The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1853-10-12
THE FORMATION OF COAL.

Few people have any conception of the pro-
cess by which those immense deposits of COM
bust5le matter were prepared, from which the
fuel of the world in all coming time, or so long
as fuel shall be required, is to be supplied, nor
of the peculiar condition of the earth and its
roundings during the long period occupied by
that mighty chemical elaboration. The tho't
that during the slow lapse of these uncounted
years, and indeed during the almost inconceiy-
able ages that had proceeded them, no living
voice broke upon the stiffness of eternity, and
no "moving thing that had life" existed above
the surface OF the waters, is one OF peculiar in
terest and grandeur Yet that such was the fact,
is made evident by the untrfing record OF the
great Architect himself upon his work. This
was most clearly shown in the recent course Of
lectures on Geology, given by Dr. Boynton
here, good report of which is presented in the
Boston Journal.
In the coal beds traces of peculiar vegetation
have been found, more luxuriant than any which
now exist upon the earth.
This peculiarly, with the fact that no air
breathing animals existed previous to the forma-
ton of coal BEDS led to the belief that carbon
existed in the atmosphere in the form of carbon
ic acid gas in such quantities as to prevent the
existence of animals breathing air. How soil
tary must have been the ear;h during the period
Of coal formaton No birds fitted from branch
TO branch amid the dense foliage, and no living
creature traversed its plains or threaded its
oncly forests. Verdure fourshed and beauty
shone upon the surface, but the essential charm
Of life was wanting. Silence, too, reigned
throughout the world, broken only by the hoarse
thunders of the earthquake, as the pent up fires
vainly endeavored to burst through the bonds
that confined them.
But this gigantic race of vegetation absorbed
II 10 All air Az -
plants died and fell to the earth, they were sue
ceeded by others which in their turn died and
fell to the earth; and in this manner an immense
nass of vegetable substance was accumulated,
which upon subsequent fermentation was chan
ged into mass OF coal The calling into exis
tence of this race of plants the great purify
ing process Of the world. They were not OF a
nature to sustain animal life, but after they had
succeeded in absorbing the poison in The atmos-
phere and rendering the earth fit for the habita-
ton of air breathing creatures, such plants were
produced.
The vegetation of the coal period differed
from that in the present day in the fact, that nearly
al! Of the plants grew on the inside; whereas
nine tenths of them now grow on the outside.
They were somewhat analogous to the fern, Gc.,
or cur tropics. All the plants found as low as
the coal strata, were Of orders hich Induced the
belief, that throughout planet generally, ever
as far north as Melville Island, where mercury
freezes, tropical climate prevailed in the car
boniferous era.
If the weedy substance which after decompo-
stion and fermentation became cool, contained
resin or bituminous matter, as is frequently the
case, the coal produced would be bituminous If
the bitumnous coal was covered with sandy
matter and subjected to slight heat, the carbu-
retted hydrogen gas would pass into the sand,
leaving the pure anthracite. Sometimes, being
powerfully acted on by heated rock around it.,
it was deprived Of all its gases and changed into
coke; as is the case in Virgnia, where large
mines Of that substance are found.