The Columbia Democrat. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1837-1850, 1838-06-09

Fortunate EScdpe.-Otr towu Was ,
lew days since thrown into state or H.
most painful excitement by an accident
which we are happy to state did not resnl,
fatally. Mr.. Moses Jones, a worthy onJ
industrious citizens of Quincy. was crana ',"
ed at Mr.. Sherman's short distance Got5,
the town in sinking a well. He had evon
waited to the depth of 80 feet, and common
ced laying up the wall; removing bv d.
grees the curbing from below and supnor,in.
it with props, until he should renloco :
with stone. The wall settled-the mo-. 49,.
became loose--the curbing gave wov r.UI1 oIS
the SOIL which for many feet abovo ,,1 |
loose sand, caved in around him. w%"aoo
the clods fell he jumped on them, and crioJ io,I
to his assistants to let down the rome. bnt
before that could be done, the sand prescoJ o~i
down so fast, as to cover him up complo,ol,,.
and a second fall occurring soon after bnr;oii
him to the depth of six or eight feet II;.
head was forced to the side of the wall oro
arm fixed to his side, and the other ont.
stretched from his body. Some cIaDboard,
which fell in with the sand were SO disnosoJ
around him, as to lasen him rigidlv in his
position;while those around his head Drob,
bly, preventing the sand from filing in 50 40
TO suflocate him. Immediately 6elp was
afforded; but from the danger and diiicul,v
ofapproaching him some time was consum.
ed in properly securing the well agairst
further slides: and even then the narrowness
Of the place made it impossible for moro
than two to work together. They labore5
necessarily for his relief, from 2 O'Clock on
Tuesday at which time the sand gave way.
till past o'clock on Wednesday evening,
when to their great joy, he was drawn up
unniured after being thus earth fast for 2G
hOurs.-Quincy (HD Uhig.
szasszlslzz-sszssalaa1
We extract the following article on the
subject of the origin of coal, from the
"Journal of the Franklin Institute" for
April. 1t may not prove uninteresting to
many Of our readers
ORIGIN OF COAL.
Goals supposed by some writers to be
the remains of antcdiluvian timber which
lloated in the waters of the deluge until
several mineral strata had been formed:
others conceive it to be autediluvan peat
bog. twas used in England anterior to the
reign Of Henry III for that monarch, in
1884, renewed a charter granted by his
father to the inhabitants Of Newcastle, by
which they were permitted 10 dig coal on
the paymen; of 1901. per annum. Goals
had been introduced into London before
1906, for in that year the use of them as
fuel had been prohibited, from the supposed
| tendency of their smoke to corrupt the air
About the beginning Of the sixteeth century
the best Goals were sold in London at the
rate of As. Id. per chaldron, and at Newcas-
| tie no more than 2s. Cd. for the same. Du-
ring the ensuing century, however, they
were received into such general use. that IN
| 1913, on the scarcity of coal in London,
many Of the poor we're said to have died
from the want of fuel. The whole quntity
of coal sent into London on an average OF
| four years, has been estimated at |, $40, 600
chaldrons per annum. There has been much
| dispute on the origon of coal, but Brogniart
has givin the following as the general con-
| clusion of naturalist;-l. That coal was
| formed at the same time as, or after the eX-
istence Of, organized bodies. 2. That
this mineral when first formed was liquid,
and in great degree of purity. 3. That
the same cause which produces this sub
stance Is several times renewed in the same
circumstances.
4 That the cause, whatever it may be,
is nearly the same over all the earth, since
the beds of coal always exhibit nearly the
same phenomena in their structure and ac'
cidenlal circumstances. 3. That these
beds have not been deposited by any violent
revolution, but on the contrary, in the most
tranquil manner, since the organized bodies
that are found in them are often found en-
tire, and the leaves of vegetable impressed
in the slate which covers the Goals are hardly
ever bruised or otherwise deranged.
McHbVr Chronicle
! uIzll-7lEl
EEract OF proceedings of the Board O.
Canal Commissioners.