American watchman and Delaware advertiser. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1822-1828, 1826-05-09

uuagrnire 10 the canal, to be conVcyeu 10 INC Guy
of Richmond. The strata OF coal are more advan
'ageously located for the operations o. mining IN
Virginia than in any of the English mines, the vein,
beinp nearer the surface and HORIZONTAL instead oil
dipping, or descending with various slopes 10 vast
depths Should tine same advantageous means De
rmployed in Virginia. for raising Goals and Tor con-
veyng them from the mines TO the vessels IN james
River, as are adopted in the English coerIes, New
York might be furnished with Goals at as cheap
rates as the consumer pays Tor the same arucie ~
,onton. There no coal mines IN England, or
indeed in the world more abundant or more easily
wrou.h, than those in the United States near Puts
burr. The veins are here also nearly horizon
tall and are found even the summiIs OF the
hills. so that the Goals may be shovelled Directly
into the carts with almost the same facility as gra
vel from bank. A glass house near PIltsou'g
was supplied with fuel from the impending bluff,
few yards only from the mouth of the furnace
While descending the river Ohio some years
since. our party landed upon the bank to view
coal mine, from which the Goals were delivered on
board of the arks on the river at only tour cents
per bushel Ascending gentle slope OF ground
about one hundred yards from the river, we came Il"
| perpendicua bluff of rocks thirty or inty tee
high, on the side of which a vein OF coal ten leet
thick terminated in plain st hit above the level Of
the bank The operations OF mining were here
carried on with simple means the whole machinery
employ ed, probably not much exceeding an nun
dred dollars in value. including The old horse VINO
drew out the Goals in tubs placed on sort oil sled
| This vehicle seemed 10 slide without much efor
of the horse, down the bank from the mouth OF the
zine, which much resembled the broad open door
wsy of a barn cut in the face of the rocks where
the vein of coal run out. Even here, however,
from want Of skill person had been Killed only
few days before by the falling OF loose fragment
Of stone from the roof Of the mine. Unfortunately
for the northern and eastern states situated upon the
sea board, there are no mines OF the bituminous
coal yet discovered. The anthracite coal, however,
Astounding in several districts, cannot but be pro
ductve Of vast utility and wealth, not only for the
purpose of warming houses, but for use IN various
arts and manufactures. To Rhode Island the cen.
ire of manufactures in the United States, her coal
mines must at no distant period prove an exhaust.
II less source Of wealth The anlhiaci coal, being
nearly pure abon, resembles in this respect The
coke prepared with considerable trouble in Eng
land by burning the common bituminous coal, un
Ill il ceases to blaze when the heaps are extlngoish
ed by covering them with earth and sods. 1t can
not therefore be doubted, that the anthracite coal
may eventually be applied in the same manner as
coke to smelling iron, the of which is also abun
dant in Rhode Island This description Of coal is
already used in the iron foundries, making saving
| OF more than so per cent. in the expense OF tuel
| when a heat sufficiently intense to melt large
masses of iron, can with such ease be produced
the discovery Of suitable means OF operating steam
engines by its agency, cannot long remain desid
eratum. So insensble however, are the otherwise
enterprisng inhabitants Of Rhode Island to the va
lue OF the prize within their reach, that they have
left their coal mines to be wrought aod monopo
LIKED by the inhabitants of other States.