Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1848-12-16
BITUMINOUS COAL.

To The Editors Of the Courier and Enquirer:
Few persons Of the importance Of fuel TO COM
munity While sit in comfortable armchair, enjoying
the cheerful radiance Of coal fire. rarely occurs to US to
consider how much influence this mineral has upon the happ
ness and prosperity of mankind II almost impossible for
the mind conceive of the labor it is performing in civza
ton BY the adaptation Of ingenious machinery works for
US through the magic power Of stcam almost every economy
Of e Such is the importance coal to England that has
been said by able writer that she would revert to her
Gent baam should her coal mines be exhausted and she be
debaned from a supply.
To the United States, has been bounul Of
coal than any other country the globe Immense coal
fields spread large portion OF many Of States and
our neighbots Of Pennsylvania particularly favored Spe
ca has recently been drawn 10 the importance OF
coal for locomotives and steamers Wood has been getting
deacr and dearer and by degrees il has been banhed from
our steamboats, by anthracite This though emnenily useful
not perfect fuel for steamboat and the numerous at
tempts successful application of il to locomotives are
knowledged be failures The corrosive quality OF anhra-
ce 10 with iron at high heat is such as to make It
desirable substitute kinder and better fuel This is per-
ecy understood in England where they have all the vae
Of anthracite and btumnous COAL There the numerous
steamers and locomotives propelled by bitumnous and
semi btumnous coal anthracite sells at lower price, but Is
never so used Fortunately, in this country have album
dance Of the best quality of this steaming COAL II exists
Dauphin Hoidsysbug, and in Lycoming county, Penn
syvans, and Cumberland, in Maryland The coal from
these coal fields is admirably adapted TO in locomotives
and we had this would be in vain think Of
extending railroad system. II is only necessary look at
the consumption Of wood existing railroads. The
country is vsby, from year year. becoming denuded Of its
trees, and if not for supply Of coal hills and
mountains would present bare and bleak view
the shorn hills Of Scotland The Reading railroad last year
consumed 90,7l6 cords What then, would be the
dion Of New York. Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania and Maryland with their extended system Of
railroads. they depend upon the growth Of their
fuel would be folly construct another mile, for it could
he sustained fifteen yeats hence Nature, however,
designed short limit the ingenuity Of and il il
only necessary to select and apply substitute for the WOOD
which will not only prevent rerosression, bat will
der the present works efficient by essenng that great
item CT expenethe fuel account Of every railroad II has
been satisfactorily proved the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
and other important railroads. by direct and careful expert
men that ton Of good semi bituminous coal will do Tho
work Of n cords Of wood The coal be furnished in New
York at So TO Sc per ton and the wood 81 per cord
Coal therefore, would be cheap at SO per ton wood
It's present price, 81. Coal too, Is desirable fuel
readily handled taking up less room, and efcien
and regular in making steam. In the recent report Of thu
Dauphn and Susquehanna Co., is shown that the READING
Railroad might have saved last year. the company had used
this coal the large Of 2945, their expense for wooc
being S37l 1885.