
 
 3.37 
 
 17 
 
 l.(it) 
 
 U 
 
 l.HO 
 
 "jSi 
 
 «.!)! 
 
 !»l 
 
 3.22 
 
 72 
 
 C.TS 
 
 iU 
 
 4.17 
 
 ;■)() 
 
 2.51 
 
 m 
 
 I.Ofi 
 
 [)2 
 
 4.88 
 
 HO 
 
 1.74 
 
 TO 
 
 2.31 
 
 10 
 
 3.99 
 
 37 
 
 3.10 
 
 l)G 
 
 4.73 
 
 135 
 
 From this table it appears that the avcrapre quantity of 
 earthy mutter foiuul iu tlii^sc coal.s by tlic atuilysls of tlu; la- 
 boratory was 5.7(J per cent., am! that the average adbnlcd by 
 the rc'sitlucsof tlie furnace was 4.<>v> per cent., or one-lifth less 
 than !)y tlie operations of the laboratory. A small (luantity 
 of <iust no doubt escapes at the top of the chimney ; but it is 
 not credible that so large a part as this should be lost in. that 
 way, especially as the length of horizontal flue was so great. 
 It \vill l)e observed, that the (jaantity of ash given by analy- 
 ses in theThree-fiuarter Uoclv Vein.Bedwas, Torthmawr, and 
 Coleshill, was more than twice as great as that given by the 
 furnace; in Park End, Lydney,it was three limes; in Fordel 
 8plint, it was nearly four times; in Walsend Elgin, four-and- 
 a-half times; in Resolven, live times; and in Slievardagh 
 Anthrrjcite, .six times as great. I3ut it will not fail also to be 
 noted, that in one or two cases the reverse variation took 
 place, 1 lie furnace yielding a much larger residue than the 
 crucible ; and that of the whole series of coals thirteen gave 
 higher residues when burned on the large scale of practice, 
 and seventeen when incinerated over a lamp. The danger 
 of leaving some part of the carbon nnconsumed in this Inttcr 
 case, and the necessity, even in the muUle, of peculiar precau- 
 tions against such a result, are known to all who are familiar 
 with the analysis of coal.'^. 
 
 h\ the American experiments twenty-six samples gave 
 higher per centage of earthy matter by the operations of the 
 furnace than by those of tiie crucible, and only nine .samples 
 gave a contrary preponderance. 
 
 Tlie average by the furnace is 17.27 per cent, greater than 
 that i'ound in the laboratory. The AiiuM-ican coals apj)eart<> 
 be either naturally more lughly charged with earthy matter, 
 or to have been so mined as to contain lp\'ger proportions of 
 slaty matter than the IJrilish. In the American Report will 
 be found several cases in which the coal supplied to eommerce 
 proved much more impure than tliat obtained from the same 
 mines, when sent by the proprietor-s expressly fur ihc purpose 
 of being tested. 
 
 As nearly all the samples of British coals were mined ex- 
 pressly for the purpose of the " Admiralty coals investigation," 
 it is fair to presume that at least the full share of attention 
 was given to free them from slate and other impurities. 
 
 The following table exhibits the results of the American 
 experiments on the quantity of earthy nmttcr: 
 
' 126 
 
 i ! i 
 
 1 i 
 
 ■ 
 
 «• 
 
 i 
 
 Name of Coal. 
 
 is 
 
 U 
 
 a; 8 
 
 6 " 
 
 c , 
 
 6 s 
 
 B<»avrt M*a^ow,s!ope3.., I».8(;r>, 7,1152 
 
 Beaver !\I«,'fnIow, slope 5..J tJ.Kift; 5,149 
 
 For('«t Iii)prov*-ment 3. ().")()' •I.'IM 
 
 Pench Mountain * fi..'>.'>:i fi,lt2r> 
 
 Lackavvnuusi j 4.t'tCt!i ♦>.4n 
 
 LyluMi's Valley ' 5J>'M) !^^»iVJ 
 
 Natural Cnke ' CeWU-b:}*! 
 
 NVw Vork and Maryland I 
 
 Minint; Companies 18.()i34 12.40*' 
 
 NelpK Cumberland coal..,; ii.iilii H>.34;i 
 Easby's " i-oal in store"...; .I.ti.-^H e.<)H3| 
 
 Name of Coal. 
 
 e . 
 
 l8 
 
 JJ 
 
 e o 
 
 Ctiff'ft Deep Run jlO.OOO 10.475 
 
 Crouch &. Snoad j H.T:2(» 14.u'80 
 
 Midlotliian. 1)00 fl. shaft KJ.fSCO 10.467 
 
 Creek Company's i ;'».;«:>!> H..'»?a 
 
 Clov«T Hill j .'..:«:JJ 10.1.1-2 
 
 Clu'sterfield liliniiiy Co.. A.-l'.'."* H. <).'<•! 
 
 IMidlotl'.ii'iT.overagf 4.. 'iST 14.737 
 
 Tippncnnw • H.Mia ♦l.,174 
 
 .Midlothian, new shaft,.. 7. 514 I».440 
 
 Midlothian siTt?enetl j ^;.li^."^ i>.(ia5 
 
 rictou, (N. y. samj)lc.V 2..-»l,', l-t.-lHS 
 
 Atkinson ifc TemplenianV .'5.4 !(> 7.,1*J4'I Sidiipy, C B 'l'}.)HO fi.d'K'i 
 
 Easby (fc Smith's t S.^i,');) S.aoll Pirtoii, (Cmiard'a »>W.) 10.747 \-J.:>m 
 
 Dauphin &L Susquehanna.ni.OK'U.dtMi Liverpool 1 'JI.U.'IO 4.<i:J2 
 
 Biossbur^ ' y..*12:5 l(>.7:.'i[ Newcastle ' l.>.^■(l<l 
 
 Lycoming Creeh ;10.:i;i(l l.'l.fHil" Scotch 'in..'i!>7 
 
 Karthaus ' ft.HH.'* 7.00(1 i Fittshurp ! .'1.71.'". 
 
 Cambria Coamy .12.200, 3.150;; CanneU»«n { ii.Kll 
 
 ."♦..IMS 
 (♦..1^8 
 7.074 
 4.974 
 
 Ayprage..........,„„.....„ T^Tfiri 9.HJ4 
 
 Thf general avera<>e pei* oentafjeof earlhy matter in tltirty- 
 five American .and thirty British samples *as dediictul rrom 
 operations in the two mod".s-, may bo .Mated hs f'oIUm-.s: 
 35 American in laboratory, 7.7<», in steam h(»ilcr furnace 0.10 
 30 British " 5.*(J, ** ** 4.03 
 
 Differences 2.00 4.38 
 
 This establislies the fact that the Bntish sample.s v ere 
 frceer from earthy matter than thtt American. In both ihe 
 Briti.sh and American rep<)rts .vcveral analyses of ashes are 
 given, and will be fouutl at p. CJtiof the ibrnier, and oUUuf the 
 latter document. 
 
 USE OF WOOD IN lir..\TINC UP THE nOtI.EB AND Pl'RNAC'K. 
 
 In the American experiments, wood was ^^mployinl to kin- 
 dle the fire and to raise the temperature. «f the brick work of 
 the .setting of the boiler nnd its contents to that temperature 
 at which the operations were to he carried on. After at- 
 taining this temperatm-e the wood was withdrawn and its 
 place supplied with coal, .so much clinrcoal only being let) on 
 the grate as was barely suincicnt to ignite tht mineral coal. 
 
 I fi 
 
if 
 
 l8 
 
 ii 
 
 ..•};>9 
 
 127 
 
 In thft British <»xperim«nt^ wood wns employed <>»\1y to 
 kin«Uo the (ire, :uul then it l»cciim« nc<'«'ss:iry to (Ii\ idr the 
 coal burned into two portions, oim of whicli was considered 
 as employed solely in raising; temperature, and tlic other in 
 both trvaporutiu^' and raising temper at are. This mode of 
 rxperimenlins; complieates, to 'UHue degree, tlie ealcidntioTi 
 of evaporative ellieiency, a» aheady noted. One ehinent in 
 every d:ty*s eahnihslioa will !)e t!je*he;itin<; up of the lurnaec, 
 and 'the 'material of the boiler; at»d sin<'c the weight of 
 iron in a !>t)iter is very eonsideralde, and as every nine 
 pounds of iron reipiire as much heat to raise their tem- 
 perature as one pound oi' waler, the total ealeulatcd effi- 
 ciency of the fuel eiiimot fail to hv in some degree atlecledhy 
 the omission lo tal.e aceount of tlie weight and sijeeillo heat 
 of the h()ih>r, esj)ecially when mueh dilference of tenjperature 
 existed between its initial and its linal temperature. 
 
 We may in this connexion again refer to tltc per ccntagcs 
 of moisture in many of the santples of British eoal, as deter- 
 mined by analysis, hi the American experiments, this ele- 
 ment wa*s ascertained, not only by analysis, but also by lieat- 
 iiig Jo iil-^i^ for several days, in a 'drying api)aratus heated by 
 steam, twenty-eight or thirty pounds of the coal as it was 
 found on the days of trial in the furnace. The loss of 
 weight by this treatment was the element principary relied 
 upon in the calculations of the eliicicney of the t'utihu tiblc 
 VuilUr, 
 
 Including the two Dalkeith coals, which yielded as above 
 stated, {>..*}() and 5.S8 per cent, of moisture, wc have the fol- 
 lowing pretty high per ccntagcs of moisture to ollset agJiinst 
 the small number on page 10, (British Report,) given by the 
 eommissioners, and ot» which they base the remark that the 
 hygroscopic moisture in coal is very small. 
 
 Ol4t Castif Fiory Vein 7 40 
 
 W.jrd's I'itry Vein .'« 08 
 
 Llangt'iiiitciv..... ....o -t'ti 
 
 IttfSolvfn , l..);» 
 
 Portlim!\wr Uock Vein l."0 
 
 C«.l<'fliill •»»« 
 
 Dalkeith Jewel t) «'! 
 
 Dallieith Coronation.... .....^ .'» S9 
 
 \Vall?eiul Kl^rin *J.l» 
 
 Fordel Splint H.40 
 
 Graiigetnouth fi-12 
 
 Krooiiihill » •''! 
 
 Lyiiney 2 "^ 
 
 SlieverUacli Anthracite 4.'J3 
 
 In the above coals, it would be exceedingly intcn sting to 
 have a computation of the cflect of the combustible matter 
 when freed from moisture. Thei-e is water thrown upon the 
 grate more than suflieient to mask the cflect of the small quant i- 
 ty of wood used in kindling, and also some of the diflerences 
 between the iuiliul and tinal temperature of water in the 
 boiler. 
 
198 
 
 'tl 
 
 erSt'lAL COMPARMOX or RT:SI'I.T« op AMRRtC.tV ASn BRITIfll EXPE- 
 RIMENT* OX COAL5» OP 8»MIJ,Att CONSTITLTJUX. 
 
 The 0>I!owinjj fahlo gives a syno])ticul viirw of ihc compo- 
 tiition.cvnporatinp: power, behavior in the iurnacc, ."iiid rciluc- 
 tivc cdicit'Ucy of twelve samjiicK of coal, arranged in aix pairs, 
 
 TahJe of results of American and Itritijth 
 
 
 r . 
 
 
 %• 
 
 ^ 
 
 3 
 
 t 
 
 S 
 
 It 
 
 
 • 
 
 
 
 
 ' 
 
 
 -§ 
 
 o 
 
 C9 
 
 t* 
 
 
 
 a 
 
 
 
 • 
 
 e 
 8 
 
 
 • 
 
 a 
 
 U 
 
 
 
 
 ^1 
 
 
 a 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 e; 
 
 b 
 
 (9 
 
 o 
 
 .M tl 
 
 
 «• 
 
 
 
 o 
 U 
 **« 
 
 e 
 
 Name of Coal. 
 
 2 
 
 ■it 
 
 'S 
 in u 
 
 •2- = 
 
 c s 
 
 3 I. 
 
 ■s s. 
 
 3 
 2 
 
 u 
 
 S.2.' 
 
 . 4; 
 
 
 i, i 
 
 tl 
 
 C 
 
 V 
 
 6 
 
 U 
 
 •* 
 «.* 
 
 e 
 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 11 
 
 
 w 
 
 rt o 
 
 n '■^ 
 
 s b ' *• •- 
 
 = c^ 
 
 k. 
 
 aj . 
 
 b 
 
 u 
 
 Xi 
 
 
 u= 
 
 
 ^ V 
 
 1 «, 
 
 IJ _ 
 
 3 
 
 rs ftj 
 
 a 
 
 
 B 
 s 
 
 'A 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 'Si 
 
 '0 
 3.01 
 
 > 
 
 2" 
 "5 
 73 
 
 
 I 
 
 4 Scotch ,.,, 
 
 { Dalkeith Jewfl.... 
 
 m 
 
 94.95 
 
 51.0!) 
 
 .5;)8 43.8 1 
 
 H5.(i5 
 
 38.84 
 
 0.3(1 
 
 48.81 
 
 l.:i77 
 
 tOAii vj.m 
 
 .W5 4t9.'- 
 
 -.9.98 
 
 9.3(. 
 
 40.84 0.3?.15.43 
 
 
 
 i Newcastle, Eii";... 
 
 I sr.T 
 
 78.54 50.79 
 
 .047 44.08 
 
 51. M 
 
 2.01 
 
 35f.l) 0.23 5f;.n9 
 
 
 ( Brotmihill, " 
 
 i.25 
 
 77.y9 53.5U 
 
 .(J73 4:J.(i7 
 
 1 
 
 Jd.55 
 
 9.31 
 
 31.49 U.85^5G.13 
 
 
 I Midlothian new 
 
 •] shnft 
 
 ( Cwm FrooJ Uocii 
 
 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 I na:* 
 
 fsi2 8l'.J7.9() .'■>S14r.7(l 
 
 7:}.8r^ 
 
 o.r,7 
 
 3.1 49 2.L>8'5(;.40 
 
 
 i.ijj.'. 
 
 7d i9 55.:2S ."iW 4U.5-,' 
 
 t 
 
 U.W 
 
 l.l;! 
 
 3U.0t I.i2:Jj(i;JfcO 
 
 
 C Atkinson & Tcni- 
 ■ ptemnn, Md.,,. 
 ( tbbw Vale 
 
 
 I 
 
 1 '• 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 in in 
 
 fi'i.QO 52 0-,> .GI4 5:inn 
 
 55 1-J 
 
 0.45 
 
 15 53 '7fi.«19 
 
 4 
 
 I.:-'::) 
 
 7a.6i 53.30 
 
 .ii7<i JrJ.aii 
 
 15.9^ 
 
 i:.\\ 
 
 •JI.J(i 
 
 1.0J>j7ii.Ott 
 
 r, 
 
 < Lyken's Valley. Ta 
 
 1 ns.-) 
 
 8fi 82 48.r.() 
 
 .5.'')9 4fi.l.1 
 
 78.79 
 
 o.n 
 
 <T.79 
 
 0.91 Wei 
 
 «J 
 
 I Llangenueck 
 
 1.375 
 
 65.78 58.25 
 
 1 
 
 .(J793d.45 
 
 47.9(1 
 
 :>.H7 
 
 4.iJ3|0.79 9l3a 
 
 
 I Denver Meadow, 
 
 ^ slope .'»,ra 
 
 ( Slievarilagli, Irish. 
 
 
 
 , 
 
 
 
 
 
 (i 
 
 1 f).*! 
 
 9(1.9.1 5(7.19 .:>:!» no P»'73.f> 1 
 
 (t.P!) 
 
 rj.fiit n.f)n9or».'> 
 
 
 LiDO 
 
 99.57 
 
 tiS.t^O 
 
 .G3035.(j(: 
 1 1 
 
 58.551 
 
 4.93 
 
 5.47 
 
 ii.;(i 
 
 7y.30 
 
 I ; 
 
 n 
 
 ERR.^TA. 
 
 The writer mentions the followitjfj errors in the British Re- 
 port, not ?)y any means in a captiou.s .spirit, or with any virw 
 to cast discredit on thi.s highly valuable document, but mere- 
 ly io enable those into whose hands the ori<i:inaI may cojue, 
 CO read it, after applying the corrections}. He docs not permit 
 
129 
 
 ii 
 
 the first. S!\mplc in Pficli pair being tnltcn from tlie Amorlcfin, 
 and tlie sci;on(l from tli»; Hrilish sericfi. As thn Scotch and 
 Nt;wcastlo samples of the American scries were piirt^hascd 
 in New Yorli^ nothing' isof course certainly knownof the par- 
 ticular rnino or scam from which thoy were severally taken. 
 
 I 
 
 trhh of Cmh of compnraf>fr. (jnalities. 
 
 I 
 
 <3 
 
 
 
 49,8(t 
 
 conn 
 59. ^u 
 
 
 9.10!) 
 92.90 1 
 
 a 
 w 
 
 a. 
 
 ■9 
 
 e 
 
 bi) 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 « o 
 J3 a. 
 
 2 &ij 
 
 3 
 0* 
 
 !>.31 l.'J57 10. n 
 4.37 1. 112 10.30 
 
 5.10 l.fiO 
 3.07 1.78 
 
 (J.OO 
 
 •J.os* 
 
 (V 
 
 5 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 a 
 
 J 
 
 J3 
 
 3 
 
 s 
 
 ■a ■ 
 
 a 
 
 3 
 O 
 
 »3 
 
 5 
 
 •0 
 
 ;: 
 
 s 
 
 ca 
 
 8.03 
 
 y.u 
 
 (.(pO 
 
 « 9 i 3r)3.8 7 72 
 7.08 352.58 7.42 
 
 8.f.i;i43!t.r)!» 9.13 
 8.75 459.37 8.9G 
 
 
 1> 
 
 c 
 
 o. 
 v 
 
 M 
 cs 
 
 c 
 
 u 
 
 ll 
 
 a 
 o 
 
 a 
 
 o 
 u 
 to 
 ca 
 
 C 
 a 
 w 
 
 10.19 
 
 4.(55' 
 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 (9 
 
 5.03 
 2.05 
 
 U4 
 
 o 
 u 
 
 
 
 c 
 
 c 
 
 « I 
 
 •3 
 C 
 
 c2 
 
 s 
 
 o 
 u 
 
 V 
 
 a 
 
 o 
 
 .a 
 
 it 
 
 U 
 
 3 
 
 U • 
 
 -3 3 
 ? ■■5 
 
 a, 
 
 -^ a 
 
 a o 
 
 a ■:i 
 
 > -3 
 V (9 
 
 a 60 
 
 I 
 
 8.75 418.01 
 
 8.70; 4^0 9(1 
 
 9.75 
 9.07 
 
 7.13 4.94 ; 7.33 10.70 
 1.50 3. 5'J ■ 3.07 10.21 
 
 n.25' 12.34 
 1.52! 2i. 00 
 
 ' 35. 3 f 
 
 C.J)2 
 
 8.05, 
 
 9.40 
 y.4(! 
 
 50 . n.( 
 
 544.19; 10.53 
 
 459.50 
 505.02 
 
 10.79 
 
 9.83 
 
 R.OT 9.B8 550.11 m.W 
 
 50.0(; 10.801 14.08 y.22 9.851018.58 U. 09 
 I i I 1 ) I 
 
 5.08; 3.M 
 2.40, 0.33 
 
 10 20 4.21 
 4.11, 1.7^ 
 
 7.9.';' 2 12 
 3.00:0.40 
 
 12.24 4.40 
 a.77 0.00 
 
 558 
 ,571 
 
 .553 
 ,137 
 
 .421 
 ,433 
 
 .2i; 
 .133 
 
 375 
 
 .000 
 
 5.0 
 
 10.09 
 
 8.05 
 
 17.08 
 18.33 
 
 r).12 
 
 y 20 
 
 18.00 
 lU.OO 
 
 27.03 895.4.1 
 20.42 355.18 
 
 25.32 327.53 
 
 20.79 844.38 
 28.30! .327.00 
 
 30 00 981.24 
 3 1.98! .393.33 
 
 3t. 1.5 805.81 
 33.48, 359.00 
 
 6.74 0..W .092 01 25 31.8.5' 091.40 
 2.00' 0.90 ..322 59.00130.101473.18 
 I i I 1 I 
 
 himself to doubt that his own report may, with all the care 
 which was bestowed upon it, be found to contain some errors : 
 
 Of Ward's fiery vein, it Is said (p. 5!), British Ileport,) that 
 "5.*.2 p:ramtnesh)st of moisture, O.K).'}^ 1.38 per cent." Now if 
 M'e are not greatly in error in our calculations 
 
 ^^f ^* =0. 1 m^ 1 3.8 per cent. 
 
 
 I' 
 
■Itt 
 
 
 I 
 
 130 
 
 Also, of Old Ciistlr fiery vein, it is snid (pnjjo T)"^) that 
 2. i:n t lost at 2Vi' 0.18 ; i\\u\ at piigc 10, this coal is put down 
 
 as liavinj? lost 0.71 per cent. Now ^^ =0.074, or 7.1 p. ct. 
 
 At pnge 10, Ihc formula 
 (W — Ev + w — ir') I + Wf + ;/;/' + (/«' -- w) t" ' 
 
 VI 
 
 K', sljouUi 
 
 read ^^^-"~" -^ ''' t "' — "')' + ^^' ' + "^^' + ('"' ~J'') '" '_ F* 
 
 One pound of I^roomliill eoal is, in l.-ddes on jjngos II and 15, 
 rejjresenled to have evaporated 1M lbs. of Mater from 'Jlii", 
 and the snme nundjcr is foinid in llie snuuiiary, p:ipe '.V.) — 
 -while on page .'{^ in flic delniled stalemenl of tlu; resulls of 
 trials of that eoal, the weights of water evnporaled [X'r pound 
 of eoal from 'Jit)^, on the rcspeetivc days, are 8.,')'), O.O-J and 
 8.7, making the true averages 8.7."). In table, page II, the 
 cfTect ol' ihc error just noicd, is extended lo the lOlh and 
 11th columns, where the evaporation, after allowing for the 
 nneonsumed fuel in the residue, is made 7.()(; instead of 0.18. 
 
 This error was (list detected by observing a want of con- 
 formity bt'tween the composition of the coiil and its evaj)ora- 
 tive power. 
 
 Old Castle Fiery Vein is, in the tahles, n^presenlcd as hav- 
 ing produced of steam to one of coal, from 2112", M.jil ; where- 
 as in the table, page 127, of daily experiments, we have 8.05, 
 8.0-2, and 0.72, of which the mean is 0.00. 
 
 In the table, page 20, the average irci<^Iit of .soot per day in 
 the flues, after burning about 'U)0 lbs. of coal jicr day, is put 
 down at 7.') lbs. This is presumed to be an error of the press 
 for 0.75 lbs. 
 
 In the detail of the trial of Ebbw Yale coal, (l^rilish Re- 
 port, p. Ui.) the weight of soot ])ut down in the table, is 7 lbs. 
 for ench days burning. This is doubtless another error i'rom 
 omission of the decimal point. It should stand 0.7 lb., instead 
 of 7 lbs. 
 
 In computing the column I (per cent age of residue of the 
 coals) in the summary, on ])agc IM), of their rcj)ort, the com- 
 missioners have divided the sum of the ashes, cinder, and 
 soot, i/tinus the weight of clinker, by the weight of coal burned. 
 In the other summary, at pnge 18, which is, in fact, a ])art of 
 the same tai)le, they have taken the same sum, (but sometimes 
 omitting the soot,) pins the w^eight of the clinker lor a divi- 
 dend. The first of these methods of calculation a])pears to 
 be in accordance with the foot note, at page 52. But the sc- 
 
131 
 
 coml will }?lvfi trtio rosiills, if wo suppose (Imf under flir hoad 
 ofciiulcr iiillK! second piirt (pa^e IN) llicy li:ivc incliidf<l oidy 
 tliiit i)art ol' fho <'ind{M- which is left after dediietini? the elinUer, 
 viz. the roJic. We are not expressly informed which of these 
 modes of calculation oii;,'ht to he applied. This and somo 
 oilier discrepances appear to have arisen from the change of 
 assistants durini; the in\ est i^alioJi. 
 
 In compntini? the per cenfai;e of rosldue in the coal of 
 Lydnev. lN)nfyi);)ol. and rorlhiniwr, the wtM-hl of soot is 
 omitted from the ealcidation, whih^ it is incliid(«(l jienerally 
 in caleiilalinj,' the waste matter of the other coals, and a con- 
 jectural (plant it V of soot appears to have heen added, in the 
 case of r.ell's patent fuel, and Warlich'.^ prvtent, fuel, \yhcre 
 the detailed tahles of ()[)ei'ations do not ;L;ive any. Trivial as 
 these differences in calculation miudit at first seem, they as- 
 sume a considerahle importance in vie'v of the use which 
 must ])e inade of them, \\\w\\ we wish to calculate the hoat- 
 \\\% power of the combust ihle matter in the coals, divested of 
 their respective useless or prejudicial constituents. 
 
 At pag-e n, under August "id, 1st day, opposite to M'eight 
 of coals consumed, we have \'\ lbs. — an obvious error, but 
 what the true nundjcr of pounds is, we have no means of de- 
 termining — we suppose it to be VM). 
 
 In the table, on page 18, British report, column IT, oppo- 
 site Ebbw N'ahs has 7.10, which ought to be lO.C) I ; and the 
 same column opposite to Dalkeith Coronation Seam, has 78.G; 
 an evident misprint for 7,H('). 
 
 At page 17, against W(!ight of clinker in cinder, we have 
 8 lbs., instead of .8 lbs., wliich latter is proved to be the true 
 number ])y the per contagcs in column I, page 48, against 
 Dalkeith .Tewcl and Coronation Seams. 
 
 I 
 
 9. 
 
 SYNOPTICAL TAIILU OF AMERICAN COALS. 
 
 We will terminate this comparison between American and 
 British experiments, by placing before the reader the general 
 synoptical table of the American results preceded by the 
 classification of the coals according to those general charac- 
 ters which are found to distinguish them. 
 
 I 
 
132 
 
 CLASS I. 
 
 ANTHRACITES NATURAL COKE ARTIFICIAL COKE MIXTURES. 
 
 ?'i 
 
 SAMPLES. 
 
 No. 1. Beaver Aleadow, slope No. 3. 
 
 2. Beaver Meadow, slope No, 5. 
 
 3. Forest improvement. 
 
 4. Peach Mountain. 
 
 5. Lehigh, 
 
 6. Lackawanna. 
 
 7. Lyken's valley. 
 
 8. Beaver Meadow, (navy yard.) 
 
 9. Natural coke, (Virginia.) 
 
 10. Coke of Midlothian (Virginia) coal. 
 
 11. Coke of Neff''s Camberland coal. 
 
 12. Mixture i Midlothian and } Beaver Meadow. 
 
 13. Mixture } Cumberland and } Beaver Meadow. 
 
 General duiracters. 
 
 The anthracites have specific gravities varying from 1.30 
 to 1.61 ; retain their form when exposed to a heat of ignition, 
 and undergo no i)ropcr intumescence while parting with the 
 small portion of volatile matter which they contain ; or, if 
 changed at all, are only disintegrated into angular fragments. 
 Their flame is generally short, of a blue color, and conse- 
 quently of little illuminating power. They are ignited with 
 difficulty ; give an intense concentrated heat ; but generally 
 become extinct while yet a considerable quantity remains 
 unburnt on the grate. 
 
 CLASS n. 
 
 FREE-BURNING BITUMINOUS COALS OF MARVLAND AND PENNSYLVANIA. 
 
 SAMPLES. 
 
 Maryland Coals. 
 
 No. 1. New York and Maryland Mining Company. 
 
 2. Nell's. 
 
 3. Easby's " coal in store." 
 
 4. Atkinson and Templeman's. 
 
 5. Easby and Smith's. 
 
 2. Cumberland, (navy yard.) 
 
rURES. 
 
 T. 
 
 3m 1.30 
 ignition, 
 A'itli llie 
 11 ; or, if 
 igments. 
 I consc- 
 fetl with 
 enerally 
 remains 
 
 VLVANIA. 
 
 133 
 
 Peimstjlvanift. Coals. 
 
 7. Dauphin and Susciuehanna. 
 
 8. Blossburg. 
 
 !). Lycoming creek. 
 
 10. Quin's Run. 
 
 11. KarthauH. 
 
 12. Cambria county. 
 
 General characters. 
 
 In specific gravity, coals of the free-burning class fall a 
 liitle below the anthracites, ranging from l.t>8 to l.U. Iheir 
 mean weight per cubic foot is, however, only two-thirds ot a 
 pound less than that of the first class. As they contain but 
 a small portion of matter to be vaporized, they soon come to 
 the temperature of full ignition. The considerable increase 
 of volume which they take in coking, favors the subsequent 
 rapid and effective combustion of their fixed carbon. In some 
 cases, especially when brought very gradually to ignition, 
 their masses of coke scarcely cohere, and the original torms 
 of their lumps are in a measure preserved. 
 
 CLASS III. 
 
 BITCMINOUS CAK-rNfi COALS FROM THE EASTERN COAL FIELD OF VIR- 
 GINIA IN TUB NEKJHBORIIOOD OP RICHMOND. 
 
 SAMPLES. 
 
 No. 1. Barr's Deep Run. 
 
 2. Crouch & Snead's. 
 
 3. Midlothian 5)00 feet shaft, (average.) 
 
 4. Creek Company's. 
 :,. Clover Hill. 
 
 (). Chesterfield Mining Company's. 
 
 7. Midlothian average. 
 
 8. Tippecanoe. 
 
 9. Midlothian " new shaft." 
 
 10. Midlothian screened. 
 
 11. Midlothian, (navy yard, Washington.) 
 
 General Characters. 
 
 The ran'-'e of specific gravities in this class is nearly the 
 same as in^that of the free-burning coals ; but the averaire is 
 rather less. The average weight per cubic foot is also less 
 
 r 
 
 i}\ 
 
 m 
 
 * 
 
11 
 
 ■ ':' ' 4i 
 
 "f 
 
 
 lii 
 
 134 
 
 by about 3.5 ponnds, These coals burn witb a long flnmc and 
 much smoke— si viuf? ^ri intumesoent, coherent coke, preserv- 
 ing nothing of the oiiginul form of (he coal. 
 
 CLA.SS iV, 
 
 FOREKJN BrTlMrNnfJl COALS, ASH TltOiJE OF SIMILAR CONSTITUTION 
 WEST OF THE AM*K<:HA?iY MDl'XTAiNP. 
 
 SAMPLES. 
 
 Foreign Cuith. 
 No. 1, Pictoii, (purchased in New York.) 
 
 2, Sidney. 
 
 3, Picfou, (Canard's.) 
 
 4, Liverpool. 
 
 ,5. Newcastle. ' 
 
 6. Scotch. 
 
 Couh from west of the Alh^hany Mountains. 
 
 7. Pinsl)urg. 
 
 8. Canaehon, (la.) 
 
 General charactns. 
 
 In mnnv respects, this class of coals bears a. strong analogy 
 to the pi-t^'ccding. The ratio of the tixed to the volatile com- 
 bustible matter, is, however, something less. The exterior 
 presents often a resinous lustre. The surfaces of deposition 
 are easilv developed by fracture. Great facility of ignition, 
 and a high degree of activity in the combustion of their vola- 
 tile consM^iluents, are also general peoperties of this class. 
 Their high proportion of volatile combustible matter renders 
 these coals, when nearly free from sulphur, eminently suita- 
 ble ibr the production of illuminating gas; and the tendency 
 of their cokes, with few exceptions, to intumesence strongly, 
 renders them, in common wiih the precedinjr class, highly 
 serviceable in forming large hollow^ tires for smithing purposes. 
 
 [See Tahle opposite.] 
 
 The following remarks from p. 598, Report on American 
 coals, are still applicable to the subject : 
 
 As every sample of coal has been allowed a fair oppor- 
 tunity to exhibit its own distinctive charactes\ it M'ouid be 
 useless to attempt to subslilute for the results of practical 
 experimenis, on such a scale as is here presented, any mere 
 
 Oenei 
 
 Designation of coat. 
 
 ....Pa. 
 ....Pa. 
 ....Pa. 
 
 > 
 a 
 
 u 
 
 'Z 
 
 c 
 'J. 
 
 Beaver Meadow, slope No. 3. 
 Beaver Meadow, elope No- 5. 
 Forest Improvement............ 
 
 peach Mountain Pa. 
 
 Lehigh Pa 
 
 Lackawanna..,.. .- ......•« ^a. 
 
 Lyken's Valley , Pa- 
 Beaver Meadow, (navy yard).,. Pa. 
 
 Natural coke of Virginia...,.,,.. Va. 
 
 Coke of Midlothian coal Va. 
 
 Coke of Neff's (Cumberland) coal...Va. 
 Miiture, one-fifth Midlothian and four- 
 
 fifths Beaver Meadow... ., 
 
 Mixture, one-fifth Cumberland and four- 
 fifths Beaver Meadow 
 
 New York and Maryland Mining Com- 
 
 pnny's > ..Md. 
 
 Neff's Cumberland ^'i^- 
 
 Ea9by's"Coal in-Store" Md. 
 
 Atkinson & Templeman'a .....Md. 
 
 Easbyfc Smith'" Md. 
 
 Cumberland, (navy yard) Md. 
 
 Dauphin and Susc]uehanna...... Pa. 
 
 Blossburg P"- 
 
 Lycoming Creek........... ......Pa. 
 
 Quin's Run ••.•• Pa- 
 
 Karthaus •.- Pa- 
 Cambria County......... Pa. 
 
 Barr-s Deep Run Va. 
 
 Crouch & Snead'3.... Va. 
 
 Midlothian, (900 feet shaft.) \a. 
 
 Creek Company's coal ,„,... Va. 
 
 Clover Hill V»- 
 
 Chesterfield Mining Company 8 va. 
 
 Midlothian, (average)...... Va 
 
 Tippecanoe < Va. 
 
 Midlothian, ("new shaft") Va. 
 
 Midlothian, (screened) Va. 
 
 Midlothian, (navy yard) ..Va. 
 
 Pictou, (from New York) ., .N. b. 
 
 Sidney ^. S. 
 
 Pictou, (Cunard's) N. b. 
 
 Liverpool ^ng. 
 
 Newcastle...,. • •••> ^"S- 
 
 Scotch " Scotland. 
 
 Pittsburg ""t j" 
 
 Cannelton ...Ind, 
 
 Dry pine wood.-. 
 
 I. 
 
 «««*•«#•*«««•*•* •• 
 
General synoptical table of th^ character and efficiency of the American Coals. 
 
 Bignation of coal. 
 
 idow, slope No. 3 Va. 
 
 itlow, elope No. 5 Pa- 
 
 rovement..,.,... • *• 
 
 lUuin •••••••• "''• 
 
 Pa 
 
 ,a P«. 
 
 Hey .....Pa. 
 
 idow, (navy yard). ...... ..Pa- 
 te of Virginia...,.,..! Va. 
 
 idlotliinn coal Va. 
 
 fff's (Cumberland) coal...Va. 
 me-fifth Midlothian and (our- 
 
 3ver Meadow 
 
 ne-fifth Cumberland and four- 
 aver Meadow 
 
 , and Maryland Mining Com- 
 
 , ,,.,,,. .......■♦•.-i'l" 
 
 nberland Md 
 
 Doalin-Store" Md. 
 
 & Tenipleman'8 .....Md. 
 
 linith'" Md. 
 
 id, (navy yard) ......,.Md. 
 
 ind Susquehanna...... Pa. 
 
 Pa 
 
 Creek. ...•..••" ........Pa. 
 
 Pa 
 in. .......<••• ...,..»...». .1 "• 
 
 Pa 
 
 County Pa, 
 
 ep Run .........<•. ..»«•...••• 'a. 
 
 , Snead'3 .......Va 
 
 n, (nOO feet shaft.) Va 
 
 mpany'scoal ..,...Va 
 
 ill v» 
 
 •Id Mining Company's. .....V^a. 
 
 m, (average)...... „....,... .V a 
 
 oe •■ ..-Va 
 
 in, ("new shaft")... Va, 
 
 in, (screened) Va 
 
 m, (navy yard) ....Va, 
 
 VomNew York) -N. S, 
 
 N.S 
 
 :unard's) N.S, 
 
 I... ...... ...»•»**•.«'•*••• ^"^' 
 
 le........... «•••»••••"••"■ ■.•t'"6' 
 
 Scotland, 
 
 f....... .....••••••.• •♦...**•■•**• 
 
 in.............»...»«««.«»»*""'"*'^ 
 
 wood. .......,...••.. ••.••••«•' 
 
 54.9.'} 
 56.11) 
 53. 6f) 
 53.79 
 55.. 32 
 48.(^9 
 48. 5( 
 55.08 
 4G.G4 
 3 2.70 
 31.. 57 
 
 0.54G 
 0.580 
 0.581 
 O.-Wp 
 0..557 
 0.550 
 0.559 
 
 6.564 
 
 40.78 
 
 39.86 
 
 41.75 
 
 41.64 
 
 40.50 
 
 45.82 
 
 40.13 
 
 40.65 
 
 48.03 
 
 68.. "iO. 
 
 70.95 
 
 ^ Cj 
 
 .a 6 
 
 2.38; 88.94 
 
 2.66, 91.47 
 
 3.07 90.75 
 
 2.96 89.02 
 
 5.28 89.15 
 
 3.91 87.74 
 
 6.881 83.84 
 
 ■i2.'44!"75.*06 
 
 Ji ! a 
 
 :2 2 - 
 
 3 S 
 
 54.29......... 41.26 
 
 89.44 
 
 83.28 
 
 81.69 
 
 82.09 
 
 83.26 
 
 88.40 
 
 90.19 
 
 82.73 
 
 86.74 
 
 83.92 
 
 30.22 
 
 87.84 
 
 86.41 
 
 90.71 
 
 87.. ''.0 
 
 82.48 
 
 80.36 
 
 80.57 
 
 80.90 
 
 84.14 
 
 82.82 
 
 80.21 
 
 86.86 
 
 82.35 
 
 83.66 
 
 82.83 
 
 78.89 
 
 78.54 
 
 94.95 
 
 78.37 
 
 79.54 
 
 54. ."il 
 
 53.70 
 
 54.29 
 
 .'i3.47 
 
 52.92 
 
 51.16 
 
 53.29 
 
 .'J0..54 
 
 53.05 
 
 55.38 
 
 50.34 
 
 .')2..')4 
 
 53.46 
 
 .53.17 
 
 53.59 
 
 50.52 
 
 46.50 
 
 45.49 
 
 45.. 55 
 
 54.04 
 
 45.10 
 
 47.90 
 
 45.72 
 
 54.47 
 
 53.. 55 
 
 47.44 
 
 49.25 
 
 47. 8S 
 
 50.82 
 
 51.09 
 
 46.81 
 
 47.65 
 
 21.01 
 
 41.09 
 
 0.600 
 
 0.6.52 
 
 0.655 
 
 0.645 
 
 0.614 
 
 0.603 
 
 0.560 
 
 0.641 
 
 0.63b 
 
 0.605! 
 
 0.655' 
 
 0.608! 
 
 0.615| 
 
 0.5911 
 
 0.577 
 
 0.564' 
 
 0..566| 
 
 0.565 
 
 0.568 
 
 0.536 
 
 0..581 
 
 0.570 
 
 0.627 
 
 0.6.50 
 
 0.567 
 
 0.595 
 
 0.607 
 
 0.647 
 
 0..5.38 
 
 0.598 
 
 0.599 
 
 
 41.71 
 41.26 
 41.90; 
 42.33i 
 
 43.78 
 
 42.04! 
 
 44.321 
 
 42.22 
 
 40.45 
 
 44.50 
 
 42.631 
 
 41.901 
 
 42.13| 
 
 41.80; 
 
 44.34 
 
 48.17! 
 
 I 49.25, 
 49.18, 
 41 .45 
 49.67 
 
 I 46.76' 
 48.991 
 41.13 
 41.83 
 47.22 
 45.48, 
 46.78^ 
 44.08, 
 43.84 
 47.85 
 
 47.01: 
 
 106.62 
 
 1 
 
 12.31; 
 
 ]2.67| 
 
 14.98| 
 
 15.53 
 
 15.52 
 
 14.87 
 
 13.82 
 
 14.78 
 
 13.84 
 
 17.97 
 
 19.53 
 
 20 52 
 
 19.78 
 
 24.38 
 
 27.28 
 
 32.471 
 
 32.21| 
 
 32.63! 
 
 29.86 
 
 34.-54 
 
 35.77 
 
 34.70 
 
 29.12 
 
 27.8.'t 
 
 23.81 
 
 25.97| 
 
 39.96, 
 
 35.83: 
 
 39.19 
 
 36,76 
 
 33.99 
 
 73.50 
 74.53 
 76.26 
 76.69 
 74.29 
 70.85 
 
 7.11 
 
 5.15 
 
 4.41 
 
 0.13 
 
 5.. 56 
 
 6.. 35 
 
 9.25 
 
 8.10 
 
 11.83 
 
 16.55 
 
 13.34 
 
 8.88 
 
 8.18 
 
 12.40 
 10.34 
 8.08 
 7.33 
 9.30 
 14.98 
 74. 24; 11. 49 
 73.11:10.77 
 71. 53' 13. 96 
 72.79; 8.41 
 :;}.77! 7.00 
 69.37 9.15 
 67.9610.47 
 59.98 14.28 
 61.0810.47 
 60.30 8.57 
 56.83 10.13 
 58.79; 8.63 
 53.01 14.74 
 54.62 9.37 
 56.40; 9.44 
 .54.06 9.66 
 56.11 14.14 
 56.98 13.. TJ 
 67.57 5.49 
 60.7412.51 
 54.90 4.62 
 57.00 5.40 
 I 48.81 9.34 
 .54.93 7.07 
 58.44 4.97 
 ' 0.307 
 
 37 3l| 
 25,36 
 29.75 
 30.09 
 16.87 
 23.13 
 12.34 
 
 ""6!2: 
 
 3944.5 
 4250.5 
 3810.0 
 7371.9 
 38.38.2 
 4112.5 
 2471.0 
 1897.3 
 4209.0 
 1037.0 
 994.2 
 
 2050.0 
 
 2074.0 
 
 2127. 
 
 4318.4 
 
 1158.0 
 
 2318.2 
 
 4474.5 
 
 Sf?* 
 
 6,69 
 
 6.27 
 
 6.52 
 
 6,69; 
 
 6 95 
 
 6.45 
 
 6,92 
 
 4 631 
 
 8.1'"^ 
 
 9 t)l 
 
 8.43 
 
 3.87 
 
 2.421 
 
 3.32 
 
 3 54' 
 
 3.27 
 
 2.67| 
 
 2.63| 
 
 5.08i 
 
 1.74 
 
 2.00 
 
 1.17 
 
 6.28 
 7.86 
 6.04 
 7.33 
 8.02 
 
 12.57 
 10.66 
 12.89 
 14.04 
 11.63 
 11.92 
 12.891 
 9.42 
 12.56 
 16.50 
 14.91 
 
 Op 
 
 9.21 
 
 8.76| 9.80 
 8.92; 10 06 
 8,9610.11 
 7.73i 8.93 
 
 1.33 
 
 1.68 
 1.75 
 0.99 
 1.52 
 
 1.57 
 1.95 
 2.11 
 2,84 
 2.59 
 1.51 
 1.60 
 1.26 
 2.01 
 1.72 
 
 25.57.0 
 4295.0 
 3073.2 
 1883.2 
 3643.8 
 3488.5 
 5072.7 
 3834.7 
 3417.5 
 3769 6 
 3775.1 
 38'; 6.0 
 450G.4 
 4904 7 
 2918.5 
 41.32.0 
 1463 5 
 4153,9 
 1601.1 
 1962.5 
 3786.0 
 4023.0 
 3860.0 
 208.4 
 2465.5 
 2360.5 
 
 12.79 
 14.80 
 12.73 
 15.70 
 14.97 
 
 15.67 
 
 12.13 
 
 13,90 
 
 12,48 
 
 12.4 
 
 13. '2 
 
 11.65 
 
 14,51 
 
 14.88 
 
 8.35] 
 14,47 
 10.08 
 10. C2 
 13.46 
 
 10.11 
 
 8,65 
 8.19 
 8.88 
 9,47 
 
 5.83 3.21 10.06 7.69 8.86 481.1 8.88 4.91 9 5 
 7.97 2-25 12.81 7.97 9.18 498 5 8.18 3.09 16.0 
 
 .505.5 
 
 556.1 
 
 440 8 
 
 545.7 
 
 494.0 
 
 477.7 
 
 4.59.6 
 
 500.0] 
 
 395.3 
 
 282 6 
 
 284.0 
 
 1 1 .96 
 
 6.74 
 
 6.97 
 
 6.97 
 
 7.22 
 
 8.93 
 
 12.21 
 
 8.10 
 
 18-.46 
 
 16.54 
 
 13.34 
 
 9.78 
 
 9.44' 
 
 10.02 
 
 10.70 
 
 8.69 9.96 
 
 "9^.34 
 9.72 
 8.91 
 1027 
 9.09 
 9.24 
 9.02 
 8.34 
 7..50! 8. .58 
 
 524.8 12.71 
 512.7 10 96 
 535.61 8.38 
 
 566.2 7.96 
 511.1 9.69 
 
 14..53 
 
 472.8: 16.36 
 5 15.9' 11. 20 
 
 493.3 16.9'"' 
 
 1.01 
 0.60 
 0.81 
 3.03 
 
 1 08; 
 1,24 
 4.41 
 1.40 
 5.31 
 10,51 
 3.55 
 
 1124 
 612 
 40.2 
 26.6 
 36.1 
 57.2 
 18.0 
 
 107,1 
 00.9 
 .53.2 
 43.7 
 
 .32 41 
 33 29 
 33 39 
 33,49 
 28.92 
 33 53 
 32.60 
 
 32.49 
 
 CO 
 
 517.0 
 477.4 
 486.9 
 
 8.94 
 7.89 
 9.75 
 
 7,84 
 8.3l| 
 9,84, 
 8.59; 
 8,03 
 10.74'| 
 I 
 
 li.09| 
 15.87 
 
 0.94 
 1.18 
 0.85 
 0,86 
 0,84 
 0.96 
 
 oisb 
 
 12.79 
 13.85 
 16.47 
 13,43 
 13,75 
 14.32 
 10,56 
 15.05 
 13.86 
 
 7.841 
 
 8,41 
 
 7.99 
 
 8.48 
 
 7.48 
 
 866 
 
 6,9 
 
 8,20 
 
 7.34 
 
 4.69 
 
 478.7;11.07 
 445 0;i4..34 
 403.7,10.70 
 .391.8 8.64 
 347.4' 10.60 
 410 9| 9.07 
 448.5,14.83 
 350.21 9.72 
 418,610.26 
 
 408.7110.27 
 
 I 
 
 4.50.6' l.il.sV 
 378,9' 6.01 
 417.912.00 
 ,3754; 5.04 
 439.6! 5.68 
 353.8 
 384.1 
 348.8 
 98.6 
 
 10.462 
 10.592 
 10.807 
 10.871 
 
 9.626 
 10.764 
 10.788 
 
 9,881 
 10 389 
 10.343 
 
 10.381 
 
 9.725 
 9.997 
 
 525 
 
 30.33 
 
 .30.72 
 
 .32,69 
 
 30.06 
 
 .33.01 
 
 27.98 
 
 31.18 
 
 32,54 
 
 32.89 
 
 30.90 
 
 33,31 
 
 31.46 
 
 28.01 
 
 25.77 
 
 26.99 
 
 30..52 ! 
 
 28.53 
 
 27.38 
 
 29.03 
 
 29.17 
 
 2680 
 
 21). 74 
 
 27 23 
 
 28.18 
 
 29.15 
 
 26.69 
 
 27,88 
 
 27.55 
 
 27,00 
 
 28,89 
 
 26.53 
 
 11,208 
 10.604 
 10.935 
 11.624 
 11.034 
 
 iV.ni 
 
 10,9.56 
 10.724 
 11.275 
 
 9.887 
 10.239 
 10.142 
 9.740 
 9 611 
 9,211 
 8.588 
 9.896 
 9.741 
 8..583 
 9.751 
 9,970 
 
 '9.716 
 8.497 
 9.648 
 8.255 
 9,178 
 7.719 
 8942 
 7.7.34 
 4.707 
 
^1 
 
 I 11 
 
 
135 
 
 t>] 
 
 V 
 
 ev 
 
 rmm/rms «r ronjcctiUTs drrlvt-d from c. bsfrvMt.on. made at 
 n UK Avilh no standards oninic, wd^ht, <»r n.ao-.nUule ; or 
 e von ru.v //.orr^/r./ c-o../..s;o..v drawn iVo.n tests, how.vor 
 
 'kiimiiv'nppiied, uuM-oiy to .in.ic hand ^i;;"-;;;;;;;^: J^ - 
 
 ben inV a ni in all these iv.scairhes to avoid matteis txtia- 
 
 ncous o the experiments themselves and to then- legitnnale 
 
 Xp nation. It has not, been deemed expedient to swell 
 
 h 5 p o t by the intrudtietiou of matters not wulun my own 
 
 C0<;'ni/ance 
 
 rhc mn.ic.roiw rcrtificatcs and ,l,.,-IaratK>ns %vbjcti, < illier 
 i„ \t Con., or vcpor,.. or o,ho. .>"l'li«)-i-:'.:±»' l"" ^j^ 
 
 Le to time been put forth in re-ard to certain coalN may in 
 
 so in^lanres ),e entitled to consideral ion, as evidences of 
 
 he • H perior wortli; i.i olhers.of a eommendablo mdnstry 
 
 and ene ..-v on the part of the proprietors, a-enfs, directors ot 
 
 e mp n c^mid o:hevs intereste<l in their development and use. 
 
 e ^commendations have not in every instance l)een en. 
 
 relyiustiiied,it is perhaps to be taken as a new ev.de ce 
 
 n in this, as in manv other important matters, those merits 
 
 'v c have not becn'the most loiully procdaimed may, upon 
 
 due examination, be found amon^^ the most estimable and the 
 
 "ifwmtuhil to be remarked, that the justly eeleWted 
 forel-n bituminous coals of Newcastle, Liverpool, hco lam , 
 Pictmi, and Sidney-coals which constitute the preseii^ eU- 
 anceo • the ""reat lines of Atlantic steamers— are fully e(iuallecl 
 ^r n:;le'^nTassc<l in stren.:h by the -^lo^ous ccnds o^ 
 eastern Vir-inia; that llievar.> decidedly surpassed bv a I he 
 f^ee-b rni .^ coals of Maryland and Vcmnsylvania; and that 
 an equallv decided advanlao-e in steam-cnera1.ng power is 
 eniovc.1 bV the nnthra.-ires over the ibrei-n coals tried whether 
 we consider them under equal wei-hts or equal bulks. 
 
 Kxperiment appears to <l<Mnonst rate that, lor the purpoes 
 of r..Lw evaporation, and for the production ol illuminating 
 ..as the coal of Indiana, thou-h neither very heavy nor veiy 
 duralile, is inferior to none of the highly bituminous class to 
 which it belongs ; since in heating power, and '>' t^J'^m Irom 
 impurity, it surpasses the splint and cannel tH)al of bcotand. 
 Appri ..1 of the strong desire felt by the Department to be 
 in possession of the results of these inquiries, I have spare 
 no elfort to bring them to anearly conclusion, though sat islicd 
 i\rA in doing so the researches cannot be considered complete. 
 One of tire important points which it would be desu-able 
 further to investigate, is the proportion oi sulphur f vhich it 
 will be seen by the several synoptical tables, was onl> tested 
 
136 
 
 i ■{ 
 
 •Ic specimens, for a part of the series. This is ft labor 
 hi ell, lor reasons ah'cady assignee?,, i.' uuavoulubiy 
 
 on sins 
 of time, \v 
 left incomplete 
 
 Another point of pvaetical importanee is the imposition ol 
 
 the. earthy matter, or 
 
 ishes, of eaeh coal. On the investi^a 
 
 It is 
 
 nmd 
 
 lioii ol llus, 11 was not lound praeticahle even to enter, 
 of no incoiisiderabhi interest, in rehation to the metaUurgic 
 arts to which coal is applieable. In lieu of any researches on 
 this snhiect upon the samples of coal here reported, 1 be'i leave 
 to add 'a series of analyses of this nature, which 1 made 
 some years since. They are chiefly the ashes of anthracites. 
 One happens, however, to have come Irom the same mines 
 which furnished one of the samples of bituminous coai ex- 
 amined in this report. _ . • r t ' 
 
 I cannot by any means regard the mvcslrgotwnoj Amtrican 
 coals as an exhausted subject. i c?* . 
 
 A '^lance at anv good geological map of the United fctates, 
 in which the coaf lields are laid down, will show how exceed- 
 inHv limited is the whole amount of space covered by tlie 
 several detached coal troughs from which the samples here 
 presented were derived, compared with the immense extent ol 
 that formation which covers western X'cnnsylvama and Vir- 
 ginia, eastern Ohio, the eastern part of Kentucky, a part of 
 middle Tennessee, and an undelined portion of Alabama ; ami 
 much more when compared with the vast tracts of coal coun- 
 try in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, and a considerable 
 
 portion of Michigan. . ■ *r ♦ 
 
 The surprising extension of steam-navigation on the west- 
 ern rivers and the northwestern lakes, as well as on the gulf 
 of Mexico and the adjacent seas, the increase of population, 
 and the consequent clearing of woodlands, all point signifi- 
 cantly to a necessity which must be felt, at no distant day, to 
 have recourse to mineral fuel for supplying this rapidly in- 
 creasing demand. 
 
 To understand the relative strength and usefulness ot the 
 coals from the several parts of the three great western coal 
 re'Hons, requires that they be examined with no less care 
 than has been applied to the limited spaces from which were 
 derived the materials operated on during these experiments. 
 It may be added, that the products of many coal districts cast 
 of the Allegany mountains are yet unexamined. 
 
 If in any case knowledge is pouer, it is pre-eminently so 
 wh(>n it relates to a subject which constitutes the greatest 
 element of power in the physical world, and in the present 
 age of marvellous developments. 
 
5 n. labor 
 voulubly 
 
 isition of 
 ivestiy;a- 
 cr. It is 
 itallurgic 
 irchcs on 
 ;)eK leave 
 1 1 made 
 thracites. 
 ue niinea 
 ( coai ex- 
 
 Anitrican 
 
 E(l States, 
 kV exceed- 
 •d by the 
 iples here 
 } extent of 
 and Vir« 
 a part of 
 ima ; and 
 ;oal coun« 
 tisiderable 
 
 I the west- 
 1 the ^ulf 
 (opulalion, 
 int signiti- 
 int day, to 
 rapidly in- 
 
 less of the 
 ;stern coal 
 i less care 
 I'hich were 
 :])eriments. 
 istricts tast 
 
 ninentlv tso 
 he greatest 
 the present 
 
 ]\IISCELLAX£OUS HESEAIICIIES 
 
 ON THE 
 
 CONSTITUTION, niOPERTIES AND RELATIVE VALUES 
 
 or 
 
 COALS. 
 
 In the proceedings of the National Institution, at Washing, 
 ton, ('^d Bulletin, p. 1G5,) for February, lH4'v% the following 
 paper was published ; 
 
 ♦* (ht the Pracliatl Dctrnnin/rfion of the Healing Power of 
 Fi«I, hi/ Wfdtcr R. Johnson" — "In the progress of improve- 
 ments in arts, navigation, and the application of heat to do- 
 mestic purposes, questions of great interest present themselves 
 for experimental determination. 
 
 "The new era in our naval history which is about to com- 
 mence with the introduction of war steamers, is a very suita- 
 ble period to inquire into the relative values of those varieties 
 of fuel which may be found available for the purposes of 
 steam navigation. 
 
 " In various parts of the United States are found combusti- 
 bles adapted to this purpose ; but as yet their relative values, 
 either as compared with each other or with the foreign mine- 
 ral fu(d so much used at present, have been but partially de- 
 termined. 
 
 " In a work recently published relating to the use of an- 
 thracite in the manufacture of iron, I have given several ta- 
 bles of experiments conducted by different individuals, ex- 
 hibiting the result of trials on a few varieties of anthracite 
 and ])ituminous coals. The same work also contains a synop- 
 sis of what has been done in Europe towards determining 
 this important question of the relative values of coals for the 
 production of steam. 
 
 "It is proposed in this commimication to present to the Na- 
 tional Institution some few general results, to which the de- 
 10 
 
ii V T 
 
 l! 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 ■ 
 
 1 
 
 
 1- 
 
 
 'i 
 
 
 hi 
 
 139 
 
 to ler\<1. 
 
 >vit\i the same Vinds of tuel. ^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^ ,1ct.'rmm. 
 
 Mt,mayiu)t\)e.am.sstostat^ ^.^^ ^,^^^ purpose of 
 
 ^rr^^'^Kr^uJe^d i^-por by the combust., of a 
 
 the quantity of oxygen ^'^^ "'^^^ «^^^^^^^ Assuining that, the 
 order to eOeet their eompleteconibivt^^^^^^^^.^.^^^^^^^^, ,He 
 
 quantity of heat ^'lonle^^ --y\\\^^ ealculation of relaiu^ 
 quantity of oxygen ^^"'""^^^,\\,e ^ that the hctit- 
 
 heating powers was ^'^^ e po' ;^ determined, and that the 
 ing power of pure ^^J^'^'^* J i;^^;!'^;,^,! be proportionrvte to the 
 powJer of other ^ombus bles ^^ou Ul 1^^ J^^^^ ^^^ 
 
 Lveral quantities of ^^^"^^^^.^ove recently those of 
 "Tlie experirnents «' ^^^^"'f^ftVgive the heating power of 
 Desprefz, have been re bed upon to „ ^^^^ ^^ ^^,^^^^^ 
 
 b:??;f3^SK^ivSCru.j:.und.at^ 
 
 perature of 212.° p.„^^,dson and those of negnanU on 
 
 ^ "TheexpermicntsofUchaia ^ ,^„a Shoedler 
 
 coals, and the anah-se of J«^ ? \>^,.,,, ,,y this theoretical 
 
 have all had m v,eW ^^\^,;^.7.\|,^ several ^ 
 means of the heatmg powe «^ J'\^ ^J\^ -^ y,,,^ failed to give 
 "^^:^genioi.s as tl^j^-^l^;:;: ;:^ ^^ !^v dueed when a pr^vcti- 
 results which could be, ^^^\"f\7\;J'^,ae of the information 
 
 tVc Uind of cvapora ,ng ^ ^^ ' '*■' Xcis of combusticn, the 
 the nature anJ coml.l.on of '''« P™'"„f „,„ „■„ ,vl,i»l> aip- 
 tlmv<^'r.lmc of ^vatcr useil anO^ ^ ^ o^ attentively con- 
 
 P."r "r Chr— ic:"u; rue, U^df al.o ..escve, 
 sidereti. a no "> o "^ 
 
 i ■p 
 
139 
 
 )t.'tined 
 
 tprmin- 
 ])ose of 
 
 on of a 
 
 jonslitvi- 
 mpnling 
 \;\\m\ i« 
 that, the 
 e to the 
 r<'l alive 
 the heat- 
 that the 
 tc to tbe 
 irb. 
 
 y tho'^e of 
 'power of 
 cr evnpo- 
 rcoal, oh- 
 takinj^ the 
 it thctcm- 
 
 r'njnanU on 
 I 'shoedler, 
 theoretical 
 isriblc?5. 
 iled to give 
 "U a practi- 
 iiilbrination 
 ; of the cal- 
 
 of the fuel, 
 X of the iire, 
 
 bll^i1io^, ^^i« 
 
 M-hich stip- 
 
 ntively con- 
 
 ilso deserves 
 
 \ to, ore ilc- 
 ^. L. Dana's 
 
 }• 
 
 ( 
 
 experiments. Each 
 days* wovliing. 
 
 result is generally the average of several 
 
 Kind of D«iitor employ fd.. 
 
 Kint)« of Coal used* 
 
 I'ounils Steam to 
 of Ciiul I of Coal 
 huriit'il fiom 
 pcrh'r! 212°. 
 
 I. Pli)tn«MimUinil, vo^ 
 frcl ill U-ii^th, 30^ 
 inch, in tVnmu'tpr. j 
 
 8. Cyl^(1rt^ll. 20 fwt 
 loiitr, 45 inchos in 
 iiiiiiiH'K'r* 
 
 Sydney, N. S., civirse hiturniuouscoal 
 
 r"hil;iiltlpliiu pi'ti antliriH'ite 
 
 t'hiKui. i)P!», mean of U) days running 
 
 Sydney, coarse 
 
 J Aiillniicite dust, ^ Sydney slack. . 
 :f Anthracite dust, :! Sydney slack. . 
 Ucst Peach Moiuitain anthracite. . . . 
 
 I'eacii Mountain anthracite 
 
 Heaver Meadow anthracite. ........ 
 
 t.'oarise Lackawanna anthracite 
 
 201^ 
 
 7.18 
 
 180 
 
 8.00 
 
 100 
 
 •J. 48 
 
 3. A«etof 3<'ytindriear 
 boilers, 3ti It. lorn;, ' 
 3(i in. diameter. 
 
 Coarse anthrncite. 
 Coarse anthracit**. 
 
 6.04 
 7.40 
 
 7 ."il 
 8.00 
 
 8 43 
 8.89 
 9.17 
 
 10,60 
 11.5'i 
 
 4. Four Cylindrical, set 
 ontlieplancf.Vlr.A. 
 A Hayes, each boil 
 ff "41) leet long and 
 Ui inched ((> (liitine< 
 ten 
 
 > 
 
 S"dnpy, ttcreenrd from dust. ,.,,.. 
 
 iSydiiey slack alone 
 
 Philiidei|)hia pea anthracite 
 
 * Anthracite dust, \ Sydney slack. 
 Larkawanna antliracite, nut size. . . 
 ■; Anthracite dust, i Sydney slack. 
 Lackawanna anthracite, egg size. . , 
 ^ Anthracite dust, h Sydney slack. 
 ,' Antliracite dust, i Sydney slack.. . 
 ■j Anthracite dust, j Sydney slack. . . 
 ij Philad. pea anthr'te, i Sydney slack. 
 Lackawanna anthracite, egg size 
 
 250 
 
 5. Tuhular, :i6 ft. long.") 
 
 33 in. diaiiicler, VZ\ Coarse I-ackawanna anthracite . 
 
 tuhes,:iiu. diainet'r. 3 
 
 85,8, n.96 
 
 6. Curnish, usual fop.-"^ i 
 
 struction, 3f) feet j j,y Jney, coarse 
 
 long, tilt. exterior, 3 }■ L^^.j-.j^anna anthracite, coarsB...., 
 ft. Iti ill. in intenor J 
 diameter. J 
 
 233i 
 
 7. Improved <"ornish,'^ ; 
 
 havii;g3iiiter'rhoil- L .... 
 
 er tildes each 19 in. | Coarse anthracite, kind uncertain. . . 
 in diametrr inserted V ■} Pea aiilhra( ite, i bituminous slack, 
 in the interior Hue, ^ Lackawanna anthracite, usual size... 
 
 end ofthe lower — 
 cut aw.iy to give , | 
 room for grate ^ 
 
 Ucavci iMeadov*' anthracite.. 
 
 15.5.4 
 
 57.3 
 13(i {> 
 145 
 i22 
 
 6.32 
 7.75 
 
 9 51 
 
 1 2 08 
 12.98 
 13.41 
 
 Uurned with fan btasU 
 
 5.83 
 
 ^ 
 
 8, tit 
 
 
 9.06 
 
 
 9.(50 
 
 
 9.77» 
 
 1 
 
 10.24* 
 
 10,28 
 
 
 12..'b2 
 
 _j 
 
 11.3G* 
 
 
 11.37* 
 
 
 10,8G« 
 
 
 11,55 
 
 
liilili 
 
 r 
 
 I ■ ! 
 
 'The following res 
 
 HO 
 
 .ultshavc been obtainca by Mr. ^Stevens* 
 in New Jersey, ru a, Loc.n.otive boiler oi* the ccinn.on lorm . 
 
 Schuvlkill anthracite. 051 r.7.. P^'^^tar''^ ^'' ""'' 
 Wood 1.71, l"^'^'^^ ponntls burned per hour. 
 
 "Mr Thomas Wiekstec.l has puidished a ^'j* ^f/^^j^fj^^ 
 
 ;:iable^'ith the preceding and Ibllowmg set.: 
 
 Dlvthe Maine Northumberland bituminous coal. 7.44. 
 
 Derbyshire bituminous conl, 7.()1. 
 
 Lnr-e New-Castle coal, ayernsc H.^i. 
 
 Derbyshire J„ small New-C^asl Ic |. W.bO. 
 
 Welsli i, N(;\v-Cas;je i, K8« 
 
 Gas coke ^, small Ne%Y-Castlc i 8.9i. 
 
 Gas coke i»U)ne, 8.<.)'2. 
 
 Avern«,^e Welsh, H,<.)8. 
 
 Average small New-Castle, 9.01. 
 
 Best small New-Castle, O.^^. 
 
 Anthracite, 10.17, 
 
 Best Welsh coal, 10.71. 
 "In the work on Anthracite Iron, above ^^^^jf ';'";:*» ^^^^^^^ 
 
 different forms of boilers. 
 
 1. hi n Locnmotit'C B<nkr. 
 itnminous coal, by N. Wood^s experiments, 5.12. 
 oke, by Tambour's trial, 7.12. 
 
 % In Wagon Boitrrs. 
 
 Newcastle bituminous coal, by Watt^. trials OJVJ. 
 Bitrntnons coal, variety uncertain, eight «et« oi experi- 
 
 Bi;u^ouf;al,rarke'sexperimcnt.A>rsixmonrUM0.^8. 
 
 3. In Cornish lWihr&. 
 
 Welsh coal, trial by Ilenwood ll.oa. 
 
 Welsh coal, experiments cited by Henwood, 11.79. 
 
 4. In a Murine Boihr on hoard the Sumn^r African. 
 Heaton bituniinous coal, 8,15. 
 
 Bit 
 
 Col 
 
141 
 
 ^t evens 
 i l\>rm : 
 
 ?r hour. 
 
 results 
 I, which 
 ml coiu- 
 
 7.44. 
 
 1, vviU be 
 
 aporativc 
 crience in 
 
 12. 
 
 of expcri- 
 itUs, 10.'48. 
 
 11.78. 
 frican. 
 
 5. In four CyUmh'icnl Hoikrx on llnjm^s ptnn. 
 Anthracite J, bituminous dust ]•, ll.H.'J. 
 
 6. In a pjoin IVgh Vnsxure Buikr. 
 
 Scotch hituminons cofil, by Vy^i\ 7.71. 
 AnlUviicite, Uiud uuccrluiw, 10.10. 
 
 7. In rimjrr's lioihrfor «.«//»g Anthracite. 
 
 Anthracite, by Sch:\iifl>;iufrs trials, 12.40. 
 AulUvacile, by rarku'suiul Miiubey's trials, 13.23. 
 
 Bi'ECirx GHAvny, .\s as indux of purity in coai.?. 
 
 1. The folhnvhig analyses of nuthmcitcs found ontlic head 
 Wiitors of UoavrrlCn^ck, Ivuzcrne r-onnty, Pa.» nro rontninrd 
 in a report i)iiblished bv the writer \n the .Toiinuil of the 
 Frauklin In.stilute, Vol. 21, p. 28!^ for November, IH.'Jt), : 
 
 1st. 
 2d. 
 3d. 
 4th 
 
 l..*)l)») 
 1.01.3 
 
 Vol. mat. Fixe<! carbon. 
 
 ti.t2 IJ2..'l(> 
 
 4.ai 91.00 
 
 7..'il «7.1S 
 
 9.60 «.5.3.37 
 
 GM 
 
 89.1. V3 
 
 Aslu>8. 
 
 1.28 
 4.t)0 
 5.01 
 5.0(53 
 
 3.838 
 
 Mean l.OUO 
 
 From th«» nhovc tabh\it will bf^. perceived that the (luantity 
 of ashes increases as thn speeilic gravity increases, and that 
 the quantitv ol' lixed carbon diminishes as the specific gravity 
 inereases. 'This mi^lit possit)ly not be foiuid to hold good iu 
 all coal-fields, though I am inclined to think tliat in the same 
 coal-field the relalions of dificrent plies will be found to con- 
 firm the same general law. , , . ^,r , j • 
 
 2. The so caUed Cumberland coal bastn of Maryland is not 
 Ihnlted to that Si ate, but extends in a northeaslwardly direc- 
 tion into the County of Somerset, iu iVunsylvania, and south- 
 wcstwardly into the State of Virginia. The writer had oc- 
 casion some time since to examine, professioT.ally,the geologi- 
 cal structure, and to analyze the coals of a portion of this coal 
 field near the borders of rennsylvania. 
 
 The coal field api)cars to be gradually rising from about the 
 vieiuity of Frostbuvg to a point about five miles northeast of 
 that at which the ci>al trough crosses the &tate line. 
 
I 
 
 iiil 
 
 i e 
 
 ^i 
 
 :l 
 
 |-: 
 
 * I- 
 
 1 : N 
 
 142 
 
 to 
 
 l!;:,--;;n::;!;^;:£';^;--— ^ 
 
 Nnmc of Coul. 
 
 e 
 
 
 k- a 
 
 
 « — I SJ L. — 
 
 E I o -- il .2 
 
 Si— o c £ 
 
 e 
 
 Id 
 O 
 
 •a 
 
 llcyiiuinV iifW opiMiir-;. 
 \VflUT'8 4ft'et Vein 
 
 Iloyninn's Old Opening. 
 IIoynian'sG feet lied.... 
 
 Iloyninn's 8 feet Bed. 
 
 Schaeffer's New Opening 
 
 D.Korns' Old Opening ! ^ '^^ 
 
 1.32 
 1.32 
 
 1.34 
 
 i..3r. 
 
 1.3G 
 1.37 
 
 Uhl'sT feet Bed 
 
 Meeting-house Vein. 
 
 Weller & Hardin' 
 
 1.39 
 
 1.48 
 
 1.4!) 
 
 2.0 
 1.4 
 
 1.2 
 1.3 
 
 1.1 
 
 1.3 
 
 1.4 
 
 1.7 
 1.2 
 
 18.2 74.7.") 
 18..'', ! O'J.HJ 
 
 2U.G 1 r,9.90 
 18.5 ' G8.53 
 
 17.2 • 71.50 
 
 17.5 
 18.7 
 
 70.70 
 G8.4G 
 
 George's Creek, Md 
 
 Eckert's Mine, Maryland Mining^- 1_1_.-^ 
 
 16.8 G8.44 
 17.5 G8.5G 
 
 1.4 1G.2 CG.3G 
 
 Inclu'd will 
 volat'e mat 
 Do. 
 
 1G.03 j 70.75 
 ■l5.G2 1 G8.5G 
 
 Average results 
 
 Average of G samples in Amer. Kept 
 
 that ^vi.l.in the sn,i,c o . '^,„^,^'^.i\„ !„<lcx of a greater 
 end of tl'c coal ti'ougli, ^vc lia\c— 
 
143 
 
 ii])Joctc(l 
 llifir 1)0- 
 
 c 
 
 CS 
 
 O 
 
 71.7') 
 (iU.lO 
 
 r,9.90 
 I G8.53 
 
 71.50 
 
 5 
 
 70.70 
 
 7 
 
 G8.4G 
 
 8 
 
 G8.44 
 
 5 
 
 G8.5G 
 
 GC.3G 
 
 .O;} 70.75 
 M i 68. 5G 
 
 .Gl 
 
 LIU 
 
 CO. 71 
 
 he in'inciple, 
 c gravity iu 
 of a greater 
 1 tlic liglitcr 
 k'li numbers 
 ^euusylvauia 
 
 havloiir under 
 
 tlu! nature of their a; 
 
 ,he e(I\M.t of heat, their im)ximateconstifuon^^^^ 
 hes and the ratio ot then- lixed enitmn. 
 
 
 1 i) . 
 
 
 
 ^'52 
 
 
 
 •^ m 
 
 
 
 ^ > s 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 .2-1 
 
 
 
 S "3 ® 
 
 
 < 
 
 K ^ " 
 
 
 4.O.". 
 
 1.1G2 
 
 
 11.00 
 
 :..7:i5 
 
 
 8.10 
 
 :i.:j'j:j 
 
 
 11. GG 
 
 a. 705 
 
 
 Cl.iiracters of Conl, Coke, nnd Asl.es. 
 
 10.20 
 
 4.157 
 
 10., '■)0 
 
 4.010 
 
 11.44 
 
 :i.GGl 
 
 12. OG 
 
 4.07.'} 
 
 12.7!) 
 
 .T.OIS 
 
 1G.04 
 
 4.0!)G 
 
 \.lu.8 l,ri"l.t, l.nfr, or fuv.M. clor..! ; rrmurknbly lii^l.t.. 
 C.l . . f cou .!.•.■,. l.l..ck; .fucu.n- colu.unar ; .to., trncture 
 
 inlliant ; horizontal pnnin.H dull; n^lu-s l.lnck.sU gray; 
 
 coke n.ore tlm.i dont.le the ariount ot he co .K 
 T.x.urc oiHM> ; color ,|.t I'lack. with nuUsc.nt s >o : , ustt^ 
 
 alt.rnat'-ly .hi.unu' »n.l dull; siructure ihoinboidal ; nil- 
 
 „ies 75- and l.^Oo ; ashes reddish i^vry, dense. 
 Strl.cture rlio-ul.oidal ; surfaces ot .lepo^.tum dead 1.1a. k , 
 
 eSesot- lien 8.unin« jet black ; coke mo.lerately dense. 
 
 ilde the bulk of coal ; ashes reddish grey, .noderately 
 
 Cotrni'arly jet black, shining; structure rhond.oidal, foli- 
 u ted grai.t occasionally conu.rte.i, .nam cleats mchned to 
 slrfuces of d.posil.on 3U^ and 15U- a«hes light colored. 
 
 ^.S^^hhlhlgt^Sued with ochre ; ashes chocolate brown, 
 
 8.?™ cubical ; color de.-p black . swells but little in cok- 
 ing X.len.e, dark ,n.y, without lustre ; ashes between 
 
 fiiwn and II.'hU ...lor, .lense. ,. , , u„ik„ . „,,Up 
 
 C.al discoU.red with ..chre ; ashes purplish red, bulky , coke 
 
 more than double the bulk ot coal. • • i „ 
 
 S, uc ue cohnnnar ; color deep black ; pUes vary.n-^ in s- 
 
 tre ; eke .louble the bulk of coal, iron gray, reddi.h ; ashes 
 
 re.l.lish "rev. dense. 
 St . lu ec^lmniar; c.lor dull black ..r iridescent ; le.xture 
 friable ; coke two-lhirds more bulky than coal ; ashes llesh 
 
 red. dense. 
 Coke bulky ; ashes reddish grey. 
 
 Coke like the preceding ; ashes lighter color 
 
 Mean specific gravity of the 
 two speciinciLs. 
 1.32 
 1.35 
 1.305 
 1.385 
 1.485 
 
 Mean per centage of earthly mat- 
 ter in the two specimens. 
 7.52 
 9..')8 
 10.35 
 11.75 
 14.41 
 
 I"- 
 
if 
 
 i 
 
 lii 
 
 f 
 
 144 
 
 And again comparing ilie last two specimens, (both from 
 Maryland,) we have — 
 
 1.34 
 1.44 
 
 13.22 
 
 18.25 
 
 George's Creek, 
 Eckcrt's Mine, 
 
 3. Besides the foregoing proofs of the ^^^'^V!'^^^ 
 made of the density of coals to determine, approxim.itelj, their 
 Te^tlve reedom from earthy matter, the following extract from 
 [£e Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Science, \ ol. II., 
 p. 8, February 13, 1844, may be adduced : 
 
 "Prof Tohnson communicated some observations jn /ela- 
 tion to the properties and habitudes of dillerent varieties of 
 
 ''''"^i He gave the results of some recent analyses of coal, 
 whi hltrofgly conlirm the position which he ^-^^^^^^^ 
 advanced, vTz. : that in coals from the same coal ^I'^^'ic and 
 
 ^^t^thit part of the mineral -^^-^ --^ Vf f .;! ^.^ f ^f 
 ble may be considered as «i"»l^»-b',t^o"stitu ed, tl e /./^^^//^ ot 
 
 dilferent specimens may be regarded as the index to their 
 
 " " F:^™n^amples of coal iVom dillerent mining districts 
 were taken, at random, specimens for analysis. 
 
 From the first sample. specir..en j a had a sp. gr. 1 4f and gave of ashes, IS.nO 
 specimen ^ i.^--* ^^ ^ ^_ 
 
 " second do. 
 
 third do. 
 fourth do. 
 fifth do. 
 sixth do. 
 seventh do 
 
 
 1322 
 1.3U5 
 
 1.304 
 1.30'J 
 
 1.339 
 1.2:25 
 
 1.315 
 1.335 
 
 1..347 
 1.329 
 
 1.511 
 
 1.289 
 
 
 8 
 
 5.G.-)3 
 5.239 
 
 4.081 
 0.519 
 
 9.109 
 
 7.398 
 
 10.(190 
 11.071 
 
 13.7G8 
 11.072 
 
 21.2,">0 
 G.ObO 
 
 «2. lie also called attention to the fact that rom the.. ime 
 hand specimen, may often be obtained widely ^^^^^^'^^^^^^ 
 bv analysis. A small specimen was shown, in which weie 
 d sola xd most decided Vliiibrences of structure, lustre, eolor 
 character of powder, amount of volatile matter, -mo urn, ad 
 character of inpurities. This was a specimen o coal f oin 
 the Cumberland coal field of Maryland-in which a polio 
 was columnar and crystalline in form-ot a ^^^;:;n^ J^^ W^J ^ 
 color, shining and friable, giving a brown powdei, and wlicn 
 
145 
 
 1 from 
 
 nay be 
 >', their 
 3t from 
 ^ol. II., 
 
 II rcla- 
 Dties of 
 
 )f coal, 
 viously 
 ict, and 
 mbiisti- 
 nsitij of 
 o their 
 
 listricts 
 
 ics, 18.!)n 
 18.318 
 
 5.053 
 5.239 
 
 4.081 
 (i.5lt) 
 9.109 
 
 7.398 
 
 10. 1190 
 ll.UTl 
 
 13.7G8 
 ' 11.072 
 
 « 21.250 
 
 " {j.obo 
 
 the same 
 [it results 
 ell were 
 re, color, 
 ount. and 
 oal from 
 a portion 
 jet black 
 md when 
 
 coked, yielding a highly intumescent porous mass, and leaving, 
 'vhen'complet'ely incinerated, only 1.7.>4 per cent, of md.sh 
 yellow or fawn coloured ashes, exceedingly light, and liable 
 to be carried away by the slightest motion ot air. 1 he same 
 part yielded 18.28 per cent, of volatile matter, and conse- 
 quently left 79.m'.0 pe'r cent, of fixed carbon. The other part, of 
 the specimen was amorphous in structure tmigh in consist- 
 enee (lull, and almost destitute of lustre, yielding, when com- 
 Xe! pulverized, an almost black powder. It gives, ^^d.en 
 incinerated 11.73(5 per cent, of ashes, ot a greenish white 
 CO 'veiy dense, and cohering slightly when strongly heated 
 Its volatile matter is 1.5.07C. percent., and consequentl" Mie 
 fixed carbon 00.288. The coke swells more or less accoiclmg 
 to the rapidity of the application of heat. The ratios of hxed 
 to volatile combustible are 1.37 and 4.40. 
 
 "3 lie adverted to the designations red and white a^h 
 coals', and exhibited proofs that mere analysis, on a minute 
 scale is liable to mislead us in regard to the true charac.erof 
 the earthy residua of the coals in question. He exhibited a 
 sample of ashes and of clinker, from Lackawanna anthracite 
 obtained from the combustion of two ton< of that coal; and 
 also a specimen of ashes from the ana ysis of a hand speci- 
 men- -the former being dark brownish red, and the latter 
 almost nerfectly white. ^ ^ , . p 
 
 "4 lie pres-ented evidences of the effect of the rate of 
 heating on the amount and character of the coke produced 
 from a -iven weight of coal of the same kind, showing that 
 v.hen a'brisl: and intense action of heat suddenly applied is 
 made the means of coking the coal, a considerably grea er 
 amount of volatile matter is expelled than when a slow .ip- 
 plication of heat gradually drives off the matter volatilizable 
 by that principle alone." 
 
 SALTS OF AMMONIA IN THE DUST OF ANTHRACITE FURNACES. 
 
 (F, om the proceedinis of the Academy of Xalural Sciences, vol. 3. p. 191, for 
 
 March IG, 1847.) 
 
 *' Professor Johnson communicated some observations and 
 exDcrimonts on th-^ dus., of anthracite furnace flues. Having 
 several years since ascert^-Jned the i)resence of large quanti- 
 ties of salt s of ammonia, both sulphates and chlorides in 
 llu'es and sfove pipes where anthracite is consumed, he had 
 rcceiilly diivcted attention to this as a source from xvhieh a 
 moderate supply of these salts for the uses ot horticulture 
 may readily be obtained. It was therefore deemed worthy ot 
 
I 
 i ^ 
 
 i 
 
 1 
 
 • 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 i j 
 
 
 si^ 
 
 146 
 
 a trial to ascertain iu ^vlu1t propovtion the .salts solul.lc in 
 
 g ve a saline residuum ou complete ^vaporatum 1 he h<iUid 
 was of rt dark browu color, and on nimlys;. ^^^^ ^^^ \ . 
 Sulphate of lime - . - " " " .^'l 
 Sulphate of Arimoma- - • " •J^;^-* 
 Chlor-lraraleof Ammoma - - - »;» •^* 
 Compound tarry matter • • • j*J__ 
 
 ral steps of analysis, may be taken at i per ceut. 
 
 MKClf ASSCAL HTRCCTUra: AND RELATIVE AUKS OV COALS. 
 
 The question of the identify and contemp.)vnne««sness of 
 thJ?^<^great divisions of the coal measures "f^^^^J JS 
 hTsiomelimes occupied the attention ot geologists. A muu . r 
 5::;Hr is oeensioLly agitated in Europ^m^^^^^ 
 Anthracite and Bituminous coal fields oi that tpiarter oi mc 
 
 "^ Amon- the arguments in favor of the contempornneous 
 depoTS of the coal in the two regions, those uh.ch are 
 S from the sin.ilarity of the accon.pa.n.t.g n';;-"^;; 'f 
 mpmhers of the coal series in the tAVO regions, tmd the re.em- 
 S:^::; idenHty of the ibssil oij^anic r~ ;.^oinr>a„y^ 
 the coal iu both cases, are rot the least \n eight), li"- I'rt- 
 lence of large bodies of carbonate of iron mlerpos<>«l .'ui';> S 
 the CO a bed^ in both coal districts, is an analogous cnyuin- 
 
 orcoalwere produced under circumstances at least strongly 
 
 '^aI::!;!;:? ^:!:ur;;ll-^ n.vorable to the supposed similarity 
 of c m S which accompanied the deposition ol anthr a- 
 
 cite and biSminous coal, is the resemblance m mechameal 
 s rue ore of he two kind's. Tliis may, at the first cnur.eiation 
 s2m"^^what startling; especially since the terms h^ny. 
 K and tough, are generally applied to th^ ^^^^^^^^ ^ 
 soft and friable, or tender, to the other. It »^»^«^<^*^;;'*\V^ 
 Jrue, That strong mechanical resemblances exist; ami the 
 
 I 
 fi 
 
:olu1)lc in 
 ordinary 
 rpose, one 
 )oi't ions of 
 r«'d, or to 
 Vhe li<iuM 
 
 I grains 
 » 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 J grains', = 
 D ihc suve- 
 
 0AL8. 
 >er ii ) 
 
 Ronsnt'ss of 
 nusylvani;!, 
 A i^injUur 
 cncc to the 
 lirler of the 
 
 nipornnt'ous 
 wbiclj are 
 tiioaMircs or 
 \ the rcscm- 
 L'oinpaTiyuig 
 . The |)rc- 
 -oscd among 
 ou!^ cirouin- 
 olh varlfties 
 ast sli-ongly 
 
 ;cl ^imUarity 
 ;)nof anthra- 
 
 ine<;huni<'al 
 enunciation, 
 terms heavy, 
 le, nnJ Hsht, 
 
 ncverihi'it'ss 
 
 ist; ami the 
 
 ■i, 
 
 147 
 
 i„ „n<Io,hins ^'f .- -; ' ;l» : .' r.r'i: : mine .1.0 .rue 
 n,.,l w.-tl u..( .Tslooil, llMt " " ,^: "" ,„,„„ so ikr disturbed 
 
 kinds oi coal. commonly a fracture or 
 
 namos ot cleats or ._tnH , «cems to deter- 
 
 «« :.,o'» Tho <1 rection m \vhich inese run, ^•-t"^.^ •" 
 
 'a„.l ar.env.r,Is ea,T.vin« "l-^ -orU.n, l^-^^' ^ ^fj^tain 
 In most bituminous coaN, t I l -u-c dio^cnto call sur- 
 
148 
 
 III ^ 
 
 seldom talce place alonj? the snrfac«» of doposition ; but on 
 ignitiiij? the specimen, we may generally obtain partings in 
 those Natural seams. , 
 
 The regular slines also, in anthraeite, arc sometimes so lar 
 obliterated as to be onlv developed by strong heat or pjirtial 
 combustion. They are'then ^h<)^v» by the thin, \yhitc shming 
 lamina- of earthy matter, hicli mark two opposite sides ot a 
 lump of half burnt coal. ^ 
 
 The absolute direction of the cleat is very various. At t ic 
 Laurel Hill mines, in Ilazle creek valley, it is believca to be 
 about north 80° East. . 
 
 In some beds of coa! which 1 discovered and examined on 
 the West Branch of thte Susquehanna, it is due cast and west 
 
 bv compass. ^ *. r« 
 
 'In the Middleton mine coal, in the northerly part of Lng- 
 land, it is from N. 20^ W. to N. S^MV. 
 
 The seeond,or " short cleat." in opposition to the ** long cleat, 
 which extends for great distrmccs, is the cross parting already 
 spoken of, and not unfrequentlv runs perpendicularly to the 
 directions of both the ** cleavage of the laminfc and to the 
 long cleat." • This is seen in both bituminous coals and an- 
 thracites, , , /. • T *' 
 
 Another circumstance to which I would refer, as indicative 
 of the similarity of origin and correspondence in character, 
 between bituminous coals and anthracites, is the correspond- 
 ence of the two, in respect to the composition of the ashes of 
 the two kinds. Silica, alumina, oxide of iron, with small 
 amounts of lime, magnesia, and occasionally ot oxide ot 
 manganese, are the ingredients of the ashes ol both kuu s 
 of coal. The proportions varv, not only in the dillorent kinds 
 of coal, but also in the several plies of the same !)ed, both in 
 the bituminous and anthracite districts. In the anthracite, 
 the diversity of composition is marked by the color oi the 
 diiferent streaks after partial incineration. ^ 
 
 Another resemblance between the two kinds is, that m the 
 anthracite beds, spaces partially vacant are found to contain 
 masses, with a pully aspect on the exterior, so strongly re- 
 Fembling coke, that it might bo diflicult at the tirst glance to 
 distino-Liish a fragment of it from a piece of artilicial coke. 
 Natural coke is also found in connection with beds of bitu- 
 minous coal, especially where the latter arc in close proximity 
 with primitive strata— as in the mines of Virginia. 
 
 When coal contains a large proportion of earthy matter, 
 and is deposited in thin lamiua',it will,in the state ot anthra- 
 cite, be found to part with great ditiiculty in the ducction ol 
 
 il! ! 
 
149 
 
 the surfaces of deposition. It will then be seen to givo frac- 
 turc.:<level«j>in- a multitude of smrdl concUo.cla sar aces. 
 TI is is !)y lUe mit.ers termed boi.y coal; and that it wel dej 
 serve, its name may he evinee.i by its actually being so haid 
 as sometimes t<» strike lire with steeh 
 
 Coal occasionally assumes the uppeamnce of ^eU d. ii ed 
 rhombic prisms and octae<lra, occasionally with s riated sur- 
 IS. In which cases, tlioa^h the cleiivages be dUlunilt and 
 obscure, they are nevertheless practicable. 
 
 Anrsr •,>t~.Prc,lessorJ<)hns,)u exhibited several specimens 
 oicr^sUdhhl anthracite and bituminous coal, and Htate(W^)me 
 of the circumstances which seem to determine the a^^umptlon 
 bv this mi.»eral,of certain ti^mres contrary to the assertion of 
 many mlneralo-ists that it has no dclinile orm. 
 
 The forms whi.-h anthracite occasionally presents arep 
 1. (noUU which causes it, in breakin- especially when the 
 tract, ire \akes place iVom lono; exposure to the a inosphe. e,^ 
 fall into spheroidal masses with salient portions « ' > >^'1>^^. 
 mindin- us of truncated an-les m ordinary crystals. Ihs 
 «;^n e has often been observed in one of the beds o an lira- 
 rile found on Beaver creek; and a large specimen turn.hed 
 bv Mr Jacob Thomas, of Beaver Meadovv, was exh. nted 
 sliowin- the truncated borders along the lines ot s.jpara ion 
 i a ery remarkable manner, and also <Usplaying beaut lul 
 ridesc'ent colors. It was remarked that coal a lecling this 
 form is frequently found to leave a considerable portion of 
 Z^. of iroi among its earthy residue ; but^ ^^J^ 
 of the latter was not usually a large per cen age ol the coal 
 '» The next delinite form mentioned as allected by coal, is 
 a rmtlnUd structure, well characterized in sevcra spectinens 
 ^Z e M bed, from the bottom of the tbrmat ion at l^ar- 
 gm" r)a,uphin .M,un:v, l»a. This structure was ikewise llus. 
 ^ ted a sample of Welsh bituminous coal. The rad.a ions 
 L; era V proceed from two points at no great distance Irom 
 each « her and forming two sections of conical surlace, unite 
 Sce.^ in distances iVoin their poinis of departxire into a^i^ 
 g e cvlindrical se<i ion near the termination o the ra> s. 1 he 
 cxtcM-i of these radii is of a silky lustre, striated, and some- 
 times nterrupted by the interposition of fragments o> organic 
 te^Un"i^r state of Ibssil charcoal. V.M-y hirge stems are 
 occ- sionam- foun.l wih radiated, crystalloidanthracie adher- 
 
 Tng to t^^ '>l>F-i'« ^^-^^ ^'^^'"'^ "^^^^" ''''"^ ^"" •' ^" 
 *hp two sides very nearlv the same. , 
 
 3. The hombic hexaedron was exhibited iu a well .narked 
 spedmen of anthracite adherin- to its acco.npanymg ^Ute. 
 
 II 
 
!ll!|^ 11 
 
 III HI' 
 
 I I 
 
 150 
 Fexv mineral forms are better ilcCmoA than this mnss of an- 
 
 tain! vtds'nL' iVom t!.c presence ol' orgauic boches, tcuamg to 
 
 inclillereut directions on tlu^ ad.iuinm- Mde^^^.l^ *^y'' '7. '» 
 
 luch'fouwh™! been «,pi.osoa to "'"V"''"*'''""'"""' "Sa- 
 lable o'i„ of coal, and stat«l that i.. H.c 'ory samples 
 !u er"^aminationwe,■cseen ll,e .mist incontnn-e.-ul.le . v • 
 J Lo- he source from which nol ouly bituminous coal, but 
 amh a als" la b'n dc,-ivc.l. In one and the saute s,^- 
 etaenrf the latter, wefe «ecn tuinetal f >;;;•«-;-';■, t' 
 and true anthracite, ind,cat,t,K '«,"''','' h;V« two had 
 .,f -,11 as the Diocess of lorinal ion, by whnh llie ast t"" i^'» 
 probably bee,', derived Iron, the interu>e.ha,c state ol btlu- 
 
 "'t;rccr,'ti„g for ,he supposed i-l--''»;'>; »[ ^^'f^^d^ 
 Bti-uetures being formed out of oigaiuc matter, he "b«"^<» 
 
 ^cC^nl decomposition of the latter, and he cstal) - 
 mentor new orders oV uliinity bel^veen the or.guial cons ilu- 
 !,fnm" The carbon as well as the other materials «f 
 ve jSwas tn^ process reduced, at least in part to the 
 Situ o? ulti^te Llecules, instead oH-j^ -^l^-- 
 chanicallv divided into small particles. It would "? ^« «j^^ 
 t:^:^e of obeying any law *>^ -cement wh.l^ev^^^ 
 mvn 'illinities or those of the earthy conj^tiliicntj, \Ui»cn aau 
 ^merc ; no the composition of the vegetables irom wlncl t 
 had been derived, mi-ht tend to impress. Ihat it ih tie 
 Jarthvolstuents which determine the forms assumed bj 
 ^^l seems pmbablc from the fact that the more earthy resi- 
 duum 0^ a jxirticular kind any coal contu ns the mor« prone 
 doesit appear to be to assume a crystalloid structure. 
 
151 
 
 lo in lliis connexion, to those cu1)ie, 
 
 '. _» .-, ..riiir.^ oi'tnn occur in both 
 
 liiently 
 
 structures which often occur i 
 nous coal, nnd which not unlVec 
 
 llv nflor partial incinera'ion, tlic 
 llie cartliy ini^riulients 
 
 Referrnrc \v:is mac 
 rhomhie find coUnnnar 
 anthracite and hitumi 
 exhibit lo the eye, especu 
 
 ^^tnl: 'or analyses or ,J. a^^ ;; -^. ^n^;^^^ 
 '''";"''|.;?n ;;; v' . ; a o;„:;,.l,ona.es, um^ss whe.e the 
 
 !^f,^ "ron covcrin" the h.tcrsliecs of .>ut,-r«p coal, and lonn- 
 oiten seen «"'."'"';''.„„, „.,,i,,ii proeeed IVom enal seams, 
 Z oo'a in ■;;, ' n n, ;;: n-laning ,'he fonn in„„.esse.d hy , c 
 
 interstices or those oi the un(Uii\m„ i 
 
 crystallized sulphate or carbonate o hmcj, ^^.^^ 
 
 m aecoumui .. nnalo-ious variety ui rej>ard 
 
 ?ro,hn Lne ' • t « "<-.ol' Hn-, for e.a.nple. which 
 
 as ilw^ru,:.' vn I'o mine,aU,gis,s,.akes on a great uu.nber ol 
 
 ^'t;;;::;,lt'™o"-" Professor Johnson n.ade soine remarfe on 
 the "an ',"1" of Anlhraeitc lVo„> llhodo Island, .h,s even.ng 
 
 '■'■nnrille Ibmmt'iol."^. whieh they oecnr, reposes on a coarse 
 eon hi'::!:: which r,.s,s inn,..dia,e,v.m«r^ 
 
 blen.hM-ocks,.r,,hepri,n,nvese™.s^^^^h^ 
 
 igneous roc1<s "PP^'^"' '°. ; ;,;,J', "' he ,„.esen oharacierof 
 
 vcsti'-cs of vohililc matter, deeoniposed the ^"'l" " " ' °'^ 
 r„d changed the color o^;,- ^ - ^ -"-li, ' ^ 'TnTest 
 ca^t .ta g'::; e2.'::.t^WitcScd. .lud th« traces of them 
 
■•IP" 
 
 ; : jj. - rj t -x-ab^ --^ , 
 
 
 til 
 
 1 
 
 o3 
 
 only appear at the surfaces of deposition. In other hf»d««, the 
 impressions nr« more perfect, and their genera and spfcies 
 are more readily mad*.' out. 
 
 An idea has hocn formerly cnrrenf, that the coal formation 
 of Hhode Island and Massachusetts is of more aucirnt date 
 than those of Pennsylvania; hut the identity of fossil re- 
 mains!, seems to determine tho jj:eological period of hoth 
 to be the .same. And in this resj)(>ct we have analo<;ics 
 snfliciently numerous in our own country, to iuduce us to 
 believe that all the coal formations arc essentially contempo- 
 raneous, and that whether they rest on granite, as in Uhode 
 Island, Massachusetts, and Virginia, on the older members of 
 the secondary, as in the anthracite fu'lds of Pennsylvania, or 
 on the mountain or the "clilF" limestone of the Western States, 
 the coal series has every where been the product of a period 
 in the history of our planet which was highly prolific in vege- 
 table life, of which the remains were deposited on whatever 
 member of proceeding formations was exposed in a condition 
 to receive them. 
 
 The anthracite of Khode Island appears to have been sub- 
 jected not only to a high temperature, but also to intense 
 pressure, and to have !)eeu much comminuted by the friclion 
 of one member of the formation sliding over another in the 
 nptilling which the strata have evidently undergone. The 
 coal in ail such cases being more tender and friable than the 
 sandstones, slates and limeslones, becomes the unguent in the 
 joints of the stratification, and the results of its j)o\ver to fa- 
 cililate the motions of the strata as they are partially folded 
 up, is, 1st, a pulverulent portion in contact with either the top 
 or the bottom rock of the bed ; 2d, a high polish imparted to 
 some of the sliding surfaces of the nmre durable coal ; Hi], an 
 irregularity in the thickness of the coal beds, the indentations 
 of the upper and lower rocks being not untVequcntly found 
 opposite to each other, forming thick places in the coal seam, 
 and containing much of the broken material which has been 
 displaced from the parts where the prominences of the rocks 
 come nearly in contact, and almost shut up the seam. 
 
 He adverted to the fact that for reasons stated by the 
 geologists of Rhode Island and Massachusetts, viz. the great 
 amount of drift or diluvial matter with which all parts 
 of this coa! Ibrmation have been covered over, the limits of 
 the coal trough have not hitherto been traced with mucli pre- 
 cision. 
 
 Within the city of Providence, the strike of the beds 
 is a little to the cast of south, and the dip to the north 
 
 11 i 
 
153 
 
 of cast. The mining operations are in j^cnera! very troub It- 
 some ami exprnsive, on account of being canit'il on below 
 water level, and Jhroiigli a thick stratum of loose earth and 
 gravel. Very little of the coal hitherto obtained has been of 
 merchantable quality. 
 
 ON TilC RELATION nETVVCRN Tliti COAI. OF SOtJTil WALES AND SOMG 
 I'BNNSVLVANIA ANTHaAClTBS. 
 
 {From the Pfoctfdinga of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Vol, 1, p. 40.) 
 
 Havin*? received some time since a numlier of samples of 
 the coals used by Mr, Crane at the Ynisccdwyn iron works 
 in South Wales, some pains have been taken to trace the re« 
 lation of that mineral to some of the many varieties of an- 
 thracite found in Pennsylvania. It was the first step in this 
 inquiry to mark the relation by external characters. These 
 in the Welsh coal are, 1st. A structure often lamellated, and 
 tending to separate on the surfaces of deposition, owing to the 
 quantity of carbonaceous clod which occupies the dull seams 
 between the bright plies of coal. 
 
 2d. The a!)undance and width of the reeds constituting the 
 charcoal deposits. 
 
 3d, The shining and polished surfaces occasionally present- 
 ing themselves to view at some of the natural partings. * 
 
 4th, The purplish tints of metallic oxide often observable 
 on the surfaces of fracture, 
 
 Tjth. The general color is deep black, and either dull or 
 shining according as the ply which is examintsd belongs to the 
 coal proper, or to the carbonaceous clod partings of the seams. 
 
 The next circumstance worthy of attention in tracing the 
 relation of coals, is their specific gravity ; and this in the 
 Welsh anthracite is from l.JJ.'JG to 1.37;? — not greater than 
 that of many bituminous coals. 
 
 The next point of comparison is the quantity of volatile 
 matter, and this by the mean of two trials is 9.18 per cent. ; 
 that on the anthracite containing most clod is 10,7, and that 
 of the more compact variety is 7.(5() per cent, 
 
 Mr. Mushet makes it from <).(>() to 7,70 in the coals of the 
 same locality. Mr. Frazer analyzed a sample of the same 
 coal, and found 7.G0 of volatile matter, 8G.0 of carbon, and 
 5.8 of ashes. 
 
 The quantity of earthy matter in the Ynisccdwyn anthra- 
 cite, according to the mean of 3 analyses of Mr. Mushet, is 
 3.578 per cent. Adopting this for the proportion in the sam- 
 11 
 
I ! 
 
 n 
 
 ■ 
 
 iii 
 
 pic whkli yielded 10.7 per cent, of volatik mnUcr, we have 
 this solid cui!)on— 85.72'4 per cent, and in the other KS.'yfiJ. 
 
 Ainoufi IVnnsylvania anthracite's that which approache*» 
 most lu'.'irly to the Vnisccdwyij coal, is that of Lyken*» 
 Valley, situated in the northwestern fori* of the southern 
 anthracite field. This coal has nil the exterior cliaraeters 
 ot the Welsh aiithraeite ; containing in many samples a 
 large portion of carhonaceous clod, with well marked ve- 
 getahle impressions; and in color, structure, and varieties 
 of surface, the two coals might readily he taken the one for 
 the otiier. Of nine samples analyzed, the lowest specific grav- 
 ity was found to be 1.374, the highest 1.41G, and the mean 
 1.390. The average amount of volatile matter was found 
 to be N.O(57, the highest being U.Soi per cent.; the moan pro- 
 portion of earthy matter and metallic oxides is 4.40 ; and that 
 of the fixed carbon 87.472 per cent. 
 
 From these data ars derived the following comparisons. 
 
 Sp. Gr. Vol. mnl. Cnrbor.. Ashea- 
 
 Ynisoedwyn, lighter varietv, l.33(i 10.7 85.922 3.r>78 
 
 Do. heavier, ' 1.372 7.66 88.702 3578 
 
 0.18 87.242 
 
 8.007 87.472 
 
 3.579 
 
 4.4GO 
 
 Mean of two, . r* 1 .354 
 
 Ly ten's Valley. . 1.390 
 
 In distilling the Welsh anthracite, the first portion of gas 
 v/hich comes over, burns with a pale blue llame, like that of 
 carbonic oxide, which is succeeded at a certain point of tem- 
 perature by a sudden outburst of carburetted hydrogen, burn- 
 ing with a' bright fiame and smoke, a «iuantity of bituminous 
 matter being at the same time evolved, sutlicient in one in- 
 stance to close up the narrow beak of the retort employed in 
 the distillation. The coke is perfectly anthracitous, and the 
 angles of the fragments entirely sharp and well defined. 
 
 The gaseous matter of the Lyken'-i Valley anthracite also 
 burns with a brilliant flame, but no violent explosive devel- 
 opment of it was remarked. 
 
 AN.%LY«tE8 OF AMESICAN AND FOREIGN rJOALS. 
 
 On the Slhof March, 1842, the writer communicated to the 
 Academy of Natural Sciences the results of a .series of expe- 
 riments on American and foreign coals, exhibiting the residue 
 of each on which he had experimented, with u view of ascer- 
 taining the relative proportions* of volatile matter, earthy 
 
lAft 
 
 matter* and fixed cnrhon. Th« experiments were performed 
 on all in a similar mrtnner, viz. by expasinjj the coal to a red 
 heat, raised as rapidly as possible. As the moisture, however, 
 is in «uch casen brouj^hr, in eontact with earbon at a hij!;h 
 temperatitre, it may, by decomposition, canse 8ome of the 
 carbon to he carried off, :ind thus raise the estimate of the 
 volatile matter above what it would be, if more slowly eon- 
 duetcd. Incineration was conducted in a muiUc, at a high 
 and lonj; continued temperature. 
 
 The following arc the results of the analysts of some of these 
 coals : 
 
 Vol. mstur. Aohes, 
 
 Newcastle coal, per cent. - iit>.0 «. 4 1 
 
 »Sy<lncy, - - - - 43..'i 1.50 
 
 Liverpool, ... 37.9 o.7'4 
 
 Statlbrdshirc, - . - 47,5 I.8G 
 
 Welsh, anthracite, • • 4,4 4.10 
 
 Pictou, .... 30.7 8.00 
 
 Uichmond, - - - - 1,5.1 24.74 
 
 Do, (another sample,) 17.3 17.08 
 
 Rhode Isliind, anthracite - 13.1 11.2(1 
 
 Kallstowu, (Heaver river,) Pa., 35.8 6.43 
 
 Beaver Meiidow,(spheroid coal,) t).0 5.G0 
 
 Shamokin, anthracite, - J).l 5.84 
 
 Wilkesbarre, do. - - 8.9 1 !.(>(» 
 
 Beaver Meadow, (Piatt tract,) 7.» COO 
 
 Fixeii fo »ol. 
 
 Carboa. combua'c. 
 
 70.5ti 
 55.00 
 til. .38 
 50.04 
 DI.50 
 61.30 
 60.16 
 6,5.02 
 
 7;,.- ; 
 
 57.70 
 8.5..50 
 85.06 
 70.74 
 86.10 
 
 2.13 
 1.26 
 1.62 
 1.06 
 20.80 
 1.99 
 3.98 
 3.79 
 ft.77 
 1.61 
 9.50 
 0.34 
 8.96 
 10.9 
 
 Si 
 
 i\ 
 
 ANALYSIS OF THE NATURAL COKB OF VIRGINIA. 
 
 From the Procexdingt nf the Academy Natural Saeifty, tot. 1, p. 223. 
 
 Prof. Johnson mentioned that he had made trials to deter- 
 mine the volatile and earthy ingredients of the so-called na- 
 tural coke from Virginia, of which samples were exhibited at 
 a preceding meeting of the Academy. This substance pre- 
 sents in its exterior appearance a strong contrast with all 
 known varieties of either anthracite or bituminous coal. It 
 is wholly wanting in lustre. It has lost, if it ever possessed, 
 all continuous .slines or cleats, and even the surfaces of depo- 
 sition appear to be in a great degree obliterated. Its texture 
 is porous. It is in very many, if not all, specimens, .strongly 
 charged with iron pyrites, which, by exposure to the air, 
 elHorescing into sulphate of iron, gives the appearance of 
 friability to the material, and by this means distinguish it 
 clearly horn anthracite. 
 
Ih 
 
 i 
 1 
 
 - 
 
 i 
 
 1 
 ) 
 
 \ 
 
 ; 
 
 Two samples of this conibuslil)le were tried for the jjiirpose 
 of useerljiiiiiiip: the amount of earthy matter, volatile matter, 
 and fixed carbon. The lirst gave of 
 
 Volatile matter, 
 Carbon, - 
 Earthy matter, 
 
 Per cent. 
 il.Ui 
 
 77.80 
 1().{)8 
 
 100. 
 
 The second, which iippearcd lo be rather more highly^ 
 charged with pyrites than the other, gave, by the mean of 
 four separate incinerations, of 
 
 Volatile matter. 
 Earl lily matter, 
 Fixed Carbon, 
 
 Per cent. 
 lt.H-2 
 
 8'^>.75 
 
 100. 
 
 The distillation of this substance l)y the Ip.imediate applica- 
 tion of a red heat, produces a gas which burns with a steady 
 clear (lame, of a yellowish white color, accompanied by a little 
 smoke, which, however, nearly or (luile disiippears when the 
 access of air is free and abundant. 
 
 The distiUation produces no enlargement of volume or 
 adhesion of th(> particles of earbonaceous matter, as in cer- 
 tain semi-bifuminous or "transition" eoais, such as that Ibund 
 on Stony GrecU, in I)au])hin county, Pennsylvania. 
 
 In regard to the applicability of'the term "natural coke" to 
 this sul)sfance, it was remark(>d, that, understanding lliis term 
 as indicating a change of texture from that of the bituminous 
 coal of the same district, a partial discharge of the volatile 
 ingredients of the same coal, and as a necessary consequence,^ 
 a relative augmentation of the earthy material as well as of 
 the fixed carbon, there is no impropriety in its use, but, on the 
 contrary, a peculiar propriety, inasmuch as neither of the 
 other terms in general use to designate mineral fuel is appli- 
 cable to this variety. lie referred to the geological report of 
 the State of Virginia, in which an analysis of this substance 
 is given, exhibiting its composition as follows, viz: 
 
 Volatile matter, 
 Fixed Carbon, 
 Ashes. - 
 
 9.98 
 
 8f»..S0 
 
 U.72 
 
157 
 
 COAT, FROM TIIR VAI.I.RY OV ItA/.ET- ('RF,nK, i'A. 
 
 The foUowiiij; unrilyscs from the VjiUey of Ila/.lo Civrk, 
 were published in \\iv. .loiinial of ihc FniiiUliii Institute, Vol. 
 yi, ])i\iH' Hi, I'oi- Aiij^aist, 1h:}«> : 
 
 i\o. I is compact in struct lire, j^ivinj* eonchoi(hil fractures 
 in all (lirciclions, !ip|)ar('ntly indilicrcnt to the surfaces of dc- 
 posiiioM, which are manifested only hy alternatinj; lines or 
 seams ol" hlueish hlacU and jei hlacU, which mark the succes- 
 sive layers. This appearance f^ives the idea that these sur- 
 faces have been in a fjreat measure obliterated, while the 
 whole mnss was, from some cause, in a somi-tluid state. The 
 specilic <;ravity of this spe(;lme!i is 1. ;")<,)!. 
 
 When heated to a temperature suilicient tt jxpel the water 
 which it contains, without dec(.vmposin<^ it. 
 
 The specimen No. 1 lost - ... - 
 
 When the dried coal is ij,Miited to redness for some 
 
 time in a close vessel, it yields carbonic oxide and 
 
 earburctted hydrogen, with a small portion of 
 
 sulphur, .-.----- 
 
 The remaining (ixed carbon is - - - - 
 
 ''Silica, 
 Alumina, 
 P(!roxide of iron, - 
 Earthy matter 4.83 per ct. viz. <^ Lime, - 
 
 Magnesia, - 
 Protoxide of mtin- 
 [^ ganese, - 
 
 Per cent. 
 1.U15 
 
 5.008 
 
 88.187 
 
 i>.58n 
 
 1.772 
 
 .270 
 
 .1.S8 
 
 .052 
 
 .009 
 
 100. 
 
 From the latter numliers it will be perceived that of the 
 fixed ingredients or ashes of this coal, 100 parts will be com- 
 posed of 
 
 Silica, - - 53.603 
 
 Alumina, - - 36.087 
 Perox. of iron, - 5.500 
 Lime, - - - 2.8.57 
 Magnesia, - - 1.076 
 Prot. manganese, 0.186 
 
 The ashes of this coal are of a yellowish white or very light 
 buff color, and very bulky. Exclusive of moisture, the fixed 
 is to the volatile combustible matter as 17.4 to 1. 
 
 Specimen No. 2 has a specific gravity of 1.5 < 4. The color 
 and other external characters of this coal are similar to those 
 
fII I 
 
 :!,! 
 
 i 
 
 1.. 
 
 
 \ '^''^ 
 
 ill 
 
 158 
 
 of No. 1, but it was remarked that the surfaces of deposition 
 are even more completely oblitei'ated than in that specimen ; 
 and that in the direction of those surfaces, no even faces could 
 be procured in fracturing? the coal ; while in planes at right 
 angles to those surfaces, it h;is a "grain" or "sl'ne" represented 
 b) exceedingly thin plat es of white earthy matter, along which 
 fractures frequently occur. 
 
 By heating to a temperature of 370° Fahrenheit 
 this coal loses ---»-.- 
 By heating to whiteness in a close vessel, it gives 
 ofcarhonic oxide and a littlecarburetted hydrogen 
 The ( arbon not capable of being volatized by sim- 
 ple heat, is ------- 
 
 Its earthy impurities, including oxides, amount to 
 8.73 per ct. viz: Silica, 
 
 Alumina, 
 Peroxide of iron, - 
 Lime, - - - 
 Magnesia, - 
 Loss, - - - 
 
 Per cent. 
 
 2.196 
 
 3.1(55 
 
 85.009 
 
 3.938 
 
 3.230 
 
 1.135 
 
 .120 
 
 .120 
 
 .015 
 
 100.000 
 
 The proportions of the several ingredients of the ashes of 
 this coal are somewhat dilferent Irom Lose of No. 1. 
 
 Thus the Silica is 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 4.5.105 
 
 per cent. 
 
 Alumina, 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 37.000 
 
 
 Peroxide of iron. 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 13.000 
 
 
 L\w, - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 1.380 
 
 
 Magnesia, 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 2.130 
 
 
 Loss, 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 1.085 
 
 
 100.000 
 The fixed to volatile combustible, 27.1 to 1. 
 
 The ashes are nearly white, or A\'ith a very slight tinge only 
 of red, and are distinguished from those of No. 1 by a. far 
 greater dcnsi'i/, being under a given bulk al)out two and a 
 half times as heavy as the latter. A larger portion of oxide 
 of iron and of manganese will be observed in the second than 
 in the first analysis. 
 
 Specimen No. 3 was taken from the same bed as No. 2, and 
 was found to have a specific gravity" of 1.55. The color of 
 this cnal is a deep and nearly uniform black — shining. Frac- 
 tUi. u-regular, splintery. 
 
 ' 
 
eposition 
 lecimen ; 
 zes could 
 at right 
 )resented 
 iig which 
 
 Per cent. 
 
 2.196 
 
 3.165 
 
 85.909 
 
 3.938 
 3.230 
 1.135 
 
 .120 
 
 .120 
 
 .015 
 
 00.000 
 
 ashes of 
 
 1. 
 
 per cent. 
 
 <( 
 
 « 
 
 inge onl}^ 
 l)y a far 
 Ao and a 
 of oxide 
 Olid than 
 
 ^o. 
 
 and 
 color of 
 . Frac- 
 
 Per cent. 
 
 2.250 
 
 4.625 
 
 90.705 
 
 1.071 
 
 .965 
 
 .135 
 
 .141 
 
 .073 
 
 • 
 
 The water in this coal was found to be 
 Loss by heating for some time to whiteness, gas 
 burning with bluish white light - - - 
 
 Carbon not volatile at white heat, * * " 
 Earthy ingredients 2.242 per ct. composed of 
 
 Silica, 
 
 Alumina, - - . - 
 
 Peroxide of iron, ... 
 
 Lime, 
 
 Magnesia, - . - - 
 
 Oxide of manganese, trace, 
 
 99.965 
 Fixed to volatile combustilde, as 19.61 to 1. 
 It appears therefore that this is considerably richer in car- 
 bon than eilher of the other specimens, and that its earthy 
 residuum is but little more than one fourth as great as that 
 of No. 2. 
 
 Th. proportion of the several ingredients of the ashes, it 
 will be observed, is Silica, , . - - 43 68 
 
 Alumina, . - - - 39.34 
 Peroxide of iron, - - 8.22 
 Lime, .... 5.76 
 Magnesia, . . - 3.00 
 
 100.00 
 This specimen has, therefore, both in the amount of its fixed 
 carbon and in the small proportion of its earthy residuum, a 
 considerable advantage over either of the ^ .eceding. Its 
 specific gravity is also the lowest of the three. The density 
 of its ashes is "intermediate between that of 1 and 2, being ex- 
 actly three-fourths as great as the latter, so that the density 
 of the residiuim of No. 1 is represented by - 8 
 That of No. 2 by - - - 15 
 
 That of No. 3 by ... 20 
 
 By an average of the three analyses above given, it will be 
 seeii that the proportion of water in this coal, is 2.120 per cent. 
 The other volatile ingredients are - - 4.286 
 The earthy matter, oxides, &c. - - - 5.263 ^' 
 Carbon, ■-.----- 88.331 
 
 100. 
 and the mean ratio of fixed to volatile combustible, 20.60 to I. 
 Hence the coiiibnstil)lc matter, including the gaseous and 
 solid materials amounts to 92.552 per cent. 
 
 I 1 
 
n 
 
 I i 
 
 160 
 
 In concIu$»ion, I may observe, that while these analyses do- 
 monstrate the high density and compactness of this coal, rifting 
 it for the purposes of steam navi^'ation, for which these qual- 
 ities, combined with great Iteating power, are of primary im- 
 portance, they also show that, for the various nr(s, and for 
 domestic consumption, its properties are calculated to sustain 
 the high character of the central coal-tielii of Pennsylvania, 
 for the concentrated and durable heat which it furnishes, and 
 the absence of those ingredients which might inturl'ere with 
 its useful application. 
 
 COALS OF BRADFOiin COlNTV, PA. 
 
 The coal-field of Carbon Creek, Bradford County, Pa., ten 
 miles from Towanda, was examined by the author of these 
 pages, in 1839, and the following analyses given : 
 
 in 
 
 LoCAtlTV. 
 
 •2 IS 
 
 .S CI 1 1= 
 
 > ."• ' * , 
 E ,'^* ^ ti 
 
 ^ l« s;^ 
 
 i. '1 " § ■- 
 
 I 5l! 1.3 45 
 1.45 1.9 1 0.2 
 1.4(i 1.2 5 7 
 1.38 2.5' 3 
 
 1.38 1.0 3 5 
 1.35 1.3 i ti.5 
 
 1.39 O.G 2.8 
 1.4U 2.1 
 
 a 
 
 to 
 
 1 
 
 a 
 » 
 
 92 
 9 3 
 12.2 
 15.(1 
 14.7 
 115 
 15.4 
 JG.8 
 
 1 
 
 P. 
 
 U 
 
 Earthy motfer. 
 
 1 
 7 a 
 
 1 
 s 
 
 Fall Creek 
 
 Fall Creek 
 
 f!2.{i 
 7(1.0 
 (i3.!) 
 (18. 1 
 fi5.5 
 74.9 
 
 m.i 
 
 68.5 
 
 22.4 
 1 *T r. 1 
 
 4 Jfi 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 5 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 Fall Creek 
 
 Miller's opening, middk' ply, old <tri(t... 
 
 Miller's opening', v-pper ply, old drill 
 
 Do. «lo. do. do 
 
 Mason's bed, middle ply ,.. 
 
 17.0 ,3.34 
 11.5 .J. 32 
 15.3 3.48 
 5.73 3.88 
 13 1 3.85 
 12.53:3.63 
 1 
 
 ^ 
 
 Mason's bed, lower ply 
 
 In all the above analyses except the last, the weight of con- 
 densible vapours, produced by heating to rednei^s, is deter- 
 mined .separately ivoin that hygronictric moi.sture which is 
 expelled a little above the boiling point. 
 
 It may be observed that the ratio of fixed to volatile com- 
 bustible matter in this coal is on an average a.71. This, 
 as seen at p. 9G, places the Towatida coal in range with 
 those of Cambria County and Queen's Run, (Clinton County,) 
 Pa.; and the evaporative power may therefore be sujiposed to 
 range between 9.21 and 10.27. la the British series, (j). 97,) 
 it might possibly take rank ^ith Ebbw A'ale coal, which 
 would make the evaporative ; wer 10.21. But this could 
 hardly be expected, since the e'a.thy matter of the Towanda 
 coal is 13.77 per cent., while thai of Ebbw Vale coal is no 
 more than 1.5 per cent, (vide ante, p. 77.) 
 
 B.«i 
 
RECENT INVESTIGATIOXS 
 
 RELATIVK TO 
 
 AMERICAN AND FOREIGN COALS. 
 
 a 
 
 
 t4 16 
 
 4.02 
 3:J4 
 .-1.32 
 3.48 
 
 \ 
 
 \ 
 
 I.---COAL FIELD OP NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 That coal exists in the interior of North Carolina has been 
 known to a limited number of persons for some years. But 
 of the nature, extent, and exaet position of this coal, its geo- 
 logieal relations, or the roeks with which it is associated, little 
 has hitherto heen made known. In October, 1819, the writer 
 being on a tour through the middle and western parts of North 
 Carolina, took oceasion to pay a visit to the coal field in ques- 
 tion, and, in company with his obliging friend. Prof, K. 
 i\Iitche1, of the University of North Carolina, spent two or 
 three, days in traversing the northern and western out crop of 
 the basin. This basin lies partly in the county of Chatham, 
 and partly in that of Moore, and is traversed longitudinally 
 by the channel of Deep lliver, a branch of the Cape Fear 
 River. This coal Held consequently lies almost exactly in 
 the centre of the State, and its norll^eastern extremity is about 
 seventy-five miles by the course of the stream above the town 
 of Fayeiteville, to which, it is known, steamboat navigation 
 reaches from the city of Wilmington, The Cape Fear and 
 Deep Rivers are about to be rendered navigable by means of 
 slack water pools and locks, for which the surveys have al- 
 ready extended to the upper part of the coal field, and con- 
 tracts have been entercnl into for the execution of the work. 
 
 The first point at which the coal measures were observed, 
 was near the farm of Mr. Ferrish, situat(>d at the month of 
 Ge()rg(.''s Creek, a tributary of Deep River. This is in the 
 southern part of the county of Chatham, and, according to 
 information, is not far from the northeastern extremity of the 
 basin. A thin seam of coal is said to have been (.bserved on 
 the souflun-n side of the river, about two miles southeastward 
 from Ferrish's house. The rock which appears to constitute 
 
il' 
 
 { 
 
 .1 i' 
 
 ti 
 
 162 
 
 onf! of the lowest, if not the ver}' lowest, membcir of tlie coal 
 series, is a reddish hrown snndstone, sometimes employed in 
 the eountry for !)tnldinj;^ purposes, at other times for m.ikiiig 
 grindstones. A similar rock was noticed on the Kji!eif:h r«:;ul 
 about thirteen milts from Chnpcl Mill, and iit other pl.K-cs, 
 where it is, from point to point, interrupted hy <lil<es of a dark 
 colored trap. At the edjtje of the eoal basin, this red san<lstonc 
 seems to repose on the ui)turned edges of the older slates be- 
 loniLjinf^ to the jiold rej^ion, but of this faet 1 had no opportu- 
 nity of seeing positive evidence. 
 
 The sandstone in the ereek at the rear of Ferrish's liouse, 
 dips southward in a low angle not exceeding t^. Tlie nu're 
 edge of the seam, three feet three inches thick, has been laid 
 bare in three or four places on the plantation; but nowhere is 
 it pursued far enough to deterniine the actual thickness, when 
 found under a sufficient covering of rock, to justify mining 
 operations. The coal is covered with a stratum of slate, and 
 over that is another bed of red satidstone. The slate is seen 
 hi considerable thickness on the margin of the river, a few 
 hundred yards south of Mr. Ferrish's house. It appears to !)e 
 destitute of vegetable impressions, but filled with minute bi- 
 valve shells, and interspersed with many coprolites of fishes 
 or reptilia. In some of the lamina; of the slate arc thin plates 
 of carbonate of lime. 
 
 The coal found at Ferrislils has the character of ouf-crop 
 coal, but among the less friable portions are some specimens 
 which may with tolerable correctness represent the genera! 
 quality of the seam. 
 
 The next point examined was at ITorton's Mills, four miles 
 higher up the river. The openings on the seam are here made 
 along the course of a small tributary, a few hundred yards from 
 the river, on its northern bank. The dip is towards the S, 13 
 W. and the inclination of rocks at the mill-race is not more 
 than ten or twelve degrees, but on the underlying rocks in thfs 
 rear of the coal, it increases to about thirty degrees. Th(^ coal 
 is here used by blacksmiths. The thickness of the seam is 
 stated to be fiom four to five feet. 
 
 Four miles still higher up the river, a short distance above 
 Evans' Mills, and barely within the borders of I^Ioore county, 
 the rocks were noticed dipping iS. 43 E. 
 
 Two and a half miles further southwestward, are the coal 
 openings on Wilcox's land, the dip is to S. 45 E., and the angle 
 thirteen degrees. From being highly bituminous at Ferrish's 
 and semi-bituminous at Morton's, the coal at Wilcox's is 
 wholly anthiacitic. The tiiickness of the beds appears not to 
 
 111! 
 
168 
 
 have bpcn ascert.ained, as only tlic eds^c has been explored for 
 a few rods ah«ig the course of a rivulet about half a mile 
 from the river. 
 
 The coal measures continue two or three niih.'s further, to 
 the pliintation of Dr. Chalmers, (the Alston ])lace, noted for 
 one of Faiininj^'s attacks during the Uevolution,) near which 
 the materials of the coal appear to have passed even beyond 
 the anthracitic state, and to have been converted into plum- 
 bago. This material is used by the inhabitants for paint, 
 crayons, pencils, and other purposes for which the same sub- 
 stance has been elsewhere employed. 
 
 It is currently reported that eoal has been found on one of 
 the branches of Drowning Creek, which is the prinei])al head 
 of the Little Pedee. If so, it must be several miles to the 
 soutli or sout hv.''\st of the point last designated, and very near 
 the borders of the gold formation of Moore County. It is a 
 fact worthy of notice, that the older slates containing veins 
 of auriferous ijuartz, the gneiss rocks which border them, the 
 coal measures which overlie the latter, and the diluvial sands 
 overlapping all, come into immediate contiguity within the lim* 
 its of Mooi-e County. In the rear of Fcrrish's house is a high 
 outlying mound of the quartzose pebbles which, though now 
 reposing on the rocks of the coal formation, appear to have 
 been derived from the older slate veins a short distance to the 
 northwest. We were assured also that particles of jrold had 
 been found among the sands in the very stream, and at the 
 spot where INIr. Ferrish had found the seam of coal above re- 
 ferred to. Cases of the superposition of the drift-sand upon 
 the red sandstones, apparently those of the coal series, maybe 
 observed in travelling? 8. S. W. from Carthage, towards the 
 Fayetteville and Yadkin road, where though the general level 
 of the road is on the sandy beds, yet the denudations caused 
 by the streams have in numerous instances revealed the nearly 
 horizontal older sandstone beds of t he coal series. The coming 
 in contact of the drift beds and the slates and gneissoid 
 rocks may be noticed on the Fayetteville road, about 5 miles 
 above Chisholm's, towards Troy. The beds of reddish clay, 
 sand, and pebbles, art; here seen distinctly interstratitied and re- 
 posing on the older rocks. From this point westward, the peb- 
 bles increase in size, and at length become boulders, the quartz 
 being in some cases cemented into a conglomerate by clay and 
 oxide of iron. In one locality, about 8 miles from Troy, the 
 auriferous slates and quartz are seen on edge, overlaid by 
 the beds which has'c evidently been derived from the materials 
 of the older series against which ihey rest. These observa- 
 
il 
 
 if 
 
 iliil^ 
 
 
 li" 
 
 164 
 
 tions may hereafter be found of some value as indieatiiif:if the 
 possihlr Vxfensiou of the «'oal measures heneatli the sandy 
 plains \v}irn> no trace of thv'w rocks is now visible, and they 
 at least signify, that but for the extensive (!(>nu(lation caused 
 by the Deep River and its tributaries, wr niiuht still be igno- 
 rant of the exist ence of coal in the parts to which we have 
 already referred. 
 
 An attentive comparison of tlie following analyses, will 
 prove that we liave here .-idded another to those eases of coal 
 fields which contain in ditlerent parts coals of widely dill'er- 
 ing constitution. We had previously the South Welsh coal 
 field, the Lehigh, Schuylkill, and Suscjuehanna coal trough, 
 (the most southern of the Pennsylvania anthracite districts,) 
 the Belgium eoal field, and llie coal field of Eastern Vir- 
 ginia, which yields at the northeastern part the Natural coke, 
 (a species of anthracite,) and Barr's Deep Run semi-bitumi- 
 nous coal, together with the Mi(Uothian and Clover Hill coals 
 of high bituminousness. Besides going through all the gra- 
 dations of coal, the North Carolina field evidently runs at both 
 extremities into plumbago, associated with, and apparently 
 produced by the igneous rocks which have been injected into 
 the coal series altering and tilting the strata, and in many ca- 
 ses disintegrating the sandstones and other materials. A few 
 miles from Raleigh, towards the Northeastern part »)f the coal 
 district, is found (he extensive bed of graphite which has al- 
 ready attracted considerable attention. This is underlaid by 
 a sandstone very closely resembling that found beneath the 
 coal at Deep River, but giving signs of having been subjected 
 to intense her»t for a long period, developing certain meta- 
 morphic characters, such as the partial coalescing of the in- 
 tegrant particles, as if by incipient fusion. 
 
 In 18'^4, in a report to the Legislature of North Carolina on 
 the geology of that State, Professor Dennison Olmstead des- 
 cribes the formation containing the plumbago, referring to the 
 4th volume of Silliman*s Journal for a more full account. 
 
 Of the coal formation, Prof. O. remarks, *'it is fifty years 
 since the coal was first <liscovered. For some years past the 
 mine has been neglected. The principal excavation is one 
 mile from Deep River. It dips to the southeast in an angle 
 of twenty* live degree.^ — the thickness of the bed wheu cMtircly 
 exposed is about one foot. The coal is highly bituiiiinous, 
 burns readily with a bright flame, and is of much the same 
 quality as the Richmond coal. With regard to extent, i have 
 no certain information. On the road from Salem to Fayctte- 
 ville by the way of Tyson*s mills, on Deep river, the traveller 
 
m 
 
 crosses a number of rUl<?es of that sholly kintl of black slate 
 which is the accompaniment of t.li<* coal,. '(nd may be considered 
 a symptom of it wherever it occurs. This, however, passes 
 unAer a soft red rock called by jjjeolojijists slaty clay, which 
 extends sf)Uthwards oward ^ Mooyc Court-house, and nothing 
 is seen of the slaty rock south of the river.'* 
 
 By comparini,' this de liplion with the fore;,'oing account 
 of tiic North Ciirolina coal Held, it will be observed that sub- 
 seriuent examination have much extended our knowledge of 
 this intcrestint; coal formation. Not, only the slati^ hut the 
 coal has now been discovered <outhof the river, and not only 
 these, but the soft red rock overlying' the slate is seen several 
 miles on the road from the river towards Moore Court-house, 
 anil even several miles further to the south or southwest. 
 On the old road towards Troy, the red sandstone appears 
 wherever the denuding ae urn of the streams has removed the 
 diluvial white sands which, as already noted, overspread in 
 part the very edges of the coal lormation. A notice of this 
 sandstone rendered highly probahle the account given at 
 Moore Court-house, of the reeent finding of coal on Drowning 
 Creek. The edges of the Richmond coal lields are in a simi- 
 lar manner partly covered by the drift, and all those of Rhode 
 Island and Massachusetts, as noticed on a preceding page. 
 
 The shells and coprolites found overlying the coal in North 
 Carolina very forcibly recalled the appearnn-e of similar ma- 
 terials in the slates overlying the principal seam at Sydney, 
 Cape Breton, and at the South .loggin's shore on the Bay 
 of Fundy. As to the contemporaneousness of the bitumi- 
 nous, semi-bituminous, and anthracite beds of North Caro- 
 lina, there can no longer be a doubt ; nnd that the plumbagi- 
 nous mass at the northeastern prolongation of the coal forma- 
 tion, as well as the gri»i)hitous slate at the southwestern part, 
 has had a similar origin, appears equally certain. 
 
 ANALYSES Or DEEP UIVEU COALS, N<1RTll CAROLINA. 
 
 1. Ferrish^x highly hituminom coal. 
 
 The mean specific gravity of two specimens from this lo- 
 cality was 4. .'J 13. 
 
 It contained— Volatile matter, 3-2.H2 per cent. 
 Fixed carbon, 03.78 
 Earthy matter, 3.10 
 
 100.00 
 
166 
 
 ! II 
 
 if 
 
 \% 
 
 Hence the fixed is to the volatile comhustlhic matter as 1.04 
 to I. The ashes are very h'ght. and of a yellowish color tinged 
 with red, or approaching a i^almon color. 
 
 2. Horton*8 Sfmi-bituminous coal, 
 
 Spcctfie gravity hy the mean of two specimens 1.311. 
 It contains of Volatile matter* 23.<»3 per cent. 
 
 Fixetl carbon, 72.57 " 
 
 Earthy matter, 3.80 *• 
 
 100.00 
 
 Fixed to volatile combustible matter, as 3.07 to 1. The 
 ashes arc heavier and of a darker eolor than the preceding^. 
 It wilt l)e observed that this sample shows 28 per cent, less 
 bituminous matter than Ferrish's, and contains 1 1.17 percent, 
 more earthy matter. 
 
 3. Wikox*s anthracite. 
 
 The mean specific gravity of two specimens was foutid to 
 be 1.540. 
 
 The Volatile matter, r».04 per cent. 
 Fixed carbon, 83.70 " 
 Earthy matter, O.fiO ♦• 
 
 100.00 
 
 The fixed to the volatile combustible is, consequently, as 
 12.61 to 1. The ashes are heavier than those of eilherof the 
 other specimens. The per centageof ash is exactly double of 
 that of Ilorton'.s coal. Its color is a reddish gray. It wilt form 
 a portion of clinker when subjected to intense ignition ; but in 
 this respect it is believed to be on a par with the average 
 of Pennsylvania anthracites. 
 
 4. Plumbaginous slate near Dr, Chaf>ncr\ on Deep River, six 
 miles southwest vf HortoiCs, 
 
 On immersing this substance in water, it imbibed the liquid 
 with much rapidity, giving out bubbles of air, and throwing 
 off scales of the slate with great activity. It was conse- 
 quently impracticable to get the specific gravity by this means. 
 The porousness thus indicated may perhaps be received as an 
 evidence of the expulsion from it by heat of what was once 
 a part of its constituents. 
 
The 
 
 \Vhc!n subjected to a red heat without acccs.«i of air, 
 
 it loses -------- 11.18 
 
 When incinerated it loses of fixed carbon, • - 10.35 
 
 And leaves of reddish grey ash, - - - - 78.49 
 
 100.00 
 Tlie ash when finely puUeri zed gives a beautiful flesh color, 
 whieh ini;;ht probably be advantageously employed as a pig- 
 ment, as the raw material itself is employed for a black paint. 
 
 6. Plumbago uf Mr. R. Smith\s wj/nr, six miles from Ruhigh, 
 
 This plumbago has a specific gravity of 2.05'^, 
 Exposed to red heat without access of air, it loses - 0.40 
 After long incineration leaves of a whitish ash - 74.29 
 Consequently the llxed carbon is only - - - 1(5.25 
 The asli has a silky lustre, and preserves the form of the 
 original scales of graphite. The term plumbaginous talc, 
 might perhaps with propriety be applied to this substance. 
 
 II.— ANTHRACITE OP RUSSIA. 
 
 At a meeting of the National Institute, Washington, March 
 1849, the writer exhibited a specimen of anthracite from the 
 town of Gruschof ka, in the country of the Don Cossacks, 
 Southern European Russia, and instituted a comparison be- 
 tween it and the anthracite of our own and other countries. 
 He observed that it was usual for anthracite to break with 
 as much facility across the surfaces of deposition as in di- 
 rections parallef to those surfaces ; and that when surfaces 
 of deposition were exposed by fracture, they exhibited less 
 brilliancy than the surfaces of fracture in other directions. 
 The reverse of this was true of the Russian specimen exhibited, 
 and the lustre of its surfaces of deposition was owing to the 
 presence of innumerable very minute organic remains re- 
 sembling scales. In this particular, it resembles several bitu- 
 minous coals previously examined, and especially that found 
 near Greenupsburg, in Kentucky, save that in the latter the 
 scales are without lustre. 
 
 The specific gravity of the Russian anthracite is 1.66, in 
 which property it is surpassed by few of the anthracites of 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 It gives by analysis, Volatile matter, - 7.17 per cent. 
 
 Fixed Carbon. - 91.23 « 
 
 Earthy matter, • 1.60 " 
 
 100. 
 
lit 
 
 
 168 
 
 Consequently the fixed is to the volatile combustible mat* 
 ter» as I'^.T'i to !. 
 
 A coal with thesf^i properties must possess gr<*at hi^atingr 
 power; and will rank with some of tlie best varieties of 
 Pennsylvania anthracite. 
 
 III. — KCNIi.WVA CANNF.L COAL. 
 
 Coal below the Falls of the Kcnhawa^ Virginitu 
 
 This eoal is exceedingly compaet in texture, breaks with 
 clear conchoidal fractures, has a jet black colour, and will 
 receive a beautiful polish. It is so clean as not to soil while 
 muslin on being rubbed, and bears handling and transporta- 
 tion without liability to disintegrate; its specific gravity is 
 1.27; healed rapidly to a bright red heat without access of 
 air, it loses 45.53 per cent, of volatile matter, giving otf a gas 
 burning with brilliant tlame and leaving a coke of no greater 
 bulk than the coal which had been used, but the original form 
 of fragments is wholly lost ; when coked slowly it loses <mly 
 41.*2'2 per cent, of volatile matter, but the form of the pieces 
 is still as completely obliterated as before, .^fter complete 
 incineration it leaves of greyish white rather dense ash ICI.13 
 per cent. At a medium rate of coking, therefore, the compo- 
 sition will be — 
 
 Volatile matter 4.T37 per cent. 
 
 Fixed Carbon 4C..'iO " 
 
 Earthy matter 10.13 ** 
 
 100, 
 Ratio of fixed to volatile combustible, as 1.07 to 1. 
 
 This coal will produce its he.iting elTects with ipreat rapi- 
 dity, and will probably be found free from clinker. 
 
 A specimen of coal from the Elk river, a tributary of the 
 Kenhawa, gave by slow and rapid coking respectively 41.11 
 and 43.75 per cent, of volatile matter. 
 
 It may here be stated that a great amount of heat is evi- 
 dently rendered latent, when carburetted hydrogen gas is 
 produced either from coal, rosin, oil, or other material. The 
 quantify of fuel re([uired to heat gas retorts, while converting 
 the volatile part of the coal into gas, is, to a certain extent, 
 a measure of the heat of elasticity of such gas. 
 
 The rapid absorption of heat while gas is evolved, is proved 
 by the blackness maintained by any coal as long as gas 
 continues to be produced. 
 
The Kenhawa Cannel coal illustrates this effect in a man- 
 ner BiiUiciently remarkable, the coal remaining black while 
 gix'inisj; otf the most brilliant tlame of gas. An analogous il- 
 lustration of the effect mentioned, is given where liquid car- 
 bonic acid, generated under great pressure, (as in the experi- 
 ments of Thillorier,) is suddenly relieved from pressure and 
 escaping into the atmosphere, becomes in part converted into 
 gas absorbing so large an amount of heat as to translbrm 
 another part of the liquid acid into a solid with an enormous 
 reduction of temperature, (70 or 80 degrees below zero.) 
 
 IV.— CANNBL COAL PROM BEAVER, PA. 
 
 This coal presents only in part the massiveness and the 
 smooth conehoidal fractures of other cannel coals. It displays 
 in part the surfaces of deposition belonging to ordinary bitumi- 
 nous coalsj and has, diffused throughout, minute «ilky vegeta- 
 ble impressions. Its specific gravity is 1.313. 
 
 It contains of Volatile matter - - - . 38.25 
 Fixed Carbon - • • -51.46 
 Earthy matter - . - - 10.29 
 
 Hence the fixed is to the volatile combustible matter, as 
 1.34 to 1. The ashes of this coal are nearly white. 
 
 V. — C0A1.8 OF Lim.E BANDV RIVER, KENTUCKY. 
 
 1. Ctmh from near Caroline furmtce, Greenup county. 
 This coal presents the following characters: 
 
 Its texture is close ; structure foliated ; surfaces of deposi- 
 tion dull, with mineral charcoal, or having a pitchy lustre ; 
 fracture even } and the main partings nearly at right angles 
 to the surfaces of deposition. It has a specific gravity of 
 1.304. Subjected, by very slow degrees, to a bright red heat, 
 it gives a copious development of gases, and loses— 
 
 Of Volatile matter- ... - 38.00 per cent. 
 Its Fixed Carbon is .... 55.61 " 
 Earthy matter 6.39 " 
 
 100. 
 
 The fixed to volatile combustible is 1.46 to i. The ashes 
 are moderately dense, and of a reddish gray colour. 
 
■lll"llil 
 
 I I 
 
 i 
 
 lUiii 
 
 •^l 
 
 170 
 
 2. Another specimen of coal from this locality gave specif c 
 
 grarilij, \:2'^'l. 
 
 Two trials of Vol.-Hilo matter gave a mean of 17.1 per cent. 
 Fixed Carbon - - - - 4H,8 ^^ 
 Earthy matter - - - ^-^'^ 
 
 100. 
 Conseciuently the fixed was to the voUitile combustible as 
 
 1.03 to 1. 
 
 3. Coal from Kcntuchj furnace, six miles south of Greenups- 
 
 burg. 
 This coal has the followinj,^ external ehnrncters : Its slruc- 
 tureis foliated or slaty. Its surfaces of deposition exhibit 
 very abundant ve<retable impressions, and consequently but a 
 dull lustre. Its specilic gravity is 1.310. 
 
 It gave of Vohitile matter by slow coking - - .{f^.uo 
 
 Fixed Ci.rbon •'><;-^;; 
 
 Earthy matter - - - - " •^•*''^ 
 
 100. 
 The ratio of fixed to volatile eombustible, as 1.49 to 1. • 
 The earthy matter is of a deej) brown colour, and much 
 inclined to vi'triilcation in clinkering. 
 
 VI.— COM, OF MOUNT CAUDON, ON BIG MUDDY RIVEP, JACKPON (OUNTV, 
 
 luuiNois, {V.\ miles hi/ the route of a proposed railroad to tlic 
 Mississippi river.) 
 
 This coal has the following exterior character. Its struc- 
 ture is lamellar; its surfaces of deposition are stongly mnrked 
 with mineralized charcoal; some of its crop Irneluies have 
 their laminae ol" iron pyrites completely eoatmg the foal.— 
 The coal bears handling well, ami is but little liable to iall 
 into slack. It has a specilic gravity of 1.29. It gave upon 
 
 analysis of — .r. c^- * 
 
 Volatile matter by rapid distillation - - 40.8;, per cent. 
 
 Fixed Carbon, two trials 
 Earthy matter 
 
 55 ^' 
 
 59 
 3.5G 
 
 100.00 
 
 Consequently the fixed is to the volatile combustible matter 
 as 1.30 to 1, which brings it into the class of the Indiaiuiaiul 
 Kentucky coals already in extensive use on the Ohio and INlis- 
 
m 
 
 sissippi. The prcsniipc of thv. sulplmrct nlrcady nol iood ^j^lvcs 
 rise to flic rormalion of n i'<'u ush, sonic porlioii of which will 
 at iiilcMso iy:iiitioii I'usc into a dark coloured (diiiUcr. 
 
 Professor IJ. Sillini;ni,Jr., has given an analysis of this coal 
 with the followinj; rcsidts: 
 Specilic irriivitv ...--- 
 
 Volatile malter - - • - 30.97 
 Fixed c:;ul)on - - '- - r)7,fJ0 
 Jiiyrht white ash - • - - J. 50 
 
 \.n52 
 
 
 100. 
 This analysis makes the ratio of llxed volatile eomhustible, 
 !.")•> to 1. 
 
 iMr. Dnvid ATii«het, of Colesford, l^iii^Hnnd, has also given 
 an analvsis as follows : 
 
 ••Flame, ^:e," (volatile matter) - - 'MVM 
 
 "(Carbon" .'il.fi.'i 
 
 " \Vhit(> clayey ash," - - - - 5.r,() 
 
 100. 
 
 It is prohablc llint in both the two preceding- aiinlysos the 
 cokins was performed less rapidly than that by which was 
 obtained 40.85 per cent of volatile malter. 
 
 VII. COAI, OF TUrMl!i;i,L COI.NTV, OHIO. 
 
 Analysis ol" the coal from Brier Hill, in Trumbull county, 
 gave the tbllowing characters and composition; 
 '^ The structure is foliated, the fracture even, oblicpic to the 
 surfaces of deposition, the lustre brilliant to jiitchy ; of vege- 
 table impressions it contains many, but they are not well^ de- 
 veloped on account of the uneven" fracture along the surfaces 
 of deposition. Its specific gravity is IM'2. When coked very 
 moderatelv at first, it yave scarcely any enlargement of the 
 original biilk of coal, though the Ibrm of the fragments was 
 totally lost. It gave a copious evolution of gas, and afforded 
 
 Of Volatile matter, - - - 38.18 per cent. 
 
 Of Fixed carbon, - - - - fxS. 11 
 Earthy matter - - - 3. 1(5 
 
 it 
 
 101). 
 
 Hence the fixed is to the volatile combustible as l.r)3 to 1. 
 The ashes are light, silicious, and of a pale fawn color. Ex- 
 periments on a large scale can alone ])rove how far the slight 
 proportion of waste in this specimen is capable of being veri- 
 fied by experience in the practical way. 
 
172 
 
 VIII. ARKANSAS COAL. 
 
 This coal is found at the mouth of Petit Jean River, a tribu- 
 tary of the Arkansa-, emptying into the latter river in latitude 
 about 35° north and 15° 50' west longitude from Washington. 
 
 This coal has a columnar structure, deep black color, bright 
 lustre ; texture somewhat loose ; surfaces of deposition marked 
 in part by sulphate of iron. Its speciiic gravity is 1.541. 
 
 In coking, it varies according as the heat is more or less 
 rapidly appMed. If slowly heated it scarcely changes the 
 forms of its fragments, and only exhibits slight cracks on 
 some of its faces. When rapidly coked, it bursts open in va- 
 rious directions, and the fragments in some cases fall apart, 
 while in others they remain slightly attached to each other. 
 The gas given off ia coking, burns with a short yellowish flame, 
 which continues but for a short time. The interior of the 
 crucible becomes covered with plumbago during the rapid 
 coking of this coal. The effect of a red heat is to decompose 
 the sulphate of iron, giving rise to sulphurous acid and perox- 
 ide of iron ; the latter remaining in the coke, giving it a red- 
 dish tinge, while the former is volatilized. 
 
 When slowly coked this coal gives of 
 
 Volatile matter, 
 When rapidly coked, " " 
 
 12.08 percent. 
 15.79 " 
 
 And the mean of these two is, 1.3.93 
 Fixed Carbon, 
 Earthy matter, - 
 
 70.35 
 9.72 
 
 u 
 <( 
 
 100. 
 Ratio of fixed to volatile combustible = 5.48 : 1. This 
 should seem to place the Arkansas coal about on a level with 
 Dauphin and Susquehanna, or NeiT's Cumberland coal of the 
 American Series, (p. 90,) or with the Dulfryn coal of the 
 British Series, (p. 97,) and if so, its evaporative power would 
 be somewhere between 9.34 and 10.14. 
 
 IX. ANTHRACITF OV F-MRROKESniRE, SOUTH WALES. 
 
 This anthracite strongly resembles that of Beaver Meadows, 
 Pennsylvania. Its color is deep black ; its fracture is even or 
 splintery. It manifests little or n< tendency to part along the 
 surfaces of deposition more than in any other direction. 
 
 It specific gravity is l.iOO. 
 
173 
 
 It contains of Volatile matter, - 
 Fixed Carbon, 
 Earthy matter, - 
 
 7.7G per cent. 
 90.85 " 
 1.39 
 
 100. 
 
 Consequently the fixed is to the volatile combustible mat- 
 ter as 11.7 to 1. 
 
 The ashes are dirty yellow, intermingled wilh white. It 
 was remarked that the coal seemed to cover itself with ashes, 
 (slight as is the quantity of the latter,) and to require a long 
 time to effect a complete combustion in the mullle. A strong 
 draught or suitable blast would no doubt remedy this defect. 
 
 X. ANTHRACITE FROM TOWN HILL, ALLEGHANY COUNTV, MD. 
 
 This specimen has the appearance of having been subjected 
 to intense pressure, and thereby rendered flaky and tender, a 
 result often observed in Pennsylvania, where either the coals 
 or the accompanying shales have been contorted, broken, and 
 compressed while sliding over each other. 
 
 It has a specific gravity of 1.702, which is sufilcient with- 
 out its loose shelly texture, its steel grey color, its streaked 
 and shining surface, to indicate that it is rather anthracitous 
 shale than pure anthracite. 
 
 By analysis, it gave Volatile matter, - 0.42 per cent. 
 
 Fixed Carbon, - - 02.87 
 L.irthy matter, - 30.71 " "" 
 
 Hence the fixed is to the volatile combustible matter as 
 9.79 to 1. As the hygrometric moisture is not here separately 
 determined, it is of course embraced among the volatile com- 
 bustible. 
 
 The earthy matter is shaly, preserving the forms of the 
 fragments of coal before incineration. This anthracite might 
 possibly answer for some purposes where the large amount 
 of residue would not constitute an objection — but for most of 
 the uses of anthracite, this would wholly preclude its adop- 
 tion. 
 
 XI. — HAY OF FUNDY COAL. 
 
 Coal from the King's seam, South Joggins'* shore, Bay of 
 Fundy, Cumberland county, Nova .Scotia. This coal is com- 
 pact ; lustre dull or pitchy; structure columnar; fracture 
 even and perpendicular to the surfaces of deposition. Specific 
 
 • See page 10. 
 
-I f; I "1 
 
 174 
 
 f 
 
 
 I 
 
 gravity 1.3S7. Coked vcvy .slowly it umlergops but little en- 
 largement of bulk, and the forms of the fragments are nearly 
 preserved. It gives by proximate analysis, 
 
 Volalile matter. 
 
 Fixed carbon, 
 
 Earthy matter, 
 
 H'i.'A per cent 
 
 r>7.C)(j " 
 
 lOrt. 
 
 Consequently the ratio of fixed to volatile combustible is 
 1.02 to 1. The ashes are of a very dark brown, almost black, 
 color, partly fused into clinker adhering to the platinum cap- 
 sule. 
 
 XII. — Sl'niN(} nil.L, NOVA SCuTIA, COAL. 
 
 The locality of this coal is ref(n-red to at pages H>, 11, and 
 10 of this work. In exterior characters the coal is Jbliatcd, 
 and its surfaces of deposition highly charged with minfrali/-ed 
 charcoal. The partings or main cleats arc oblique to those 
 surlaces aad exhihit a shining lustre. The coal appears to 
 bear handling well without disintegration. Its specillc gravity 
 by the mean of two trials is 1.351. 
 
 It gives of Volatile matter, 
 Fixed carbon, 
 Earthy matter, 
 
 31.30 per cent. 
 01.14 
 7.5(5 •* 
 
 100. 
 Consequently the rola'ion of the fixed to the volalile com- 
 bustible matter is l.i)0 to 1. The ashes are mixed of purpli.sh 
 and yellowish white portions, light and slightly coher.'ut. 
 
 xni. — t'OAL OP i.rriLK rivbr, cai'K r.uKTo.v. 
 
 This coal, of which specimens have been forwarded within 
 a few monlhs from .T. ^Y, Dawson, Escj., of Pietoii, is charac- 
 ierizeu by a foliated structure, compact texture, resim.us lustre, 
 and dead black color; some of its surlaces jire, however, 
 shining, as if from the effect of rubbing under heavy pressure. 
 Its speoitic gravitv is 1.3.j8. In coking it gives a copious dis- 
 charge of gas which burns with great brillianey, indicating a 
 good" port ion of bicarburetted hydrogen. Uy a pretty rapid 
 coking it ullbrds of Volatile matter, - - 3100 per cent. 
 And leave.'3 Fixed carhon, - - 5!. 12 
 Earthy matter, - - 10.50 
 
 100. 
 
 
175 
 
 Conscfiucntlv the fixed is to the volatile combustible matter 
 as 1.27 to i. The ashes are o{ a chocolate color, heavy, but 
 not easily vitrilied. 
 
 XIV. — COAL OP Nl-AV |1R«.NS\VJCK, 
 
 This coal is iVom the mines near the head of Grand Lake» 
 reierrcd to al pnue 1 1 of t his \voi-k. Its struci uvc is lamellar ; 
 its surfaces of deposit ion are dull black, with minute fossil 
 impressions copiously interspersed. 
 
 Tlie specimen havni<;- been kept for more than <hrec years, 
 hadbciiuntoexliibit etiloresccnt suiphateof iron and ammonia. 
 Itsspecilic gravity is \A-2l. Coked with moderate rapidity 
 it yielded Volatile matter, - - - .'{I.S? per cent. 
 Fixed carbon, - - • .W.O'. « 
 
 Earthy matter, ... VH)S 
 Consequently the fixed is to the volatile combustible mat. 
 tcr as 1.15 to i. The ashes are of a deej) red color. 
 
 
 XV. — nKnrruMiNt/r.n coai,. ei.ovEtt nu.i., va. 
 
 At the Tippecanoe pits, Clover Hill, in the southern part of 
 the Vir^Muia coal licld, is a dike of trap running i\w cast and 
 west, on «'ach side of which helow the surface of the grotmd 
 is found a stratum of fuller's earth. Where this trap dike 
 cuts the coal seam it has converted the coal in imuKMliale con- 
 fij-iiilvwilhthefulh'r'si-arlh.parlial'vintocoke, posst'<si!igthe 
 
 followmg characlcrs : 
 
 lis color is a dead black, searc<'ly any surface showing more 
 than a faint gliuun.-iing lustre. It* might readily be mistaken 
 for a very diMise art'.iivial coke, but it preserves, in some de- 
 gree, the columnar strueture of the coal, lis sjjeeiiie gravity is 
 l.(U~about fl' same as thai of many anthracites. Subjected 
 to a bright red heal, it retains the form of its fragments en- 
 tirely unehair^ed, but loses — 
 
 Volatile matter . 1 l.KM i-er cent. 
 
 And when incinerat^'d, give^ Fixed Carbon . 
 
 Leavi ig, 
 
 Earthly matter 
 
 7(J.M) 
 
 H.2h 
 
 100. 
 
 
 Hence the llxed is to the volatile combustible as ^1.18 to 1, 
 which would pla< e this nuiterial on a p.-.r. in point of consti-^ 
 tulion and probable .»vaporaii\e ])ower with the coals of 
 Cumberland, Md., J.nd o^ South Widcs. Tlie ashes are nearly 
 of a pure white colour. 
 
if 
 
 XVI.- 
 
 vm 
 
 'COM. FROM THE SAME PEAM AS ABOVE, AND WITHIN A FEW FEET 
 OP THE COKE AT Tiri'ECANOE PIT. 
 
 To ascertain the relation of the coal to the coke in this 
 mine, the following analysis was made. The coal has the 
 following character: 
 
 Its lustre is shining or resinous; its cross fructures are very 
 brilliant, and but little mineral charcoal is seen on its surfaces 
 of deposition. Its colour is jet black. 
 Its Specific gravity is 1.31. 
 
 Volatile matter- » « - 
 Fixed Carbon - . - . 
 Earthy matter . . - - 
 
 - 33.65 per cent. 
 
 - 61.51 " 
 
 - 4,84 •* 
 
 100. 
 
 Consequently the fixed is to the volatile combustible as 
 1.82 to 1. The ashes are of a reddish brown colour, and are 
 slightly inclined to pass into clinker. 
 
 i, 
 
177 
 
 FEET 
 
 Summary op Analysis. 
 
 this 
 i the 
 
 very 
 'aces 
 
 cent. 
 
 e as 
 i are 
 
 [ 
 
 The following table exhibits a synoptical view of the pre- 
 ceding recent analyses arranged in the order of the ratios of 
 fixed to volatile combustible matter, the latter including, of 
 course, the hygronometer moisture of each sample. The 
 volatile matter of the two plumbaginous specimens is doubt- 
 less nearly all water, but probably some portion of it is com- 
 bined with the earthy matter or oxides in the state of hydrates. 
 
 2^ »- S- K 3 
 
 • 3 2T j^ ?! 
 JO 3* I? 3 <' 
 
 • ;:• '^ > 
 
 CD 
 <* ! 
 
 S-S 2. q 
 § §« 1^ 
 
 3 OpSO 
 02:= ?3 
 
 _ O c . B 
 
 SO; Or- 
 
 s g o 
 
 3 " o 
 
 3- ""3. 
 
 c 5. E. 
 
 — 33 
 O a. a. 
 
 ?::*?« 
 h:h 3 
 
 a c ~ 
 : o 3 
 
 • ?r o 
 
 ^ *< -^^ 
 
 p r 3 c B» 
 
 E §" ? i' • 
 
 2^ £•§ g- 
 
 ^^^ ^'^■ 
 ? s r w 5 
 
 S *< B O ■ 
 
 T 
 3 
 3- 
 B 
 
 B 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 ft 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 B 
 
 » : 
 
 ;?i 
 
 
 3 s 
 
 ft ' 
 *< : 
 
 
 a! 
 
 « en 
 
 xa i: — .^ W hlJ-^iOC*^— 0J3D 
 
 •J 
 
 Specific Gravity. 
 
 M M ^s u M u w to CO 00 10 4^ w w .- ^ 
 
 Volatile matter. 
 
 fo "-I X) "oD w or tf "» "^» tn 10 S5 i» 00 155 o CI 4^ pt». 10 O^ 
 
 Fixed Carbon. 
 
 
 I en w .-t -J to <x y 
 
 ' S ;0 — hO TD O Q-i 
 
 - j: t:> -s <u a it> <s ut Ki v> <t^ '-' 
 
 -, *► tC i Ci to tP -T- Ci l» tC XI w 
 
 Earthy matter. 
 
 
 Ki 
 
 Ratio of Fixed to Volatile 
 Matter. 
 
 00 ^ = 5t 
 B S " 
 
 
 
 3* — B 
 
 8 g '^ 
 
 "H. 3^ 
 
 li 
 
 pa 72 < nj o ?3 a 
 
 ft z; t » f» 1^ (» 
 a- 
 
 EL.' 
 
 .•■<5 ^ 
 
 
 ^ B 
 
 2.*. 
 
 §.» 
 
 !6 
 
 3 2 m • 
 
 Ot2!0 
 
 as ^ ff^ 
 
 ?7 "-I rt 
 
 o"^ I- 
 
 -. .M B 
 
 « < « 
 
 • ? s. 
 
 CO • 
 
 2 < 
 

 178 
 
 PEACTICAL HINTS FOR THE SEI-FXTION OF COALS FOR DOMESTIC ASD 
 
 OTHER Ul^ES, 
 
 From a late article in ihr- Erlinltnrgh Hcvirw/it apprnrs to 
 be a now idea in Great Britain th.-it anthracite \s |nei'ernh}e 
 for all <Iom("stic purposej* to any other luel whatever. This 
 idea the reviewer has. it appears, ol>tainc(l from the clahorate 
 and valuable work of II. C. Taylor, Esq., on thn*'.Statisliei<of 
 Coal." It is by no means new in this eountry.ns the praeticc 
 of all the Athmtic cities, and the multitudes of inventions dfi- 
 signed to facilitate the application of anthracite to domestic 
 puvi-oses, fully attest. But not every variety of anthracite is 
 equally adapted to all domestic purposes. 
 
 1. For open grates, where a lively fire with considerable 
 flame is thought desirable, and where the moderates intensity 
 of heat will not endanger the conversion of a great portion of 
 the ashes into rlinfar, the re<f ash coals mny be employed to 
 advantage. A study of the Report on American coals will 
 show that the more rapid and intense is the fire, during the 
 combustion of any given coal, the greater will be the propor- 
 tion of clinker it makes. 
 
 2. In furnaces for healing houses, and in general f<ir close 
 stoves having any considerable capacity, and liable to produce 
 a very high white heat, the white or grey ash anthracites are 
 preferable. , » . 
 
 3. In the e vrller use of anthracites both red and white ash, 
 an error was very generally committed in attempting to use 
 them in too large lumps. As this fuel burns almost solely by 
 the contact of air with the surface of the incandescent coal, 
 it is essential to the uitainment of its maximum effect that 
 large vacant spaces shot Id not be left between the lumps.^ As 
 bituminous coal gives oU' large quantities of gas which fdl up 
 such open spaces, the evil is less liable to occur with that fuel. 
 
 In selecting coal for gas works, those varieties arc to be 
 chosen which possess large proportions of volatile matter nnd 
 as little as possibk- of sulphur. The rich cannel coals are 
 generally preferred for this purpose. 
 
 For smiths' work, coals are generally preferred which, m 
 being heated to redness, agglutinate their lumps firmly to- 
 gether. Wh<'n a hollow fire is not required, however, the 
 coals of loM- bituminousness, nnd which have but little ten- 
 dency to inturaescence or cohesion of lumps, may be employed ; 
 and the higher heating power of such coals will always give 
 them a preference where economy of fuel is an important 
 considerat ion. Coals pos>fessing a large port ion of iron pyrites 
 
 , 
 
v: j 
 
 ; ■■ 
 
 no 
 
 (hisulphurpt of iron) must bo nvouled in smiths' work. The 
 decomposition of the hisulphiiict iu the coal sets free one 
 atom of the sulphur, which attacks and consumes the iron, 
 remlerinj: it. brittle, ruul preventing sound wtddiny;. 
 
 For forminj; bricks, a j)ortion of anthracite dust has fre- 
 qiientlv been employed to advantajre. 
 
 For*burnin«r lime, anthracite is employed in the state of 
 small nut or pea coal. The white ash coal should be selected 
 for this purpos*', if we would avoid discoloration from an in- 
 termixture of oxide of iron with the Wmf.. 
 
 For Nteamships, coals of hi<i;h hcatin«; power under a fiiven 
 bulk, of -rreat purity, that is free from earthy matter, of little 
 tendency to clinker,' and entirely free from the danger of tak- 
 ing lire by spontaneous cond)ustion, ought in all cases to be 
 chosen. Anthracites are least liable to this evil, but many of 
 the cannel eords and free burning bituminous coals are also 
 ne.nrlv exempt from danger on this account. When a coal, 
 after'an exposure of some time to the atmosphere, begins to 
 exhibit elUorescent, white or greenish white salts of iron on 
 the exterior, and to fall rapidly Into small fragments, it is to 
 be suspected. 
 
 Housekeepers and others should endeavor to acquu-e some 
 familiarity with the aspect of coal, in order to distinguish 
 lumps of state, from true coal. All the slate they buy, is not 
 merely a fraud upon their linances, but a tax upon time, in 
 putting in and taking out so much waste materials from grates 
 and furnaces. The formation of clinkers, which destroy the 
 linings <»f stoves, brings a new source of annoyance and of 
 useless expense.